Paclitaxel Delayed
I was supposed to have my 9th paclitaxel this morning but was cancelled because I have had significant increase in numbness in my hands and some pain in my thumb over the past week,(even after onc red...
Forum Discussion
@Caibo
I had a similar experience on Paclitaxol. I was fine for the first 6 or 7, I can't actually remember which one it was that I reacted to. The PN came on so suddenly, maybe 15 mins after I finished and was in the car park. I wondered if I should go back to the chemo unit but in the end I was so damn tired I decided to drive home.
By the time I got home, it had progressed to both hands and both feet, so I called and told them and they asked me to go to the emergency dept, which I did when hubby got home. Nothing they could do but at least they knew.
Like you, I was really disappointed because I thought I'm so close and I had managed the AC and the first ones quite well but I didn't want the PN to be permanent.
They decided to discontinue Paclitaxel for 2 weeks and see how it went. The PN got worse, so they decided no more. I had my scans and to my surprise and theirs, the tumour had gone completely, only a void was left where it had been.
My oncologist said that 12 is the standard amount of doses but I was very sensitive to that chemo. I thought he was having a go at me :p but he just meant it was the best possible outcome.
They referred to it as a complete pathological response which I understand is good news, the amount of chemo I had received had done it's job as there were only dead cells left and clear margins.
It is one year since I finished chemo and my hands are almost normal, just a little numbness in some fingernails. My feet are slower to recover but a lot better than a year ago, not tripping over as much. So finishing early for me was not as terrible as I thought it was, hopefully you will have the same outcome. Good luck xx
I had a similar experience on Paclitaxol. I was fine for the first 6 or 7, I can't actually remember which one it was that I reacted to. The PN came on so suddenly, maybe 15 mins after I finished and was in the car park. I wondered if I should go back to the chemo unit but in the end I was so damn tired I decided to drive home.
By the time I got home, it had progressed to both hands and both feet, so I called and told them and they asked me to go to the emergency dept, which I did when hubby got home. Nothing they could do but at least they knew.
Like you, I was really disappointed because I thought I'm so close and I had managed the AC and the first ones quite well but I didn't want the PN to be permanent.
They decided to discontinue Paclitaxel for 2 weeks and see how it went. The PN got worse, so they decided no more. I had my scans and to my surprise and theirs, the tumour had gone completely, only a void was left where it had been.
My oncologist said that 12 is the standard amount of doses but I was very sensitive to that chemo. I thought he was having a go at me :p but he just meant it was the best possible outcome.
They referred to it as a complete pathological response which I understand is good news, the amount of chemo I had received had done it's job as there were only dead cells left and clear margins.
It is one year since I finished chemo and my hands are almost normal, just a little numbness in some fingernails. My feet are slower to recover but a lot better than a year ago, not tripping over as much. So finishing early for me was not as terrible as I thought it was, hopefully you will have the same outcome. Good luck xx