Hi
I have just completed a 4 cycles regime (every two weeks) of AC chemotherapy and next week I will be starting on a 4 cycle regime (every two weeks) of Taxol. The side effects from the AC haven’t been too bad so far and, I would be interested to hear from anyone who has had this particular type of combo and what the side effects from the Taxol have been. I have only read really awful stories so far about the Taxol side effects but this seems to be from people who have had much longer cycles. All a bit disconcerting as I had thought the Taxol side effects wouldn’t be as bad as the AC!!
Thanks
I had four x three weekly cycles of AC, and I am due to start 12 once a week treatments of Taxol on Tuesday next week.
So while I can’t yet answer your question (sorry!) I shall be pleased to compare notes as we go! I have to admit to being nervous about it too, but trying not to second guess too much what may or may not happen, as everyone is different, right?
addendum: When I searched for the same info, I did find one blogger who said that she “went from wanting to die” while on AC, “to wanting to live” on weekly Taxol, so I guess for her Taxol was the more tolerable!
I had some bad problems with blood clotting on AC, and my port not working properly, and there have been moments when I felt like dying and not having to go on with this rubbish … so I’m hoping that Taxol will be an easier ride for me too!
Hi Morwenna
Thanks for your response It will be nice to have someone to compare notes, good luck on Tuesday!
Well I’m pleased to say that I feel quite ok since my Paclitaxel 4 days ago now. I had heartburn a couple of nights, despite being on Omeprazole, but I can cope with that. My feet feel a little tender when I walk, and I’ve had the odd twinges of pain in various body parts, including my big toe nails, but nothing to write home about really.
My main complaint is feeling down in the dumps! In many ways I wish I was at work, or had something to take my mind off things, but I don’t know what I feel fit for.
I no longer feel like I fit with the January Jems. Bless them, they are all talking about counting down to their last treatments, and I still have 11 to go! Here I sit, feeling sorry for myself! All my friends and family are busy doing their own things and I feel so alone.
My son often borrows my car, so I end up essentially grounded. Although he says he won’t take it if I need it, I don’t really have anywhere to go anyway, and it’s foggy and minus 5 today, so not conducive to walking even! Another thing: I feel nervous driving now, and have to really concentrate on things like what colour the traffic lights, or who has priority at junctions. It is not like me to feel so fearful…
Hi Morwenna
Hugs to you i feel like that at the moment
jenny xx
Hi Morwenna and Jenny
I hope you are both feeling less low and have not encountered any more severe side effects over the last week or so.
I’ve had a slightly different experience probably based on the fact that I’m having my treatment every other Friday. For the first few days after my first taxol treatment I felt ok in fact better than after the AC but on the evening of the third day the side effects kicked in. I had been told I could get joint pain as well as intermittent numbness and pins and needles in the soles of my feet and sore fingers (the nails on half of my fingers and both thumbs look like I’ve trapped them in a cupboard), but hadn’t anticipated back pain, fragile feeling bones (bizarre feeling!) and headaches. Thankfully I was able to keep the pain at bay with basic painkillers but tried to limit them. By the end of the first week I was also feeling incredibly low (very unlike me) and contemplating stopping the treatment, but fortunately I started to feel better and have had hardly any side effects for the last four days. I have my next treatment (two of four) on Friday so I can only hope that however awful the side effects may get that I have a break of at least four days between treatments.
There is a bonus of having a single treatment every two weeks in that I have been able to continue working (I am office based) partly from home and partly going into the office. My boss is being very cool and allowing me to work shorter hours fortunately as I have a two hour commute each way, 2-3 days a week!! I’m really hoping I will be able to maintain this over the next few months.
One thing I would say is that I try to make sure I get out every day to give me a focus, even in the awful weather, even if it’s just to the local shop which is only five minutes away. The day when I was at my absolute lowest I didn’t make it out of the house and I think this didn’t help. Asking friends and family for help or to take you out may be hard at first but actually it gets easier the more you do it (I’ve discovered and I’m fiercely independent!).
Take care and I hope it gets easier for you both, let me know how you are getting on. (Sorry this has turned into a bit of an essay!)
I am actually feeling fine now! I had my third weekly taxol on Tuesday and I’m feeling ridiculously good! Not sure why I was so down when I posted the above. But it only lasted a couple of days … Maybe it was the weather? Very snowy and grey for a while but the sun came out eventually, and the snow is melting, and the birds are singing, and the finishing line is in sight, even though it is a ways off yet!
I think the weekly treatments, being lower dose, must be easiest to tolerate, although I have been warned of cumulative effects! I do have some odd looking nails, and occasionally loss of feeling in my fingers and heels, but that seems to be positional, and soon eases when I move.
I’ve had the odd twinge of pain, sometimes in my stomach, sometimes my foot or hip, but it’s gone by the time I get to complaining about it! I haven’t had to take any painkillers. I’ve also got used to doing my daily heparin shots and sorted out a few administrative things, so feel good about that too Oh also heard that I only need three weeks of rads rather than 5, which I thought my onc told me! 
Morwenna
i was told to wear dark nail varnish or gel for my chemo, especially the TAX cycles as it may reduce the impact on them…don’t know if it will make a difference but I have gone for deep purple as I thought it was worth a try.
Glad you are now feeling better again, long may it continue.
kate
x
Hi all, just a comment about Taxol, as it’s easy to get confused… no offence intended but we have chemo brain to cope with!
I had weekly Taxol (also called paclitaxel) a couple of years ago for my liver and bone secondaries. (My own experience of Taxol wasn’t good but this chemo can be very effective for many people.) There is a related chemo drug, Taxotere (docetaxel) which is sometimes given as primary treatment, such as 3 cycles FEC (or AC or EC) followed by 3 cycles of Taxotere.
thanks for clarification mrsblue, I’m on AC currently and then move to paclitaxel(TAX) even though I don’t have known secondaries, it seems the drugs are used in different ways for different treatments and by different oncologists…
Kate
x
Glad if it helped, Kate There is a long-running thread about paclitaxel/Taxol in the Secondaries section,
breastcancercare.org.uk/community/forums/secondaries-treatments-medical-issues/piclataxol-pixies-come-join
which might give you useful info about side effects.
For anyone with secondaries reading this thread, I had weekly Taxol as part of a clinical trial (THYME) in 2010-11. The Taxol was standard treatment but there was a new drug (or placebo) as well.
Hi Morwenna
Really glad to hear you are feeling so much better and things are more positive, and less radiotherapy than you thought result! We all like news like that!
I’ve had my second session of taxol today so will keep you posted but have been pretty much side effect free since Monday which has been great and a real relief.
Take care
Hi mrsblue
Thanks for info will check out that thread as well.