Sept 2025 chemo starters

@anim4l i had some cramps in my 1st cycle (3 weekly Phesgo, Docetaxel & Carboplatin) and a couple of instances of diarrhoea but luckily no nausea. When I mentioned it to Oncologist 2 days before 2nd cycle be put me on daily Omeprazole which has helped. No more cramps but I was still getting the odd episode of diarrhoea. As advised, before I started chemo, i take Imodium (loperamide) as soon as I have an episode and that does the trick.

During 3rd cycle I had 4 isolated episodes of diarrhoea. When I mentioned it to Oncologist prior to 4th cycle he said as they’ve not been in the days immediately following chemo it’s not specifically drug related but suggested it might be chemo induced lactose intolerance and that’s when he suggested I try a dairy free diet. I cut out milk, yogurt, butter, cheese & milk chocolate but haven’t stopped eating all biscuits etc that have milk products listed lower down their ingredients list. It has helped. When I got greedy and had a few small chocolate brownies at the weekend I had a bad diarrhoea episode with sweats and nausea so I’ll definitely be staying off dairy for the rest of my treatment!

On Monday (prior to 5th cycle today) the Oncologist explained that 15% of patients get chemo induced lactose intolerance. Once chemo if finished I can try to reintroduce dairy, it may be temporary or I may have longer term issues.

Definitely discuss it with your Oncologist and see what they suggest.

Good luck getting some answers.

I always say my steroids (dexamethasone) don’t affect me too much but they obviously do. I’ve been unable to get back to sleep for 2 hours after waking for my usual nightly wee. I resisted getting my phone or iPad out for the 1st hour, then gave in! Will try to sleep again now but knowing my luck I’ll just drop off before the dog wakes at 6:30! Usually that not a problem as I let him out and feed him then go back to sleep for a couple of hours, but I can’t today as need to be up at 7 to leave at 7:45 for chemo! Hopefully I’ll get a snooze during chemo, I think I’ll take my daily antihistamine this morning, rather than this evening, and see if that helps make me drowsy!

I hope everyone with treatments this week is doing ok. I had a few hours of uncertainty after Monday’s bloods as to whether my chemo would happen today as my neurtophils were low on the instant test. Luckily by the time I saw the Oncologist 2 hours later the full lab results were through and the level had been amended to 1.5 which he said is the cut off to be ok, still below the 2 it’s meant to be. A bit worrying as I seem to be on a downward trend, even on 7 Filgrastim injections each cycle, 1 was 1.6 prior to 4th cycle. I’m already expecting a concern again for my last cycle in 3 weeks time.

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Hello @poptart good luck with your paclitaxel in January.

I am on the same regimen as @emsd2025 I am triple negative too and just completed 12 of 12 weekly cycles of paclitaxel + carboplatin, with pembro added every 3weeks.

As @emsd2025 mentioned pembro is only added if the tumor is over 20mm. Mine was 23mm reduced to 10mm after 6weeks treatment.

Here is my routine which is pretty similar.

I take paracetomol 30 mins before appointment time, they said this helps with the cold cap – but maybe you do this already?

Premeds: Steroids, anti sickness – both tablet form. Piriton given by injection into canula.

Cold cap goes on for 30 min pre cooling.

If it is a pembro week, they start the pembro (30 mins) first once cold cap is switched on as hair is not affected by pembro.

I use the cold mits for neuropathy caused by the paclitaxel. I am lucky as my hospital provide them.

15 mins before pacli is started, cold mits on hands and feet. I asked about compression socks but my hospital did not use them. So I only had the cold mits. I wore a very thin pair of socks on hands and feet.

Depending on where my canula was put in, sometimes the foot mit was better on my hand as it fit easier.

Paclitaxel runs for one hour.

Cold mits stay on for 15 mins after pacli ends.

Cold cap goes into stage 3 at the end of pacli and runs for 1.5 hours after pacli ends.

Carboplatin runs for 30 mins. (does not affect hair)

I then just have the last 60 mins after carbo finishes of cold cap only.

In between each treatment is a short flush.

They usually time the last flush very slowly to coincide with the end of the cold cap.

I am sent home with two days of steroids, two tablets twice a day. Plus two days of anti sickness, one table twice a day. For Day 2 and Day 3.

Plus the lovely Filgrastim injections, once a day for 3 days. Day 2,3,4

Side effects have been OK. My treatment is on a Monday. I found I had lots of energy Tues and Wedneday.

Thursday was OK. Friday was typically a ‘spacey’ day for me. Not firing on all cylinders but OK.

I probably had about 3 or 4 weekends where I was wiped out on a Sunday.

I did start with a rash at week 10 and 11. Evening of treatment day. On my knees and elbows that spread on legs, arm and torso. But with antihistamine and cetraben cream, it was gone within 24 hours. Thhey prescribe steroid cream but I have not needed it.

They said it was pembro related but after hearing about @story1 and reading up I think it is pacli related. Weird that it started so late in the treatment – but who knows, we are all affected differently. The main thing is it was not a major issue and cleared up very quickly. Hospital said very specifically to use piriton as that is the antihistamine they give me in hospital. The fact that it is the one that makes you drowsy really helped with my sleep – so there was a positive to it :raised_hands:

I am so sorry that nobody can go in with you. We are allowed one person. The fatc that my hospital provide the mits is so helpful. I live about 1.5 hours from the hospital so would have an issue keeping them cold if they did not provide them for me.

I have a set of mits bought on amazon that I have not needed. I am happy to send them to you so you have a spare set that you could swap in if that helps. Could they let your husband bring them into you or he could hand them at the door? Let me know, just DM me and I can post them to you.

Hope this info helps, it is amazing how much we learn from everybody.

Next Monday I start EC. How did you get on with EC side effects. Were you on 3 weekly?

Did they have much impact on you or did they kick in a specific times on the 3 weekly cycle.

How was your hair loss on EC? And sny tips to share for the treatment?

I completely understand the anxiety changing from one treatment. It’s like we are starting over again. Hopefully you will have some reassurance from here going into the next treatment.

@anim4l beautiful wreath. I wish I was talented and had an eye for making something like that! :clap:

@dizzy3 Hope you got back to sleep. steroids kicked in for me today hence the early and long post!!

Good luck to everyone going through treatment this week. :crossed_fingers:

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Soo happy you’re done with pacli @cathie2