Second to last taxol treatment last monday

sophy said:

taxol
I know the aches and pains seem bad now, but I had the same treatment as you . I have been done for 11 months now, and am awaiting rconstruction surgery. With the taxol i experienced real bad bone pain and severe numbness in my fingertips and my nails turned black, both toenails and fingernails. My dr said that it could take up to a year for the numbness to go away, and also for the bone pain, well not believing it would ever go away, 11 months later I am free of both, just one day you wake up and say I can feel my fingers and hey I can get up out of a chair and walk normal. It just happened, my dr was right but i know its hard to believe while you are going through it. I just had a bone scan 2 weeks ago, I take 2 viactiv calcium chews a day[ over the counter] and my bones were just where they should be, I am 50 years old. I have a physical job, and try to exersise as much as possible. I am on tamoxafin now a little bone pain with it but my dr said thats good too, it means its working. My sister went through this at 36, she is now 52, and she says it was all worth it because she is fully cancer free. Hang in there, I know it is hard and you think it will never end but it does, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family and everyone else on this wonderful sight.........jean

mickeymom said:

Taxol pains
I'm on Taxol too and have my last chemo treatment next Thursday. I also had terrible aches and pains after the first two treatments. I've had adverse reactions during my Taxol treatments which have required a bunch of steroids to get me through it. One side effect I get from steroids is that I can't sleep. After the the second treatment my oncologist suggested taking benedryl to help me sleep. I tried this after the second treatment and not only did I sleep but the aches didn't seem quite so bad. I didn't know if it was connected so I mentioned it to the infusion nurse at the third treatment. She told me some nurses suggest antihistimines to help with the pain - specifically benedryl and claritin. They also suggest it to deal with the bone pain some people get from Neulata shots. She said it won't take it away, just lessen the pain. And of course she said some people say it doesn't work at all so who knows. I'm pretty sure it worked a little bit for me and I plan to try it again after my last treatment. At least I'll sleep through some of the pain.

You might want to clear it with your dr. before you take it. They give me benedryl before the Taxol anyway but just to be sure. Hang in there! I know it's tough but it sounds like you're almost finished!

mickeymom said:

I'm right behind you!
Hey - After my last Taxol this Thursday I will have 5 weeks of radiation and then tamoxifin! I hope your last treatement isn't too painful. I keep thinking that somehow I'll endure these last side effects better because I know it's over. The steroids are terrible! I did 4 rounds of A/C before the taxol and they gave me a bunch of steroids for the second A/C treatment to deal with some nausea meds. I found out then that steroids and I don't like each other. Unfortunately I keep having adverse reactions to the Taxol and they are the only way to get through it. It was steroids or switching chemo drugs to something that was weekly for another 10 weeks! I decided to suffer through the steroids.

The day after the treatment I have so much energy I feel like I could repaint the house or something. The buzz is crazy but the crash is worse. About halfway through the second day I get the muscle aches and then usually get kind of bloated and nauseous for a day or two. I usually just try to sleep it off.

I'll be thinking of you on Monday and I hope everything goes well. I'll be right behind you!