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WendyNev's avatar
WendyNev
Member
8 years ago

Taxol side effects after 7th dose.... to continue or not continue

Hello all. My name is Wendy. Please bare with me as I seek any advice that may be available at a difficult time in treatment.
 I was diagnosed with Triple negative breast cancer Jan 18 this year. Scans etc showed no apparent spread. The advice was to get the portacath in and start neoadjuvant chemo which I did within 3 weeks. The follow up MRI after the AC and a couple of Taxol doses shows the tumour had "disapppeared". Three doses later (all up I had 7 doses with the last dose reduced by 25% ) as I had developed stage 2 peripheral neuropathy. That week the oncologist suggested maybe it was time to stop Taxol or at least have a rest for a week and see if symptoms decrease and carry on. The breast care nurse rang and suggested that this is the only              "window of opportunity" based on research etc and that I should accept the peripheral neuropathy and take the chemo. All through my treatment I have changed my diet, taken supplements, hyperbaraks, hyperthermia and PEMF. This Thursday I have the option to resume chemo and Im not convinced it is the best thing... Im aware that 1% of woman are at risk of Leukaemia later on down the track ./ the peripheral neuropathy can become a permanent state not to mention the other less obvious side effects. I intend to continue the supplements etc So my big dilemma is whether to go on. Has anyone else been faced with this situation. Of course at the end of the day its "your" decision etc but i feel i need to compare notes if possible kind regards wendy
chemotherapy
side-effects

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  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    8 years ago
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • WendyNev's avatar
    WendyNev
    Member
    8 years ago
    Thanks for your response joannie the onco wasnt going to give approval i knew from a friends experience with him. I def wanted holistic care
  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    8 years ago
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • WendyNev's avatar
    WendyNev
    Member
    8 years ago
    I appreciate the very much prompt responses to my post. Thankyou
  • AllyJay's avatar
    AllyJay
    Member
    8 years ago
    @WendyNev. I had (and still have) a terrible  relationship with  my oncologist who I call the Ice  Princess. She is the  most aloof and  disconnected person I  have  ever had the displeasure  to deal with, but I don't want her  as  a  friend, just to treat  my cancer. I  mention this for a reason. During the AC twelve week nightmare I was hospitalised  after  each dose and after the third  treatment, she told me that she  was going to delay my final one by eight days and as well, cut the dose by 20%. I protested and asked if we could discuss it, but  her  words to  me were "No...I will not be bullied by you, or anybody else regarding this...this  is my decision and it is  final". So it may come as no  surprise that when I started on the Taxol, I was like Manuel in Fawlty Towers...."I know nothing...I say nothing..." Peripheral neuropathy started around dose five, but I said nothing. My personal choice was  that I'd rather go into my coffin later with velcro, than sooner with buttons. They kept on asking if I could still do buttons as a  yardstick for finger problems. When the very last drop of the last dose went in, I mentioned the increasing and by now bad neuropathy. She  got the shits with me for not saying anything earlier, so I threw her  own words back at her, and told her that I wasn't prepared to be bullied by her  in that matter, that MY decision was MINE and that it  was final. I realise that this  was quite possibly not best practice, but for me having been diagnosed with Stage 3 Grade 3 cancer, I  had one shot and one shot only before the horse bolted out of the breast  and off to  other parts.  A year later, still with numb fingers and  feet, I have  no regrets. Given the same situation tomorrow, I would do the  same, but I do realise that this is my nature...go hard or go home.
  • Sister's avatar
    Sister
    Member
    8 years ago
    Hi @WendyNev, I'm not sure that I can give you any advice on this except to ask what your oncologist is recommending.  Permanent peripheral neuropathy, as I understand it, is something you definitely do not want, but neither is a recurrence of bc.