fatique after carbo/taxol - how long it can last

VictoriaSF

hello ladies
last thursday i had my first ever carbo/taxol
first two days were ok, but after that i started to get body ache and now horrible fatique.
i can not describe it - but feels like i can not control my body, soooo weak.
how long it usualy lasts?

thank you
Victoria

MK_4Dani

Good News / Bad News
The good news: the drugs are killing those pesky cancer cells.
The bad news: while they are doing the work they zap your strength and hair.
What is your treatment plan?
My experience: chemo, followed by a day/two of thinking "that wasn't so bad"...then several days of fatique that gradually gets better until the next treatment. The treatment is progressive and so is the fatique, body aches, etc.
As you start to adapt to the treatments your activity level will also adapt. Be good to yourself and listen to your body: rest when you are tired. Don't try to fight fatique. Do exactly what the docs/nurse instruct concerning taking medicines to help with the side effects. Drink a lot of water and eat.
Let people help you and ask for help as you need from family and friends. My friends fixed dinners for my family on the days I had treatment and the second day after treatment.
Good Luck....ask lots of questions...we have answers for you!
Hugs,
Mary

srwruns

My response was similar to
My response was similar to yours and Mary's. The body aches usually hits me 3 to 4 days out, lasts a day or two and then is pretty much over. I have a couple days of fatigue after infusion that I think I must be 90 years old, with the my feet feeling like they are shuffling. Even when I am my most fatigued I try to get at least a short walk in, even if just around the block. I also have a little trampoline that I will kinda jog or bounce lightly on. I have found the only way to manage (can't beat it) the fatigue is get some daily aerobic movement in. I would highly recommend a gentle or restorative yoga class. That has helped me so much mentally as well as keeping me stretched. I get to bed early every night (9 ish) and generally sleep straight through until 7 ish. You will find a pace and rhythm that works well for you. However, I would certainly recommend that always try to get some movement in, even if it is very short. Good luck, Susan

Where are you going for treatment?

Tethys41

Everyone is different
I think each person reacts differently. I know a woman who felt bad for one day after chemo and then felt fine. With me, I felt okay until the second day. Then I was tired and achey and sometimes nausiated. Each treatment was different. Sometimes I bounced back after a few days, but others it lasted almost two weeks. I have since learned, however, that I have a genetic issue that compromises the effectiveness of the detox pathway that clears taxol from my system.

Hopefully you are not working through this. I didn't and I just took it easy. Went to my appointments and mostly stayed at home to rest. Exercise did help and I really enjoyed taking walks and doing yoga and pilates.

Take care.
Kate

Christine B.

Glad you asked!
I have had 5 out of 6 chemo treatments and each time there has been some fatigue. This last one has been the toughest as I can not walk as far as I have without having to take several rests along the way. I was worried that maybe I've been too easy on myself and not exercising enough, although I've been taking walks days or taking laps around the house. I was also wondering if it's because of lowered hemoglobin with the chemo. My 6th chemo will be on Monday 1/31 and I think I've been worried about what's next, thinking that doesn't help with the fatigue level either. Also anxious about my decision to retire from teaching after 28 years, just not the way I wanted to go out.:( Trying to think on the positive side that I will be able to substitute and volunteer without all the stress. Thank you Mary, and ladies for the advice.
Christine

VictoriaSF

Christine B. said:

Glad you asked!
I have had 5 out of 6 chemo treatments and each time there has been some fatigue. This last one has been the toughest as I can not walk as far as I have without having to take several rests along the way. I was worried that maybe I've been too easy on myself and not exercising enough, although I've been taking walks days or taking laps around the house. I was also wondering if it's because of lowered hemoglobin with the chemo. My 6th chemo will be on Monday 1/31 and I think I've been worried about what's next, thinking that doesn't help with the fatigue level either. Also anxious about my decision to retire from teaching after 28 years, just not the way I wanted to go out.:( Trying to think on the positive side that I will be able to substitute and volunteer without all the stress. Thank you Mary, and ladies for the advice.
Christine

thank you Ladies!
Thank you Ladies!
you are as always big help.
appreciate all your feedbacks.
i am trying to walk and do things around the house,
just getting frustrated when i can not
as usually i am highly energetic person.
i hope this phase will pass soon - oh well - till next treatment:)

i know we had few duscussions here about what to eat... raw veggies, raw fruits...
my onco nurse told me avoid raw... but i am so want to have good fresh salad.

is it a No-No - or we can eat it?

thanks
hugs
Victoria

hopeful girl 1

VictoriaSF said:

thank you Ladies!
Thank you Ladies!
you are as always big help.
appreciate all your feedbacks.
i am trying to walk and do things around the house,
just getting frustrated when i can not
as usually i am highly energetic person.
i hope this phase will pass soon - oh well - till next treatment:)

i know we had few duscussions here about what to eat... raw veggies, raw fruits...
my onco nurse told me avoid raw... but i am so want to have good fresh salad.

is it a No-No - or we can eat it?

thanks
hugs
Victoria

Foods
My understanding is that when white counts and neutrophil counts are low, it is best to avoid fresh fruits and veggies. This is because of risk of bacteria etc because with low white counts we are more vulnerable to infection etc.

While I had taxol/carbo (my last chemo was in November) I did not eat fresh fruits or veggies-but I did eat frozen veggies, and canned peaches.

srwruns

VictoriaSF said:

thank you Ladies!
Thank you Ladies!
you are as always big help.
appreciate all your feedbacks.
i am trying to walk and do things around the house,
just getting frustrated when i can not
as usually i am highly energetic person.
i hope this phase will pass soon - oh well - till next treatment:)

i know we had few duscussions here about what to eat... raw veggies, raw fruits...
my onco nurse told me avoid raw... but i am so want to have good fresh salad.

is it a No-No - or we can eat it?

thanks
hugs
Victoria

I had heard the same thing
I had heard the same thing about raw fruits and veggies. I asked the nutritionist connected to my cancer center about that. She indicated that was primarily targeted to cancer patients who have stem cell transplant...you usually see them around the hospital wearing the respirator style masks. She said to wash fruits and veggies well. She did say to avoid sprouts as they really are more challenging to be assured they are clean. I suspect that various cancer centers/oncs and onc nurses may have slightly different takes on the fresh fruit and vegetable issue...you'll probably need to find your own comfort level based on what your team recommends. Good luck, Susan

PS: She did say to avoid salad bars during the nadir (as for me I've never been much of a fan of salad bars anyway...no loss for me)

poopergirl14052

first tx is the worst
the first tx of carb/taxol is the worst you will feel. I gets better,but you will still be very tired,your md will also check your hgb as thses drugs are known to lower red blood cells. Rest while you can,you will know whenyou feel better, It usually takes me 4-5 days to actually start feeling better. Good luck...val

pattysoo

Fatigue
I felt the unbelievable fatigue on day 2. It felt like someone had removed part of my brain. But each day I improved. I walked everyday, no matter what. and I ate high quality protein and iron rich foods every day. I ate no raw foods during treatment, although I believe now that I could have had fruits and salads until my white counts went down below normal. I lightly steamed grated cabbage and carrots & onions, and made it into a slaw that still had a satisfying crunch but wasn't raw. I also ate lots of canned and frozen fruits. I made smoothies almost everyday from frozen fruits and yogurt. It was a great day, though, when I'd finished all treatments and my blood levels normalized, and I ate my first salad in over 4 months. How good it was!
Good luck to you. Nap when you need to. I'm still tired some days, but not too often, so you will come through it all in the end.

kikz

pattysoo said:

Fatigue
I felt the unbelievable fatigue on day 2. It felt like someone had removed part of my brain. But each day I improved. I walked everyday, no matter what. and I ate high quality protein and iron rich foods every day. I ate no raw foods during treatment, although I believe now that I could have had fruits and salads until my white counts went down below normal. I lightly steamed grated cabbage and carrots & onions, and made it into a slaw that still had a satisfying crunch but wasn't raw. I also ate lots of canned and frozen fruits. I made smoothies almost everyday from frozen fruits and yogurt. It was a great day, though, when I'd finished all treatments and my blood levels normalized, and I ate my first salad in over 4 months. How good it was!
Good luck to you. Nap when you need to. I'm still tired some days, but not too often, so you will come through it all in the end.

I usually felt good
until about the third day, then I felt from icky to really sick until about the fifth day where I seemed to bounce back. That is what kept me going, knowing I would feel better in a few days. It wan't fun but like some others said being sick for a while to ultimately feel good. It's worth it.

Karen

VictoriaSF

kikz said:

I usually felt good
until about the third day, then I felt from icky to really sick until about the fifth day where I seemed to bounce back. That is what kept me going, knowing I would feel better in a few days. It wan't fun but like some others said being sick for a while to ultimately feel good. It's worth it.

Karen

feeling better today
hello Lovely ladies!
i am feeling better today
did some yoga and little walk
in San Francisco we have such a pretty weather - sunny and warm
it for sure lifts the spirit

one question i have - what would you include into "quality protein"
we buy organic eggs, turkey, checken and wild cought fish
i do eat lentils and quinoa
what else can i include?

thank you
Hugs
Victoria