Taxotere and a horrible mouth
Taxotere and a horrible mouth I have started this topic on behalf of new user emmap1000
Kind Regards
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Breast Cancer Care
Hi
I had my first Taxotere last week. I’m having all the aches and pains all over my body including the indigestion. I think i’m pretty lucky as it’s not to bad, i don’t feel i need pain killers just yet. The worst thing for me is my mouth. It’s very sore and feels like a layer of fuzz is covering everything. Does anyone have any suggestions for making this better? Food is pointless at the moment as it tastes of nothing and just hurts my mouth. Any advice from anyone would be great, it’s starting to get me down a bit!
Thanks
Emma
Fuzzy mouth Hi Emma
I had my first Taxotere three weeks ago and am due to have my second this Friday. So far things have not been too bad - I’ve not had any real aches or pains, just twinges but for the first week I had very painful guts.
Like you, I had the horrible mouth - it wasn’t really sore but it felt fuzzy and dirty like the bottom of a bird cage. Also, my tongue seemed to swell (I kept biting into it when I was eating and made a real mess of it) and it was covered in white. This lasted a couple of days and then went bright red and smaller. The tip felt a little numb as did the insides of my lips and the corners of my mouth. Eating became a pointless chore but it didn’t last very long.
The best thing for me was to clean my teeth frequently with Colgate Total toothpaste which is antibacterial and use a very soft toothbrush. It helped to get rid of some of the fuzz and refreshed my mouth. Mouthwashes didn’t work for me.
This site has been so helpful for me and I’m sure other ladies will give you loads of useful advice too.
Hope you feel better soon.
Love
Jibby X
me too!! My mouth was just as you describe it. I couldn’t explain it. like a furry coating. The second and third tax it wasn;t half as bad. Used all the rinses and tried all the remedies. hope the next one is better love Eileen
Hi
Ifound a bicarbonate of soda toothpaste helped and fresh pineapple.
Good luck with the next
Geraldine45
me too Sounds very familiar. I’m using Daktarin (mouth gel) from the chemist which seems to help a bit. Also drinking cold lime juice cordial and lemonade is OK.
Jane
Hello Emma
If the inside of your mouth is white then you’ve probably got oral thrush. I had this with each Taxotere.
the best thing for this is Fungolin pastilles which I got from my GP. You suck one a few times a day and it sorts it out very quickly.
I also found Rose’s Lime Juice and Lemon Sweets great for the awful taste.
Hope you soon feel better
Love Anthi
Hi Emma I had my first Tax last week and have exactly the same as you - aches and pains, which I only needed to take pain killers for one day.
My mouth is horrible and I am very fed up with it! Eating nice food is a real comfort, expecially at the moment, but now I can’t do that!
I find that I am grinding my teeth as my gums itch.
I have Nystan drops for the oral thrush, Daktarin gel to sooth and use Corsodyl mouth wash, and also suck sore mouth pastilles (but it’s not easy - have to suck very gently).
I have just had an overnight stay in hopsital as my temperature was a bit high, but they just monitored me and, luckily, it went down without the need of intravenous antibiotics.
Ice cream and jelly are the easiest things to eat!
Hope this doesn’t last too long 
Take care
Anita
Smoothies Was just going to eat some jelly but found that the ice compartment had been left open so both my jelly and strawberries were frozen. Bunged the whole lot in the smoothie maker with a bit of milk and ate the lot - it was delicious and very soothing on my mouth.
Off to get more fruit and jelly so I can eat something at least!
Mouthwash When I was on taxotere, the mouth & throat soreness was so bad that I had problems eating, which made me particularly miserable (I love food). Taking pain killers 30mins before meal times was helpful, but fruit smoothies, V8 juice and cold pasta salads were life savers, especially while I was in the oncology ward for 5 days with what turned out to be septicemia.
The long term solution was a disgusting but very effective mouthwash/gargle which the chemo dept prescribed when I told them what was going on. It had that very bitter taste you get from anaesthetics at the dentist, but it did make things bearable, so I’d recommend that you speak with your chemo nurses.
Also the mouth & throat problems were worst after my 1st treatment, but reduced as time went on and had nearly disappeared by the 4th session.
I’ve had cancer and chemo twice (first FEC and then taxotere with herceptin), and the main thing that I have learned is that the chemo nurses have heard about all the side effects that exist and they can usually prescribe something effective if you just ask them!
But the really good news is that taxotere, for all its problems, really works. I had inflammatory breast cancer, which showed up in several big red patches with hard skin nodules over my chest and back. Within 5 days of the 1st taxotere most of these had disappeared. When the pathology results came back after my mastectomy, all signs of the cancer had gone.
Lots of love,
Lynn
Thanks Lynn I have managed to eat today, taking the pain killers beforehand. Tomato soup and ice cream! Banana smoothis planned for breakfast.
Thanks for the encouraging words regarding the Taxotere - if it’s doing it’s job, then I can put up with side effects for a few weeks.
I will ask the chemo nurses about the mouthwash - can you remember what it was called?
thanks
Anita
Anita,
I’m off to the chemo department on Wednesday for my next herceptin, so I’ll try to remember to ask them what the mouthwash is.
It’s amazing how all these, things which are so important and vivid while you are going through them, just fade into vague memories once they are over and you return to ‘real life’.
Taxotere’s rough, but every time you go back round the roller coaster you can tick that chemo session off and see yourself getting measurably closer to being well.
Love,
Lynn
Had another herceptin today and the mouthwash is lignocane & hydrocortisone. I found that it was only available from the chemo depatment, but if your chemo nurses need more info they could call the Sandra Chapman Centre at the James Paget hospital in Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
Lynn
Taxoterre and foodies! Hi
Was just idly browsing and this brought back memories of not so long ago. I love my grub …
Corsodyl is an effective, alcohol free, mouthwash available over the counter/on the shelf.
When I had the oral thrush/nasty mouth (only on Taxo) I just about lived on chicken noodle soup and jellies - neither of which I ever want to see or eat again!!! Fruit is pretty good although bananas tasted sour, blueberries, fresh apricots and grapes were okay. Strawberries and ice cream also good but if I never see them again it’ll be too soon. Never been an ice cream fan and during last year’s Wimbledon (mid-chemo) I overdosed on the strawbs!!!
I eventually discovered that the pain (MY pain anyway) from the Taxo was caused by the Neulasta so I refused it for the final two sessions and was right as rain - just a thought. FEC+Neulasta was ok but Taxo+ Neulasta just didn’t mix for me but everyone of us is different.
Just think of all the calories you are going to sponge up when chemo is over … I found myself obsessed with Sky food programmes!
Wishing you all better things.
Hi -
Not on the same chemo as you but recognise the problem.
I was advised to swoosh and gargle with a salt solution (1 teaspoon to a pint of water) 3 times a day. It has worked a treat. It is very weak so the saltiness does not hang around. I found the furryness, ulcers and nasty taste cleared after about a week and I’ve been fine this time.
Hope this helps - Swanie
Thanks Lynn for the mouthwash info - I will ask next week when I go for my next Taxotere. I am fine this week - mouth just a little sensitive but able to eat again - and a bit tired.
Anita
Hi
I had taxotere and found that drinking fanta lemon or lilt helped it as well as sucking mint imperials. Another great tip i was given unfortunatley on my secon d last dosis was to eat with plastic cutlery and it really helped my mouth as well as taste.