docetaxol

Public Archive
1

Hi I have just joined this website. I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in March and have had surgery with full lymph node removal followed by 3 x FEC and 3 x Docetaxol. I am now in my 5th week following the last chemo. I will be starting radiotherapy on 10 October 15 sessions. I just wondered if anybody else has got ongoing side effects similar to mine. On the first Docetaxol I got a bad rash similar to sunburn on both my cheeks, the following chemos gave me chemical burns on my hand about 1/2" following the intravenous sites. About 2 weeks ago the first burn developed a lump in the middle of it which felt like a cyst, I thought I had knocked it but today the second burn has developed a similar lump, very painful about the size of a pea. Also another continuous side effect is pins and needles in my feet and it feels like I am walking on scrunched up socks between my toes and the pad of my foot. Does anybody else have similar problems?

PS My hair is starting to come, funny grey fuzz but a few bristles which are growing in darker than the fuzz, still lots of bald patches, hope they fill in.

I have been advised by my friend that radiotherapy is a doddle compared to the chemos, so am not dreading this apart from trailing to hospital every day. Thankfully it is nearly all over.
Love Kath x

2

Hi Kath,

I had the same strange feet on and after docetaxol back in 2008, but it did gradually fade and I had no long term after effects - hopefully you will see an improvement soon too.

I can’t comment on the lumps or burns as I did not experience this, but again hope that things get better quickly for you.

It’s exciting when the hair starts to reappear - mine came back curly at first, which I believe is quite common, and I which I actually found helpful whilst my hair was so short as it gave more body. The curls didn’t last though, and once it grew longer it was back to the original texture of my pre-chemo hair.

Best of luck with the rads - I certainly found that part much easier than chemo.

Julie x

3

Did you tell them about the chemical burns at the intravenous site? I had a burn which started to emerge as a small blister about 10 days after my last dose of Taxotere. The blistering got a lot worse and I had to be taken into hospital isolation. It was near the intravenous site and the drug had punctured a vein. I then needed to have intravenous antibiotics for a week and the back of my hand had to be checked by a plastic surgeon in case any tissue had died off, thankfully it was OK.

When anything like this happens make sure you inform your oncology nurses or oncologist.