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Ann-Marie_AK's avatar
Ann-Marie_AK
Member
15 years ago

1st Taxotere Tomorrow

Hi Ladies

I just made a reply on Jacqui's blog (Hello) and since I haven't posted myself for sooo long I thought I would copy it to my own blog and then add some more.  I am looking for any tips for taxotere, for staying positive and for complimentary therapies.

I have my 1st of 3 taxotere tomorrow after 3 rounds of FEC and feeling a little nervous.  I have been keeping a close eye on a few blogs and now have a better picture of how it might be for me in the coming weeks.  Although I am going in with an open mind and doing what Jacquie would have preferred - know the worst and hope for the best.

Looking back over the last 3 chemo rounds it has been hard but manageable so i'm hoping taxotere won't be harder just different.  Let's hope I get less nausea - I can't stand that - and that the truck that hits me is not a semi!

So far ...

My mouth and taste buds have been fine - I've been using biotene products since day 1.

My nails are getting bumpy and a red ring at the top of the nail bed???? Not sure what that's about.  I've been using polish, revitanail and hand cream sporadically - guess I need to be more vigilant with this.  Hubby does 90% of the dishes and I am now using gloves for the 10% I do.

My eyebrows are hanging in there and I actually have some hair growing on my head. It is very, very sparse but evenly spread and about 1cm long.  I also need to wax my legs - why does it fall out where we want it and stay where we don't?

My skin seems fine, a little dry at times and I seem to bruise more easily.  I moisturise daily and use very gentle soap/body wash. 

The fatigue can be overwhelming,  I'm usually such an active person.  I have made some big changes in my life to combat this and had to learn to say no. I save all my energy for my kids and family. 

Motivation is low and some days (good days) I am so unproductive - cleaning, washing, ironing, work - I find myself going around in circles, getting very distracted and only achieving a 1/4 of what I set out to do. Is this chemo brain?  I also tend to tune out when people are talking to me - I used to be such a good listener.

My nerves are shot and I don't handle stress at all. I am trying so hard to stay positive as I believe your mind and emotions are a key to healing your body.  I have been having kinesiology about 10 days after each chemo and feel great in the days that follow each session. I have also just ordered a meditation cd, I have never had much success in this area but really want to give it a go. 

Does anyone have any tips for meditation or good cd's that guide you through?

I would also be interested in hearing from anyone who has tried any other forms of complimentary treatment - good or not.

Keep Smiling

Ann-Marie xx

 

alternative-therapies
chemotherapy
coping
side-effects

3 Replies

  • Maria333's avatar
    Maria333
    Member
    15 years ago

    Well ditto to everything you have said Ann Marie. All of your symptoms have been the same as mine.

    I joined an breast cancer meditation group that meet every monday at our local community centre. I felt like I had so much more energy right after the meditation.

    I have been too lazy and sore muscles to go back to pilates I found it too draining on my energy. So not so sure how I would cope with yoga, maybe once treatment is finished.

    I have many types of meditation on my ipod and found it very helpful. Also just listening to music - I have found this very uplifting.

    There are lots of guided meditations on youtube.

    I am suppose to start on the taxotere in 2 weeks, but have an ultrasound tomorrow which may change my plan - wait and see!

    All the best

    Maria333

     

  • Maria333's avatar
    Maria333
    Member
    15 years ago

    Well ditto to everything you have said Ann Marie. All of your symptoms have been the same as mine.

    I joined an breast cancer meditation group that meet every monday at our local community centre. I felt like I had so much more energy right after the meditation.

    I have been too lazy and sore muscles to go back to pilates I found it too draining on my energy. So not so sure how I would cope with yoga, maybe once treatment is finished.

    I have many types of meditation on my ipod and found it very helpful. Also just listening to music - I have found this very uplifting.

    There are lots of guided meditations on youtube.

    I am suppose to start on the taxotere in 2 weeks, but have an ultrasound tomorrow which may change my plan - wait and see!

    All the best

    Maria333

     

  • hb's avatar
    hb
    Member
    15 years ago

    Hi Ann-Marie,

    I've had two taxotere (aka docetaxel) treatments (and two to go). The first one was especially rough for me -- I've heard it's not uncommon for the first one to be a bit harder than those that follow. About a week after my first treatment, I booked a massage with my naturopath. I was experiencing muscle aches, bone pain, and general blah-ness (among other things). The massage really helped. I felt sooooo much better.

    I also found that my eyebrows thinned dramatically, and my eyes water a lot. If you have a bath, get some nice soothing, skin-enriching products and book yourself a long soak -- this also helped for me.

    I find it hard to sleep with the steroids, so I've downloaded a couple of guided meditations to my ipod. When I'm really sleepless and my eyes are too sore to read, I listen to these. It's nearly as good as sleeping! The ones I use are by someone called Graham Williams. A friend got them for me, so I'm not sure of how you'd find it, but I reckon if you googled his name with 'guided meditation' you'd find it. There's another one that's been recommended to me that you download online, but I can't remember what it's called -- I'll look it up and post back.

    Good luck with your treatment Ann-Marie, hang in there. Go well,

    Heather

    ps re 'chemo brain' -- I think it's hard to tell what is brain overload due to worrying about cancer and what might be a chemo side-effect. I put dirty coffee cups away the other day, but I'm reluctant to blame that on 'chemo-brain'. I think I was just tired and preoccupied. Try to keep your thinking healthy with meditation and/or yoga, and let the rest go right past you.