Taxel chemotherapy

Hi Sopdot, I am 70 next week and was diagonsed with 3C ovarian last December.   I had a laparoscopy and then ct scan and they decided that as one of the ovarian tumours was pushing on the bowel they would do four sessions of chemo first and then surgery.   The idea was to shrink the tumour away from the bowel to make removal easier.  I had my first chemo of carboplatin and taxel on the third of January.  It is brutal but bearable, I had my hair clipped off by the end of the second chemo, I would rather loose my hair than my life.   I wear wigs, modern ones are comfortable, smart and they actually look just as good if not better than my own hair.   I did go to the volunteer hairdresser at our local Macmillan suite and she matched me for a wig before I lost all my own hair, there is also £100 from the NHS towards the cost of the wig, any wigs bought privately can be bought free of vat.

After four sessions of chemo I had surgery on the 2nd April, a complete debunking and removal of the omentum, I saw the surgeon yesterday and he was very happy with the results having removed all the cancer he could see and finding none in the omentum.   The chemo had done the job and he was able to remove the tumour without affecting the bowel.   I have two more chemo sessions to go.

I would recommend taking the carbo/taxel route for your Mum, no-one wants to loose their hair and the loss of eyebrows is equally bad, without make up and wig I look like a skinny Matt Lucas but it is making me better.  After just 7 weeks without chemo my hair is growing back.

I trust my medical team, but do question them on everything.   I hope you make the right decision and your Mum has success with her treatment.   Penny

Hi there,

I am now 74 & had a hysterectomy in Nov, 2016,followed by 4 cycles of carb/taxol from January to March in 2016. I managed to get through it, suffering the first 4-5days mainly feeling very tired & this formed the pattern for me for the other cycles. I was stage 2 grade 3 serous,womb & fallopian tube cancer which is treated the same as ovarian. I did loose my hair after the first session,but had already sorted a wig out & at first I felt very self conscious,but gradually got used to it & in fact bought another wig which was hand tied and much lighter for the warmer weather. I was determined to go to my grandson's graduation in the June which I did even though I felt really quite exhausted by the end of the day. In the September our other son got married & my hair had grown really well by then.

Although in some ways the chemo is hard it is doable & has so far done the trick for me & I feel so lucky to still be here.We have our first great grand-daughter due at the end of May so exciting times ahead for all.

My feeling is that you have to be determined to go on & try & beat this cancer,it is difficult for any woman to loose her hair but nowdays the wigs are so good & the people who fit them are generally very experienced.

I wish your mum good luck with what ever she decides. Take care.xx

Thank you so much for these replies. Mum is having first caroboplatin/taxel chemo on Friday and we have put the wheels in motion to get her a wig.

I really appreciate you sharing your experiences - thank you. 

Sophie 

Sophie I hope your mums first treatment went well without any issues, I suffered bad leg pain the first few treatments which apparently is a common side effect of the taxol drug, to avoid permanent numb fingers and toes which was also a symptom it was reduced as it's possible this feeling might not return. Make sure to talk to your oncologist about this if your mum experiences it. 

All the best of luck for your mum x

Hi Sophie, I hope your Mum's treatment went well last Friday, its pretty daunting sitting in that room but in a strange way comforting to know your in such good hands and the treatment is going to attack the illness.

if it helps, my experience with the the first couple of carbo /taxel the side effects were not so bad but I did experience a lot of discomfort at the seat of the cancer, my lower abdomen.  I was prescribed Co-codamol by my GP which I took, especially at night with a laxative, and that helped with sleeping and rest.

Good luck to you and your Mum, a strong mental attitude will help you although this.  Best Wishes, Penny.

Hi Posie,

My Mum (aged 76) has just been diagnosed with  3C ovarian cancer with similar characteristics to what you describe. It’s in one ovary only but is impinging on the external bowel wall and is also in the abdomen lining. Her treatment plan is 12 weeks of chemotherapy followed by review with the aim of surgery to remove when it has shrunk. She had her 1st treatment last Friday of Carboplatin, Taxol & Avastin. The first few days were ok (probably due to steroids) but for the past 2 days she has alot of pain in her lower abdomen and is not eating at all.  I’m just wondering did you have pain in the lower abdomen? Did it ease or was it a feature of the treatment all the way through? 

It’s great to hear you had your surgery and everything is good for you. Many thanks.

Trixie-Bella

Hi Sopdot

I received chemo for stage 4 oc I. Iost my hair but it has started growing back rapidly after a few weeks. Your mum will also get help to purchase a wig. If you look up chemo turbans on line you will see a wide choice of colourful  and attractive turbans in different styles and I was delighted with the different ways it made me look. I think your mother will find glamourous styles to suit her and may even prefer the turbans to her own hair!. I hope all goes well in the future. As I am going through similar treatment would be happy to hear how your mum is doing.

love

pat xx

Hello   Penny/Posie?

I am glad that your treatment worked, I am in a similar position but unfortunately I still cannot have the operation as my bowel is determined not to move! In the meantime I am "watch and wait" but your post has cheered me up. I hope the rest of your treatment is successful and you have a happy birthday next week.

Love

pat xx

Hi Trixie-Bella, I’m sorry to hear that you Mum is in so much discomfort, it will get better.  I was told by my CNS nurse that the pain was a good thing and it meant the chemo was doing it’s job.   I took painkillers, Co- Codamol, and it helped a lot but made me drowsy so I took 2x200mg Paracetamol three times a day and the Co-codamol at night.  My GP prescribed the co-codamol and it did help me sleep.   The pain only lasted for the first week or 10 days after treatment and became less as the treatments processed.

The chemo did shrink the tumor away from the bowel and when I had surgery, after the fourth chemo, the surgeon was able to do a total debunking and remove the omentum.  He was very happy with the operation and said he could not see any remaining cancer.   I had two more chemo after the operation and am now on Avastin every three weeks with an assessment every three months.  It will be worth the pain if you have as much success as I appear to have had.  I did change my diet and I’m pretty sure that has helped stay well throughout.

i know my cancer was advanced serous and do expect to have to stay on Avastin.   I really hope you Mum can find some relief, it will be worth it so stay positive.  Sending my best wishes, Penny

Hi Posie, thank you so much for your reply.... it has given us great hope. Mum is back in to hospital today and top of our list of questions is pain-relief. Her treatment plan is weekly chemo sessions..... it’s difficult to know whether every 3 weeks might have been better as it would have given more time to recover. I’m not sure that they’ll be able to give her treatment today as planned. Hopefully we’ll have more answers/information today. Thanks again, Trixie-Bella