Paclitaxel

Hi - I had 4 doses of paclitaxel last year after 4 doses of EC . Found the paclitaxel easier to manage - main side effect was joint pain and back ache but after the first dose I knew roughly when I got it and the chemo unit gave me some extra strength painkillers - it lasted a couple of days and then I felt ok. No physical sickness just felt a bit off colour for the first couple of days. Good luck with it I’m sure you will find it ok and the chemo unit will keep a close eye on you xxx

Thank you. I'm not sure how long I'm going to be on it for. They said once a week for a few months, but didn't say how many. 

Hi I had 12 weekly paclitaxel after EC  other than tired no side effects.  Much easier weekly as you have a lower dose. I found it no problem no sickness etc.  I Asked them to reduce my steroids as they kept me awake all night and that helped immensely so if you have problems just let them now we are all different  and they can adjust your meds if need be   good luck xx

I'm a little worried as I had a really bad reaction to capecitabine, which is a tablet form of chemo. My hands and feet swelled and blistered, it was painful and I'm still recovering.  Did any of you lose your hair with paclitaxil? 

Hi I’d already lost most of my hair thru EC and I opted not to continue with the cold cap during paclitaxel- I didn’t lose any more and the chemo nurses did say it may possibly start to grow back. I finished chemo on sept 27 and radiotherapy on 9 nov and my hair is now growing back nice and thick lx

I've got 2 paclitaxel left, had 7 so far and 3 EC before that.

Paclitaxel has been easier to cope with than EC but as I'm coming to the end of the treatment I'm getting more and more tired as the side effects are cumulative.

I've  had some constipation, days 3-4 I start to get a funky mouth but by day 6 I'm back to normal with taste and energy levels. It means I can sort of roughly plan stuff.

I did have an allergic reaction to the pac on my 4th cycle but it was dealt with very quickly and subsequent treatments were given over two hours instead of one and I had extra pre-meds.

Hi lily0403 I was due 12 x weekly paclitaxel and started off doing ok. I would keep a close eye on your skin after your previous experience. My skin is a bit unusual due to a medication I take for another condition. After paclitaxel no 4, I was cooking and my hands suddenly went bright red and very sore, then my face followed. I ended up feeling like I had something worse than any sunburn ever. 

Apparently my reaction was really extreme. Everyone had different views about what cream etc to use but ultimately my GP prescribed a super strong steroid for my hands. I had to moisturise every 5 minutes and I also totally ignored advice that you should not use steroid cream on your face for more than a day or two and used hydrocortisone 1% for over a week.

I had a week break from chemo as I had an unexplained high temp for a day and at that point my consultant asked to see me. My skin was slightly improved by then but she said we needed to stop chemo because no oncologist should risk infection via the body’s main barrier which is the skin. No one has such weird skin as me so that won’t happen to you. I think my other problems were caused because in hyper cautiousness, I was on GCSF injections which can have a whole set of side effects (the fever for example) of their own. 

I wasn’t sure whether to tell you this or not but when I saw you had already had skin issues, thought Id get in touch. Feel free to message me during treatment if you want to know what creams I had etc. 

Hi Lily0403, I am now on paclitaxel. I had my 2nd dose yesterday, and feeling okay. I am having 6 weekly doses, so 4 left. I firstly had docetaxol, I am having herceptin as well. I had a skin reaction to the docetaxol which started on day 9, also bad muscle pain. My skin became red, and peeled and blistered on my little finger. I was due to see my consultant and he advised I had had a skin toxicity. He stopped the docetaxol, I had a weeks rest, and started paclitaxel. My skin has healed tremendously  almost back to normal, no more peeling, redness has almost gone. He asked if I noticed anything on my feet, and they have been fine. Your body does take longer to heal while on chemo. The district nurse who comes in and dresses n flushes my picc line, caught my skin, it took about 5-6 to heal. Previously to docetaxol/paclitaxel I had 3 x ec  best wishes xxx

Thank you everyone. 

I hope I don't get a reaction to it. I have been told they will give me antihistamines just in case. I don't start til the 15th Feb so my skin has time to heal before I start. 

Hi I had antihistamines and steroids before I started paclitaxel, they allow time to get into your system. My hands almost better now from docetaxol. They do advise paclitaxel is more kinder to your body, I have certainly noticed a difference xxx