carbo/taxol

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joan60
joan60 Member Posts: 89
in Ovarian Cancer #1
I get taxol weekly and cabo/taxol every 3 weeks. I was really nervous before I started this treatment up, this is my second round of chemo, first time was more extensive. I was 2 weeks on and 9 days off for 18 weeks and did really well. This time I'm only once a week and am feeling scary good, I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall!!! Does it take several treatments before you start feeling like the truck hit you? I'm trying to find a part-time job, but keep wondering if I should hold back and make sure I'm not going to start feeling like crap and can't work. I'm going stir crazy and want to work just to get out of the house and have some cash to on hand.
Joan

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  • kikz
    kikz Member Posts: 1,345 Member
    #2
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    Wow, I'm glad you tolerate the chemo so well.
    Before debulking surgery I had taxol/carbo three times, three weeks apart. I usually felt sick on the third day and felt better within four or five days. I felt pretty sick for the four or five days, including not being able to eat or drink much, bowel problems and just a general out of sorts feeling. Once I felt better, I felt really good. I did not work during my whole treatment which lasted eight months. I decided to retire once my treatment was over. I am 63 and want to enjoy my life.

    Karen
  • azgrandma
    azgrandma Member Posts: 609 Member
    #3
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    kikz said:

    Wow, I'm glad you tolerate the chemo so well.
    Before debulking surgery I had taxol/carbo three times, three weeks apart. I usually felt sick on the third day and felt better within four or five days. I felt pretty sick for the four or five days, including not being able to eat or drink much, bowel problems and just a general out of sorts feeling. Once I felt better, I felt really good. I did not work during my whole treatment which lasted eight months. I decided to retire once my treatment was over. I am 63 and want to enjoy my life.

    Karen

    I had it also
    i also had carboplatin and taxol, i recieved it every three weeks. It also gve me bowel problems, and very tired. Praise God it is all over now. I do hope I never have to get any chemo ever again
  • LaundryQueen
    LaundryQueen Member Posts: 676
    #4
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    azgrandma said:

    I had it also
    i also had carboplatin and taxol, i recieved it every three weeks. It also gve me bowel problems, and very tired. Praise God it is all over now. I do hope I never have to get any chemo ever again

    chemo tolerablility
    Thanks for sharing that you are feeling well enough to go back to working. That is very encouraging. Especially since this is your second time around with chemo.

    I think it is amazing how many people are out and about doing chemo and just living their life but you would never know it because you can't tell they are chemo patients (until maybe someone has to take off their hat).

    I have not done the "look good, feel good" or whatever that class is called. I am not someone who is very good with make up so I could use all the help I can get. Anyone have anything to say about that class?

    thanks.
  • Cafewoman53
    Cafewoman53 Member Posts: 735 Member
    #5
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    LaundryQueen said:

    chemo tolerablility
    Thanks for sharing that you are feeling well enough to go back to working. That is very encouraging. Especially since this is your second time around with chemo.

    I think it is amazing how many people are out and about doing chemo and just living their life but you would never know it because you can't tell they are chemo patients (until maybe someone has to take off their hat).

    I have not done the "look good, feel good" or whatever that class is called. I am not someone who is very good with make up so I could use all the help I can get. Anyone have anything to say about that class?

    thanks.

    Look good feel good
    LaundryQueen I went to that class and it was fun and informative, plus they gice you a bunch of nice make-up. You can bring a friend with you but you don't have to as the women are friendly at least at the one I was at. It was a nice couple hours.
    Colleen
  • anicca
    anicca Member Posts: 334 Member
    #6
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    LaundryQueen said:

    chemo tolerablility
    Thanks for sharing that you are feeling well enough to go back to working. That is very encouraging. Especially since this is your second time around with chemo.

    I think it is amazing how many people are out and about doing chemo and just living their life but you would never know it because you can't tell they are chemo patients (until maybe someone has to take off their hat).

    I have not done the "look good, feel good" or whatever that class is called. I am not someone who is very good with make up so I could use all the help I can get. Anyone have anything to say about that class?

    thanks.

    Look Good, Feel Better & Work During Chemo
    I did the class too. I'm also not good with make-up. It was especially useful for making my eyes look normal after my eye lashes & eye brows fell out. I happened to have been the only one in my group who had already lost some hair, so I was the demo used to do eyes, which was great for me.

    I teach ice skating and mostly work on the weekends, so I scheduled my chemo (every 3 weeks) for Thursdays. I was just able to get home from work on Sunday afternoon before I lost all stamina. I was pretty much wiped out for Mon - Wed, and began to recover on Thurs in time for the next weekend. The two weekends after the chemo weekend were a little easier. For me, it was really a matter of saving all my resources for work. I had no strength left for anything else, and didn't leave the house at all for my 3 bad days. I'm 63, so maybe age had something to do with it, but I know that everyone reacts differently. I felt lucky to be able to keep working on weekends.
  • cfont11
    cfont11 Member Posts: 115
    #7
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    carbol/taxol
    Joan60,

    I had 6 treatments of carb/taxol on a 3 week cycle. My oncologist recommended I do not work during treatment. That you can work is amazing. I took anti nausea medication for the first 3 days after treatment and had very little nausea. For days 4 - 10 I took medrol for the pain in my joints and it helped. I got neuropathy in my hands and feet after the second treatment but it was not too bad. However, it is very bad now and my last treatment was Nov. 17. I would have a few good days and then the fatigue would start. I did not get worse the more treatments I had but everyone is different. Think positive that you are going to keep feeling well and be thankful that you are tolerating the chemo so well. I had surgery in Jan. and will be starting more chemo in a couple of weeks, after my surgical wound has healed. I hope I do as well as you. Good luck!

    Chris
  • pstur1
    pstur1 Member Posts: 37
    #8
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    Hello Joan
    Two summers ago I did the exact routine you are doing, though I don't know that our doses are similar. I can't speak to what you will experience as you are well aware that we all react differently, but if it helps....I didn't have hardly any problems with my routine that summer. I worked full-time and not until the end of treatment did I start to feel a bit run down....best of luck to you.

    Kelley
  • LaundryQueen
    LaundryQueen Member Posts: 676
    #9
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    pstur1 said:

    Hello Joan
    Two summers ago I did the exact routine you are doing, though I don't know that our doses are similar. I can't speak to what you will experience as you are well aware that we all react differently, but if it helps....I didn't have hardly any problems with my routine that summer. I worked full-time and not until the end of treatment did I start to feel a bit run down....best of luck to you.

    Kelley

    Everyone is different
    Thanks for posting Kelley. I heard from another survivor that she had a problem handling taxol due to a genetic issue that made it difficult for her liver to detox taxol. That might explain why some people have more trouble than others. I should have that test done because I really felt poisoned on taxol & couldn't tolerate it at all...maybe I would have been OK with a lower dose but the doc stopped it completely.
  • nicolegarza
    nicolegarza Member Posts: 27
    #10
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    LaundryQueen said:

    Everyone is different
    Thanks for posting Kelley. I heard from another survivor that she had a problem handling taxol due to a genetic issue that made it difficult for her liver to detox taxol. That might explain why some people have more trouble than others. I should have that test done because I really felt poisoned on taxol & couldn't tolerate it at all...maybe I would have been OK with a lower dose but the doc stopped it completely.

    I also had taxol/carbo
    I was very lucky to only have to have that combo 3 times 3 weeks apart... This is my very first post on this site... I had ovarian & uterine cancer and had a hysterectomy, Im only 27 and boy last year was sooo very hard... But today its been 5 1/2 months since Ive been cleared... its still tough but some how I manage... When I started chemo it was also my first week back at work I did chemo on a wed and was sick a little thurs but fri sat and sunday I was in lots of pain... a little nauseous but my bones and joints is what hurt the most... but come monday I was back at work... still hurting but not as much as I was a few days prior... I even coached my nieces soccer team (i love soccer been coaching for years) There were days I was out there walking super slow with the help of a cane... about 1 1/2 weeks after my first session my hair began to fall out...but I didnt let it keep me away from my favorite sport and my girls, head wrap and all.

    Nicole
  • childofthestars
    childofthestars Member Posts: 251 Member
    #11
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    carbo/taxol
    Hi Joan
    I had dense dose taxol (every week for 18 weeks) and every third week had carboplatin thrown in. I too felt scarily good apart from one of the treatments, i think the third carbo one, when i literally slept for 36 hours after!!!
    I worked all the way through treatment, I had chemo on a Wednesday so worked Mon, Tues and Fri and for me it was great as it brought some sort of normality to the situation.
    I finished treatment on 8 Dec 2010 and unfortunately feel worse now than when i was on treatment !!!!!!! BUT i'm sure it will get better, it's the joint and muscle pain that's a real bummer :(
    Hope you continue to feel good and go back to work if you can it will really do you the world of good.
    Michelle x
  • Tina Brown
    Tina Brown Member Posts: 1,036 Member
    #12
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    Hi Joan
    I am so pleased you are coping well with this treatment. I too am on it for the second time. The first time I stayed off work and really pampered myself. I felt "poorly" for the first 4 - 5 days after the infusion each time and yes it is accululative and they get a little worse each time. I used to stay in bed for whole days lying there feeling "ill" and sorry for myself.

    This time my attitude is completely different ................

    I returned to work while I was in remission so established a lovely routine of feeling a bit more normal. When my cancer came back I really didn't know what to do. I certainly DID NOT want to give up work again. I already knew how it was going to affect me and was a little worried about having time off and whether my employers would go along with it.

    So, I decided to treat my treatment as ONE day in every 3 weeks I will be off work attending the chemo clinic. This fell on a Thursday (I don't work Fridays & Mondays) which gave me 4 days to rest and recover. IT WORKS :) I return to work Tuesday (feeling a little nauseous and tired) but I am still able to do my job as I keep saying to myself

    "I am in charge of my body including my cancer and it WILL NOT stop me from doing anything"

    I have just had treatment #5 (out of 6) and I have sucessfully been to work and carried out all of my duties and feel so pleased and proud of myself. I was tired but I would've been tired if I had stayed at home lounging on the sofa.

    So if you want to work - do it. It is amazing what your body can do if you want it enough :):) Tina xx

    PS I am a teacher in a college teaching demanding 16 - 19 year olds :)
  • NCEllen
    NCEllen Member Posts: 115
    #13
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    Tina Brown said:

    Hi Joan
    I am so pleased you are coping well with this treatment. I too am on it for the second time. The first time I stayed off work and really pampered myself. I felt "poorly" for the first 4 - 5 days after the infusion each time and yes it is accululative and they get a little worse each time. I used to stay in bed for whole days lying there feeling "ill" and sorry for myself.

    This time my attitude is completely different ................

    I returned to work while I was in remission so established a lovely routine of feeling a bit more normal. When my cancer came back I really didn't know what to do. I certainly DID NOT want to give up work again. I already knew how it was going to affect me and was a little worried about having time off and whether my employers would go along with it.

    So, I decided to treat my treatment as ONE day in every 3 weeks I will be off work attending the chemo clinic. This fell on a Thursday (I don't work Fridays & Mondays) which gave me 4 days to rest and recover. IT WORKS :) I return to work Tuesday (feeling a little nauseous and tired) but I am still able to do my job as I keep saying to myself

    "I am in charge of my body including my cancer and it WILL NOT stop me from doing anything"

    I have just had treatment #5 (out of 6) and I have sucessfully been to work and carried out all of my duties and feel so pleased and proud of myself. I was tired but I would've been tired if I had stayed at home lounging on the sofa.

    So if you want to work - do it. It is amazing what your body can do if you want it enough :):) Tina xx

    PS I am a teacher in a college teaching demanding 16 - 19 year olds :)

    Second Round Also
    Tina and Joan and all; meant to write earlier as I'm also going through the second round of Carbo/Taxol. I'm on the same schedule as before - once every 21 days. I did have to skip a week this last time as my white count was too low, so that gave me an extra week of energy although at the same time I want this round over with again. I had #3 yesterday, and surprisingly I do feel a little more tired than usual today.
    My infusion nurse told me that the body doesn't forget the drugs it's had before, so I still hold a chance of having a reaction to the Carbo or Taxol or both. I hope not as they worked so well first time out.
    I'm also curious to know if my onc. will recommend maintenance therapy again when I've completed this round. I guess that will depend on the CT scan too. I turned it down last time because after 3 major surgeries and an ileostomy reversal (ugh) I wanted a chance to just heal without any additional drugs and my Ca was holding at 3. I think this time I may be more open to try it if that's what he suggests.

    Carlene had such a good response with her maintenance and I know she's ready to have a chemo free time off. How wonderful she's been doing the vaccine trial- you go Carlene!. We're all anxious to hear the final report of that study.
    Hope this finds you feeling OK today. Tina, glad you've been able to get back to work. Joan- I hope you find doing something you LIKE! A job is good for the soul, but also this time around work at what you love doing if you can. Bunches o Teal Love, Ellen

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