Hello,
Went to see oncologist yesterday. Have had x3 EC and doing ok - things have dropped out but nothing dropped off!! Will be having docetaxal next time and starting herceptin 2 days after that.
Doctor spent 30 mins telling me how grim things were going to be as I hadn’t experienced any side effects from previous 3 treatments!! I told her I had but just got on with things as best I could, no point moaning about it, has to be done.
I am now really really scared of what’s going to happen even though I know that not everybody gets all the side effects. Please tell me some
none-scary things about this chemo.
Hi 1234,
Sorry to hear you are so scared about Docetaxel aka Taxotere, often referred to on here as Tax. I had it and am one of those for whom it really wasn’t so bad. If you feel up to reading the first couple of pages of thread ‘need positive posts about Tax’ you wil find a number of us saying how we foud it not so bad. share.breastcancercare.org.uk/forum/need-positive-posts-about-tax-t33626.html
The thread has developed into a support thread among some people who are on this chemo.
Hopefully you too will be one of the lucky ones for whom it is effective and not too horrid. Take care.
I had 4 x AC and then 4 x Tax. The AC was difficult but like you I got on with things as best I could. I dreaded the tax because I kept hearing and being told some real horror stories. All I can say is wait and see. For me the tax was slightly easier, my only real problem came from the injections I had along side the tax for a few days to keep my blood levels up.Once the aches and pains from these were done I coped better and my hair even started coming back.
Well done to your onc for giving you all the worst case scenarios. Sometimes they need shooting for their bed side manner! My close friend had a Google when I went to have my first, and was convinced i’d come home with two heads!
It’s do-able, that’s the word we use. good luck, and try not to stress. Think of what might happen without it.
I had 4 x AC and 4 x Paclitaxol plus Herceptin when I was diagnosed in November 2010.
For me the Paclitaxol was worse, the AC was bad as it was a shock to the system having chemo of any sort but I got on with it.
I had my treatments every 2 weeks so very intensive, if you are having yours every 3 then you are getting an extra week to recover. I also had the “big bag” of Paclitaxol which is a 3 hour bag, so I was having 3 hours worth every 2 weeks.
I suffered dreadfully with muscles aches (couldn’t even get up the stairs at one point in one go) and fingers and toes went completely numb and 4 toenails dropped off. I am only just getting my fingers back to normal and toes not quite there yet (10 months since finishing).
But everyone is different. My husband’s secretary is having Tax at the moment and she is having ‘small 1 hour bag’ every week and she is still managing to go to work every day and her hair is coming back. I couldn’t have even contemplated work.
However you feel though you will get there. I saw it as half way there and ticked each one off as I went.
I am now down to my last 2 Herceptins so its been a long old haul this past year, but nearly there now. And I’m back at work now full time, so you do get through it.
Had my second tax last week and coping ok with it. Apart from a lot of aches and pains have found the second one to be better but I listen to my body and rest when I need to instead of trying to be heroic. Even managed some housework yesterday and looking after 2 grandchildren!
The worse bit for me at the moment are my taste buds as food doesn’t taste as it should and drinks have to be really cold with lots of ice but no big deal.
With regard to my aches I am also on herceptin and pamidronate so these could be the guilty party!
Actually finding tax better than fec which I had last time so don’t be scared and don’t listen to scaremongers - you can do it girlfriend!
I MUCH prefered TAX. No feeling queasy and hungry, my energy levels were back up again and I actually felt pretty good. I didn’t have any aches and pains, kept my nails etc although did lose my eyelashes and eyebrows right at the end - but nothing that a decent eyebrown pencil and waterproof eyeliner couldn’t hide. The only grim side effect I had was that my feet got a bit sore and all of the skin peeled off. However, I just got a cream from the doc’s and now have baby soft skin.
Just take it easy for a few days after the chemo and see if you get any SEs. If you’ve got through 3 EC you’re going to get through the Tax too.
Tax was so much better for me than FEC. I got some aches and lethargy, and some numb fingers and my taste changed, but I never felt ill from the inside-out like i did on fec
The only thing I dread is the sore mouth and sore throat you can get on Tax. Oh and losing finger nails doen’t sound appealing either.
I found FEC very do-able, bit nausea on day one, the worst was the constipation TBH. I hope SE’s of Tax will be in a range where they won’t need to reduce dose or even take me off it. Maybe it’ll be alright and I sail through it like on FEC.
