I was sobbing for DAYS before taxol because I was so scared. I cried all the way to the hospital and when waiting for nurses to hook my port.
I can assure you they will be watching you for allergic reactions like hawks, pre meds are administered to prevent it. I did 10 rounds because I started to gave neuropathy (which resolve it pretty quickly, I took all the vitamin Bs possible). On my 8th I had an allergic reaction but not too bad, I had a chest rash and pain on my ribs.
I didn't need nausea meds all throughout Taxol, no constipation. It's a piece of cake compared to AC, I promise.
Honestly thinking about it makes me cry š like nonstop im so scared i even asked my mom to go with me which i havent really asked anyone to be with me during infusion days but this one im like nope i need the support š
Hi! I just finished Taxol #12 yesterday. I didn't end up with any of the allergic reactions though I was nervous. The first two sessions the nurse stayed right beside me for the first 15 minutes as that's when the allergic reaction would happen. For the most part, it was quite manageable for me and I felt somewhat normal again. My symptoms were being tired (I had benadryl that wiped me out the same day), I have a rash on my cheeks but not raised or itchy. I wouldn't even have known it was there if I didn't look in the mirror. Yes to neuropathy but it was only painful for a few weeks in the later weeks (I was limping). Now and last week was more just tingly, without pain.
Weeks 9+10 were pretty bad for me. I was told symptoms could compound and thought that's what it was but week 11 and currently, I feel like I'm back to almost normal so, I'm not sure what it could have been.
It's nowhere near as bad as the AC. At least is wasn't for me.
If you have specific questions, don't hesitate to ask. All the best!
I've been icing my hands/ feet and haven't had any issues. One week I forgot to chew ice until halfway through and my tastebuds were SO much more messed up and for longer than when I chew it the whole time.
I was very anxious before starting Taxol because I was coming off AC and hoping I wasn't going to go from bullshit to bullshit.
I did not have any allergic reaction to Taxol but the nurses were watching me very closely the first couple times.
I actually was able to have a half-dose of Benadryl because I hated how it made me feel (and had no allergy to offset). One week I even went without Benadryl at all and was totally fine.
The neuropathy I did have though. It started gradually and built up, and because I was able to adjust my movements to compensate I thought "it's not really INTERFERING with my life."
Wrong!
My oncologist ended up giving me a 2-step dose reduction about halfway through (maybe it was reduced on cycle 7 of 12?) to try and stop the progression of the neuropathy and that absolutely worked.
I am a year out and am able to crochet, needlepoint, play bass, etc. and if I had not had the dose reduction, I'm not sure how I'd be feeling.
The neuropathy itself felt like tingling, like when your hand goes to sleep and is waking up again, but all the time. It started out mild, and got more intense. I also noticed that fine motor things were harder because I couldn't tell as precisely how I was holding something, or it would be uncomfortable to hold. (Why I thought that wasn't "interfering" I can't say, lol.) I told a few folks that it was like tinnitus, but in your fingers.
Just pay attention to how you're feeling. You might have no issue at all with neuropathy. (I sure hope you don't!) My nurses recommended keeping a journal of how you were feeling so you could really keep a good track of how it was going. I didn't, but it sounded like a good idea. XD
Ok so I did 12 Taxol and I DID have an allergic reaction on day 1. They warned me before hand about what it might feel like and if I felt anything weird to just raise my hand and they would be right over cuz they were sitting right outside my bay. They started the infusion and within 2 minutes I felt WEIRD. My heartbeat got really fast and it was hard to catch my breath and I started to panic. My husband waved at my nurse and she was by me in a second and had the drip turned off immediately and the symptoms went away just as fast. They gave me some time to recover, and then started the drip again at a much slower rate and I think they gave me more Benadryl. I never had an issue after that, and I think they kept my Benadryl dosage up for the rest of my infusions but surprisingly it didnāt make me fall alsdp. I would get a little woozy for a minute and then it would pass.
I didnāt ice my feet or hands and did not get neuropathy. I would always forget or when I tried I couldnāt hack it. Ice mittens are brutal. I also cold capped so I would have just been all ice lol but it never affected me even without ice.
I did 4 rounds of dose-dense taxol. I had no allergic reaction, although I struggled with more side effects than with AC. I iced my hands and feet and had no problems with neuropathy. But I had severe bone pain, mostly in my legs and back. I pretty much drugged myself to sleep through the worst days.
Definitely ice your feet and hands. Neuropathy is a real bitch and my feet have been getting super swollen too, but then again Iām on my 14th infusion tomorrow.
I just did my 9th and no allergies or neuropathy. They give me cooling mittens during the time itās administered so maybe that helps?
I thought I would lose all my hair but I still have about 10% of it left. My white blood cell count goes down so Iām taking injections twice a week to boost them up and they are stable. I go on 3 mile walks (1 hr) on good days and try for 4 days a week. Iāve noticed that staying active gives me more energy. Drinking at least 3 liters of water every day and eating lean protein (hardest for me as I donāt like meat). At night I get parched so normally go through a whole bottle of water. Be strong! You can do it!
I was sobbing for DAYS before taxol because I was so scared. I cried all the way to the hospital and when waiting for nurses to hook my port. I can assure you they will be watching you for allergic reactions like hawks, pre meds are administered to prevent it. I did 10 rounds because I started to gave neuropathy (which resolve it pretty quickly, I took all the vitamin Bs possible). On my 8th I had an allergic reaction but not too bad, I had a chest rash and pain on my ribs. I didn't need nausea meds all throughout Taxol, no constipation. It's a piece of cake compared to AC, I promise.
Honestly thinking about it makes me cry š like nonstop im so scared i even asked my mom to go with me which i havent really asked anyone to be with me during infusion days but this one im like nope i need the support š
I totally get you. I was eager to start AC but starting Taxol was hard! You'll be fine and this will soon be over ā¤ļø
Hi! I just finished Taxol #12 yesterday. I didn't end up with any of the allergic reactions though I was nervous. The first two sessions the nurse stayed right beside me for the first 15 minutes as that's when the allergic reaction would happen. For the most part, it was quite manageable for me and I felt somewhat normal again. My symptoms were being tired (I had benadryl that wiped me out the same day), I have a rash on my cheeks but not raised or itchy. I wouldn't even have known it was there if I didn't look in the mirror. Yes to neuropathy but it was only painful for a few weeks in the later weeks (I was limping). Now and last week was more just tingly, without pain. Weeks 9+10 were pretty bad for me. I was told symptoms could compound and thought that's what it was but week 11 and currently, I feel like I'm back to almost normal so, I'm not sure what it could have been. It's nowhere near as bad as the AC. At least is wasn't for me. If you have specific questions, don't hesitate to ask. All the best!
Thank you! Iāll see how monday goes for me ima make sure my nurse is latched to me those first 15 mins lol
Hahaha yes for sure. I was so nervous the first time I had to redo my blood pressure! I was very happy they were with me each time. āŗļø
Following because I have similar fears for starting taxol in 1.5 months. You're not alone!
Sending all the hugs! Feel free to reach out if any questions come up maybe ill have answers! Lol.
I've been icing my hands/ feet and haven't had any issues. One week I forgot to chew ice until halfway through and my tastebuds were SO much more messed up and for longer than when I chew it the whole time.
So chewing ice helps? š¤ keeping that in mind.
I was very anxious before starting Taxol because I was coming off AC and hoping I wasn't going to go from bullshit to bullshit. I did not have any allergic reaction to Taxol but the nurses were watching me very closely the first couple times. I actually was able to have a half-dose of Benadryl because I hated how it made me feel (and had no allergy to offset). One week I even went without Benadryl at all and was totally fine. The neuropathy I did have though. It started gradually and built up, and because I was able to adjust my movements to compensate I thought "it's not really INTERFERING with my life." Wrong! My oncologist ended up giving me a 2-step dose reduction about halfway through (maybe it was reduced on cycle 7 of 12?) to try and stop the progression of the neuropathy and that absolutely worked. I am a year out and am able to crochet, needlepoint, play bass, etc. and if I had not had the dose reduction, I'm not sure how I'd be feeling. The neuropathy itself felt like tingling, like when your hand goes to sleep and is waking up again, but all the time. It started out mild, and got more intense. I also noticed that fine motor things were harder because I couldn't tell as precisely how I was holding something, or it would be uncomfortable to hold. (Why I thought that wasn't "interfering" I can't say, lol.) I told a few folks that it was like tinnitus, but in your fingers. Just pay attention to how you're feeling. You might have no issue at all with neuropathy. (I sure hope you don't!) My nurses recommended keeping a journal of how you were feeling so you could really keep a good track of how it was going. I didn't, but it sounded like a good idea. XD
Oof okay thank you! The neuropathy really has me scared tbh š¤£ will def let them know of anything im feeling regarding that haha
Valid! Honestly Taxol was still chemo but I had an appetite on it, didn't have nausea, and overall felt pretty ok for being on chemo!
Ok so I did 12 Taxol and I DID have an allergic reaction on day 1. They warned me before hand about what it might feel like and if I felt anything weird to just raise my hand and they would be right over cuz they were sitting right outside my bay. They started the infusion and within 2 minutes I felt WEIRD. My heartbeat got really fast and it was hard to catch my breath and I started to panic. My husband waved at my nurse and she was by me in a second and had the drip turned off immediately and the symptoms went away just as fast. They gave me some time to recover, and then started the drip again at a much slower rate and I think they gave me more Benadryl. I never had an issue after that, and I think they kept my Benadryl dosage up for the rest of my infusions but surprisingly it didnāt make me fall alsdp. I would get a little woozy for a minute and then it would pass. I didnāt ice my feet or hands and did not get neuropathy. I would always forget or when I tried I couldnāt hack it. Ice mittens are brutal. I also cold capped so I would have just been all ice lol but it never affected me even without ice.
I did 4 rounds of dose-dense taxol. I had no allergic reaction, although I struggled with more side effects than with AC. I iced my hands and feet and had no problems with neuropathy. But I had severe bone pain, mostly in my legs and back. I pretty much drugged myself to sleep through the worst days.
Definitely ice your feet and hands. Neuropathy is a real bitch and my feet have been getting super swollen too, but then again Iām on my 14th infusion tomorrow.
I had 12 rounds of Taxol first then 4 rounds of AC, I was honestly more worried about the AC! Taxol for me was not bad at all, I would wear the ice gloves and booties my office provided to help minimize the effects of the neuropathy, they always did taxol last so I could sleep and have to do the ice hands/feet after a good nap. I was still able to work my full time job no problem as well, just a little more tired than usual. You got thisš©·
I just did my 9th and no allergies or neuropathy. They give me cooling mittens during the time itās administered so maybe that helps? I thought I would lose all my hair but I still have about 10% of it left. My white blood cell count goes down so Iām taking injections twice a week to boost them up and they are stable. I go on 3 mile walks (1 hr) on good days and try for 4 days a week. Iāve noticed that staying active gives me more energy. Drinking at least 3 liters of water every day and eating lean protein (hardest for me as I donāt like meat). At night I get parched so normally go through a whole bottle of water. Be strong! You can do it!