It is all quite confusing isn’t it? Sounds though as if although the blood tests show things are progressing, there hasn’t been a lot of progression which is why the scans show no change. Your onc would appear to be trying to be very proactive and stop any progression early on before it can affect you at all, which is good.
I was on weekly taxol (18 doses) last year and my blood counts did drop - though onc gav me neulasta injections that helped keep the white blood count at a reasonable level most of the time. I continued working with 3 and 4 year old children throughout as my onc has always had the view that if your counts are low and you are going to get an infection, then you will anyway! He just urged me to ring in immediately if I started to feel unwell so that they could get me on antibiotics quickly before the infection became too bad. He also felt that doing the things I enjoy doing (which does include my work most of the time!) was really important psychologically but I do know other oncs have different views. Luckily my view is the same as his.
So I would say do all the things you enjoy and want to do, avoid really close contact with anyone who obviously has an infection, and just monitor yourself and get antibiotics quickly if you need to. HOpefully you won’t. My white blood count dropped after the first one (but I’ve always had problems with low white blood counts on the 3 chemos I’ve had, even the current one xeloda which is meant to be much easier on the bloods!). The red blood count fell more steadily.
Take care - and enjoy all those CHristmas does, particularly the school concerts - I’ll be one of those sitting amongst the sneezy, coughy children (I do love them really!) trying to make sure they are ok!
Hi Kay, Thanks for your comments, the one about the sneezy, coughy children made me laugh. I forget how difficult it must be for women with younger children who wll be bringing all the usual bugs from school. On my original diagnosis nearly ten years ago my youngest was then eleven so I suppose I was open to it all then but you forget and at the moment I find myself dwelling on the worst scenarios.
Thanks again
Love Loopyjack x
Hi
sorry for your news. there is a thread for us weekly taxol timers so come and join us there or the thread abot living with liver secondaries which is a long running thread. I’ve only recently joined in both so don’t be put off as it looks like we all know each other really well but we’ve not all met each other but are supportive and a lot of us do live chat on tuesday night.
I was told not to worry about the possibility of low wbc as weekly tax is given in small doses it does not tend to have that dramatic dip that you get in 3 weekly doses. I’ve found the side effects so much easier than when i had 3 weekly taxotere and I swore I owould never touch tax again but 2 years later and here I am. Get a bit tired and was upset about hair falling outt but now think it maybr trying to grow again. I’ve had 12 out of 18 doses and then see what happens. Nails have discoloured but not fallen off so pleased. Just the usual bowel probs I get with chemo.
Hope all goes well - typing this after sleeping tabs so probably doesn’t make sense.
hope all goes well
Kate
Hi, I had first Taxol this morning and no problems with the drip etc. Just got to wait and see if I get any of the side effects they listed. The nurse was absolutely brilliant as most of my veins are rubbish but she found a good one and went in with no trouble (early days yet). I find I have mixed emotions when in clinic , depressed with all the other people having chemo and on the other hand such cheery people make you feel you are not alone.
Love
Loopyjack xx
Hello, Severe constipation. It started last week a couple of days after the first Taxol and I thought don’t worry I’ll go in the morning but after 5 days and feeling really uncomfortable I realised I needed to take something and took Dulcolate which worked to some degree late Sat evening but then spent an uncomfortable night with stomach cramps. However, a couple more trips to the loo and I felt much better by Sunday afternoon. When I went for 2nd Taxol last Monday I mentioned the problem and was told if I had started with it now I would have it throughout the course of treatment. I was given Movicol but cannot get it down. This week I have eaten large quantities of homemade Bran Loaf, prunes, orange juice, vegetables and plenty to drink but its all going in and nothing coming out ( sorry to be so blunt ) and am now feeling pretty grotty again. Has anyone any advice.
Loopyjack
Sorry to hear of your constipation problems. If you have a look at the thread ’ Top tips to help get you through Chemotherapy’ there’s quite a lot of suggestions on there from users who have had the same problem and found some relief. Don’t suffer in silence though please do speak to your medical team if this continues I’m sure they’ll be able to help you.
Hi Loopyjack,
on the back on taxol thread I had to tell everyone my problem I had not gone for 2 weeks, so checkout the advice that they gave me. I have to take movicol and it makes me gag but it works sort ofish! I also make the go cake but do mine with dry figs. I am due my 6th tax on Monday and still have hair it is very very thin. It had only just started to grow back I think by next week it will all be gone.
Love Debsxxx
I also get very severe constipation on my weekly taxol but I’m also on other drugs that cause constipation like MST and amitytylline so I have a long standing problem and have developed strategies that work for me.
I know I’m very odd but I like the taste of movicol!!! I have the plain flavour but you can put squash/juice in it to help change the taste. I often need 3 a day. I also take dioctyl tablets and have up to 5 a day of them when things are bad. Then if things get very bad, I take picosulphate which is not the same strength as picolax for whole bowel clearance as I find sennacot doesn’t work for me. I also have to resort to suppositories at times.
Drinking plenty really helps as well as the foods you mention. There are lots of medications out there to help like magnesium trisilicate which gives me bad stomach cramps but others tolerate it well.
It is so miserable and a subject people joke about but is really not funny at all.
Hope you find something that works for you.
Kate
Hi,Anybody on weekly Taxol. I have had my 3rd this last Monday. Each week Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I have been well but Thursday extemely tired and last week I tried to work through it what with Xmas shopping etc. but have found today I am unable to get off the sofa and feel it is getting worse with each week. Also the area around my Liver has felt very tight and uncomfortable on a Thursday and gets better next day. Has anyone else had anything similar. I keep hoping its the Taxol taking effect on the Liver. Also I am feeling very down as my hair is coming out in handfulls, don’t know whether to take the plunge and cut it and shave my head as its its in everything I eat. 10 years ago when I had treatment it came out all in one day so never had this.
Lesley
Hi Lesley
I also feel fine for a couple of days after taxol - i think its the steroids - I have it on friday and ok until sunday evening / monday morning when i feel very tired - totally zonked out! - i’m on 10th taxol tomorrow and my hair isverythin but still there …although i have cut it very short …lets hoping its doing its stuff for you , jayne
Hi, I’ve had 4 Taxol now, I missed a week last week due to Xmas but have this constant feeling that my nose is blocked and when I blow my nose I lose a clot and a little blood but it stops quickly and then is ok for a while (it happens 3/4 times a day). Has anyone else had this whilst on Taxol. Lesley
Hi Lesley,
happy new year lets hope it is a good one health wise for all of us.
Yes I get the bloody nose each morning I feel really bunged up at first I thought it was the avastin but when I stopped taxol the bleeding stopped and now I am back on it same problem. I have had one quite long nose bleed.
Hope this helps.
Hi, Just arrived back from a seeing the onc and for the first time since starting weekly Taxol he asked to examine me. I have blood tests on Fridays and if they are ok I go through with the Taxol on a Monday. I’ve had 5 now having missed one between Xmas and New Year. Last week he told me that my bloods were ok but the Liver blood test had shown no improvement but was stable. He never volunteered any info today so I asked what the results of last weeks tests were and was told that the red and white blood tests were fine but the Liver blood test had risen, albeit slightly and they would not make any decisions on just one week. What decisions does he mean? its only when I got home I started to really worry. Does this mean the Taxol is not working ? has anyone else had Taxol and not shown any improvement until they had a few more (I’m having 12 ). On saying this after todays Red/white blood results came through I’m having the Taxol on Monday. Any comments would be appreciated.
Love Lesley
Hi Lesley - i have mets to lymph, bones and liver ( all multiples) I had taxol 12th today- first 6 doses had to be reduced cos of liver functioning tests showed problems and they explained to me that taxol can interfere with liver function - so its balencing the chemo to help liver but not overload a problem liver , if that makes sense - anyway , liver tests showed some improvement after 6 so dose of taxol went up - and liver function tests now improving - scan shows no change in liver mets but the liver is functioning better so i take some hope from that - give it a bit more time - i’m n weekly taxol - are you? - good luck with it all, jayne
Good that you felt able to ask your onc about your bloods this week, and glad to hear they’re are generally OK. I don’t have any experience of Taxol (I’m a Xeloda girl), but think that blood tests & liver function tests will be just one part of your onc’s assessment of how you’re doing on Taxol. For instance, he will also be wanting to look at further liver scans to get a fuller picture of how the chemotherapy is affecting you. I was dx with liver & bone mets in 2003 – my blood tests and liver function tests have always been “normal”, so relying on them wouldn’t have been useful to my onc without my regular liver scans & occasional bone scans (only when I have new pain, i.e. some progression). You might want to have a little discussion about this with your onc when you see him next Friday, to find out how important he feels your blood test results are in assessing your progress whilst on Taxol – it sounds like he’ll be happy to give you this information, if you ask for it.
Hi Jayne, Yes its weekly Taxol and I do now remember reading on the Taxol info sheet that it can affect Liver function so maybe thats what it is. How many Taxol are you having is the 12th the last? If you don’t mind me asking when was your dx?
Lesley
Hi Lesley,
started taxol last Feband had 12 after 6 scan showed 50% my liver had been i a really bad way and it was .hit or bust time, after 6 more scan showed 10% red so had chemo break until 31/10/08 that is when I started ‘back on taxol’ thread. There seemed to be alot on taxol so thought it would be good to follow the progress or not, of others. Some times my bloods for liver cause concern but onc would rather see the scan results before making decisions re change of treatment. I have been told from day one to make sure I drink lots of water during and after tax as this helps relieve the stress to the liver. Mine is a bit like blue cheese with tumours throughout. they have grown to 7cm and then shrunk back to 1.75 then up again to 5cm when not on chemo, they amaze me how after all the toxic stuff chucked at them they still bounce back! My attitude is “o.k. we will zap you again” and so the circle continues.
I am continuing for this next 6 and hope to have a break again like last year. Fingers crossed.
Hi Lesley
yes back from hospital and had 12th Taxol today - plan is I will have 18 then another scan and then a chemo break of maybe 3 months ( but continuing on bone stuff and herceptain evey 3 weeks ) and then re-assess what chemo next - feel things looked pretty awful at start of taxol but now liver is functioning better - still worried that tumours have not shrunk ! Bastards need to.
Anyway - I originally had breat cancer in 2000 - surgery, rads and 4 chemo - all k until sept this year - when found a lump on collar bone and then… the tests sent me dowm the bad news slippery slope of bones and liver - so started taxol beg of oct - byt he way I get my chemo nurse to write down every weelk the ast. alt. bilbuin, alk phos and ggt numbers ( liver functioning tests) and she has aso written down the " normal " range -so I can reflect and monitor them myself! Take care , Jayne
I have triple negative so unfortunately unlike others do not ever get a break from the chemo which is hard going. However i am currently on Xeloda which is an easy chemo to take, however it takes a while sometimes to get your dose correct. Some people have been on it for months others years, i am currently on my 8th cycle and at my last scanon the 22nd December it was showing shrinkage so I’m quite chuffed with it.
I have no experience yet of taxol, but I’m sure i will at some stage! Although Taxotere which is of the same kind of family of drugs was a lot worse than Xeloda.