Taxotere/Cytoxan newbie

Juls_no e

hi everyone. I am looking for what to expect from the 4 rounds of chemo I will be starting on Friday. I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer, no node involvement about a month ago. I also have Multiple Sclerosis, and Neulasta is not being ordered because of that. Any ideas on what/when I can expect, is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! 

jessiesmom1

Breast Cancer and MS

I am a breast cancer survivor and I also have MS. I had 4 rounds of A/C and 12 rounds of T (TTaxotere). My oncologist consulted with my neurologist and I had Neupogen shots rather than Neulasta specifically because of that. In case you are wondering, the chemo did not cause an MS relapse. I had a number of chemo side effects but I had substantially more chemo than you are having. Hopeful all will go well for you. Please let me know if I can help or support you at all.

IRENE

Juls_no e

jessiesmom1 said:

Breast Cancer and MS

I am a breast cancer survivor and I also have MS. I had 4 rounds of A/C and 12 rounds of T (TTaxotere). My oncologist consulted with my neurologist and I had Neupogen shots rather than Neulasta specifically because of that. In case you are wondering, the chemo did not cause an MS relapse. I had a number of chemo side effects but I had substantially more chemo than you are having. Hopeful all will go well for you. Please let me know if I can help or support you at all.

IRENE

Side effects

Thanks Irene. My oncologist and neurologist also spoke to discuss which treatments I'm continuing for MS, and which I'm starting for Cancer. Luckily, neither will interfere with the other. I will keep the Neupogen in mind if there seems to be a need to add Neulasta. I guess I'm wondering more of side effects from the chemo drugs I'm about to embark on. Will I get nauseous right away? Will I feel ok to go to work Monday? Will I lose my hair after 1 dose? Could it just thin out, and not fully fall out? I know my bigger fight isn't how you look, but it's a bit of a shock knowing (or thinking) I could be bald in 2 weeks. I also know everyone's experience is different, but I don't have many people to consult with who know first hand. 

jessiesmom1

Chemo side effects

I will speak to the hair loss issue as that seems to follow a fairly standard pattern. Most people tend to start losing their hair about 12 days after the 1st chemo infusion. You may just absent-mindedly run your fingers through your hair and find a bunch of it between your fingers. Or you lay down and when you get up the pillow or couch cushion is covered with hair. I was able to look reasonably normal for another 10 days or so then it just looked ridiculous. At that point I had my husband buzz off the rest. Whether use you choose to use a wig, scarves, or other head coverings or even be proudly bald is up to you. I used a wig when I left the house or a head scarf. Inside the house it was dependent on the weather. 

I would just like to mention that it is not only the hair on your head that is effected. It is also your eyebrows, eyelashes, inside your nose, arms/underarms, legs and pubic area. Having no eyebrows or eyelashes was quite a look. The hair will probably grow back - but differently. For some though there can be permanent hair loss. That is an uncommon side effect. 

Excessively watery eyes can be a side effect. Flush your eyes thoroughly before and after chemo. Taxotere can permanently damage the puncta of your eyes. It happened to me.

In my case fatigue was a big problem. Remember I had more chemo rounds than you are scheduled to have. I recall 1 day where I undressed to take a shower, showered while seated and dressed again. I was wiped out and had to go back to bed. Other people have enough energy to go to work. I most definitely would not have been able to do that. 

There may be changes in your fingernails  and toenails. Mine became ridged and discolored. Eventually I lost 8 fingernails and 2 toenails. They grew back.

Nausea was present but not too bad. There are drugs that can help with that. The larger problem was complete lack of appetite. Eventually I just stopped eating. Of course, the oncologist wasn't happy but said it was more important to remain hydrated than to eat. It was a good thing I was overweight to start with.

I was fortunate in that I had no problems with neuropathy at all. I did have 1 bout with oral thrush.

I hope that lengthy answer gives you a bit of the info you were seeking. By the way, all that happened just over SIX years ago. You can do this.

IRENE

 

Teach76

Additional effects

I finished 6 rounds last November.   I would add the metallic taste in my mouth.  I could not eat anything with a tomato base!!!!!  It was the worst!    Now, that may not be your experience.  It seems side effects are different for all.   Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!    I also took a stool softener just to avoid constipation that could come from the drugs and the dismissed exercise caused by fatigue.

document any side effects, changes in feeling as you progress in the days following treatment.  You will find that they will be a pattern throughout your treatment.  I would get extremely itchy days 4 - 9.  Oncologist said it was not related to the chemo, but there I was, through 6 treatments, itchy from days 4-9.

best wishes as  you begin!  Take a special treat to eat during your treatment - I used to order a special sandwich to eat on those days.  Not a big deal, but I actually would look forward to eating lunch with my husband or friend while having a treatment.

 

one more thing . . . Be sure to ask for anti nausea medication (it is usually given through IV before the chemo drugs).  I found with them I did not need to take any of the Rx once home.

Sasu

Expectations

hi and welcome to this club no one wants to belong to.

My advice would be to follow what's already been said-especially the hydration and asking for anti nausea meds before chemo.  The chemo center I went to had hand outs with things to watch for, what to do to remedy it, and a reminder that not everyone gets the same reaction.  The oncology nurses are also great resources for information.

Just remember that you can do this, you are tougher than you think.  

 

Juls_no e

Thank you!

good morning everyone. Thanks so much. This is exactly what I was looking for, as unpleasant as it sounds. Sorry you all had to go through this. I hope you all are cancer free, and Irene, I hope your MS is in as good a place as it could be. Thought it was "1 disease per person", and I was just lucky, but I feel far from lucky. I am ready for all of this. Just not the hair loss. Thanks again, ladies!! 

cati0314

TC treatment

Hi, I also had the 4 rounds of TC.  It was given as neoadjuvent chemo (prior to surgery).  The first treatment had me floored.  I was given neulasta and the rest of the treatments were OK.  I also took fluids every day intravenously at home with a nurse service.  Please make sure that your doctor watches you and provides whatever he can to combat the side effects.  Best, Sharon

Double Whammy

I had the same reigmen

as you and I tolerated it quite well.  While I was prescribed Neulasta the last 2 sessions because I had what I call mystery infections and skin toxicity, I really had no life threatening or incapacitating side effects, but I did have side effects and I had only 4 sessions of T/C.  I was so happy for it all to be over.   I do remember clearly that I could have worked all but the last session if I hadn't already been retired.  I did not feel THAT bad for THAT long.  If I had had a job, I would have planned my infusions on Wednesday.  I didn't start to feel bad until about 3-4 days after the infusion and that would have given me the weekend to take care of myself. 

My hair fell out on Day 13.  I was as completely bald - everywhere. 

I am one of the people whose hair did not return (I have some, but much less than an 80 year old man) and it is devastating.  It is rare, very rare, but it does happen.  Just know all the risks ahead of time and discuss themwith your oncologist, who will likely say they've never seen it before.  I don't know if  this is worrisome to you but I feel very strongly that women should be informed of it.  I wish I would have been warned this might happen, altho I do think I would have taken that risk.  This result just would not have been a surprise.

Chemo is no picnic no matter what, but it is very doable and usually is a short period of being unwell on the big picture.

Good luck,

Suzanne

joannstar

I was scheduled for 6 rounds of C/T

but after 4 rounds the Taxotere was switched to Taxol due to my ankles swelling. I had chemo on Friday and would get a Neulasta shot on Sunday. Monday I would ache and could barely lift my feet, but other than those 2 days each 3 week cycles, I worked the entire time during chemo and radiation as a bookkeeper in an office environment. I was diagnosed 8/19/10 with Stage 1, Grade 3, TNBC.

Some of the side effects in no particular order: minimal nauseau (kept in check with meds), starting losing my hair about day 14 of the first round of chemo--on the stubborn gray hairs seemed to not fall out, swelling ankles, itching rash, burning feet, ridged and discolored finger and toenails (but none fell out), metallic taste, no nose hair so my nose "ran" constantly for 5 months, watering eyes and both diarrhea and constipation.

All-in-all, not fun, but doable and eventually, you'll be able to look back and say, "Whew! I'm glad that's over" and "I did it".

Good luck,

JoAnn

Rhea2

Sasu said:

Expectations

hi and welcome to this club no one wants to belong to.

My advice would be to follow what's already been said-especially the hydration and asking for anti nausea meds before chemo.  The chemo center I went to had hand outs with things to watch for, what to do to remedy it, and a reminder that not everyone gets the same reaction.  The oncology nurses are also great resources for information.

Just remember that you can do this, you are tougher than you think.  

 

Side Effects...

Sasu, yes, the chemo center administers pre-meds prior to the infusion. One time they didn't when introducing a new medication which usually has no side effects. That wasn't a good idea! Side effects hit full blast while in the chair and the meds had to be stopped while other meds were quickly introduced to counter the negative effects. If the pre-meds do not work, with this med, it will be abandoned and there are no other options for this particular problem. Good to hear your experiences.  Your positive attitude is projected.