Starting Paclitaxel...

Hi @Elfie thanks for the tips had my first dose at 11.30am this morning (Perth time), and feel ok so fingers crossed....

Louise J said:

Know how you feel! I’m in the same position as you right now and feel horrible after 4 rounds of E/C with extreme fatigue and nausea. I’m also concerned about Taxil. Thanks for starting this thread. All the best with your treatment and I hope it goes well without the side effects

Hi @Louise J I was really lucky with my E/C mostly got the bad Fatigue but it never hit me until the afternoon of the third day after chemo, also suffered very mild nausea the night of the chemo, of course hair lose, which is still falling out in different parts of my body,  but OMFG constipation that was the biggest problem of all, I have literally lived on Coloxil with Senna....anyway this was the side effects that i had for the first 3 rounds anyway....after my last one I never got nausea, the fatigue lasted 2 days not for 3 or 4 day, I only took my Coloxil for 2 weeks this last week ive been fine like as if i never had chemo...which was a blessing in its self... So today was the first Taxol, so far so good, only thing i am finding is that I actually dont feel hungry but my stomach is telling me different if that makes sense.... Might must make some toast or something....but as the weeks go on, I will keep in touch, I do home you do the same..... And all the best for your upcoming treatment also....

Cheers
Wendy... :)

Know how you feel! I’m in the same position as you right now and feel horrible after 4 rounds of E/C with extreme fatigue and nausea. I’m also concerned about Taxil. Thanks for starting this thread. All the best with your treatment and I hope it goes well without the side effects

Hi @Schwen,
I hope Taxol is not giving you too much grief. My first dealing with taxol had the tinging of fingers, brittle nails, and yes the fatigue. But after having AC treatment just before not sure if its our bodies of adjusting before being punished again! I found that hardening nail polish was a huge blessing in disguise -and don't forget your toes.
I wish you all the very best xo

@Schwen,

 Apparently some people can be quite allergic to taxol hence the steroids and antihistamines.  I only had to take it for the first two weeks as well. If you are all good with the drug then you get to go off them,  Yay.
Once I finished chemo the weight I had put on dropped off fairly swiftly.  Probably within the month and I didn't really do anything special.  Fingers crossed for you it falls off as quickly as it came.

@Schwen I lost quite a lot of weight during chemo. I was motivated by getting out of the danger zone for complications in my mastectomy and reconstruction operation. I was simply very strict with portion control and minimal sugar. It was helped by having no appetite for ten days in every chemo cycle and having completely shot tastebuds! Walking every day and a protein rich diet helped as well. K xox

Apparently only have to take the steroid (Dexamethasone) for the first two weeks, 8mg the first week, and 4mg the second, then none, so hopefully once i stop i can lose the weight that i have put on, as I am not a small person to start with and this weight I think is worse then the chemo...they keep telling me to lose weight, better for me, etc etc, but how the hell am i suppose to do that when they are pumping me full of steroids....at least they help with the lethargy.... @Blossom1961 tell you one thing, ill be doing more then just a little dance if i can lose this weight and a bit more before the end of Chemo lol....

Hi @Schwen , best advice I could give you is to ice your hands and feet if you can . Taxol side effects can include peripheral neuropathy in your hands and feet, and loss of nails. My sister ended up with numb feet after her BC chemo and I wanted to avoid it if I could so I researched before I started and ended up plunging my hands and feet in ice whilst having taxol. I just bought 2 cheap cake containers , bigger one for my feet :) , got my chemo buddy to fill with ice from the ice machine in the  kitchen on the chemo ward, or byo in an esky, put latex gloves on my hands, wrapped my feet in plastic bags and in they went.It's cold at first but then everything goes numb and my chemo buddies always did their best to distract me!. I got through all 12 treatments and had no neuropathy or nail loss. May have just been my good luck but I like to think the ice helped.Good luck with the rest of your treatment and hang it there!!

As I had no nausea on A/C, my oncologist agreed to take the steroids out of my Taxol/Herceptin cocktail. Which was great, not so much about weight gain as I hadn't, but helped the constipation wonderfully! 

Schwen they still put the steroid in your pre meds to reduce chance of nausea. I had my Onco cut it right down to the minimum as nausea isn't a big issue, but my weight gain was and the steroids burn my face. I am still putting on a little weight but not nearly as much as the AC. One week I was literally dancing at the scales as I hadn't gained any since the last weigh three weeks previously. The nurse looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I am.

I think I put on about 5kgs over the lot but the prednisone didn't help either I guess.