Hi everyone, my husband Ken completed his 3rd round of Chemotherapy Texotere🙌 Chemo 1 and 2 he did good, just with a little bit of nausea and fatigue but overall good. He was able to work, eat as usual, and even did some exercise. The third Chemotherapy was not as good. He had severe nausea and lost his appetite for about 2 days, had a severe headache and a bad runny nose with coughing. The MO said he couldn't do anything about the runny nose and cough☹ So I had a humidifier in the room all day, it seems that helped. I also bought him a saline spray solution and that helped with the runny nose. In conclusion, from the third Chemotherapy it took about 3 days to recover in which 2 days were very difficult for him. 3 more chemotherapies to go. I hope this information somehow helps somebody. I pray everyone is doing well. Keep fighting, be strong.
You are not alone. God bless.
Sincerely,
Erika.
Written by
Chiquis
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Number 3 seems to be hard one for a lot of people, including me. I think in general the first 2 were easiest, the third was the worse and the last were somewhere in between. Glad to hear he is halfway through, that's great. Hope it gets better for him soon.
All of us chemo veterans are here with you, sending you hugs and support over the net.
Good to know that. It's very kind of you. May I ask you a question? Did your side effects were always the same or did you had different ones with each chemotherapy?
They were pretty much the same each cycle. Sometimes harder than others. Generally the second through fifth days were the worst and a week out from infusion it was starting to improve significantly. It did get harder as I went along though. The side effects for me were: nausea (not enough to need meds), bloody noses, watery eyes (this got bad, worse with each cycle but gone a few weeks after the last cycle), fluid retention and swelling in ankles and legs mainly (but it was also super hot outside so that contributed). I tried to put my feet up as much as possible. My fingernails turned a strange color and developed ridges, but did not break. I was prescribed 10mg of Prednisone daily and that really helped with side effects.
I had minor aches and pains through that time, although I was pain free toward the end, the only time I have ever been completely pain free so far. Guess it was working, got my PSA down to 0.19 so happy with the results.
It always helped me to know that even though I was suffering, the cancer was suffering more.
I just had docetaxel 5 yesterday. My pattern is days 3 to 7 are joint pain and fatigue. Take a good probiotic to avoid constipation and Claritin to help with joint pain. Second week is coughing, runny nose and less fatigue. Third week I feel great. And I also have a persistent rash on my forearms and the back of my hands that will not go away. Reactions after treatments 2 and 3 were the worst. 4 was not so bad, and i’m Thinking this one will be ok. Maybe you just get used to it. Best of luck to Ken. We are in this together.
He is having a little pain in his arms so I will definitely buy him the Claritin. Thank you so much for the information. The best to you. God bless you.🙏👍
The Claritin is recommended for bone and joint pain due to the Nulasta shot - I assume he has one the day after each chemo to reduce the risk of infection? If he’s having that, Claritin helps a lot.
I had the same side effects everyone else highlighted - body aches and pains, fatigue, watery eyes - just felt like a mild case of the flu. I had the ridges in my fingernails, too. The saline solution for the nose helps. And my skin was very dry. I used a glycerine soap, which is very mild. And I applied Lubridern daily moisturizer every day to combat very dry skin.
While it’s perhaps a bit worse each time, it is almost over. I was able to fly to London to visit our son and site see a couple of weeks after the last treatment. (If you fly - definitely need compression socks - my feet swelled). But the trip was great ... and you really do bounce back! All worth it since you are making a lot of progress fighting the cancer.
He's not taking Nulasta. His blood test are good so far. I wonder if it's better to take the Nulasta to be safe, we will discuss it with the MO next time. I'm icing his feet and hands during chemotherapy. To my surprise I haven't seen anyone doing it, so I felt awkward at first. I hope this helps with the nails and for him not to develop Neuropathy🙏 I'm glad to here that you where able to fly a couple of weeks after. (Love London) God willing Ken is already planning to travel around August. If everything works according to plan the last chemo will be done by the beginning of May, so I hope he will have time to recover. Thank you so much for the prayers, highly appreciated. You take care, and try to keep enjoying every day.🙏👍
You’re taking fine care of him. I’m not worried because he has you... Your love will get him thru...
I've done 3 of 6 infusions of Doxetaxel so far. My hair came out on about day 14, and what was left went grey, but this has started growing again. I find I am ok until day 3 then I develop a sensitive feeling in my mouth which lasts until about day 9. At times, it feels like I've had a dental injection that's constantly now wearing off. I use a mouth wash quite frequently throughout the day and that helps prevent anything more serious (no ulcers, etc). I get a bit of discomfort in my calves and feet and occasionally short sharp pains in, mostly, my knees. But so far no nausea although water tastes very metallic most of the time. My oncologist says that one tends to keep the same pattern of side effects throughout. I take 2 x prednisone and it's important to take the second tablet no later than about 3 pm as they keep one awake at night (I now take a sleeping tablet most nights and get done with it). I eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as I can and so have never had any problems with my digestive system (remember: 'carrots are good for chemo'). I also exercise in a pool 5-6 times a week which I think has done wonders for my circulation (at one point, pre-chemo, I started developing was seemed to be a very uncomfortable form of lymphedema, which subsequently disappeared). Aside from that, I try as best I can to get on with life and last week completed an overnight 4-day business trip to Egypt.
Sorry, I cannot remember where I read it (I recall it was a New Zealand study) but here is an article that I have just googled (much more about this on the internet): rd.com/health/healthy-eatin.... Like all supplements, there is little conclusive evidence and one has to follow one's instincts in most instances.
Happy to hear you're halfway through chemotherapy too. He was already taking 10mg of Prednisone but the day before Chemotherapy he takes 20mg insted. I juice fresh veggies and fruits whenever he can tolerate it. I wish the best to you. Keep fighting, you got this!!🙏👍
I have done 19 infusions for me they are getting to be very consistent with tiredness occurring on the days after when the extra steroids wear off to normal the next week. I was given a nausea drug and they infusion one in me also that seems to work. Since I am on Carboplatin along with Docetaxel my sense of taste is terrible and appetite not so good but I eat small portions. Runny nose I actually have now but I think it’s more a function of the weather than the Chemo. Best wishes
I completed 6 cycles of Docetaxel/Carboplatin chemo on 1/9. My Med Onc prescribed a small dose of Aloxi in my infusion line at beginning of each session and it prevented any nausea. Ask about it.
Also my Med Onc suggested I take daily orally 100mg of B6 to minimize risk of peripheral neuropathy. We also iced hands and feet and so far no symptoms.
For chemo fatigue, google Mayo Clinic and ginseng for their trial. I took Wisconsin American ginseng as their trial recommended.
I wanted to thank you so much for your tips. I'm giving him the 100mg B6 and also icing his feet and hands like you suggested👍
Th MO gave him the Olanzapine for nauseas and it seems that's what caused his severe headache. Definitely will discuss with Medical Oncologist about Aloxi. You take care and never, never give in🙏👍
So glad to hear your husband is “over the hump” with his chemo. The side effects are similar to mine, and mine have been a lot like Greg 57’s. The worst days for me are 3-8 after each dose of chemo. I’ve had 5 (of 6) docetaxel infusions done, and go back to the Mayo in Jacksonville next Tues. 3/13 for my final treatment. (Yay!)
The side effects, for the most part, are more annoying than debilitating, and can be treated with OTC meds. I haven’t had much nausea, but if I feel it coming on I take Rx Ondansetron-works almost instantly. I lost a lot of hair after the first two, but that has stabilized. I get a lot of fatigue and body aches starting about 3 days after each treatment. They last about 4 days before gradually abating. Dry skin, G-I issues, constipation, diarrhea, altered sense of taste, nasal congestion and runny nose which lately has been exacerbated by the sky high pollen counts here in central FL. After #3 and 4 infusions I had some mild, transient neuropathy. As soon as I can after each infusion I go golfing. 🏌️⛳️😎
Like you for your hubby, my wife has been wonderfully supportive through the whole ordeal. Blessings to you both!
Thank you for sharing. What a blessing it is to have a supportive wife. Please, give her a hug for me. The best to you both. Each day is a victory, enjoy golfing🏒
Wishing, hoping and praying that chemo is kicking out all of the cancer in Ken's body. So very sorry it is making him feel so bad. Take good care of both of you Erika.
I just started docetaxal 5 and have had similar symptoms to all. Namely days of extreme fatigue and days when I'm fine. Unfortunately these have not been predictable and I'm just as likely to have the days of high tiredness at the end of the cycle as the beginning We are all different, but our brothers' here experiences give us an idea of things that can happen. So if they DO happen we know it's not unusual and how it's been dealt with by others.
The best treatment Ken can have, Erika, is your love and support. Hang in there for him!
Just had my 3rd docetaxel treatment last Friday and it’s the worst. The big D for the past two days and I felt like I could sleep all day and night. The smallest chores are a struggle. I hope I get over this by tomorrow, playing golf tomorrow!
Sorry you had it bad with the third Chemotherapy. Ken slept for about 2 days and he felt he could keep sleeping more🤗 I pray you feel better so you can play and enjoy golfing tomorrow. I wish you the best.👍🏒
Chi. The only thing they gave me for the headache was Tylenol, helped a little. Lots of rest and naps. Only thing I could get down was potato’s and gravy sometimes bland chicken. Tell him to hang in there it does get better. I always got to feeling better just before the next chemo.
Potatoes and gravy sounds good. The MO told him that it's like running a Marathon and that it gets harder. We can't wait to be over. Thank you for the encouragement. Take care👍
Thanks Chiquis. Very useful for guys like me who are on the same track just behind. I had fits of extreme griping right from the first infusion. Sometimes it is pretty bad. I finished the second last week. how
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