Tips and recommendations during Taxol

Hi @Phia, thankyou for recently joining the Online Network. While we wait for responses from other member's own experiences; you may find the below information from My Journey useful:

Chemotherapy treatment for early breast cancer

Side effects of chemotherapy

Hair loss related to breast cancer treatment (scalp cooling mentioned)

Dr. Emma Warnecke, BCNA Consumer Representative shares 10 tips to help manage the physical and mental challenges of chemotherapy based on her experience with breast cancer. Read more about Emma's 10 tips to manage chemotherapy and breast cancer.

Cold gloves or feet weren’t a thing when I had chemo, but they might have saved my feet from peripheral neuropathy. The taxanes can play havoc with nerve endings in feet and hands. Mostly it clears up after treatment but not always, mine doesn’t stop me doing much but I’d really like to have normal feeling feet again! 

Paclitaxel can be hard on soft tissue - eyes, mouth, nose. I tended to nose bleeds and lost most of my taste buds (eyes were fine) which was annoying but neither painful or serious. Both problems cleared up almost immediately after treatment stopped. On the positive side, I lost weight (tasteless food is not very appealing!) and my hair started to grow back (lost after my first three months on A/C)! 

Best wishes, count them down, each session done is one less to do! 

Hi @Phia I always take things to stop me getting bored. And a mixture as sometimes your concentration wanders. Books, crosswords, electronic games, music, podcasts. Some centres offer television. Snacks are important too. I always get the munchies. I didn’t do the cold cap as I get headaches easily so can’t help you there. My centre didn’t offer the cold gloves but many people highly recommend them. I look at my infusion as ‘me’ time. I can do whatever I like or just sleep. 

Hi @Phia I am doing three months of Taxol after two months of A/C so my experience is coloured by two hellish A/C months beforehand. I have only done two rounds of Taxol. The sessions are shorter, I have a metallic taste in my mouth that day but it seems to go by the next day. I feel pretty tired after the sessions but I have experienced none of the awful nausea I got from A/C. I can eat solid food on Taxol! Apparently, Taxol makes your stools looser than A/C but I have not experienced this. My clinic uses frozen gloves on your hands and cold packs on your feet. It is not fun sitting like that for an hour but the upside is I have not had any neural problems. My hair is starting to grow back, little stubbles of growth 😁

As I said, only two sessions so things may change.