Side effects of taxotere and cytoxan chemo.
I hope this is helpful, and doesn't scare you any more than you already must be scared. Everyone is. And chemo is not forever. It ends and your body heals. So keep it well fed and watered (especially drink a lot of water) and rested. Don't push your energy..... you need it for the healing of all that is going on inside you. I wish you well. -j
1) Know that everyone is different. There are different reactions.
I NEVER experienced GI problems (ok, a little constipation).
Additions are usually made to the chemo cocktail - ask your doc what she puts in. Normally there is an anti-depressant, a steroid and anti-nausea drugs. They all worked wonderfully for me. The steroid gave me great energy, so that the first three or days after the chemo I accomplished a lot. Nothing seemed to interfere with my sleep - which was good. Due to the severity of some of my side effects - the hand/foot syndrome especially, the dosage of my last treatment was cut by 20% (both the taxotere and the cytoxan).
2) starting right after infusion practically - a sore throat. Got worse for the first part of each cycle. Mouth & tongue became sore. Taste was altered somewhat - but not bad. Biotene (I used both the mouthwash and the toothpaste) was helped alleviate the symptoms. After chemo, when I had my dental check (it was fine) the dentist told me it was good to use the Biotene because tooth decay can be problematic when there is dry mouth. - fillings shrink, loosen, and harbor bacteria.
3) I had bone pain, mild fever and chills - flu symptoms but that might have been from the Neulasta shot. I'll never know. This occurred about 4-5 days into each cycle, and lasted about 4-5 days. These were the days of worst fatigue. My legs and feet ached too - and I tried very hard to keep up my walking. Of course I had to cut my speed and distance a lot but I felt that with every step I took was good for me. I had to be very careful not to fall because my knees felt very buckley.
4) Peripheral neuropathy. In addition to the bone/joint pain, my feet would cramp up. They became numb and I had stabbing pains. The soles of my feet became so sensitive I could feel every stitch in the sole of my socks. It was painful to walk - but as I said, I forced myself to walk.
The peripheral neuropathy also effected my hands. They, too cramped up (especially when dicing vegetables on the cutting board.) And there was some numbness.
5) Hand-Foot Syndrome or Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia - the toxic chemicals leaked through capillaries in my feet and hands. Caused redness, then blistering and massive skin peeling. Hot water (especially while wearing rubber gloves) made this worse. You can google this and get good information.
Etc) Finger nails and toe nails were/are still a mess. Got black vertical lines in my fingernails. They became ridged, had horizontal lines and depressions. Very sensitive. Couldn't really clean under them very well, and they seemed very rough on the underside (where you clean). They are fine now - 6 months after chemo, and 3+ months after radiation.
My toenails didn't seem so bad - but NOW - after everything is over --- now they are falling off and peeling. I've got one that I keep taped so it won't catch on something and tear off. Some of my toes around the loose nails are tender at times, and I keep an
eye out for redness/oozing which are signs of infections. Fortunately it's sandal weather - so I like keeping them out in the open air. I choose not to use polish on them though some people do. I don't want a mani or pedi done at a shop either. Don't want to risk infection from that source.
Hair - you KNOW it will come out. I had it shaved off a couple of weeks into the first treatment. Estimated fall out time is 18-21 days I think. I avoided the mirror at all costs. As long as my head was covered I could use the mirror for make up though. My eyebrows never completely fell out, nor did my eyelashes.
Edema - a couple of weeks after all the chemo and radiation treatments were over, I developed some edema in my right ankle. I had to check it out to make sure there wasn't a clot. I try to remember to keep my feet up. When I do my power walking I put on support hose. I have a prescription for compression hose - but they are costly and not covered by my insurance. It's not too bad and causes me no discomfort.
I heartily recommend the ACS Look Good/Feel Good program. Professional cosmetologists skilled with make up application, wigs and scarf design provide their service free. Free make up kits are provided.Usually these sessions are provided at hospitals, clinics, etc. Your oncologists office should be able to give you details. I actually went prior to my hair loss, which was good. I don't know if I would have felt like going out and driving around etc once my treatment started.
I did have days of very low energy where all I could do was sleep.
I never did have the chemo-brain talked about here. But I do know one person where it has become a real problem.
I had my infusions at my oncologists office, it was not at a large infusion center. The chairs were comfortable, fleece jackets were available you can eat and drink during. I was too scared and unfocused to read. I didn't have a port put in so my hand and arm was taped up with the needle (not painful) so I couldn't knit (big disappointment) and I couldn't really play anything on my smart phone. I have a small Sansa mp3 player, so I could listen to podcasts, or the book I downloaded free from my my public library.
The other people having chemo (usually 2 or 3) were not too chatty or bubbly (wonder why
) and some often had friends/family with them for company. Some talked a lot on their cell phones (annoying to me) and there were some who were on their laptops (shopping? working?)
There was a basket of hats, scarves and some wigs - for the taking.
You can google www.chemocare.com and get info on all side effects.
The End. (or, I should say, A New Beginning)
Side effects of taxotere and cytoxan chemo.
