Reaction to chemotherapy

Hi Cranko

i too had a reaction to paclitaxol- i am stage 3c/4 - they changed my chemo to docetaxol and carboplatin  - apparently it is quite common to have a reaction to paclitaxol  - I have been NED for 3 years, so obviously the different drug worked as well ! They always have a plan b drug so don’t worry too much 

good luck with your treatment 

xx 

Thank you for your response by NED do you mean cancer free ? Did you have surgery after a few cycles ? 

Hi

yes they say - ned- “no evidence of disease “ instead of remission nowadays- I was diagnosed at the beginning of lockdown so I had 6 chemos first, then surgery, finally 2 mop up chemos- then I did 2 years of the drug olaparib - all nhs treatment-  I think normally you have surgery half way thru chemo, but that changed during the pandemic- maybe they may have gone back to the old way now though 

xx 

Hi  I was exactly the same and had a reaction to the Paclitaxel  the first time they managed to give me a dose, but over a longer period. The second attempt I had a worse reaction so they decided to stop it all together, but continued with just the Carboplatin. I think someone else on here said think of it as a cake, the Carboplatin is the main part of the cake and the Paclitaxel is the icing, so try not to worry too much. I've had my 6 lots of Carboplatin now and seems to be heading in the right direction. As Audigirl52 said, there's always a plan b and probably c,d and so on. From speaking to consultants and other patients, the treatment is really based on each individual case. Good luck with the rest of your treatment!

Thanks Janet and great news for you too I will hang onto your positive outcome . They have said hopefully 4 cycles then if shrunk enough surgery then maybe 2-3 more then possible trial on some medication all depends how it responds . I just want to get on with the new combination and beat this . Thank

 you for answering . One other were the side effects of the new combo harsh ? Or manageable and when did they kick in ? X Gill 

Thank you 

Hi Gill

I think everyone has different experiences with chemo, but it is doable- I describe it as “the hangover from hell” - after the first one, for 3-4 days I was quite ill - not sick,- they give you anti sickness pills , I went from constipation to diarrhoea, and very jaded - then from day 5 felt normal - this followed the same pattern for all courses so I knew what to expect and paced myself- i did start to loose my hair 2 weeks after 1st one though. 
Hopefully you will get into a routine with it - its the fear of the unknown from that First one that’s the worst I think.

good luck and keep us posted 

 xx 

I was diagnosed with stage 3c primary peritoneal cancer but it is treated the same as ovarian. I am  on these 2 drugs and should have my last session a week on Friday. My 2nd session I felt a bit unwell so they slowed the drip down and I managed through it. Sorry you cannot. My treatment was 3 rounds, operation then 3 more rounds of chemo. Each chemo session has taken me a bit longer to recover. I feel so sick for about a week after the session. My 5th round was postponed for 2 weeks because of my bloods so now instead of results before Christmas that will be the end of January . However at least the chemo will be finished by Christmas and we can enjoy it with our family. I have been wearing a cool cap and although I have lost a little hair and it is thinner but it has been very successful and I liked the cold head. Good luck with your treatment.

Thank you well positive news and you have the best Christmas , I have cycle 3 13 th December so hoping I will pick up and enjoy Christmas have a family get together on the 23 rd so again hoping I will be well enough to enjoy , I also assume I will have no hair by then , have not opted for the cold cap . Just waiting for  decision on my new combo drugs as the first treatment I had such a bad reaction