Would like comments from anyone who has gone through chemotherapy (Docetaxel) and would share their experience with me.
I have been offered a place on a clinical trial combining hormone therapy with chemotherapy. I am keen to accept this chance but i'm really worried about side affects.
For what it's worth, docetaxel has radically changed my treatment for the better (I am having it combined with Herceptin). I understand that it does not suit everyone, but I have to say that every side effect has been worth the "zap effect" on my tumour and the huge psychological boost that has ensued.
Side effects for me begin c.5 days after dosage and have consisted of 48 hours or so of flu-like aches and pains (only solution I have found is to write off a couple of days and stay in bed with bottle (hot water, not gin!) and painkillers. This time (3rd dose) I got some quite painful stomach cramps and lost my appetite for 4 days (a momentous event in my life!) which the oncol says is reasonably widely-reported. She's given me stomach pills now to sort it out.
Obviously the hair goes, including nose, eyebrows and lashes (who'd have thought they played such a significant role in the personal ecoystem?!) My best recommendations are, look after yourself, sleep when you feel like it and eat whatever you damn like.
I'd be interested to hear how you get on with it; meantime send you vibes, vibes, vibes that it does for you what it has done for me - I noticed improvements on Day 1 and cannot tell you how glad I am I hit on it.
I had 4 treatments of EC combo and 4 of docetaxol followed by arimidex (and 3 weeks of radio therapy after surgery). I have to say that my breast cancer and secondary lymph gland tumor was the size of a golf ball to start with, on the day of surgery they couldnt find the tumor to put a marker in it had responded that well to the chemo treatments.
Everyone experiences different symptons on this one, i had a rash from neck downards and mouth ulcers (not bad ones) and couldnt eat much for the first treatment, the second and 3rd i had no bad symptons the last one i managed through but caught nuetropenia two weeks after the last treatment but i think it was just bad luck. You do get some tingly feelings in the feet although i didnt get it in the fingers but my nails turned to rubbish. Saying that some had no symptons at all and i still managed to work two weeks out of three. To be honest the side effects were minimal compared to the fact that it did its job and shrunk the tumor. It may have been unpleasant at the time but once its over you just forget about it, put it behind you and to be honest i dont think about it as its past, I got over surgery which was fine and radio therapy is a doddle . I have had no side effects from the hormone therapy at all and take the pill each day without thinking about it.
I would go for it - it does get rid of cancer cells. And, once its over you just look forward.
Good luck with your decision and good healing xxxx
Hi,
After a mastectomy i was given a combination of two drugs Taxotere(Docetaxel) and Cyclophosphamide i was also given two sheets of information just before treatment so i had some idea of what might happen.
For me the worst thing was joint pain as i already have arthritis in my knee and feet it made the problem worse and at some point in my chemo treatment i found it very hard to even stand and even now when i've finished chemo and on radiotherapy it anything hurts it's my feet and knee so i'm not sure how long this will last,if it ever leaves at all but i agree with a lot of what raincoat has added.
Hope this is of some help.
Not a great fan of docetaxel! I had 4 of 10 planned sessions and the consensus of NHS and myself was that it would kill me, not the PC!
Neutropenia was the main problem, mild pneumonia and total lack of energy. Interestingly I have suffered from Tinnitus for many, many years and the Chemo has increased the volume of the tinnitus sound within my ears! Unfortunately a bone scan following a fall in my workshop, with multiple bruising on body revealed the PC has spread from my Lymph system (where I knew it was) to my bones!
I’ve gone through this, psa dropped to undetectable, it’s in my bones so pleased with results.
As per eat what you fancy, some foods will taste different, jelly was my favourite, I’d make up in small ramekin dishes and keep in the fridge
baby shower gel also a blessing
I soon shaved my head after watching the steady loss. A good thermometer also worth its weight in gold, I didn’t have fever but felt I did
i tried to do too much, don’t bother, give in be kind to yourself, but ensure you walk as much as you can, just small walks but it’s important to get out
The cancer isn’t beaten for me but it’s currently in submission, I know it will get off the canvas at some point but understand that the chemo will delay the next battle and also alleviate future pain. The 7 days after treatment were the worst, but it’s temporary, I knew early days by week 2 I’d be more active then by next treatment I often felt okay. I had treatment on a Friday the weekend I’d be tired but not too many symptoms the Tuesday and Wednesday was when things kicked in, but it was temporary. Gp was supportive in helping with any reactions, reach out for help if you need it. I felt that considering I was relatively healthy giving it a good beating was beneficial.
good luck to all going through this treatment, and remember the effects are temporary
I went on a trial called stampede which was docetaxel Radiotherapy and hormone therapy, as I was told mine was incurable, after bringing down my PSA fro 893 to around the thirty or less Mark the y put me on 6 sessions of chemo first, after I was given the first session I thought great nothing to worry about, two days later it kicked in, felt like my whole body was on fire for six seven hours, then the fatigue and various pains one of the not so nice things injecting yourself in the tummy for five six days days I think. Now everyone is different it affects people in many different ways, me I’am the side effects dream, if there was one to have I got it. The worst was after the third I caught sepsis in hospital isolated for four days, I only knew this because I checked my temperature twice a day morning and night, it went up to 38.4 but I’am still here four and a half years later on Xtandi now with prostap 3 but getting used to but I’ll do what it takes to stay with my ever worrying wife.
To me the temperature is most important, your very anemic while on chemo so avoid anyone, a cough a sneeze, children mostly. I may have gone overboard a bit, but like very many others you should be fine.
