Posted 12/29/2018 5:48 PM (GMT -7)
It took me a while to transfer this from 'Pages' to Word format...
This is to document my experience (6 cycles, 3weeks apart) with Taxotere,( or Docetaxel). I’ll include my side effects (SE) as best I remember them, compared with known and expected side effects. I can add more details if needed...
My first infusion was June 25, 2018. I got Taxotere and I got Lupron. The same day I got a steroid. The Steroid tends to keep me awake until 1-5 AM on infusion nights... I did not experience the expected chemo crash, but I did feel as though my tongue were wrapped in burlap because my sense of taste was just about gone for 2 to 2 1/2 weeks, and my tongue felt dry. My sense of hunger is reduced.
My second infusion was July 16. Again my tongue felt dry afterwards and my sense of taste is greatly diminished. I did not feel a chemo crash, but I did feel a big sag in my energy level for about three days, starting about 48 hours after the infusion.
Due to my chemo-induced lower white blood cell count and neutrophil count, I got a shot of Neulasta the day after the 2nd infusion. This boosts my immune system. Each successive infusion, I got an On-body Neulasta to wear for the next 28 hours or so. This infuses me with Neulasta approximately 27 hours after installation. The Neulasta does seem to have added some chest congestion. I had some increased coughing, but not what they consider productive coughing.
Many people consider their side effects (SE) experience to be cumulative, ( SE seem to increase with more doses.) I think that’s the case also.
about here I noticed that my beard is much thinner. I’m mostly Italian, so my beard is quite thick. Oops, my beard was quite thick. Since about the second or third infusion, my need to shave daily is gone. I shave about every fourth day. My beard went completely white although what hair I have left ( think Danny De Vito, or The Sicilian in Princess Bride) is mostly dark brown. My beard got quite scraggly, so I removed it. I’ve had a beard for probably 30 years, but it’s gone. I maintain my scraggly mustache. I haven’t trimmed it in weeks. The places where bandages were applied and then peeled off take months to grow replacement hair.
One apparently common SE ( that I didn’t experience) is mouth sores ( edit: until Infusion 6 + 1 week, and I bit my lip, so it’s swollen). Suggested treatment is salt water swishing... I did proactively swish... A few times, I felt like I might be forming a canker sore, but it disappeared.
Some people report Neuropathy in hands & feet with Chemo. ( I don’t think that is Docetaxel-specific) Not me... I did have a little bit of tingling numbness on my upper lip the first few days after a couple of the infusions.
Another SE is nausea. I never had any, though I haven’t vomited since 1993... A proactive Compazine comes with each infusion ...
Snags, cuts, lacerations: I stop bleeding and scab over like normal, but the final healing over is quite slow, like weeks...
My third infusion was August 7. My fourth infusion was August 28. The sag in my energy level in the three ’sag’ days is a bit bigger. I start noticing that I’m missing some clarity in my thoughts. The dry tongue is still there, and I haven’t lost the remaining hair on my head. The hair around my temples is beginning to go white.
My 5tha infusion is September 18. I think I’m recognizing ‘chemo brain’ now. My first day back at work, It’s tough to come up with original thoughts, and I find myself doing regurgitation type review of old information. Mornings are best, and the fog appears and thickens during the day. Coffee helps, more helps more, too much just makes me edgy.
I catch a cold in my chest between #5 & #6... Mucinex for symptoms. My opinion, it’s due to Nuelasta. I’ve had a mildly runny nose and some chest congestion since I’ve been getting the shots, but it definitely beats the alternative. I aIncreased Vitamin C and Zinc; the cold fades quickly. My hair is thinning slowly. My appetite has increased, though not what it was...
#6 infusion is 10/9. Burlap tongue: check. Chemo brain: check. Chemo crash: starts 10/11. I feel more like myself the evening of 10/14. 10/15-18, as my brain fog starts to thin I gradually clear that hurdle...
Post chemo MO meeting (3 weeks after): expect taste & facial hair to return in 6 months; also, I’m guessing, expect thinning head hair to thicken some...
Christmas week, and my beard is returning with a vengeance.
and the chemo is behind me...