taxol side effects

I am a very fit 51 year old woman who barely made it through the AC treatment. My inner voice told me not to rush into the taxol phase. We all sign up for chemo and want to get started and finished as quickly as we can. We have more power within us than we give ourselves credit for having. The idea that everyone should have 12 rounds of taxol under their belt is ridiculous. We are all individuals-we need to understand also that big pharmecuetical companies are not in the business of finding a cure. They are in the business of getting people to chase down the next big thing. It concerns me that Taxol is the gold standard and we don't even get offered other options. Every time I sit in a chair it costs 14,000 dollars-it's no wonder the powers that benefit keep it this way.

Eunice Ruby said:

Taxol first time no side effects

Hi, I've had absolutely no side effects from my first Taxol treatment.  Am I just lucky, or will the side effects kick in as I progress?  What should I expect from the second treatment?  Thank you for any comments.

 (If anyone's confused by when I joined, I joined in 2010 when my daughter had breast cancer.  She's fine now!)

i had 4 AC treatments and just had #4 of 12 weekly taxol today.  My onc does not recommend dose dense (dd) Taxol because he's found most patients tolerate the lower dose better. They have fewer side effects like less neuropathy which usually recovers, less risk of infection, etc.  I receive anti nausea, Benadryl and only 2mg decadron (steroid) as premed before taxol.  The Benadryl gives me really restless legs that I have to move.  it helps for me to get up and walk around.  

My worst complaint is insomnia. My onc suggested melatonin and Benadryl but I just get restless on Benadryl. taking 10 mg melatonin has helped a lot. I take a good nap after chemo so that a sleepless night doesn't affect me so much the next day. i continua to take melatonin around 8 or 9 every night hoping I get at least 6 hrs sleep. It's tend to wwke frequently but just try to relax and fall back to sleep rather than getting up to read or do anything.  for now, this is working for me but I have 8 more infusions to go. 

Hope this us helpful. Hugs to you!

karen

Just finished up my first routine of chemo, starting on Taxol this week. Did very well through most of the 4 treatments, but this last one kicked me down. Today is the first day I have felt like moving around, never been so tired in my life. I noticed that some of you only have a few Taxol treatments coming up, my doctor has scheduled 12 weekly treatments starting this week. My particular b/c is triple negative, which they tell me is a highly aggressive cancer. Do you think this is the reason I have to have that many? I have asked a lot of questions, but guess I forgot about this one, or else I thought it was normal. How do they make you feel? Are you more tired than usual, etc. Curious about what I am facing. Then I am told I have have radiation after this {because of the aggressiveness}.  Thanks for all your input, learning a lot.

I have had two treatments with Taxol and I can tell you it is powerful!  I had Lymphoma cancer one year ago and whatever chemo drug I was on then was a piece of cake.  For the first few days with Taxol I walked the floor every night, my joints were killing me.  This time my oncologist did not give me the Neulasta injection and that did the trick.  Of course we have to watch my blood to make sure my levels stay in the safe zone. Good luck to everyone who is on this journey.

My chemo was cut short from 12 sessions to 10 because I started coughing too much.  Was sent to a pulmonologist and he said

I had "chemo-induced lung disease."  I'm not sure if these are the same but it's what  I remember him saying..."interstitial lung disease" and another time he mentioned "fibrosis."

I am very worried about the lungs.  (The peripheral neuropathy in feet is bad but doesn't scare me as much.)

No one mentioned lungs to me when I first saw the oncologist.