Day 6, and horrendus stomach cramps.
Hope I haven’t picked up my daughters stomach bug :o(
I’ve been prescribed OraMorph and Morphine Tablets.
I’ll see how I get on with those, not been easy at all the last few days, no idea it could get THIS bad!!!
Hi
Sorry EK to hear youre struggling…these meds do affect us differently…
Im on chemo 5 (tax)and altho had a really bad time on chemo 1 (neutropenia) and chemo 2 (bad chest infection,couldn breathe and shingles and depression - which fortunately got myself out of) the 3rd,4th and 5th so far have been fine(touch wood)…been working 9-5pm m-f, and doing the usual day to day things, been out lots with friends, had chemo 5 thursday and worked all day yesterday, been to a wedding this morning and tonight got the evening do! I never take any pain meds and feel fine… so Im wondering if its cos I am vegan (no meat, no dairy) so follow a similar diet to Gretchen? I also take lots of vitamins and supplements…Im sure this must be helping? Ive had many secondaries, in breast, bones, lungs, liver and brain…and have had this bc for 8 and half years now…and still lead a normal life…
So I think diet is a key thing, and to try to keep life as normal…I know its easy to say…but you have to live for today and if you can try keep normality and a healthy lifestyle and enjoy life I think this helps amazingly with dealing with pain…
Hoping that EK you are feeling bit better tho…
XX
Zippy - your post not very helpful to those of us who have been getting crippling pain/side effects 
I don’t think it’s because you’re VEGAN, you’re just not having SE’s right now.
Oh, *and* I am trying to keep normality and enjoy what I can… why did you think I didn’t?
If you had been crawling on your hands and knees, or not able to walk, with burning feet, agonising pains through joints and aching bones you would not be able to function as you had been - even powered by positive thinking.
The pain is being caused by the body overproducing white blood cells in the bone marrow in response to the injections, it means my body is doing it’s job but it’s crippling.
So I don’t see how changing my diet is going to help.
Hi
After the horrendous aches and pains with the first tax, I was advised to take paracetemol and ibuprofen before the pain actually starts. I wasn’t sleeping due to the steroids so I was prescribed sleeping tablets so I took these with my second chemo and the aches and pains weren’t half as bad and I managed to hey some sleep.
Good luck xx
hi ElKatrano,
dont lose faith girl, believe me I know EXACTLY what you are going through, I like you have been physically crawling to the bathroom, not even enough energy to pick a cup up, at one point drinking through a straw,
people who are lucky enough to not have ses dont understand, i had 6 tax and I dont know how I got through them all,
the injections gave me back ache and shooting pains like electric shocks, vile,
I know its no help to you at the moment because you feel like c**p, but round about day 9 you should start picking up a bit,
hang in there, you will do it, dont take any notice of anything else just concentrate on yourself, it is easy for people to say things when they dont appreciate how bad it is,
keep posting and pm me if you like, I can help you through my experience of the poisoning and there are others on here who know where you are coming from, I got loads of support
love Liz xxxx
Thanks Liz - electric shock pains is a good way of describing it.
Along with the constant bone ache, when I read about side effects before I went on Taxotere I did NOT envison it to be this bad at all, thought “Oh flu like pains” - I wish
Hospital said it’s a reaction to the injections rather than Taxotere as such. But have to have the injections.
As long as my pain is being managed I’ll struggle through, what choice do we have after all? It’s good to hear there will be a reprieve though - the injections are for 7 days then a day or 2 to get out of the system. Phew!
I know I’m not “soft” either, I’ve got a great pain threshold, commented on many times.
I appreciate hearing your story to then I don’t feel so alone, you know what it’s like - and here is usually a great place of support, venting or advice wise.
Hope yours go easier!
Hi just wanted u to know when I was on tax with inj I was bad my oh had to take me to bathroom I couldn’t walk it’s the jabs that make it worse make sure u take reg pain killers and try hot bath or hot water bottle it will sn pass and the second one is a bit easier not that many pains hope y the same tc laura
It’s not a great consolation but it did get easier after the first two Tax. I was like you with the first two, I couldn’t even stand as those electric shock sensations would shoot through your legs. I felt like someone had clubbed me mover the head. Someone I know who’d been on a non Tax chemo emailed me last week and said they couldn’t understand why I’d felt so bad as they’d felt fine on their regime. I was like grhhhh, try Tax and Neulasta combined! Hope you feel better soon. It was such a c%%p time, I really do feel for you x
Hi ElKatrano,
How are you today?
what stage are we at now then, in bed, crawling, hobbling or wobbling,
not takin the p, just trying to lift your spirits a bit, they dont call it the tax truck for nothing you know lol,
and just to let you know the best is yet to come… post tax you have the joys of your finger nails and toe nails going rotten and dropping off, absolutely fab,
and when you try to tell anyone in the medical profession how s**t it really all is you get the “its only ses they will pass” comment,
just keep remembering, you arent on your own, i know thats not much help, but dont get scared, i know i did at times,
oh and keep taking your temp thats important because infection is your real enemy if your temps up that indicates youmay have infection and you should call hospital even if you feel ok otherwise,
another good tip, dont over do it on the days you feel ok, still rest, i am sure i read on here you are planning to decorate, be careful because of the dust its not a good idea for you to be in that sort of environment,
keep strong, positive, beat this you know you can,
all the very best to you love Liz xxx
Seems my comments aren’t visable. No one else seems to get tummy ache? No worries i’ll shuffle off to another board.
hi all. Have just read everyones experiences on tax. I had my first tax after e/c on 14th june. I ended up in hospital with a temp of 38.0c needing treatment. one of the worse s’e were from the injections to bring back the nuetraphils and WCC. As you all describe it worse than anything, fluey, grotty etc. I have just been told that I will need them on my next cycle of tax for 5 days. How will I cope with that I wonder and take heart that I am not on my own. My next tax is on the 5th July and I have booked to go to mid Wales for a break on the 6th August, that just gives me 10 days to get over it, think I have made a mistake ans should have booked it for a week later. Well at least my daughter and grandchildren can enjoy themselves I suppose while I try and recover. Its good to now your’e not alone. Bye for now Pat
loupylou loupylou says on Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:06 pm
It’s not a great consolation but it did get easier after the first two Tax. I was like you with the first two, I couldn’t even stand as those electric shock sensations would shoot through your legs. I felt like someone had clubbed me mover the head. Someone I know who’d been on a non Tax chemo emailed me last week and said they couldn’t understand why I’d felt so bad as they’d felt fine on their regime. I was like grhhhh, try Tax and Neulasta combined! Hope you feel better soon. It was such a c%%p time, I really do feel for you x
elizabethtracey elizabethtracey says on Sun Jun 26, 2011 10:37 am
Hi ElKatrano,
How are you today?
what stage are we at now then, in bed, crawling, hobbling or wobbling,
not takin the p, just trying to lift your spirits a bit, they dont call it the tax truck for nothing you know lol,
and just to let you know the best is yet to come… post tax you have the joys of your finger nails and toe nails going rotten and dropping off, absolutely fab,
and when you try to tell anyone in the medical profession how s**t it really all is you get the “its only ses they will pass” comment,
just keep remembering, you arent on your own, i know thats not much help, but dont get scared, i know i did at times,
oh and keep taking your temp thats important because infection is your real enemy if your temps up that indicates youmay have infection and you should call hospital even if you feel ok otherwise,
another good tip, dont over do it on the days you feel ok, still rest, i am sure i read on here you are planning to decorate, be careful because of the dust its not a good idea for you to be in that sort of environment,
keep strong, positive, beat this you know you can,
all the very best to you love Liz xxx
Hi Liz - Actually not bad today, thank GOD!!! The Oramorph overnight did the trick, slept pretty bloomin’ well, my OH came and woke me up at 11am this morning to go to the hospital to pick up the Morphine tablets (10mg) - took one of those and since I’ve not had anything I can’t handle and I have Oramorph as a breakthrough pain med. So far I can walk again - hoooooorah! I still feel sh*t and achy and fluy but I can handle that, just take it easy, I’m just grateful I’m not in agonising pain now.
My nails feel very sensitive today - hope they don’t start coming off!
It annoys me when people say “Oh *I* didn’t have any problems on chemo” - Well bloody bully for you, be grateful for that, that doesn’t mean I’m putting it on or exaggerating or being negative!! That’s almost as stupid a thing to say as “Well Kylie had breast cancer and she’s alright” 
to someone with Stage 4.
I’m glad the Tax Truck seems to have been shown the road - I’m feeling so much better about that now and can enjoy some sunshine.
Yeah I dont think I’m going to be doing any painting anytime soon, though I may have a go in Week 3 - I like to do physical things when I can, it keeps me ticking and is good for my mental health too. If I sit or lie there for days on end stagnating I feel very depressed, so try and “do” some stuff if my body will let me
Thanks for your support and tips Liz, nice to Hear I wasn’t the only one being floored by it, not that I’d wish it on anyone of course!
xxx
Elltikks, tummy cramps for me too around day 5/6. I remember all three treatments being stuck on the loo (TMI) in too much pain to move. My onc said fine to take imodium and that used to settle it within half an hour or so. Hope you are getting through without too many SE’s.
Hi sorry you felt you were being ignored/not visible Elltikks,
I had the tummy cramps on the last two tax, without going into too much detail, I would feel like I needed to go to the toilet,
it felt like I was having contractions, but when I did go to the toilet there wasnt much there,
this went on for about 4 days and I lost count in the end how many times I had this ‘bowel movement feeling’ in one day but it was into double numbers, I didnt take anything to stop it because I almost felt it was as if my body was trying to rid itself of the poison,
I was going to suggest a hot water bottle, but not in this weather hey,
all the best and I hope you feel better soon,
Liz xxx
Currently living through first Tax and guess what? Just as Janipi said above, it’s day 5 and I have the Tax Trots. Just got off loo long enough to take Immodium. It’s been burning for hours like I’ve had a vindaloo (if you know what I mean) but I haven’t eaten any spicy food.
Grrrr
The immodium’s worked - so far. Yay!
It wasn’t that end. Was the upper tummy cramps, no runs what so ever.
I’ve not had that upper one this time, Elttiks. Mine was painful very low down for a few hours before the gates opened. I’d have thought that it was just my Crohn’s but my tum ache was burning, as was the ‘product’ which wouldn’t happen with Crohn’s.
Diarrhoea is one of the SEs of Tax, but the Macmillan leaflet didn’t mention feeling like I’d had a super-hot vindaloo.
Good Morning one and all
To those who don’t know me I have had chemo befor,e it wasn’t nice…granted but when I was facing chemo again I thought ‘it wasn’t that bad’(rose coloured glasses perhaps …it has been 14 years) I was informed that this time my regimine would be 3FEC 3TAX, now I had not had epi/tax before, they were poss not around 14 years ago!!!
So April 18th I presented my self for my 1st FEC and waited …not too bad tired…very…sick I wasn’t sick but I but felt it…more tired yes… My 7 year old described it (FEC) as 1 week feeling sick, 1 week tired and 1 week ok… about right… except that I was really sick for about 36 hours after FEC2 and got a bug 4 days after FEC 3 and was really unwell, boy how those tinted specs just melted away!!! Now I am generally a robust and healthy 40 something (well 48…but who’s counting) and apart from a dose of chicken pox in my teens and a spot of glandular fever in my early 20s …I have never had any heath problems ( apart from breast cancer twice!) I have never smoked, drink rarely and in moderation…BUT NOTHING PREPARED ME FOR THE LAST 5 DAYS!!!
I feel…for me… the TAX trck should be renamed the TAX road train!!! ( you know one of those big australian ones!)
I can’t ever remember feeling so ill…and yes I do feel better today, I have had the last of my 5 injections yesterday so hopefully I will be on the UP??? I have felt more than fluey, in pain, and yes the upset tum, ( and I have a good pain threshhold) miserable, hot more than tired yuk , nails sensetive …you name it…I felt it!!! So for all you ‘suffering’ with TAX I hope you get some good days and feel a bit better soon, for those who are not suffering on TAX… count your blessings… some of my friends on this site have sufferd horrible side effects on FEc, hospitalised even , and been really ill and yet found tax easier??? it’s all relative… and individual… BUT we don’t have a choice really eh? so let’s support each other and together we will get through this XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Love to all chemoers those suffering and those not, coz NONE of it is easy!!! Jeanettex