Taxotere and Cytoxan sde effects

13

Comments

  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    laurissa said:

    Hi celinelvr
    I had the same for 6 rounds. Had the same effects as you. No vomiting. I didn't have the mouth sores, just the metal taste. I also had bladder infections with burning and incontinance. I went through alot of underpants. Lost taste but not appetite. It was just a strange feeling, hard to describe. Out of body is a good description. Remember-it's temporary.

    Exactly out of body. I was
    Exactly out of body. I was one that fell off the curve. lots of digestive issues, keep on the stool softeners, because I ended up with a rectal fissure and just had surgery for it. I had diahrea and they said it was atypical but people here seem to report it. You do feel likeyou have the flu. I had 12 taxol, chemo on thurs, felt good thurs and friday, like crap on the weekend. It was better than AC. I always hate to post because it sounds so negative, but it you recognize the symptoms you can take steps to counter balance them and I did get through. and so will you!!!
  • mary s
    mary s Member Posts: 10
    side effects
    As I said before on this post, I had my first treatment on feb. 25th and the Neulasta shot on feb. 28th. I was fine over the weekend between these two events but then side effects galloped up on me---new ones every day! First, the nasty muscle aches and joint pains---then TIRED, then mouth sores---these all added up and I felt nasty for 4-5 days. then, all of a sudden, everything left. I still have the metal taste in my mouth but I'm going out for a walk today---used to walk 2-3 miles a day but haven't in months since tagged with this diagnosis. It's time to get out and the weather is nice here in Missouri. I don't expect to get back to the former vigor yet but I'll try for a mile today. since I know the duration of these side effects, I will be ready for them next time. Next dose is mar. 17th---celebrate St. Pat's Day in a strange fashion. I still haven't lost my hair yet but my eyelashes are thinning...ugh!
  • mary s
    mary s Member Posts: 10
    Balentine said:

    side effects
    Dear Mary S,
    To do or not to do is a decision only we can make. I am not sure what I would do if I were 67 and they told me the chemo would only give me another 9% chance that the cancer would not return. I may not decide to do it then. Most of the people on my mother's side of my family died in their 60's or 70's and I do take after that side with my high blood pressure. It is a very difficult decision because you just don't know how your body will react to the chemo. I would hate to start the chemo and then have to stop because I just could not deal with the side effects or pain but as I get closer to the start date of my first treatment which will be 3/15 all I can do is close my eyes and ask God to be with me through this as He has through my life and carry me through it....giving me His strength when mine is gone. It pretty much feels like jumping off of a dock in the dead of winter into icy waters because the dock is about to give out. You just have to pray and trust God to catch you and carry you ashore.
    Lorrie

    side effects
    Hi Lorrie---just reporting in to let you know the side effects lasted 4 days and then cleared....I've had 4 great days and feel like I did before. I hope your bad days won't last as long as mine did. At least I know what to expect. I will be thinking of you on Monday and praying for you to get through the first 'blast' of chemo. At least we don't suffer with the nausea and vomiting....load up on the pain pills so the pain doesn't take over so soon. Good luck! mary
  • yakkydoodle
    yakkydoodle Member Posts: 1

    Taxotere and Cytoxin with Herceptin.....SIDE EFFECTS...HELP!!!!
    Hi. I am new to this website and am looking for anyone that has been experiencing long term side effects from Taxotere and Cytoxin.....I had stage 1 cancer with no node involvement...However, I have the Her 2 Neu type of breast cancer which is extremely aggressive and chemo was highly recommended...I don't want to scare anyone but my chemo has been done for a year and my radiation finished last April.....During the treatments, my scalp felt tight.....That has gone away but there have been some visual changes that have remained....such as blackness over the head and appearing in the brain....sounds strange but it is true....Everything appears darker than it used to....Artificial light is not as bright and when it is extremely bright and sunny outside, I will see it as bright but extremely....It is particularly frustrating to have this....Also my eyesight changed from 20/10 to 20/50 and for the first time in my life I will have to wear glasses to correct the eyesight and blurriness....I also see some strange things on TV...in other words, the tv does not appear as it used to....I really don't know what is going on but all of these effects were never present in m;y life before chemo.....

    I also have had some concern with my short term memory.....and i also feel that certain levels of cognition are not present any longer.....Very very frustrating....

    I have sunk into depression over all of this.....

    I am wondering if ANYONE has had any of these side effects and if so please comment as I would really like to speak with you....

    Thanks.....
    Sweeetheart

    long term side effects, cytoxin and taxotere
    Hello,
    I was looking up side effects for a friend and saw your post. I was treated for Stage III breast cancer in 2008. I first had two treatments of Adriamycin with Cytoxin, only two because my oncologist was worried about my reaction to that chemo and decided to go on to the Cytoxin and Taxotere (4 treatments, 3 weeks apart). He said I would probably have an easier time with those treatments than with the first two of Adriamyacin and Cytoxin. Anyway, long term effects, I was still having nausea and dizziness even a year later. I had 35 radiation treatments after the chemo, which sort of confuses the issue of side effects because the radiation has it's own, like extreme fatigue. I did manage to work throughout the treatments. I was able to take off 7 days for each chemo treatment but went to work every day during radiation. I was very tired and nauseous but I managed.
    The side effects you describe are like none I've heard before, but I can tell you that I did hallucinate during my treatments with both adriamyacin and taxotere. I wonder if the effects you are feeling are some kind of hallucination. My heart goes out to you and I hope you will feel better soon. Believe it or not there will come a day when you will be finished with treatment. God Bless You! let me know if you have any questions. P.S. I recommend a strong pain reliever during chemo, my doctor had me on Vicodin, and then he put me on Oxycontin. I did not get addicted to it and it really helped me get through the nausea and discomfort of bone pain and nerve pain. After chemo was finished I was off the Oxycontin with no problem at all.
  • New Flower
    New Flower Member Posts: 4,294
    mary s said:

    side effects
    As I said before on this post, I had my first treatment on feb. 25th and the Neulasta shot on feb. 28th. I was fine over the weekend between these two events but then side effects galloped up on me---new ones every day! First, the nasty muscle aches and joint pains---then TIRED, then mouth sores---these all added up and I felt nasty for 4-5 days. then, all of a sudden, everything left. I still have the metal taste in my mouth but I'm going out for a walk today---used to walk 2-3 miles a day but haven't in months since tagged with this diagnosis. It's time to get out and the weather is nice here in Missouri. I don't expect to get back to the former vigor yet but I'll try for a mile today. since I know the duration of these side effects, I will be ready for them next time. Next dose is mar. 17th---celebrate St. Pat's Day in a strange fashion. I still haven't lost my hair yet but my eyelashes are thinning...ugh!

    Mary
    it shall pass. Never forget that most side effects are temporary and will gradually disappear after completion of your treatment. Everyone has individual reaction to the Chemo drugs, often there is cumulative effect. Do what you can and listen to your body.
    Wishing you the best,
    New Flower
  • Susie1098
    Susie1098 Member Posts: 1
    Permanent Side Effects
    Has anyone had any permanent side effects from Taxotere? I start it on Monday (3 rounds every three weeks). I've finished 33 days of radiation and have done 11 other rounds of chemo (VP 16 and Cisplatin). I've already lost all my hair (still have my eyebrows and lashes although they seem a bit thinner--and my leg hair--wish that would've gone!). I've read a lot on the side effects of taxotere and I've seen that a lot of people have permanent hair loss, nail loss and permanent neuropathy. I just don't know if I can go through this if I'm never going to have my hair back. I'm young and I'm scared to lose everything that makes me feel like a woman. Please let me know if anyone's had any long-term side effects.

    --Susie
  • Balentine
    Balentine Member Posts: 393
    Susie1098 said:

    Permanent Side Effects
    Has anyone had any permanent side effects from Taxotere? I start it on Monday (3 rounds every three weeks). I've finished 33 days of radiation and have done 11 other rounds of chemo (VP 16 and Cisplatin). I've already lost all my hair (still have my eyebrows and lashes although they seem a bit thinner--and my leg hair--wish that would've gone!). I've read a lot on the side effects of taxotere and I've seen that a lot of people have permanent hair loss, nail loss and permanent neuropathy. I just don't know if I can go through this if I'm never going to have my hair back. I'm young and I'm scared to lose everything that makes me feel like a woman. Please let me know if anyone's had any long-term side effects.

    --Susie

    Hang in there and stay positive
    Hi Susie,
    The biggest thing to remember is that the side effects are different for everyone. I had one treatment so far of cytoxan and taxotere and had no reactions and no bad side effects other than yucky mouth and a few head sores that both went away within 8 days after the first treatment. I am back to my normal self halfway through the 2nd week after first treatment. The doctors and nurses will be monitoring your reactions to the chemo and will change it if they feel it is not right for you. Stay positive, pray and trust God to get you through this.
    Lorrie
  • mary s
    mary s Member Posts: 10
    Balentine said:

    Hang in there and stay positive
    Hi Susie,
    The biggest thing to remember is that the side effects are different for everyone. I had one treatment so far of cytoxan and taxotere and had no reactions and no bad side effects other than yucky mouth and a few head sores that both went away within 8 days after the first treatment. I am back to my normal self halfway through the 2nd week after first treatment. The doctors and nurses will be monitoring your reactions to the chemo and will change it if they feel it is not right for you. Stay positive, pray and trust God to get you through this.
    Lorrie

    2nd done, 2 to go
    Hi Lorrie----glad to hear you did well with your first treatment. My second treatment side effects were about the same as the first, except not as much pain from the Neulasta and they lasted longer....5 days where I was functioning but barely. Now I'm back on my feet again and feel normal (although I think I've forgotten what "normal" is). Good luck! There are others out here waiting to hear about your progress. I got a nice wig, had it styled and it looks like my real hair did, only better. I call it my "dressup hat" because I only wear it for the dressy occasions. If I were still working, I'd wear it to work. I hate the bald look---put a scarf on first thing in the morning and hide under it all day. Amer. Cancer Soc. sponsors a makeup seminar that I found really helpful---Look Good, Feel Better---you can get tips on applying makeup and get a lot of nice stuff for free. I've been dressing for work for years and taught at college level, so wore makeup regularly but this seminar taught this old dog new tricks. Call the ACS for a place near you that is having it---usually in a hospital or cancer center. mary
  • heidijez
    heidijez Member Posts: 441
    Lynda53 said:

    Side affects TAC and more
    I have inflammatory BC, very rare (less5%)aggressive,invasive. FTR My rt breast was minor swollen, and 10 hours later it was 2x the sieze, red , hot and hard as a rock!)
    Started chemo Oct1 20009
    1-I could not have adrimycin due to discovery of a-fib, HR=130.
    2-No troubles w/cytoxin.
    3-Taxotere./taxol a whole other story, 1st was ok, 2nd infusion I stopped breathing, readmin ok, 3rd insfusion I stopped breathing, chemo stopped mastectomy moved up.
    Well found desensitzation for allergies, I had to change chemos places, but they dilluted the tax, admin slowly, 1 on 1 nurse, ICU very expensive, BUT no reactions and my last treatment was yesterday!
    At every infusion: I was given iv benadryll,nausea stuff,diarrhea stuff,steroids.
    At home I also took stolll softener and post chemo pills for 4 days.
    My issues, mostly being tired, minor joint pain, I take a non aspirin product for it, some stomach discomfort but I have a few hiatal hernias w/patch. Vision changes but advises to wait at least 2 months after chemo to get eyes checked esp to change scripts.
    I followed all onco advice, rested, and yes I did work lots of hours, hydrate,proper food intake, lots of veggies.
    I did go to Look Good Feel Good from ACS a few weeks ago,I'm not a make up girl, but for those that are GO! Nice $200 bag of makeup.
    I did not shave my head, although I did cut it short, I did get a wig.
    I di dgo to a social worker at my cancer center for all this crap. It was ok, got some anxiety issues to deal w/and sleeplessness, and who knows! This too shall pass!
    I will go on lovinox the end of the month, have the mastectomy Apr 2 (if all the Dr's say GO) and follow up rads a6 weeks and w/aromasin for 5 years.
    PEACE

    wow!
    i also have inflammatory breast cancer! not many people have even heard of this! i thought the whole cancer thing would be more devastating - not that this is a walk in the park by any means. i am tired all the time, my eyes water and blur constantly, and yet, i am still working full time (have no other means of support - temporary disability only pays 60% of my salary - impossible to live on than)

    each step of the way, i am finding the unknown is worse than than actually dealing with it, so have become an extremely strong woman along the way.

    my mantra is also, this too shall pass!
  • dawnday
    dawnday Member Posts: 2
    My first time coming up
    Hi. I go to the doctor Thursday to discuss the chemo. He did tell me that I would be given Taxatere and Cytoxan 4 treatments every 3 weeks. I want to be prepared and find out beforehand what to expect. All your comments have been helpful and scary. I have OCD and need to know if any of you were given the option NOT to have a port. Do they deliver the chemo IV in the vein each time?
  • dawnday
    dawnday Member Posts: 2
    My first time coming up
    Hi. I go to the doctor Thursday to discuss the chemo. He did tell me that I would be given Taxatere and Cytoxan 4 treatments every 3 weeks. I want to be prepared and find out beforehand what to expect. All your comments have been helpful and scary. I have OCD and need to know if any of you were given the option NOT to have a port. Do they deliver the chemo IV in the vein each time?
  • fighting4five
    fighting4five Member Posts: 71
    dawnday said:

    My first time coming up
    Hi. I go to the doctor Thursday to discuss the chemo. He did tell me that I would be given Taxatere and Cytoxan 4 treatments every 3 weeks. I want to be prepared and find out beforehand what to expect. All your comments have been helpful and scary. I have OCD and need to know if any of you were given the option NOT to have a port. Do they deliver the chemo IV in the vein each time?

    My oncologist said he did
    My oncologist said he did not want me to have a port. He said that If I stay well hydrated that they should be able to do an IV each treatment.I am having 12 weekly treatments and herceptin for a year.Not sure if that really a good thing or not but I felt relieved when he said that.
    Good Luck, I'm sending many prayers

    Mary
  • mamolady
    mamolady Member Posts: 796 Member
    dawnday said:

    My first time coming up
    Hi. I go to the doctor Thursday to discuss the chemo. He did tell me that I would be given Taxatere and Cytoxan 4 treatments every 3 weeks. I want to be prepared and find out beforehand what to expect. All your comments have been helpful and scary. I have OCD and need to know if any of you were given the option NOT to have a port. Do they deliver the chemo IV in the vein each time?

    No Port
    I opted not to have a port. My doctor felt I am young and have good veins. The risks of the port were not worth the effort. Besides it would have delayed treatment. I had a total of 16 infusions. 4 AC, 12 Taxol, plus labs the day before each infusion.
    The nurses did not like having to start an IV. I don't know if this is just the infusion center I went to or not. If they warm the arm before starting the IV it goes easier.
    I didn't have the mastectomy till after chemo so they alternated arms to give the veins a rest. They also flushed the vein for about 10 minutes after chemo to help maintain the veins.

    Good luck!
    Cindy
  • mstrouble16
    mstrouble16 Member Posts: 1
    taxotere and cytoxan
    I started my 4 dose treatment of taxotere and cytoxan on Monday 11/7/11, during the cytoxan the nausea hit me like a brick, but came in waves, Wednesday I received my neulasta. The nausea, cramping and metal taste have been really bad so far. Oh did I mention the mood swings!!!
  • msoptimistic
    msoptimistic Member Posts: 1

    taxotere and cytoxan
    I started my 4 dose treatment of taxotere and cytoxan on Monday 11/7/11, during the cytoxan the nausea hit me like a brick, but came in waves, Wednesday I received my neulasta. The nausea, cramping and metal taste have been really bad so far. Oh did I mention the mood swings!!!

    side effects of taxotere and cytoxan
    I started my 1st chemo treatment on 10/24/11. I'm scheduled for 4 total every three weeks. I got the Neulasta the day after too. Have you had any hair loss yet? My started falling out this past Monday and by Wednesday, I lost 80%. Will I continue to lose hair or will I stay like this? My hair is normally very thick--now it is thinned out alot and I have it pulled back in a 2" ponytail. Should I shave the rest off or just wait? My next treatment is 11/16.
  • witolika
    witolika Member Posts: 1
    My long term side effects from Taxotere and Cytoxan
    Hello everyone. As of July 13th, 2012 I will be breast cancer free for two years. My last chemo treatment was Dec. 2nd, 2011. There were six total of which I had them every three weeks. I got both Taxotere and Cytoxan at the same time and the following day I had to have neulasta shots. I am one of the 5% that have severe side effects. I had stage three grade three aggressive infiltrating ductal carcinoma. I was lucky that it hadn't metastisized yet. I had a double mastectomy with latissimus trap reconstruction (which means they used my back instead of my stomach). After my first chemo treatment my plateletes dropped to 0.2 and they were going to hospitalize me. Instead they gave me a shot of neuprogen of which I was allergic to and it damaged my heart causing me to have two emergency stents put in my heart to keep me alive. After each treatment, even with the prescriptions they gave me for nausea, I got sick to my stomach. It would take me two weeks to be able to get out of bed with little assistance. My reconstruction healing was slowed by the chemo and I had to have one breast redone as it split open. Each chemo treatment left me completely exhausted, moderate chemo brain, difficulty sleeping due to the steroids, constant headache and ringing in my ears. A week after my first chemo I lost my hair. By the second chemo I lost all hair on my body - which kind of was a plus because I didn't have to shave and being bald helped with the really bad hot flashes! It was tough seeing myself without eyebrows and eyelashes. The fifth chemo was tough and they almost didn't give me the last one as they were afraid I was not going to make it through it. I decided to go ahead anyway as I didn't want to regret later not finishing all of the treatment. The roof of my mouth would peel after each chemo treatment. My skin on my forearms feels leathery. The neulasta shots would give me severe deep bone pain as it was forcing my bone marrow to make new blood cells. I would get these electric shocks in my spine that made me want to scream. I still get these to this day, but thankfully it is occassional and only lasts a few hours. This would last a week. Just when I was finally feeling better, almost three weeks after a treatment, I would have to go in for the next treatment. My last treatment was the worst.

    So almost one and one half years after my last chemo treatment and this is what I am still going through as far as side effects. I have a constant mild headache which ramps up into a migraine three to four times a week. There are some weeks I can't get out of bed because my migraines last for days. Chronic severe fatigue causing me to have to rest, lay down, multiple times a day. I have lost more than 50% of my grip strength in my right hand and just less than that in my left with neuropathy in both. I also have a moderate tremor in both which is constant. I have transient mild amnesia which only lasts a few seconds and that happens minimum once a day. Due to the steroids and the inability to move I gained 60 pounds! I am slowly loosing it. My heart damage gives me constant chest pain and difficulty breathing. My upper body aches all the time also, that is to say the areas that I still have feeling in. I don't have feeling in the areas around my surgeries. I have constant ringing in my ears, the right much worse than the left and I am told I am slowly loosing my hearing. Short term memory, cognitive thinking and severe forgetfulness are part of my chemo brain. I went through four months of intense physical therapy which helped very little. Oh, and I was told that some time during my chemo treatments that I would lose my nails. Well it was about one and one half months after my last chemo treatment that I lost my nails and toe nails. They came back but they are thinner. My hair on my head grew back in, same color but it is curly.....yeah! My eyebrows are much thinner and so are my eyelashes but at least they came back in. The rest of the hair on my body also didn't come back in as thick. Pain, well I have constant pain in my arm pits, the right much worse than the left as that is where they took out the lymph nodes. Many times during the day the pain runs down into my hands (neuropathy). My legs, ankles and feet swell if I sit for more than half an hour. There are more minor things.

    Reading this has probably scared you very much. Remember I am one of those 5% that have these severe reactions. Others that I know whom have went through chemo are doing great. Myself, I am happy to be alive and enjoy every minute that I have to live no matter what physically or mentally I have to put up with! To me it tells me I am alive! You can get through anything with a positive attitude.
  • jonahrex98
    jonahrex98 Member Posts: 23 Member

    Taxotere and Cytoxin with Herceptin.....SIDE EFFECTS...HELP!!!!
    Hi. I am new to this website and am looking for anyone that has been experiencing long term side effects from Taxotere and Cytoxin.....I had stage 1 cancer with no node involvement...However, I have the Her 2 Neu type of breast cancer which is extremely aggressive and chemo was highly recommended...I don't want to scare anyone but my chemo has been done for a year and my radiation finished last April.....During the treatments, my scalp felt tight.....That has gone away but there have been some visual changes that have remained....such as blackness over the head and appearing in the brain....sounds strange but it is true....Everything appears darker than it used to....Artificial light is not as bright and when it is extremely bright and sunny outside, I will see it as bright but extremely....It is particularly frustrating to have this....Also my eyesight changed from 20/10 to 20/50 and for the first time in my life I will have to wear glasses to correct the eyesight and blurriness....I also see some strange things on TV...in other words, the tv does not appear as it used to....I really don't know what is going on but all of these effects were never present in m;y life before chemo.....

    I also have had some concern with my short term memory.....and i also feel that certain levels of cognition are not present any longer.....Very very frustrating....

    I have sunk into depression over all of this.....

    I am wondering if ANYONE has had any of these side effects and if so please comment as I would really like to speak with you....

    Thanks.....
    Sweeetheart

    TAXOL SIDE EFFECTS
    I am a ten-year survivor and had this toxin for treatment. I can't remember the regimen (one of the side effects). I just remember that mine was real aggressive too. I hate to be discouraging, but this drug really messed me up. I now believe I have Chemobrain and chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy. I am glad to have survived though, but I say these drugs caused my nerve damage. Google says this drug family is one of the main culprits, and that there are many complaints now since so many more people are surviving. It is all very depressing after ten years when you are trying to live a normal life again. If you have any answers, let us know please.
  • sister.08
    sister.08 Member Posts: 1

    Taxotere and Cytoxin with Herceptin.....SIDE EFFECTS...HELP!!!!
    Hi. I am new to this website and am looking for anyone that has been experiencing long term side effects from Taxotere and Cytoxin.....I had stage 1 cancer with no node involvement...However, I have the Her 2 Neu type of breast cancer which is extremely aggressive and chemo was highly recommended...I don't want to scare anyone but my chemo has been done for a year and my radiation finished last April.....During the treatments, my scalp felt tight.....That has gone away but there have been some visual changes that have remained....such as blackness over the head and appearing in the brain....sounds strange but it is true....Everything appears darker than it used to....Artificial light is not as bright and when it is extremely bright and sunny outside, I will see it as bright but extremely....It is particularly frustrating to have this....Also my eyesight changed from 20/10 to 20/50 and for the first time in my life I will have to wear glasses to correct the eyesight and blurriness....I also see some strange things on TV...in other words, the tv does not appear as it used to....I really don't know what is going on but all of these effects were never present in m;y life before chemo.....

    I also have had some concern with my short term memory.....and i also feel that certain levels of cognition are not present any longer.....Very very frustrating....

    I have sunk into depression over all of this.....

    I am wondering if ANYONE has had any of these side effects and if so please comment as I would really like to speak with you....

    Thanks.....
    Sweeetheart

    Taxotere and Cytoxin...Long term side effects?

    I am new to this website...even though I was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2008.  I had Stage 1, grade III, Her 2 neu, Infultrating Ductal Carcinoma. They found the wirey, aggressive cancer spreading outside of the tumor into the healthy tissue.  I opted to have a mastectomy followed up with the Taxotere and Cytoxin chemo cocktail, every 3 weeks, 4x. My oncologist had first recommended the Adriamycin/Taxol I, but due to heart disease in our family, we decided on the Taxotere/Cytoxin route. only had one Neulasta shot, when hospitalized.  Had reconstructive surgery a year later.  I worked during treatments, with the exception of taking a day or two off when I lost my hair, or when I was running a fever & the time recommended for the surgeries.  I had all of the chemo side effects, but chalked it all being "temporary"... Here it is almost 5 years later and my eyesight has worsened dramatically, I still experience fatigue with aches, short term memory loss, and my ability to organize, make decisions and such, has really deteriorated!  I mean, to the point where I feel like an idiot. I am unemployed and have no ins... I look back at my journal when this journey first started, during chemo, and I am NOT the person I used to be. Is it from the chemo???

     I thank God for all he's given me and I'm in hopes that maybe one of you can shed some light, or give me some hope. I can relate to Sweeetheart's post!

    God bless you sisters!

     

  • justjud
    justjud Member Posts: 2
    witolika said:

    My long term side effects from Taxotere and Cytoxan
    Hello everyone. As of July 13th, 2012 I will be breast cancer free for two years. My last chemo treatment was Dec. 2nd, 2011. There were six total of which I had them every three weeks. I got both Taxotere and Cytoxan at the same time and the following day I had to have neulasta shots. I am one of the 5% that have severe side effects. I had stage three grade three aggressive infiltrating ductal carcinoma. I was lucky that it hadn't metastisized yet. I had a double mastectomy with latissimus trap reconstruction (which means they used my back instead of my stomach). After my first chemo treatment my plateletes dropped to 0.2 and they were going to hospitalize me. Instead they gave me a shot of neuprogen of which I was allergic to and it damaged my heart causing me to have two emergency stents put in my heart to keep me alive. After each treatment, even with the prescriptions they gave me for nausea, I got sick to my stomach. It would take me two weeks to be able to get out of bed with little assistance. My reconstruction healing was slowed by the chemo and I had to have one breast redone as it split open. Each chemo treatment left me completely exhausted, moderate chemo brain, difficulty sleeping due to the steroids, constant headache and ringing in my ears. A week after my first chemo I lost my hair. By the second chemo I lost all hair on my body - which kind of was a plus because I didn't have to shave and being bald helped with the really bad hot flashes! It was tough seeing myself without eyebrows and eyelashes. The fifth chemo was tough and they almost didn't give me the last one as they were afraid I was not going to make it through it. I decided to go ahead anyway as I didn't want to regret later not finishing all of the treatment. The roof of my mouth would peel after each chemo treatment. My skin on my forearms feels leathery. The neulasta shots would give me severe deep bone pain as it was forcing my bone marrow to make new blood cells. I would get these electric shocks in my spine that made me want to scream. I still get these to this day, but thankfully it is occassional and only lasts a few hours. This would last a week. Just when I was finally feeling better, almost three weeks after a treatment, I would have to go in for the next treatment. My last treatment was the worst.

    So almost one and one half years after my last chemo treatment and this is what I am still going through as far as side effects. I have a constant mild headache which ramps up into a migraine three to four times a week. There are some weeks I can't get out of bed because my migraines last for days. Chronic severe fatigue causing me to have to rest, lay down, multiple times a day. I have lost more than 50% of my grip strength in my right hand and just less than that in my left with neuropathy in both. I also have a moderate tremor in both which is constant. I have transient mild amnesia which only lasts a few seconds and that happens minimum once a day. Due to the steroids and the inability to move I gained 60 pounds! I am slowly loosing it. My heart damage gives me constant chest pain and difficulty breathing. My upper body aches all the time also, that is to say the areas that I still have feeling in. I don't have feeling in the areas around my surgeries. I have constant ringing in my ears, the right much worse than the left and I am told I am slowly loosing my hearing. Short term memory, cognitive thinking and severe forgetfulness are part of my chemo brain. I went through four months of intense physical therapy which helped very little. Oh, and I was told that some time during my chemo treatments that I would lose my nails. Well it was about one and one half months after my last chemo treatment that I lost my nails and toe nails. They came back but they are thinner. My hair on my head grew back in, same color but it is curly.....yeah! My eyebrows are much thinner and so are my eyelashes but at least they came back in. The rest of the hair on my body also didn't come back in as thick. Pain, well I have constant pain in my arm pits, the right much worse than the left as that is where they took out the lymph nodes. Many times during the day the pain runs down into my hands (neuropathy). My legs, ankles and feet swell if I sit for more than half an hour. There are more minor things.

    Reading this has probably scared you very much. Remember I am one of those 5% that have these severe reactions. Others that I know whom have went through chemo are doing great. Myself, I am happy to be alive and enjoy every minute that I have to live no matter what physically or mentally I have to put up with! To me it tells me I am alive! You can get through anything with a positive attitude.

    taxotere long term side effects

    A long of problems with first dose of taxotere. 2ND DOSE...ALLERGIC REACTION.A FTER 2 1/2 YEARS I STILL FEEL THE EFFECTS. UNBELIABLE FATIGUE, RUNNY NOSE AND SORE EYES. ACHE. MOOD SWINGS.NUMBNESS IN HANDS AND FEET .LEG CRAMPS. OCCASIONALLY I HAVE A GOD DAY OR TWO WHICH I TRY TO ENJOY.

    JUDY

  • justjud
    justjud Member Posts: 2
    witolika said:

    My long term side effects from Taxotere and Cytoxan
    Hello everyone. As of July 13th, 2012 I will be breast cancer free for two years. My last chemo treatment was Dec. 2nd, 2011. There were six total of which I had them every three weeks. I got both Taxotere and Cytoxan at the same time and the following day I had to have neulasta shots. I am one of the 5% that have severe side effects. I had stage three grade three aggressive infiltrating ductal carcinoma. I was lucky that it hadn't metastisized yet. I had a double mastectomy with latissimus trap reconstruction (which means they used my back instead of my stomach). After my first chemo treatment my plateletes dropped to 0.2 and they were going to hospitalize me. Instead they gave me a shot of neuprogen of which I was allergic to and it damaged my heart causing me to have two emergency stents put in my heart to keep me alive. After each treatment, even with the prescriptions they gave me for nausea, I got sick to my stomach. It would take me two weeks to be able to get out of bed with little assistance. My reconstruction healing was slowed by the chemo and I had to have one breast redone as it split open. Each chemo treatment left me completely exhausted, moderate chemo brain, difficulty sleeping due to the steroids, constant headache and ringing in my ears. A week after my first chemo I lost my hair. By the second chemo I lost all hair on my body - which kind of was a plus because I didn't have to shave and being bald helped with the really bad hot flashes! It was tough seeing myself without eyebrows and eyelashes. The fifth chemo was tough and they almost didn't give me the last one as they were afraid I was not going to make it through it. I decided to go ahead anyway as I didn't want to regret later not finishing all of the treatment. The roof of my mouth would peel after each chemo treatment. My skin on my forearms feels leathery. The neulasta shots would give me severe deep bone pain as it was forcing my bone marrow to make new blood cells. I would get these electric shocks in my spine that made me want to scream. I still get these to this day, but thankfully it is occassional and only lasts a few hours. This would last a week. Just when I was finally feeling better, almost three weeks after a treatment, I would have to go in for the next treatment. My last treatment was the worst.

    So almost one and one half years after my last chemo treatment and this is what I am still going through as far as side effects. I have a constant mild headache which ramps up into a migraine three to four times a week. There are some weeks I can't get out of bed because my migraines last for days. Chronic severe fatigue causing me to have to rest, lay down, multiple times a day. I have lost more than 50% of my grip strength in my right hand and just less than that in my left with neuropathy in both. I also have a moderate tremor in both which is constant. I have transient mild amnesia which only lasts a few seconds and that happens minimum once a day. Due to the steroids and the inability to move I gained 60 pounds! I am slowly loosing it. My heart damage gives me constant chest pain and difficulty breathing. My upper body aches all the time also, that is to say the areas that I still have feeling in. I don't have feeling in the areas around my surgeries. I have constant ringing in my ears, the right much worse than the left and I am told I am slowly loosing my hearing. Short term memory, cognitive thinking and severe forgetfulness are part of my chemo brain. I went through four months of intense physical therapy which helped very little. Oh, and I was told that some time during my chemo treatments that I would lose my nails. Well it was about one and one half months after my last chemo treatment that I lost my nails and toe nails. They came back but they are thinner. My hair on my head grew back in, same color but it is curly.....yeah! My eyebrows are much thinner and so are my eyelashes but at least they came back in. The rest of the hair on my body also didn't come back in as thick. Pain, well I have constant pain in my arm pits, the right much worse than the left as that is where they took out the lymph nodes. Many times during the day the pain runs down into my hands (neuropathy). My legs, ankles and feet swell if I sit for more than half an hour. There are more minor things.

    Reading this has probably scared you very much. Remember I am one of those 5% that have these severe reactions. Others that I know whom have went through chemo are doing great. Myself, I am happy to be alive and enjoy every minute that I have to live no matter what physically or mentally I have to put up with! To me it tells me I am alive! You can get through anything with a positive attitude.

    taxotere long term side effects

    A long of problems with first dose of taxotere. 2ND DOSE...ALLERGIC REACTION.A FTER 2 1/2 YEARS I STILL FEEL THE EFFECTS. UNBELIABLE FATIGUE, RUNNY NOSE AND SORE EYES. ACHE. MOOD SWINGS.NUMBNESS IN HANDS AND FEET .LEG CRAMPS. OCCASIONALLY I HAVE A GOOD DAY OR TWO WHICH I TRY TO ENJOY.

    JUDY