Thank you for all your tips, Good luck to you all , Marysia x
Hi Ladies
A great tip for “saving” your fingernails is to immerse them in ice cold water, my hospital supplied little plastic bowls filled with ice - think it works the same way as the cold cap, its the immense cold and ice that stops the chemo drug having an effect on that part of the body. If your hospital can’t help take a couple of little bowls with you and some ice in an ice pack - it worked for me, no nail problems at all
Jackie xx
Re nails/tax.I did paint mine and kept them painted till 2 months after tax[never used nail polish in ‘real’ life].I only lost big toe nail.Had ridges on others but they stayed firm.I took ice lollies in a flask and some ice cubes and sucked them throughout the treatment-I had no trouble at all with my mouth although taste went weird.Not one ulcer,no soreness so cold does work.The side effect that was worst for me was fatigue along with extreme breathlessness.I had bad bone/joint pain after first tax but not others.No nausea or vomiting[unlike fec]but did have diarrhoea.Sore eyes,headaches,numbness in fingers and toes-all but the last one went within 3 months of finishing in May2007.I would do it again if I had to[but I hope I dont].Good Luck,let me know if I can help at all.You CAN do it.xx
Hello Marysia,
I’m on Taxotere too, and finding the side effects similar to what others have mentioned:
Nails: at my unit, they give you frozen gel gloves to wear during the transfusion to reduce the blood flow, similar to a cold cap. The cold is very painful, especially towards the end, but if it works then I’m happy to carry on. My oncologost did recommend dark nail polish, as he said the taxotere makes the nails sensitive to light.
Mouth: Much worse for me than when on Epirubicin/cyclophosphomide. Treatments this time round include sucking ice-cubes during the chemo (great fun when your hands are in giant frozen gloves too - you really need a friend to help!), mouthwashes (Difflam seems to work best for me) and manuka honey (15+)
Sore knees: - sore!
Fatigue: I was lucky on the EC, and never really experienced the fatigue that others talk about, but now I know what they mean.
Others: slight problems with my feet (dry, red skin - used E45 cream) and rashes, and hot flushes (but this may be the steroids??)
BUT… Everything is bearable and doable, and I just keep looking forward to the second half of the cycle when everything melts away and the “old” Julie comes back.
Good luck,
Julie
Hi everyone,
Just for the last couple of days I have been feeling myself again, Oh boy…that was a bumpy ride, if I may say!!!
This TAX is really very hard work. I had it on Friday 7th. I had my GCSF on Saturday and until then I was pretty ok. Sunday I started feeling a bit rough, with loads of pain everywhere until Wednesday when I had the most awful pain ever. What I call ‘an echoeing pain’. If echoes from the spine where the bone marrow is, through the spine middle bone up to your throat sort of place. It is the weirdest thing ever, making it difficult even to breath! I took Tramadol, Co-Dydramol and nothing… the pain did not even felt shy… I was so in agony that I decided to go to A & E. It did not really work, because they did not know what to do with me, they kept on giving me painkillers such as Codeine and oral Morphine and it did not help, until they decided to send me home scared that I would get even worse if I got an infection from the other patients as my blood cells were extremelly low. I went to the Oncologist next day and she said that the pain is normal and it should be treated with etiher Ibuprofen or anti-inflamatories such as Diclofenac.
Tax is definetelly harder than FEC, but with only one good thing: it does not make you so sick (nauseous). My Onc has given me Vitamin B6 for the nails together with Multi vitamins. Hair is still here, do not know for how long. Nails still looking ok, altough I will have a manicure and pedicure on Saturday and I will ask her to paint both as dark as she can.
I also joined Breast Cancer Haven in Fulham. If anyone here lives in London should really consider it. It is very good, they give you counselling, advice on herbal medicine, on nutrition all for free. Really nice people.
We have to stick together in those tough times…Sometimes I get really down, without knowing what to do or what to think really…
Good luck to all of you…
Lots of love.
xxx
Hi Stylish , sorry your going through a bad time it can only get better , have you still got your eyebrows and lashes they told me i shouldnt loose them now, but im not quite sure, i tried the Haven i think its very good, but to get a appointment when you are feeling quite desperate, i have been told you are not able to get a quick appointment and sometimes when you are feeling rock bottom , it can take up to a month, if you are like me i need a quick fix , interesting that your onc sugested V B6 multi vitamins.i was told not to take any suppliments, i really cannot see what damage they could do i would have thought they can only do you good, i know everyone is different this is a big learning curve what do you think. Take care Marysia xx
Hi Marysia,
I left you a message on my other thread. The Haven is very good and appointments are not hard at all. I went there on Tuesday and I managed to get an appointment for Counselling for the very next day. It is a bit out of hand for me, but I do make an effort and go, so that I can take my mind out of this.
I have lost my hair before with FEC and it has been growing beautifully, but apparently by next week it will start falling again. And I can just feel it, my scalp is getting really sore, that is how it all starts!
I have also seen a Medical Herbalist in the Haven that has prescribed me a feel herbal medicines to get with my imsonia, pain and stomach problems. I have not yet started taking them as I am waiting them to arrive through the post. But I am hoping they will help me through this journey.
Good luck to you and all the best with your treatment.
xx
Hi Stylish , a bit confused how long was the gap between your fec and Tax because my hair never started growing back? i also had the cold cap and lost the lot but mt friend had the cap and as a full head of hair, im not too sure how this site works im not very good at it , trial and error, so if iam comfusing you im sorry. what did the Herbalist suggest you take nice talking to you take care good luck with everything, Marysia,xx
Hi Marysia,
The gap between my last FEC and the start of my 1st TAX was exactly 3 months. So my hair had enough time to grow quite a bit. I never used the cold cap, the idea does not appeal to me at all. I do not like to feel pain and if that can be avoided the best, everyone says cold cap is really, really painful as they freeze your scalp! The herbalist suggested 3 different types of medicines to help with the side effects, unfortunately, I do not have the names at hand as I haven’t received them as yet by post, but I let you know when it comes if you are still interested.
Take care xxx
Hi Stylish, and others,
I finished my Tax at the end of August this year. I found it really hard work, as you can maybe see from some other threads.
Re the nails, I took good care of them and painted them black - - to no avail. I am losing my two “pinkie” toenails and my fingernails are ridged and flaky. I deal with the fingernails by buffing them down - that way I don’t catch the flaky ridges on anything and tear them. They’ll recover. Keep a nailfile about your person for many months after tax - I still tear my nails and have to file them down to the quick to stop from catching them.
Re pain after tax. My GP prescribed Oramorph (morphine liquid) which works for 4 hours at a time. It was a godsend. I only used it at night, because if I could sleep I could just about cope, but please do not hesitate to ask for it folks.
Re hair growth. My hair started growing back on Tax! Of course, so did the leghair etc!
Re leg pain. If you get leg pain after each dose of tax, be aware you may need physiotherapy to undo damage that is being done to your muscles. I was signed off by the physio yesterday! All my muscles, hamstrings etc had tightened up a lot and I needed help to loosen them.
With hindsight, Tax was just 13 weeks of my life. But I found it a long, slow and painful 13 weeks. I’m glad now that I did it (I wanted to pull out), but the consequences of it stay with you for a long time.
All the best to all of you as you go through all this
Sue xx
Hello all,
Is that time again on Friday, feeling really aprehensive as my first TAX was really hard work. Yesterday I have decided to shave my head (again), I just had enough with all the hair falling everywhere. My daughter was not at all pleased to find hair in her cereal in the morning after I served her! I feel really cold, now I do understand how bold men feel!
I have also followed the advice to paint my nails dark. I do not know if this will really prevent them from following, but at least it looks nice!
Good luck to all.
xx