Forum Discussion

angiesg's avatar
angiesg
Member
10 years ago

My 12 weeks of Taxol chemo experience

Well my 12 weekly Taxol treatments have come to an end – yay!!! All finished this week.

I must say the experience has not been as daunting as I anticipated and I have coped quite well over this period. When my oncologist told me that this chemo protocol was “quite tolerable by most people”, I did not believe him but looking back now I do agree with him.

Yes I have had side effects but nothing major that has prevented me from leading the same normal life I did prior to diagnosis. I have continued to work during treatment ( I do a 4 day week and some days I worked from home too) and do all the usual household chores and family commitments ive always done.

During this time I have also had 4 Herceptin infusions at Cycle 1, 4, 7, 10. I have felt no different from the other cycles so not sure if Herceptin will have its own side effects when I start having it on its own. Ive been told most people don’t get many side effects on it. Your heart gets monitored after every 4 infusions, my recent test was great, same as my baseline, so Herceptin has had no adverse effect on my heart to date.

My typical week has been as below:

  • Day 1 - treatment day - feel good. I'm given a antihistamine and some nausea and steroids via infusion as pre meds. Infusion of Taxol takes one hour and on Herceptin days which is every three weeks it takes another hour to infuse. I also take a anti anxiety drug under the tongue right at the start to take the edge off the ice caps as I did scalp cooling.
  • Day 2 – im on a high from the steroids, so I get lots done, it's a good day for me
  • Day 3 - I'm ok in morning but a few side effects start creeping though later in the day
  • Day 4 – side effects start creeping through but are tolerable
  • Day 5 - more side effects
  • Day 6 - back to normal
  • Day 7 - back to normal

Then it's time to go back again for the next Taxol, so its mainly 2 days that I felt a little off but nothing too serious.

My main side effects have been

  • Metallic taste - chewing gum helped
  • Altered taste buds - not all food tastes the same anyone , sweet still taste ok for me but my veggies now taste bitter. This side effect has been with me the entire 12 weeks. Looking forward to my taste buds back soon.
  • Dry mouth - I used moisturizing mouth washes and toothpaste for this which did help
  • Nausea - none
  • Low blood counts etc - all good, Taxol is not known for this, it's rare to have to go to hospital with temps etc
  • Aches - have had a few of these but not every cycle, mainly lower legs/hip area, more of this towards the end of treatment. Some occasional Pandol helped.
  • Tummy upset - occasional, just took some antacid, sometimes I felt “gassy” too
  • Bloody Nose - have noticed this a bit when blowing my nose that there has been some blood, but not occurred all cycles
  • Neuropathy - some occasional tingling of toes and fingers but it goes away, felt this more during cycle 10,11,12
  • Hair loss - the ice caps worked a treat. My hair shedding started from cycle 5 onwards with my worst week being cycle 7 and 8. Nobody would know I'm having chemo, I still have all my hair, just not styled like I usually would
  • Eyebrows - thinning a bit but with a pencil cover it all looks good
  • Eyelashes - all ok
  • Hair on legs - still there
  • Pubic hair – free brazilian as added bonus
  • Nails - all ok, I use hardener and nail polish every few days
  • Skin - have broken out in a few pimples on face and neck area, have changed to a milder cleanser and skincare products. Also wear a good sunscreen as skin is more sensitive.
  • Bowels - have had some looser stools, but nothing too bad
  • Weight - weight has been stable despite the steroids. I tried to do a daily walk as often as I could. As they weight you every week, my last weigh in was 1.5kgs less than my first one.
  • Tiredness – only occasionally did I feel flat, most days my energy levels were good

My side effects have not been the same each cycle they seemed to differ every week, the only ones that have been constant for me are the mouth/taste ones.

One other thing I did was drink lots of water to flush it all out. I drank 3 litres a day and added lemon juice or a bit of cordial if I was getting sick of plain water. I carried a water bottle everywhere.

 I will create another post about my scalp cooling experience, which has been a positive one for me and allowed me to continue with treatment with the anonymity I wanted. I’ve chosen who I have told about my diagnosis rather than being forced to do so due to how I looked.

No two peoples chemo experience would ever be the same but I hope that the above can help anyone starting out on a similar treatment plan as myself.

 Emotionally I did feel a bit more drained at cycle 10,11,12 – I knew the end was near but it started to feel like a drag going in weekly.

 So the next stage begins soon – Radiotherapy – will summarise all that once im done – having a little break now to chill out

  

Angie

side-effects

15 Replies

Show More
  • jd48's avatar
    jd48
    Member
    10 years ago

    Thank you J Milacic :)

    It is good to hear of others being in the same boat but now having that whole experience behind them as much as 2 years :) kind of gives me a feeling that there is light at the end of this tunnel.

    It is kind of weird how I am not stressed over losing hair in terms of my appearance (well not yet but I am not there yet I guess) but am affraid of others finding out I have BC and figured hair loss means the whole world finds out as there is no hiding or fast talking my way out of that one.

    I just so do not want people to know as thus far the handfull of people who do know have reacted in this weird way where they pretty much look and treat me as "dead woman walking" and I cannot handle that.  I have never considered this a death sentance and do not want to fall into the hole and having others treat me as a 'goner' is bound to push me in that direction.

    I wish I knew how to ignore that change in disposition from others who learn about my BC But I find that bit hard so not telling for as long as possible (until get through the initial few months is my goal - not sure if it is doable though :( )

    I must be honest and say it has all been very surreal until now.  I know in definition that I have cancer and even though I can see and feel the lump it is all still 'theoretical' in my head.  It will probably not sink in completely until after the surgery when I will be faced with recovery and being able to see there is a 'chunk' of me missing.if bound to make it all very real.

    Maybe my priorities change then and I stop stressing over how others percieve me and my situation..

    Have to say though, you ladies definitely made it all seem a tad less daunting and a lot more achievable, so, trully, thank you for sharing your experiences

  • InkPetal's avatar
    InkPetal
    Member
    10 years ago

    This is such a useful insight. Thank you so much for writing everything down and offering it up as a resource for everyone.

    - Rebecca

  • Onceuponatime's avatar
    Onceuponatime
    Member
    10 years ago

    Hi J Dakic,

    Completely understand how do you feel. Being there - done that.Diagnosed two years ago , went through the whole treatment. Surgery- chemo ( hair loss) -radiation- now on tamoxifen.

    Now I think I can say - I am ok. The hair loss was the hardest thing to deal with.Other then that , my experience was similar to Angie's. No major issues , managed to work through the whole treatment.

    Stay positive .

    Good luck with surgery.

    J Milacic

     

  • primek's avatar
    primek
    Member
    10 years ago

    Thanks for sharing.  I'm  currenyly gavibg AC..halfway through then will be doing taxol abd herceptin so this has given a positive vibe. Kath

  • jd48's avatar
    jd48
    Member
    10 years ago

    Thank you for sharing your experience Angie.  

    I have only recently been diagnosed and am yet to have the surgery (scheduled for this Thursday) so no idea what I am dealing with and am finding a prospect of being told "you need chemo" (if that is what I am told afterwards) very daunting.

    Like yourself I made a decision not to tell many people about my diagnosis and plan to keep it that way if at all possible so reading your post has reassured me that even if they do say "chemo it is" there is a chance of getting through it without major complications and major hair loss.

    I am just starting out on this 'living with breast cancer' path and I must say that while I have been approaching the whole thing with a "yeah, whatever - just another illness and no biggie..." attitude. Well I made the handfull of people who do know about me think that is how I felt and I kept up the appearance but on the inside I have kind of been 'holding my breath' and reading your post helped me 'exhale' aa it gave me a feeling that maybe having to go through Chemo (in my head the most dreaded scenario) does not have to be an absolute disaster.  So, thank you :)