Paclitaxel
Hi all, my next lot of treatments are Paclitaxel when I am well enough
to start, and would like to know from anybody that has gone through this
one or going through, helpful hints on side effects, r...
Forum Discussion
Most people find paclitaxel (or Taxol) easier than A/C. As I had no immediate side effects from A/C (apart from hair loss) I found Taxol
more troublesome but mainly just that - annoying. As my oncologist said, Taxol is hard on soft tissue - so issues with nose, mouth and maybe eyes are not uncommon. Occasionally blurred vision, bloody noses and problems with taste. I lost most of my taste buds, and had a crusty, sometimes bloody nose, no eye issues. You may be advised not to rush off for an eye test if you have any eye issues as most of these side effects clear up really quickly once you stop taking Taxol. The one I would look out for is peripheral neuropathy due to damage to nerve endings in your fingers and toes - because it can linger long after chemo is finished. Ice treatment during infusions seems to help and quite a number of people on the network can advise. First symptoms are tingling in the fingers or toes - ice treatment works best if used from the very beginning, ie before any symptoms, so worth talking to your oncologist/ day oncology about it if you wish to try it. I didn’t know about ice treatment when I was having chemo, but I found that vitamin B helped reduce symptoms.
Many people never get PN or get it really mildly. Best thing about round 2 is that you can start to see the light at the end of the chemo tunnel! Best wishes.
more troublesome but mainly just that - annoying. As my oncologist said, Taxol is hard on soft tissue - so issues with nose, mouth and maybe eyes are not uncommon. Occasionally blurred vision, bloody noses and problems with taste. I lost most of my taste buds, and had a crusty, sometimes bloody nose, no eye issues. You may be advised not to rush off for an eye test if you have any eye issues as most of these side effects clear up really quickly once you stop taking Taxol. The one I would look out for is peripheral neuropathy due to damage to nerve endings in your fingers and toes - because it can linger long after chemo is finished. Ice treatment during infusions seems to help and quite a number of people on the network can advise. First symptoms are tingling in the fingers or toes - ice treatment works best if used from the very beginning, ie before any symptoms, so worth talking to your oncologist/ day oncology about it if you wish to try it. I didn’t know about ice treatment when I was having chemo, but I found that vitamin B helped reduce symptoms.
Many people never get PN or get it really mildly. Best thing about round 2 is that you can start to see the light at the end of the chemo tunnel! Best wishes.