Had 2nd lot of Taxotere last Wednesday and it’s making me feel lousy. Had a lower dose and the neupogen injections this time, as ended up in hospital last time (due to low white cell count) the night before my twins 2nd birthday - I was sooo upset! (Managed to get out halfway through their party (3 days later) though - hooray!)
I just can’t believe how awful this drug makes you feel - I feel that I have had no quality of life since last Thursday. Am starting to ‘pick up’ a bit now - just feel tired, achey and am red hot (although my temperature is fine!).
How on earth do you all cope? - I have two more of these treatments to go and really don’t want to have them!
This too shall pass.
Honest! Tho’ I would not have believed it when I was in the thick of it - unable to get up off the sofa or out of the bath, CRAWLING along corridor to loo. Hideous!
But now - 10 months on I have regained strength and independence.
Am sitting here enjoying a Guinness during a break from painting my bedroom walls. I am 72.
Bonne chance
Shirley
Just to sympathise really. Tax is ghastly. I have my second one this Thursday and am dreading it, having sailed through FEC virtually unscathed. Takes someone like Shirley to give you heart that it will finish. I hate the taste in the mouth most - can barely eat. How to cope? Well, no choice really. Just try to rest when you can - though with two year old twins that can’t be easy!
Please could you tell me the worst side effects of Taxotere? I’m thinking it’s possible I may need to have this and I have a vomit phobia (which the hospital are taking very seriously and I have not had any sickness probs on FEC)
I’m anxious because of my phobia, making myself more anxious because of the horror stories of Taxotere.
Dilys, are you using mouthwashes? They do help. I’ve been lucky so far - nothing has stopped me from eating, food just doesn’t taste like it should and you just have a foul taste and feeling to your mouth constantly.
Cecilia - the worst side effect that I have had is the foul mouth, combined with tiredness, achey body, sore finger ends (which I haven’t got yet this time, maybe due to lower dose) and I have had a really big problem with piles (during all of my chemo treatments, allegedly caused by the anti-sickness drugs). I have only ever been sick, after my third lot of AC chemotherapy - never on Taxotere, so hopefully you won’t be either!
Yes I practically live on mouthwash and tictacs but nothing really helps. It was good for weight loss though. No sickness, like you, but then I wasn’t sick on FEC either. I was told it is much less likely to make you sick, Cecilia, than FEC was. Hair loss accelerated to include eyebrows and lashes and I have a very explosive tummy. Have to dash more often than not wondering if I will be in time (sorry to be revolting). Am achey for a few days but haven’t had the sore fingers yet, nor piles. Suppose we are all different. Apparently though this damn stuff is very effective - it had better be! Can’t think of any other reason for going through it. Last tme I was there they told me that one dose of taxotere costs £1,200. Thank god for the NHS!
I had no idea it cost that much - that’s more than my car cost!
The frustrating thing for me is that they’ve told me that my tumours have gone (after my 4th lot of AC I had a mammogram again) and am just left with DCIS (the pre-cancer cells, which can only be removed by surgery - chemo doesn’t touch them) - I am only having this in case there are any more of the nasty cells floating about in my system.
My head hair is growing back but I’m sure, like you, that my eyebrows and eyelashes are disappearing fast - yesterday was the first day I haven’t bothered applying mascara!
Yes it’s a lot isn’t it. My herceptin is apparently £1,100 a dose, so I get £2,500 worth on Thursday! I now what you mean. My mastectomy removed the lump and affected lymph nodes, so this is belt and braces to track down any stray cells floating about elsewhere. I am going to ask on Wednesday how they can tell when/if they have gone. I am well impressed your head hair is growing back already! I think the wisps I have left are growing but there is nothing new as far as I can see. I’ll get the magnifying glass out later!
Taxotere does make you feel awful, but once the treatment has finished you start to feel better quite quickly. I had terrible thrush in my mouth and throat, numb fingers, nose bleeds as well as a restless uncomfortable feeling which is really hard to describe. I really feel for you reading your message. Just hang in there although it’s hard to remember at the time although you feel horrendous this is helping you to get well. It’s over two years since I finished my treatment and I’m thankful to say I’m pretty much back to normal.
Stay strong there is light at the end of the tunnel xxx
Thanks for that. It is so good to hear that there really is light at the end of the tunnel from someone who has been there. I mean, you know there is, but it is hard to imagine some days. Hair back and everything? How good will that be? Can hardly wait.
Thanks again for the encouragement - it really does help a lot.
I’ve got my 2nd tax tomorrow and I’m dreading it. I can’t bear the thought of the yukky mouth thing, although I know it only lasts about 3-4 days it is just horrible though not to be able drink a cup of tea without it tasting foul. We had chocolate hobnobs in the cupboard and I was forcing myself to eat them just to get some energy but it took me ages to eat one - can you believe that chocolate hobnobs which are normally the nicest thing!
The tiredness is really hard too isn’t it. It’s my son’s 3rd birthday next Sunday and I just know I will feel lousy and sad that he can’t have a party - there is just no way this year. I know the feeling about wanting to just crawl along the floor I felt so tired and going up the stairs was such an effort!
My nurse keeps telling me that it must be working as I have felt so ill! Also my head hair is growing back - yeahhhhh. Eyebrows looking a bit depleted and have given up on mascara. Strangely still have a few hairs down below! It’s bizarre isn’t it, leg hairs still growing a bit as well!
I had my 2nd Taxotere last Thursday, and sympathise with all of you. Horrible isn’t it! I ache just about everywhere and can’t be bothered to eat because my mouth is disgusting…coated in white stuff and horrible tasting. At the moment I am sleeping about 20 hours out of 24…the exhaustion is so debilitating. The tips of my fingers are sore and skin is falling of them.
I can’t believe this drug won’t have a permanent effect on my immune system, and like others I have had a mastectomy and lymph gland removal (only sign I had bc was a swollen lymph gland - nothing in breast on mammo/ultrasound, but MRI showed two tiny lesions of 3mm each), all other scans clear, so belt and braces stuff.
All I want to do is get on with my LIFE!!! I know we should be grateful to be getting this treatment, but sometimes its very hard to accept isn’t it, especially when it makes you feel so ill.
My head hair is growing back too, although eyebrows and eyelashes have gone.
What with the wig, false boob, and having to pencil in brows etc…I’m beginning to feel like a blinkin drag queen!!
Cecelia - your mouth just tastes horrible, is best to use mouthwash as that does help a lot - the hospital should give you some. If you look at your toungue it is just like justme said covered in white stuff - looks gross!!!
Justme - I just want to get on with my life too, I know how you feel - I guess you just have to accept that you will feel horrible for the next few weeks but it will get better but it is just soooo hard. On this treatment I’m ok for about the first 3 days so I’m planning to go into town and do some shopping on Wed while I’m able to just to make me feel more normal. I saw friends from work today which really cheered me up a bit of normality in my life but also a bit surreal as work just seems like an alien concept to me at the moment.
I’m so excited my hair is growing back is amazing as never thought it would happen!
I had my first Taxotere on Friday…and there was I smugly thinking I had got away with it…ha ha ha. Today - bang, all the side effects I have been reading about. YUK YUK YUK!
The mouth thing is soooo horrid and I have the achey limbs and pain in my shins, ankles and knees. Please someone tell me this won’t last the whole 3 weeks!!!
I am truly rubbish at being ill, I just threw a wobbler because my husband was sorting the washing out ‘incorrectly’ (oh dear - control freak or what??? Should be bloomin glad he’s doing it at all)!!!
I hate this feeling of uselessness.
Hope you are having a better day than me!
Love and hugs
Ali
x
Thanks to all for your messages - it’s so good to hear from you all and reassuring that you have the same side effects and hate them just as much as me!
Hi Justme - that comment about being like a drag queen was absolutely fabulous! Reading these posts has made me smile - something I have been struggling to do lately (except my kids often make me smile - thank goodness for them!).
Ali - sorry to say but I felt ill after my first Taxotere until the weekend before my next one. However they have given me a lower dose this time and I’ve had the neupogen injections so have been told that I should feel a lot better this time - will keep you posted!
Sympathise with it all and just can’t wait for my next dose - this Thursday! Isn’t life great? Always look on the bright side of life, de dah de dah de dah! Foul mouth = weight loss. Weight loss = putting it back on again eventually! With great pleasure. Eventually. As my mum always used to say, it will pass. At least we are still here!
Well, went to a great workshop today - LookGoodFeelBetter. Was just lovely and learnt more about makeup than I ever knew in all these years. Helps to face the onc tomorrow and hopefully (bloods permitting) taxotere on Thursday.
Very quiet on this thread! Hope you are all ok?
Loads of love (and I now know how to draw eyebrows - yeh!)
Where are you all? Taxotere for me tomorrow. Can’t wait! Yippee! Are you all ok? I have the full on dose again. I might thrive on it next time. Bring it on. But Very Good For You!.