Hi so I went for my 1st round of Docetaxel today after having no sleep last night courtesy of the steroids 
. When I got to the unit the nurse informed me that my treatment was only being given at 75% he then went to check the computer system to see why & it turns out that my ALT levels in my liver were high aswell as bilirubin which is also in the liver 
. I figured they couldnāt have been that far out otherwise they would have delayed my treatment instead of giving it to me at all! Hope you wasnāt to bad with your side effects after your treatment!! Take care x
Oh, I didnāt sleep the night before mine last week either! Hopefully youāll be so tired that youāll sleep better tonight. My side effects have kind of been changing day to day. First couple of days were fine then the pains kicked in, as I was saying in my earlier post. When the helpline got back to me they werenāt actually very helpful as they wanted me to go to A&E in case I had something serious wrong with my spine!! I refused to go as I had no neurological symptoms and had only been ringing to ask about pain relief for the aches and pains Iād been told to expect. It was ridiculous. Two days before Christmas I was not going to A&E imo unnecessarily. Only when I got off the phone did I realise they actually hadnāt helped me regarding pain relief at all. Anyway, I got some over the counter cocodamol which helped. Next thing was my tongue went white in the mornings. I was reluctant to phone again Iām case I got the same response so I checked the Macmillan website and found advice to use a bicarbonate of soda solution and a soft toothbrush to clean my tongue. It worked and now that symptom has gone. On Boxing day morning I vomited but Iām not sure if that was anything to do with the chemo or just my body not being used to the Christmas dinner and desserts (not that I ate much as everything tastes of nothingness) 
Also the tiredness on day 7 was pretty bad. Today I woke up feeling a bit better and with a little more energy but my fingernails are sore and I canāt really do fine motor tasks like buttons very easily. Oh and I had a little diarrhoea. Nice. So itās like a little surprise each day of what symptoms will I have today?!! On the plus side, I can now walk up and down stairs normally. Until today my legs were so weak and tired that I had to hang on to the banister and place both feet one at a time to the same step, if you know what I mean.
Sorry that was an essay 
and hopefully youāll not have all of those things yourself. Having 75% dose might help. I had 80% on my third EC due to liver function but they gave me 100% Docetaxel as it may not necessarily cause the same liver issues. Weāll not really know for sure as my next one is in 4 weeks instead of 3 due to the hols and the extra week will probably mean the LFTs are back to normal.
Hope you sleep ok tonight x
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Hi @pink66 how have you been getting on since your Docetaxel? Are you nearly ready for your next cycle? I have to say Iāve found the first Docetaxel tougher than the EC but I guess itās not that way for everyone.
Thankyou for your reply & I really hope all those horrible symptoms have now subsided 
. I managed a bit more sleep last night & today will be my last day on the steroids too. I am absolutely dreading the pains & I have been really struggling with the filgrastim injections on mainly day 5 (the last day of having them) they have been causing me really bad back & pelvis pains . Iām just glad that I have only got 2 more rounds to go now which I believe is what you have too? My brain fog is bad too since Iāve been on chemo, maybe down to the menopausal symptoms!! What date is your next round? My next 1 is the 16th Jan because theyāve moved me back to my original Thursday as I should have had the 1 I had yesterday the day before on Boxing Day but due to less staff moved a lot of us to the day after! Howās your hair doing? I feel like mine Is trying to grow back a bit now but itās obviously a very slow process . Thatās 1 of the things I have found the hardest because I had really long hair down my back. I have also gained weight since having surgery & being off work & having chemo which I have hated to because Iām usually a slim build. Oh the joys 
. Take care x
Oh yes weāll be on the same day then - 16th Jan, which is my husbandās birthday!
I feel a bit better this morning, thanks. Slept ok and tummy seems fine.
I get one pegfilgrastim injection instead of 5 and it gives me pains the following night but they unfortunately were worse with Docetaxel than with EC. Hopefully yours arenāt. Iāve heard of some people asking to switch to the single injection but maybe your unit doesnāt offer it.
My hair is also trying to grow back. My scalp is like a little furry kiwi but Iām not sure if that will all fall out again next week. Iāve been using a rosemary oil scalp tonic I was recommended. Apparently it keeps the scalp healthy and promotes hair growth so I thought it was worth a try. Iāve put on weight too. Iād been trying to lose a few pounds before all this and was running a fair bit, as well as doing some strength workouts at home. Now I feel so weak and even the thought of running exhausts me. I really hope I can get back to it. My last race was a 10km at the end of June and if I could do the same one next June Iād be delighted, even if it takes me an hour and a half!! Itās a tough one starting on the beach then up a steep hill with a cliff path later on, but the views and atmosphere are great. Seems like an eternity away right now.
Will you be having radiotherapy after chemo? Iām having 15 sessions.
Hi yes Iām having 9 sessions of radiotherapy once my chemotherapy is finished. I feel the radiotherapy will be a walk in the park after the chemotherapy. Wow so out next chemo is on the same day. I thought your next 1 would be before mine because your 1st treatment was? Are you having every 3 weeks like me? I canāt wsit to get back to being active again & getting rid of the extra pounds 
. I feel breathless just walking at the min but I suppose itās due to our bodies needing to repair after each round of chemo! We donāt realise really how hard our bodies are having to fight to get better between each cycle x
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You should tell your onc you canāt do up buttons as I was told that as it can become permanant otherwise.
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Yes my next one is 4 weeks on instead of 3 as thatās the way my unit has worked everything due to the hols. People who have their assessment on a Wed are all affected due to Christmas day and New Yearās Day being Wednesdays. Thankfully itās only one weeks delay, not two. I donāt mind as chances are my liver needs that extra week to recover anyway. It really is a lot our bodies are being put through.
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Thanks @Linda_Corinne I will indeed. Theyāre better today already but Iām keeping a note of everything to tell the oncologist at my next pre chemo review. Theyāve said they might reduce the dose if the side effects are too much.
Hi pod123
Just like you have described, my first round of docetaxel was horrendous and much worse than EC. No headaches or nausea but utterly exhausted with horrible flu like aches in legs and back with shooting pains across by feet and toes-at times I could barely walk. It was certainly not a tingling in my toes and fingers the consultant said I may suffer! I found the only way to calm the leg twitches was to lie on the bed and cocodamol helps but needs combining with a daily laxative! It has taken me much longer to recover from this cycle too.
Iām really hoping when I speak to the consultant next week, he will reduce my dose as he did mention this could happen.
Glad my 5th chemo has been pushed back a few days to 6 Jan-keeping positive with the thought Iām 2/3 of the way through chemo now!
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Yes we donāt realise sometimes just how hard our bodies have to work to recover from each round. I was a bit disheartened yesterday when they said my liver had been affected because in the back of your mind your always thinking the worst which is not nice to think like that!! Iām glad it only got pushed back a week for you but if your anything Like me you just want to power through with no delays. At least like you have said it gives your liver that extra week x
I think it takes longer each time to recover, doesnāt it? The oncologist did say the effects may be cumulative. But we are 2/3 of the way through so that is something to be happy about. I shouldāve been a cycle further ahead but Iāve had a total of three weeks delays now due to bloods and infections. It feels good to be beyond halfway though!
@shelbylou81 The oncologist explained to me that some people just have a more sensitive liver than others. The chemo doses are worked out based on averages from previous clinical trials so it stands to reason that some people will tolerate higher doses and some will need lower. Thatās the nature of averages. My liver function tests were actually abnormal even before I started chemo so I had a CT, ultrasound and MRI but it turned out to be nothing to worry about. They put the abnormal results down to the affects of having two general anaesthetics within a month and that I have a sensitive liver She also explained that to go ahead with full dose chemo on top of very abnormal liver function results could cause permanent liver damage. So if the results are a little abnormal theyāll go ahead with a reduced dose, but if theyāre over a certain threshold theyāll delay chemo for a week and retest. We definitely donāt want permanent liver damage on top of everything else!
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@pod123 Very true I would rather have the reduced dose than have permanent damage to the liver. Yes I remember reading your thread saying your liver levels were out before starting chemo but a general anaesthetic is harsh never mind 2 in a short space of time x
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Hope youāre feeling ok today.
Iāve just had a chat with my oncologist and am so pleased she will reduce my docetaxel dosage to 80% for my 5th cycle on Monday.
Really hoping it reduces the horrible side effectsš¤
Oh thatās great news. Iād say today is the first day Iāve felt close to normal since chemo on 19th so thatās definitely a lot longer to recover than with the EC. My mouth still has a horrible taste but my fingertips arenāt sore anymore and I managed to build the Lego bouquet I got for Christmas! Hope all goes well for you on Monday x
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Great that youāre feeling better-it does take a long time to feel human again!
Most impressed with your Lego skills! Are you putting anything on your nails? Iāve been putting the Essie hard to resist nail strengthener on a few times a week since starting chemo and so far I think itās helping as they look ok.
I was using nail strengthener at the start but I got out of the way of it. Must start again. My nails are terrible as Iām a recovering biter and the events of this year made me fall firmly off the wagon 
Happy New Year!
May 2025 bring you good health, less hospital appointments and a return to normal life.
How are your eye lashes and eye brows coping with chemo? Mine have held out but are definitely thinning out now thanks to docetaxel. Iām investigating eye lash serums for an end of chemo much needed boost!
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Happy new year to you too! Iām just about to have round 6 of 8 next Monday. Iām on paclitaxel now, after 4 EC and I swear theyāre trying to kill me!!! My hair is falling out despite cold capping, I have virtually no eyebrows or eyelashes and Iām completely knackered!!! But the worst part by far is the excruciating pain I get on day 3 which lasts for about 3 days. I have literally never known anything like it and Iām really struggling. Feel absolutely floored by it, I wonāt lie. Thank god Iāve only got two more to endure!!!
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