leg pain from taxol

Ah yes, leg pain
I started chemo on 12/12 of this year, taxol and carboplatin. Doc told me to expect 3-4 days of leg pain and gave me a prescription for hydrocodone and told me to stay away from NSAIDS (aleve, aspirin, ibuprofen). Like you, the meds did little to help ease that feeling that someone drove a hot poker through my ankles. And, the pain lasted nearly a week.

The good news is that the pain DOES go away. My chemo was on a Monday and the following Monday afternoon I started feeling like a normal human being again. By Tuesday I had a ton of energy and the whole week has been great!

The next milestone in my chemo treatment is the hair loss. Doc said it would start 17 days after the first taxol, which would be the 29th. But last night at 6pm my scalp started tingling like a ponytail headache and sure enough when I ran my hand through my hair quite a few strands came out. So far it's no big deal - just more hair in the brush and in the shower than normal, but no hunks of hair.

My 2nd chemo is on January 3 - I'll letnyou know if the leg pain is better, worse or the same.

Hang in there!

Liz in Dallas

It was my biggest side effect....
Yes I experienced severe leg pain though the worst pain was in my hips and where ovaries once were. It went away four or five days after getting the taxol.

I never took the standard pain pills because I didn't want to have another reason to be constipated but I found that Ibprofen PM worked at night.

I don't believe you have to worry about it being permanent. I've gotten three rounds so far and been on a two month break from chemo to get radiation and I have had no leg pain since my last chemo treatment.

Take care,
Cindy

Yes - I had leg pain, too
My leg pain was in my joints - ankles, knees and hips. It started about 36 hours after the carbo/taxol infusions lasted for about 5 days. No painkillers seemed to make any difference and I struggled to find a position where i was comfortable. I understand this is a very common side effect. Since stopping the chemo I have had no further problems, so I am sure that yours will go away.
Kindest regards
Helen

carolenk said:

Low potassium
I'm a little surprised & dismayed that no one was told that the muscle pain/side effect from taxol could be related to low potassium. It won't hurt to eat potassium rich foods (mostly fruits) before & after taxol treatments.

Low potassium encourages cancer growth as potassium is a limitin
factor for cancer.

txtrisha55 said:

Leg Pain
I too had leg pain but mine usually started about three days after chemo treatment. One of the Chemo nurses told me that I could take some Benadryl and that would help with the leg pain. It worked for me. I did clear this with the Onc Dr. though. I also would take Advil PM at night and elevate my legs. If the pain was real bad I would heat one of the microwaveable heat pads up and put them on my legs. That would help too. The pain only lasted a few days and then it gets better. Hope you find something to help with the pain. trisha

I also experienced leg pain
I had my first chemo, same as yours on 11/16 and had 4-5 days of severe leg pain also. The pain started on the 3rd day after chemo and was so intense at night, I had trouble sleeping. My doctor suggested using Advil and Claritin together but it really did not put a dent in the pain. I also used the microwave heated bags at night and that helped somewhat. I also tried wearing leggings at night and during the day. They acted like compression tights. I think it helped. The good news is after the second chemo, the pain was far less intense and much more managable. I am not sure if it was because I tried to drink more fluids the second time and eat more fruit. Not sure if that is the answer or not. I just had my 3rd chemo today, so I will let you know if I get it again. I am hoping not. Good luck with your treatments. Shelby

LizGrrr said:

Leg pain after chemo #2
The leg pain after the 2nd chemo hasn't been as bad. I'm taking Tylenol arthritis (650 mg of acetaminophen) and using heating pads and it helps.

Leg pain after Taxol
I took taxol after breast cancer 12 years ago. I had so much pain I wanted to quit chemo. He gave me some pain pills, I think it was hydrocodone and I was able to go thr
ough the chemo. I learned it is important to control pain! I finished chemo.
I finished chemo. Diane

LizGrrr said:

I spoke too soon!
Oy vey, yesterday was the worst. I broke down at 4am and took 2 hydrcodone and finally fell asleep at 5:30a. Slept for 6 hours. Woke up feeling ok. I count my lucky stars this is only temporary. I've also developed a metallic taste in my mouth - the only foods that are tolerable at this point are heavily soy sauced Chinese food, and heavily vinegared German potato salad.

I keep telling myself just another day or two of this and I'll be back to normal!

Liz in Dallas

leg pain and taxol
It's a year ago tomorrow that I had my first (of six) carboplatin and taxol - one treatment every three weeks so it finished in April 2011. These leg pain posts certainly bring back memories! Liz, I noted my symptoms in a diary that I also used to count off the days till end of treatment. First cycle - no leg pain, second - two days....and so on, increasing to a whole week on the sixth and last cycle. It wasn't exactly pain - more a weird burning, twitching, achey feeling in the ankles, calves and feet that kept me awake. I tried various painkillers - and Co-codamol (paracetamol and codeine, the strongest over the counter painkiller you can get in the UK) was quite helpful, as were hot baths with Epsom salts. I have also seen glutamine mentioned though I didn't try that as decided not to take supplements during chemo in case of interactions. Once I finished with chemo, the pain/discomfort vanished totally - if it's any comfort, it will likely one day be just a distant memory for you.
I also did have one day (only) when I had a funny taste in my mouth.
Reading this thread makes me realise how very common leg pain is with taxol - good luck, Liz, I hope you find something that works for you. Also, most of the chemo cycle (weeks 2 and 3) I felt perfectly fine and hope you do too.
Take care
Susan (London, UK)

LizGrrr said:

I spoke too soon!
Oy vey, yesterday was the worst. I broke down at 4am and took 2 hydrcodone and finally fell asleep at 5:30a. Slept for 6 hours. Woke up feeling ok. I count my lucky stars this is only temporary. I've also developed a metallic taste in my mouth - the only foods that are tolerable at this point are heavily soy sauced Chinese food, and heavily vinegared German potato salad.

I keep telling myself just another day or two of this and I'll be back to normal!

Liz in Dallas

Liz I too remember the metallic taste
Everything tasted like metal. How awful. Lemon drops helped with the taste. Someone told me licorice worked for them. I did not find that helped much. Cold icy things helped with the taste,too. Others have mentioned spicy foods, but my stomach does not like spicy,so that was not for me either. I asked the doctor for suggestions. He told me to just finish the chemo. Not much help there! About two weeks after I finished chemo food did taste good again.

I was lucky I never had the leg pain with my taxol treatments (13 total between two different sessions), so I can't help you there. Hope both the leg pain and metallic taste get better for you. Good luck with your other treatments. In peace and caring.

LizGrrr said:

I spoke too soon!
Oy vey, yesterday was the worst. I broke down at 4am and took 2 hydrcodone and finally fell asleep at 5:30a. Slept for 6 hours. Woke up feeling ok. I count my lucky stars this is only temporary. I've also developed a metallic taste in my mouth - the only foods that are tolerable at this point are heavily soy sauced Chinese food, and heavily vinegared German potato salad.

I keep telling myself just another day or two of this and I'll be back to normal!

Liz in Dallas

Worst pain ever
I am 4 days post chemo, the leg pain is unbearable, finally got some vicodin to real the pain. Really everything hurts, just praying for it to stop hurting. I only took a half pill I would be afraid to take a whole,.
Why do we woman have to suffer so much...With this dreded disease

LizGrrr said:

Alternative to hydrcodone
I'm jealous you got vicodin. I've asked (begged really) twice for something other than hydrocodone which doesn't really help and gives me awful insomnia. Somehow I need to get past the nurses to the doctor.

Thinking of you ladies
Other than asking for stronger pain meds, I can't recommend anything to ease your pain. But you're right - it can be really bad. But I pray that it will be temporary for you and you will come through this chemo OK.
In my thoughts
Helen