Side Effects After Taxotere

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phonelady
phonelady Member Posts: 4
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
My Mom finished chemo (4 rounds of A/C, 4 rounds of Taxotere) three weeks ago and she is still suffering major side effects from Taxotere (watery eyes, bad taste, pain in the bottoms of her feet, brittle nails, nausea). Unfortunately, her doctor has been less than helpful in giving her suggestions to help with her sypmtoms. All she is saying is that the symptoms could last up to a year. Can anyone offer some advice to help get my Mom through this? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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  • DeeNY711
    DeeNY711 Member Posts: 476 Member
    #2
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    Had the same chemotherapy as your Mom, and still have all of the things your Mom has except for the watery eyes. Last cycle of taxotere was August 6 and the side effects are gradually becoming lighter if you know what I mean. At least right now it is tolerable. I still wear flip flops around the house because they cushion and do not press the skin. It was 12 weeks before I saw measurable improvement occurring.
  • jamjar62
    jamjar62 Member Posts: 135
    #3
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    I finished the exact chemo as your mother on May 22nd. My watery eyes lasted until my eyelashes grew back. The bad taste comes and goes but not as bad as when I was actually on chemo. My nails were such a mess that I finally had acrylic tips put on but my toenails look like hell. I have pains in my feet, knees and hips which I don't know if it is from the Taxotere or the Tamoxifen I'm currently taking. I was also told that it could take up to a year to totally go away. As DeeNY said it does get a little better every week. Three weeks is not that long ago in the scheme of things. I remember I wanted to feel instantly better since I was done with chemo but my body didn't know I was done with chemo! My body was and is still trying to repair itself. I know this is not much help really or even comforting to hear but what your Mom is experiencing is normal (unfortunately).

    Blessings,
    Karen
  • DeeNY711
    DeeNY711 Member Posts: 476 Member
    #4
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    jamjar62 said:

    I finished the exact chemo as your mother on May 22nd. My watery eyes lasted until my eyelashes grew back. The bad taste comes and goes but not as bad as when I was actually on chemo. My nails were such a mess that I finally had acrylic tips put on but my toenails look like hell. I have pains in my feet, knees and hips which I don't know if it is from the Taxotere or the Tamoxifen I'm currently taking. I was also told that it could take up to a year to totally go away. As DeeNY said it does get a little better every week. Three weeks is not that long ago in the scheme of things. I remember I wanted to feel instantly better since I was done with chemo but my body didn't know I was done with chemo! My body was and is still trying to repair itself. I know this is not much help really or even comforting to hear but what your Mom is experiencing is normal (unfortunately).

    Blessings,
    Karen

    Gosh, that's right! The watery eyes stopped when the eyelashes grew back! And the bad taste does come and go. It seems to come after I've spent hours making something very special for dinner.
  • rizzo15
    rizzo15 Member Posts: 153 Member
    #5
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    Had the same chemo rounds and found that mostly the passage of time helps with most side effects. When I got a really bad taste in my mouth, I would chew a Tums real good and wash it down with a glass of water. Some people warned me that Tums were not a good thing to eat all the time--but a few a day are not going to kill anybody. Women take them for a calcium supplement, so it kills 2 birds, so to speak. In the short term, those special nail polishes like "Tough as Nails" will strengthen the nails and also cover the discoloration. Not seeing how ugly the nails were, helped me a lot...and kept people at work from noticing them. The watery eyes went away in 3-4 weeks for me. So, relief from that might be right around the corner. I kept bicycling several times a week during chemo (step aerobics had too much impact on bigger bones and back). I think it helped.
  • Snookums
    Snookums Member Posts: 148
    #6
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    rizzo15 said:

    Had the same chemo rounds and found that mostly the passage of time helps with most side effects. When I got a really bad taste in my mouth, I would chew a Tums real good and wash it down with a glass of water. Some people warned me that Tums were not a good thing to eat all the time--but a few a day are not going to kill anybody. Women take them for a calcium supplement, so it kills 2 birds, so to speak. In the short term, those special nail polishes like "Tough as Nails" will strengthen the nails and also cover the discoloration. Not seeing how ugly the nails were, helped me a lot...and kept people at work from noticing them. The watery eyes went away in 3-4 weeks for me. So, relief from that might be right around the corner. I kept bicycling several times a week during chemo (step aerobics had too much impact on bigger bones and back). I think it helped.

    I finished Taoxtere in June and all I have left is a wee bit of nail "death" at the edges of my thumbs and big toes. No foot pain or nail bed pain and unfortunately, everything tastes great. Thanks to tamoxifen, too great. No nausea but my onc gave me some pills for that and they worked. I wish I could say the watery eyes has stopped but NO! I am quite the spring eternal at times. I have not worn any eye make-up since um . . . Feb of 03. I cannot get that symptom to go away but it SLOWLY eases some. So, HOPE is there- time will make it better and love from daughters like you. God's love to you and your mom.
  • AngelBaby
    AngelBaby Member Posts: 47
    #7
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    Thank you for posting your question. I finished treatment on Oct 15 so I'm three weeks out. I had so many of the same questions. I've got bone and muscle pain in arms and legs. My finger tips are numb and tingly...and the watery eyes. People at work think I'm crying all the time. I'm thank that I'm finished with chemo and still here. God has blessed me.

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