Starting Paclitaxol after AC

@charles76  - didn’t mean my note to sound so dire.
it was certainly easier than AC chemo, and overall I felt better to be honest 
I mentioned the side effect issues as a warning 

For me it was definitely easier but with it's own challenges.  I did develop PN which was closely monitored and I think that it was during taxol that I got oral thrush (but easily treatable).  I think the hardest thing about it is that you go into it already having been hit hard by the AC truck, and then for many of us, it is a weekly treatment.  It wasn't as gut-punching as AC, but I felt as if I wasn't ever getting a chance to get over it before the next one rolled around so other than the neuropathy, exhaustion was the most remarkable thing about it.  I think it was @kezmusc who said that you count up with AC and count down with taxol and I reckon she's right, so it does have a more "end in sight" feel to it.  I do recommend trying to get into a bc specific exercise programme if you can.  It helps in so many ways.

Thanks so much @Lythe! I truly hope I have a similar experience 🤞🤞

I found the Taxol easy after the AC. I was just tired on the day I got treatment. I got a tiny bit of tingling in 2 toes but I found that acupuncture helped stop that from progressing. I will second what others have said that everyone's experience is different but I wish you best of luck.

Thanks @noosa_blue150 for your response. Sorry to hear you had such a difficult time. All the very best with your continued treatment 😀

thanks @MicheleR. I am on the countdown, start 12 rounds tomorrow, so 11 calander weeks too go 🤞🤞😀

@kezmusc thanks for your response. My Onc has advised me I will find Paclitaxol more tolerable than AC. I will definitely paint the nails dark, as I have been using a nail hardener.

Hey @Charles76,

Everybody is so different. It took me about 10 days to recover after the last AC.
 Quite honestly I found Paclitaxel not much of a problem at all compared to that.  The only issues I had was a weird skin rash and a bit of sun sensitivity.
One of the onc nurses advised me to paint my nails with a dark colour gel polish.  It worked a treat.  No nail problems at all.  Minor PN the afternoon of treatment but that's about it.
Fingers crossed you sail on through lovely.

Hi @Charles76,

I found both treatments difficult but in different ways. Ac knocked me around quite a bit  - breathless, mouth ulcers, a feeling that i was never going to feel good again. I got hospitalised. Paclitaxol the mouth ulcers went and replaced by oral thrush and peripheral neuropathy. My eyebrows and eyelashes fell out and emotionally that hit me harder than i expected. 

I think its quite doable though. Look for strategies to help you mentally such as count down to the end, rewards at certain points. 

Its a bit of a slog but you will get there. 

Michele

I found the weekly taxcel chemo regime had a few challenges - I too developed PN (grade 2) so by week 9 the oncologist dropped it from 100% to 75% and 50% for last dose.

 In one way it was far easier for me to tolerate each week - I wasn’t as tired as with AC, altho side effects did  continue ( drippy nose , aches and pains, gastric symptoms including diarrhoea , bloody nose ). I was also started on herceptin during that so ended up on cardiac drugs to stop the ejection fraction from dropping down below 52% for a pre herceptin level of 68%).

Lost all,my toenails ( they are still very flaky and absent now 5 months later). Fingernails were also affected and today whilst look ok they are prone to split easily.. I wish I’d tried the dark,nail polish -no quarantine it would have worked but .........

emotionally i spose I was up and down but to be honest was that due to chemo or was it due to circumstances ? I’m not sure 

I didn’t get total,regression of tumour bed at surgery, altho oncologist said I was very close
.I’m starting TDM-I /kadcyla chemo regime next week ( new regime for early breast cancer patients with no metastasis,  who are HER2+)