Hi, Ihave so far had 3 cycles of FEC which I coped with reasonably well but had my first session of Taxotere 5 days ago and oh my god!! Day 3 I felt like my whole body was hit by a train and it still does but the worse of it is I collapsed, more like a fit than a faint and I have never been so scared. Can anyone tell me if it gets better the next time? I seriously feel like saying I dont want anymore. im hoping it was just worse due to it being a new chemical to my body. I know it varys person to person but i cant go through this again 
hobo x
I had my first Tax 2 weeks ago tomorrow, and have felt awful, actually this is the first day, that I feel better, saying that my fingers are still very sore and do still ache quite a bit. The worse bit for me was the electric shock type pains in my body that arrived 3 days afterwards, couldnt get out of bed for 2 days ! and have had milder pains like them since ! I thought someone had made a voodoo doll in my likeness and was sticking pins in me all over----- horrible.
I have my 2nd one next Wednesday, so will see if it is any easier and let you know !!!
Best wishes
Wendy
I felt like that after my first Taxotere. My oncologist gave me cocodamol after my first dose and said take them 4 hourly as soon as you feel the pains in the joints and continue to take 4 hourly for the next 3-4 days. This seemed to work and was much easier 2nd time around. Third one i think my body had got used to it so was nowhere near as bad. My nails were ok except for the thumb nails - couldnt put any pressure on them at all. Been lucky though as did not lose any of my nails like some i have met on the unit. One of the chemo nurses said the first Taxotere is worse cause you still have some of the FEC in your system. Hope the 2nd one is better for you. Somone i know had her dose reduced because she had such a bad reaction.
Best wishes
Jayne
Hi hobo…I finished 3 lots of TAX 4 weeks ago and the first was definitely the worst…was even hospitalised.! my Onc told me what janelle says that as you still have FEC in your system, it’s hit hard by a new strong medication. Good advice to start painkillers early -whatever works for you - I took a combination of paracetamol/cocodamol and ibuprofen/voltarol from 2 days before 2nd TAX to pre-empt aches and pains and contine theMfor a few days afterwards. If you’re having the GCSF injections that also exacerbates pain, sorry! I’ve managed to keep my hands/nails pretty much OK by using loads of night hand cream and wearing white cotton gloves when I’m asleep. There are other side effects for which you can take over the counter medicines. Be kind to your skin and mega moisturise!
Taste pretty much goes, so I just stuck to light food like soup, custard, rice pudding, ice cream, yoghurt and smoothies etc…also using the mouthwash regularly and Nystan for oral thrush.
I like you wanted to give up, but persevered and I can genuinely say that by pre-empting side effects I coped and felt MUCH better feeling more in control!!
Apart from tingling toes, fingers, swollen ankles and bits of loose skin on my feet, TAX is now a reasonably distant memory!! On 7/23 rads now and much more manageable in comparison…
You take care…hugs xx
My experience was much the same. I also had to give myself a booster injection of Neulasta 24 hours after each treatment so I wasn’t sure if I was getting a reaction from that as well. The first treatment was definitely the worse and I said I couldn’t cope with another but things did get easier. When I went for my first appointment before rads I mentioned to the consultant I was still feeling the after effects of Taxotere and he said he was just pleased I’d managed to complete the whole course as they have to take some women off it.
Hi hobo
I felt exactly like you after my first tax and wondered how I was going to cope with the next five treatment as the fatigue and the aching joints were horrendous. I had six FEC for my primary and that was much easier to cope with.
However, it did seem to get easier with each treatment although I did have a very nasty chest infection after my fourth treatment as my immune system was low - so look after yourself and take it easy.
Tax is known as the gold standard of chemos as it is such good stuff - even if it makes us feel like c**p. It has reduced my liver mets to virtually nothing so the end result, for me, was worth all the agony.
Remember, it is doable, so hang on in there - it will be worth it in the end.
Liz x
Hi. Had my first Tax last Thurs after 3 FEC and feel like hell! Thank you for posting these threads. I can feel so isolated at times and wonder if it’s just me! I don’t mean to sound selfish but knowing someone else having similar SE makes this “normal”. On the May 2012 thread and Tax only been had by very few. Good luck with all your treatments and hope the sun shines over you very soon.
Dorothy x
Wow thank you so much ladies for your replies I feel so much better not being alone on this! Today day 6 the pains are getting more bearable and im moving about more. Brilliant to hear your tips as to be honest i wasnt given any advice or warnings about this chemo, my nails are soooo sore i really hope i dont lose any. And my mouth is so very sore i have been using the mouthwash but thanks to the lady who mentioned Nystan as i didnt know there was anything for it. I am going to keep rereading these posts as its given me the urge to continue, I didnt realise it was gold standard either so it has to be worth it doesnt it. My anxiety levels are through the roof but thanks to you ladies my fighting spirit has returned. Will hopefully be more prepared for next time, I hope you all get on well with this too as much as can do Hobo xx
Hi Hobo
I am 2 yrs now since Tax but I well remember my first one. I felt really ill and could hardly get from the bed to the bathroom. I worried that I might not be well enoigh to go for the next one! I gradually picked up in between and was well enough for the next dose. After that I was ill but not as bad. I know everyone is different but the first really was the worst for me. Gradually, I tried to take each day as it came and not to worry about how I might feel. I did get through it and I’m glad I could because what would I be like without it, now? One step at a time and you’ll get there. It is do-able. I know how you must be feeling so I’m sending you a big hug and a cyber hand to hold if you need it and the same for all you other brave ladies going through this.
Ami xx
Hi Ladies,
Thanks for all of your contributions, I had my first Tax after 4 x fec on 11/07. The Oncologists did suggest that the symptoms would be “slightly different” YA THINK!!! I was in agony after 3 days and the voodoo doll analogy sounds just about right… coupled with the ‘electrical’ aftershocks. After 4 days of rolling around on the bed in agony.
I called up my acute oncology centre and was told to come in- and was given morphine, tramadol, and voltarol suppositories which were the most brilliant but caused rectal bleeding so I had to stop them (but only after the pain had died down :-)) this was after my BCN told me to take paracetamol! which didn’t even touch my pain.
5 days of intense painkillers and I finally felt I had come from behind a dark cloud 
My nails are very painful it’s taken 40 minutes to type this 5 minute post
I did have the neulasta injection as well and I’m sure that didn’t help- I wont be taking that anymore, I’d rather stay in and do internet shopping to try and prevent infections.
I am so glad you all posted and really appreciate your tips and advice because I did not think I would be able to cope with any more and was dreading the next one next week I had spent the day debating whether to take any more, but what choice is there? thank’s a bunch for the inspiration.
A massive communal hug from me to all of you xx
Thank you Ami for your lovely positive message, this is what I need! I know what you mean Empress Pink, they do not warn you how bad this will be! I was told achy limbs so I visualised feeling a bit flu like…not like i had been ran over a train over and over! Im also struggling to type due to very sensitive nails and today my mouth is so sore i cant eat drink or speak, does this pass??? i was told to take paracetamols and ibrufen for the pain from this chemo but i do feel this doesnt even touch it, im going to check with them and see if can have stronger tablets for next time, surely there should be. please let me know about the mouth problem i miss my food xx
Hi hobo…sorry you feel so rough Good idea to ask for stronger painkillers from your Onc, and as I mentioned before, try to take them from the day before chemo as this helps with pain. To be honest though, TAX 2 and 3 pain wise for me was far better. As for mouth problems, although TAX 1 was by far the worst, my sense of taste was pretty zilch for 14 to 16 days after each TAX :(. If you have a furry coating on tongue and roof of mouth you may have oral thrush…that’s where the Nystan comes in (and is handy as a prevention) so do see your GP. If you have ulcers then Gelclair worked for me. Otherwise I just tolerated and I have to say that 4 weeks from final TAX my taste is totally back to normal :). Anything pineapple is quite good to help alleviate sore mouth, although tbh your appetite goes with mouth problems, so that’s why I stuck to bland, easy to eat/swallow food that tasted like cardboard (not that I’ve ever eaten cardboard!). I just longed for curry or chilli…and saved them for a treat just before each chemo!!
Although I felt like c*** for several weeks, as someone else mentioned it is a very effective chemo, and…we’re here to virtually hand hold. It feels like the SEs will never pass, but they do and you WILL come out the other side. I worked during the third week which helped me mentally (although physically tired!).
Please keep posting…everyone reacts differently and gets slightly different SEs after each TAX…between us we should cover all bases to help support you 
You take care…hugs xx
Thank you Maryland, thats a great help. i would say my tongue has a furry coat and my cheeks hurt but I dont think its ulcers. Its good to know that this might be the worse and maybe not so much on the 2nd and 3rd (i hope) I will demand stronger painkillers and do like you say so that my body is prepared for the next bout of horrendus pain. its also great to hear 4weeks from the end and you can taste again! Im fanatsising about lovely food i cant wait!
These comments have really made me determined again, I felt like giving up when first posted. i havent been at work since february, my work is physical so couldnt bare to, also when was first diagnosed i was two weeks away from starting long awaited IVF treatment so i have had that to mentally come to terms with on top. Im hoping after 5years on tamoxifen we will be able to get our dream of a family still, i will only be 38 by that time. This site helps me so much with all aspects of this, I dont really find my macmillan nurse much help, i think i have seen her 5 times and she never gets back to me so this site is my saviour.
I did so well on FEC i wrongly presumed id cope with this one but I never expected it to be this bad, we are all so brave. Thank you xx
Hi ladies,
Sorry you all seem to be suffering the Tax Truck, I remember it well.
I finished my 3xTAX in September 2011, my first gave me problems with toes, couldn’t stand or walk too far, the second was fingertips, couldn’t open a can of coke and I kept dropping things. After the second TAX, the debilatating horrendous pains that I had had and rendered me on the couch in tears for 2 days unable to move, (I had through FEC but not as bad) I worked out that it was after the steroids finished that the pain got worse and was probably due to the neulasta injections. I voiced my concerns to my onc and she put me on extra steroids for longer, so instead of stopping, I went on a reducing dose right out to Day 7 of the cycle and this proved to be a huge help during the first week following TAX and those pains you all mention.
Not sure if this helps you or not, but good luck with the rest of the Tax,
Big hugs, Bev
Im hoping that the next Tax wont be as bad, most of you reckon its a bit more bearable, I too was thinking about not going next week for 2nd one as have felt awful, worst Ive ever felt in my life ! I would rather give birth !!!
I am going to tell chemo nurse how bad i felt, to see if I can have the reduced dose or reduced dose of steroids too, thanks everryone for your advice.
Wendy x
am so glad to have found this thread like others here i have been feeling a bit isolared with how ive been copeing (or not) with taxotere so far , am haveing a combination of tax/carbo ad herceptin at the same time so not sure if all my ses are from the tax alone or all three but so far its been realy tough on me.
am on cycle nos 2 now haveing had my 2nd chemo on monday felt okish till thurs but friday i felt realy awfull ,by friday evening my temp was 38.5 and i felt so bad hubby rang my chemo unit and we was told to come in straight away,
am writeing this from hospital where ive been since friday night on intravenous abs as am nutropenia count is today 0.1 and praying it increases now so they can take me off iv abs and put me on oral so i can go home though as this is now my lowest week for neuts not sure it will be for another few days at least yet, am so fed up and feel so rough temp is down to 37.5 so better but not normal yet tut now waiting for blood cultures to come back to see where infection came from.
was so glad to see this thread as i know its not just me now going through a rough time on tax at the minute.its so hard to post sometimes as would hate to frighten anybody with my own expierence so far but it can be realy lonely sometimes and isolateing so a huge thank you to everyone on this thread for shareing.
gentle hugs to everyone am keeping everything crossed that everyones ses will now be minimal,taxotere realy is a gold standard chemo and is exelent at doing its job so hang on in there ladies.
linda xx
Hi Ladies, was wondering if anyone has had EC then Tax if so have you experienced the same SE as the ladies above??
Brave ladies!!
Michelle xx
Hi Hobo,
Hope your’e feeeling a bit better by the time you get this. I saw my Onc today and he scoffed when I mentioned paracetamol! and he said the extreme pain is due to the neulasta. My mouth has jut recovered from being sore, but the taste in my mouth is so vile I stick to light foods. You could try bonjela for the sore mouth. We jut have to get through this one way or the other- but get some decent pain relief.
Best wishes
Hang on in there, Hobo - at least you know what to expect so your next dose will see you braced for it. I referred to docetaxel as ‘the one with the sting in its tail’. In fact, I felt so awful after my 1st one that I couldn’t face having my 1st herceptin the next day so had to delay it. Do let your unit know how you feel though before your next treatment. My last one was at the end of September 2011 - I don’t want to upset you but the after-effects do carry on for a while after your last dose as you will be experiencing a cumulative effect. Try and protect you nails with nail varnish, moisturise your skin well and drink plenty of fluids after your treatment too.
Docetaxel is not pleasant but it ‘does what it says on the tin’ so try and take your medicine with a smile and know that it is doing you good, even if you feel like s***. Trust me - I have been there, done it, and come out the other side!
Take care - Mazzalou xx 
Got next tax this Wednesday… feeling sick at the thought of it ! Didnt have a “good week” at all on first Tax , felt awful all the way through with every side effect possible ! Got blood results and apparently they are ok, that means it s going ahead… blast ! wanted a week or 2 off from it !!!
Blood must be the only “normal” thing in my body as everything else has gone to pieces!!!
Wendy xxxxx