What to expect from chemo

Oh and @Sister, steroids. Lots of steroids ......

Hi Ladies, I've just had my second round of Chemo. I must say the first round knocked me sideways and I ended up with Febrile Neutropenia, so I wasn't looking forward to the next round.  Thankfully this round is going ok (day 3), thanks I think to the post chemo injection.

can anyone give me any tips on what to do re the loss of taste ?

Hi @Sister, your oncologist should give you scripts for stuff. I took Somac for the reflux, magnesium supp as recommended by my onc as well as super B. I used movical sachets fir the constipation and had gastro stop on hand if I went the other way. I had maxolon for nausea and zofran wafers all scripts I got filled at the outset. I had nilstat drops on hand in case I got oral thrush. 
I hated doing saltwater mouthwashes so used non alcohol Biotene which was great but expensive. 
I had endone for bone pain and had hot showers and used a heat pad too ( was winter!). 
Big hugs xxxooo

Hi there,
I am receiving the exact regime that you are scheduled to start. I am on dose 9/12 next Friday of paclotaxol.

AC was slightly more difficult to tolerate. I took ranitidine daily for heartburn. Nausea was controlled by palonosetron/netupitant which is a tablet that lasts 2-3 days. It was given prior to chemo. I took dexamethasone for the 2 days after. Topped up on metaclopramide. I won’t lie to you- it was a long 3 months. 

My hair fell out Day 17 of AC. I shaved and quite enjoyed being bald. 

The paclotaxol has been far better. I have had no side effect. No lasting neuropathy. Little bit of fatigue. My bloods are within normal parameters. My hair has been growing back since start of this drug. I haven’t required anything over the counter except the ranitidine.

x

I couldn't drink wine on paclitaxol ad it bilurned my gut. Didn't drink week of AC but yeah was oay on 2 and 3. 

Hey @Sister

I had the same combination of drugs as you. I also used the cold cap which worked a treat. I think @primek has the list pretty much covered.  Hopefully you won't need half of it but better to be prepared.

AC treatment

With this one I had mild nausea for about 2-3 days.  Ondansetron I found was much better than anything else.
Had no incontinence problems, however, not much time between the urge to go and wow, really need to go fast!
Like @SoldierCrab no problems at night either.
Keep some imodium on hand just in case but I think I used this probably once or twice only with the AC though.
Bicarb soda for mouth washes.  I never had any issue with ulcers or gums either using this.
Thermometer to check your temp.  
The hot flushes were probably the worst thing about it.  
I just ate as per normal, however, everything tasted pretty bland.  Add salt to everything!  Luckily wine tasted the same or I would have been really disappointed.LOL.
I opted out of the neulasta needle after the first one so didn't have any more trouble with aches and pains.

Paclitaxel

I found this one a lot easier than the Ac.  Only issue was sensitive to sunlight and I got a weird skin rash but that's not common. Again the hot flushes were probably the worst thing.  Moo Goo is the bomb for dry skin. 

If you want any tips re the cold cap just give me a pm and I can give you a list of products that I used and can give you some help on making sure it gets fitted properly and how to recheck it throughout your treatment.  

All the best.
XOXO

hi Sister,
my incontinence struck when I was on Paclitaxel. mind you I had severe neuropathy.... but the incontinence settled quickly when we stopped my chemo.... they gave me a break and I then had a different chemo.  While on the TAC and AC I had little warning that I needed to urinate.... but not incontinence we are all different. I had Tena pull ups for when we had to do the 3.5 hour trip to the specialist in sydney as there are limited Loo breaks along our rural roads and I would need to go NOW when it hit .... 
I never had problems with it at night but I had my own ensuite.

Thanks, guys - I'm going to try to print all of this info out so I can refer to it.  
Just one thing...I remember reading on a couple of older discussions that some women have had trouble with incontinence.  Is that common/uncommon and does it strike out of the blue?  Do I need to stock up on Tena or get a waterproof mattress cover?

I agree with all @primek has said. I had all of those things too stocked up before I stsrted  just in case. I took coloyxl and senna  for the constipation which worked a treat Id have 2 tabs every night for the week of chemo then just one tablet the second week didn’t have nausea with the AC chemo but had awful reflux with the taxol which made me feel queasy too so took nexium and  ondansetron which worked great had the neuropathy with the taxol too but as long as I kept my hands moving it helped along with pain relief. One other thing I would add which my husband suggested was a squirty bottle filled with water in the fridge for the hot flushes. It was awesome I’d spray my face when I was having one and it felt heavenly.  Egyptian bath milk from the body shop for the bath when those aches and pains kick in if you get them I had it mostly after I had the  neulasta injections but it really helped a lot and got me moving better afterwards much more effective than just a normal bath.  Hope this helps. Biggest hug. Margie xx 

I used salt and water mouth rinse twice a day religiously - my helpful oncology nurse said that while rinsing four times daily was recommended, few people could stick to it and twice without fail was a better goal. Worked for me, no ulcers and my teeth and gums had no adverse reactions at all through the six months of chemo.