Query side effects of weekly chemo

I started with F.E.C 2 doses only, they were 3 weeks apart, that is where I lost my hair in the 1st dose.  The Oncologist changed me to Pacletaxol which is weekly for 12 weeks but I only had 3 doses and although the side effects were a lot less and different to the FEC, I still hated it. But that is not saying mum will be that way... there are a lot of side effects with Pacletaxal but they seem to happen after treatment... I wish her all the best 

Unfortunately there are no guarantees
with cancer treatment BUT many of us are here, well and as far as we know cancer free. I would not have missed the last 4 years of my life for anything, they have been good years in all sorts of ways and while treatment was a bit of a challenge, as were some side effects, they were only that, not an insurmountable barrier. 4 years ago, I felt I could do it once but not twice. I don't want to do it twice but now I almost certainly would. The hard part is seeing beyond treatment as it can be all consuming. Best wishes.

Hi sorry that you've found yourself here but good on you for researching for Mum.
Everyone has the same diagnosis Breast cancer however the intricacies of our pathology puts us all on unique treatment plans.
For me personally acceptance was what I came to quickly and from there I was accepting of treatment. Some of us glide through and others have a few hiccups that make no sense.  At the end of the day it is about doing whatever it takes to be rid of it.
You said the Oncologist has said this next regime will not be as bad. That is a positive. There's years of experience behind that advice.
Good luck with Mum it'll be good 

Thanks so much for your good wishes and feedback. I will feed some of this information back to Mum to try and help her keep positive and focussed on a good outcome.
With no one able to definitively say whether this treatment will alter the outcome it is hard to get her to accept the side effects and see treatment from a positive perspective. Any rays of hope or good news I can pass on is a bonus.

I didn't have the weekly one only the 3 weekly but a lady who used to often be in having chemo beside me was on the weekly one. She was elderly and rather cranky when her hubby was with her but quite pleasant when her daughter came with. She was fiercely independent and refused any walking aids at all bless her. She looked well enough. 

Hi concerned daughter, I don't have anything to add. Just wanted to come on and say how fantastic I think you are to be on here finding out information to assist your mum through her treatment. She's very lucky to have you aiding her. All the best to both of you and please pop back on and let us know how you're both doing because we all realise that this is also an awfully hard time for you also. Big hugs to you both. Xx 

I wouldn't say it is better but different. In AC chemo I was wiped out for a week then felt I had 2 reasonable good weeks. On taxol you don't get the awful nausea issues or constipation and initially it does seem much much easier than the 3 weekly chemo. However it is accumulative and you get fed up and tired.  I was allergic to it so needed higher steroids which gave me issues. Over time gastritis was a big issue for me and I couldn't eat any spicy foods at all and detested vegetables. I developed some numbness in my feet and balance issues and terrible muscle and joint pain. But....having said that ...the time went quickly and I look back and think ..it was totally doable and if I had to ...I could do it again. We are all different and I know of a number of women who had taxol with much less issues than I had. I hope all goes well. Kath x

Hello, I had 4 x AC as well & have now completed 9 out of 12 Taxol. I didn't suffer too much on AC & Taxol has been much easier. I have had some aches & pains & metallic taste. Just started to get a bit of tingling in my fingers but it is very intermittent. I have worked all way through & exercised. I am having chemo with 2 ladies on same regimen & they are much the same. Hopefully your mum will feel more normal on Taxol with only very mild side effects. Best wishes!

Hi
Great that you are helping your mother through her treatment. Reactions vary immensely as I am sure you have been told. Do you know what chemo she is having and will have?

I had A/C for three months at three weekly intervals and then Taxol ( with Herceptin). I had very few side effects with A/C, no nausea or fatigue. After I finished that course, I did get a problem with rapid heartbeat, but there may have been other factors affecting that. Many people do find Taxol easier. Taxol can cause a bit of nerve damage to extremities (fingers and toes) but this usually reverses when treatment is complete. Other common side effects are discolouration of finger and toe nails, bloody nose, loss of taste buds and metallic or other tastes in the mouth. These are also usually temporary. 

As I said, I didn't have fatigue but many people do. Also if you have reactions, weekly treatments don't allow as much time to recover. You can anticipate a few things, but mostly you have to wait and see how the first one of two treatments of the next therapy work out.

Very best wishes, once you are through the first 3 months, you are both halfway through chemo!