Taxol

[ALYogaGirl]

Anyone on Taxol? I may be switching to that and looking for feedback. Thanks

[Kiera49]

I used to be on that last time I had cancer

[Marieleb]

Sorry not yet also I anticipate this will be my 5th line if treatment next month if current one is proved not to work..

[BangorBelle56 in reply to Marieleb]

Did you test positive for Piqray. I read somewhere it is going to be available on NHS from next year 😊

[Marieleb in reply to BangorBelle56]

Still waiting for mutation testing results...lab sat on it for 3 months only to admit in Jan 20 the sample they had was not good enough to test! Anyway new biopsy done last month... Hoping to get results in couple of months.Too late for 5th line of treatment so but will hopefully informed the 6th one! Also oncologist prepared me that they might not find any mutation

[BangorBelle56 in reply to Marieleb]

Thanks for the info and good luck

X

[Marieleb in reply to BangorBelle56]

Have you had yours yet?

[BangorBelle56]

Hi, I had weekly Taxol each week for 19 weeks. The usual seems to be 18-20 weeks. It worked really well for me and apart from nail , stomach and neuropathy problems it was fine. I will probability go back on it if Xeloda doesn’t do the job but apparently you need a year between Taxol as your treatment. I wish someone had told me to use Polybalm on my nails from the beginning. I only got it from Amazon after the damage to my nails was done. They are nearly better now. I am lucky to have private ins and get my treatment at home. Before I knew this as possible it was up to hospital every week. Good luck with it and let us know how it goes.

[ALYogaGirl in reply to BangorBelle56]

What does Polybalm do?

[NamasteLove]

I am currently on Taxol. This was not the original plan. My onc wanted me on Xeloda, but after 3 days on Xeloda, she did not like how my labs looked (specifically my liver tests) and put me on Taxol. She wanted me to do weekly infusions, but my body said otherwise- blood counts not recovering enough for the next infusion. So, I am having Taxol every other week at a reduced dosage. My body has tolerated this much better than the initial weekly schedule. My onc was surprised that I was having such a hard time on Taxol, as she said that Taxol is 'mild' (comparatively speaking) and usually well tolerated- even by her elderly patients.

As for S/E: I lost my hair right after the second infusion. Palms and soles darkened slightly. I got black spots on my tongue and lost my sense of taste, developed oral thrush, neutropenic fever - all of which landed me in the hospital for 2 weeks.

I have noticed some neuropathy. And a bit of swelling in my feet and ankles.

The fatigue I have experienced on Taxol has been debilitating. I have dealt with chemo fatigue before, but this was/is unbelievable. Doing anything would completely exhaust me- getting dressed, fixing a meal, walking to my car, etc.

My labs are improving. I will have a scan in a few weeks to see if it has effected any positive changes on the tumors.

Bear in mind that we are all different, so there is no telling how your body will respond. I hope it responds well.

Please update us if/when you switch to Taxol.

Nama

[Kimr2081]

I am on Taxol right now. The hormonal therapies weren't working for me. Other than getting tired easier the side effects for me are manageable. Haven't gotten any neuropathy. I am on a 3 on 1 off schedule. So once a week for 3 weeks and then a week off. My biggest problem that I can't make it to the 3rd week because my white blood cells drop to low. I will say that my tumor markers have dropped significantly and I just had an MRI and the results were good. From a vain point of view, I hated losing my hair again. Lost it with my first diagnosis in 2002. On the bright side I can get ready rather quickly these days. Good luck.