[MY reaction to Taxol...blew my mind! Anyone else have one?]

Hello All......

I am trying to catch up on what has happened to me since the last time I updated my profile.

Doctor decided to delay my next chemo until after I had Neulasta shot. The next blood test showed the white blood count at 9,100 but my INR went up to 3.4 so have to get that back down between 2 & 3 before another chemo.

Today was #17 radiation treatment. (I had called it 'zapping' but was told that only refers to bugs). Another CT scheduled for Friday.

I developed a sore throat & trouble swallowing due to the radiation treatment near the esopagus. Got a scrip for the "magic mouthwash" & it helps.

My medicine cabinet now looks like a mini drug store. But I have to tell you I am starting to develop a real liking for the cherry flavored milk of magnesia. I don't recall ever taking any before in my life. I am turning into a real pill popper but so glad there are meds out there for just about everything under the sun.

Good wishes & thoughts & prayers going to all out there who are walking this same path. I hate that any of us have to deal with this but I am glad that there are others I can 'talk' to.

Creekgirl (not really a Creek...Native American. I just live on a creek).

[MY reaction to Taxol...blew my mind! Anyone else have one?]

Hello Carol......No, there was no biopsy done on the "thing" in my left lung. This I guess is something that we are going to have to pin the doctors' down on.

The hem./onc. never said what it was.....just nothing to worry about. The rad./onc. once hazarded a guess that it might have been a cancer that had died...sort of like a tree that dies inside & leaves a hollow shell.

When I had the PET scan it never showed up & I wonder why. If it was an active tumor/mass I would think it should have lit up like the one in the right lung but you say you had one show after your treatments so maybe mine will go the same way.

Thanks for your input. I appreciate it. Creekgirl

[MY reaction to Taxol...blew my mind! Anyone else have one?]

Thanks all for giving me input on the Taxol & Navelbine reactions.

I go again tomorrow & they'll do the Navelbine (or as I've heard it called Navy Bean) & then the Carboplatin. Then I'll get one week off.

I had to get another CT of my chest as I was having pain & the rad. onc. doctor thought I might have been 'throwing more blood clots'. The CT showed that wasn't what was happening & they gave me a scrip for pain & said that it might just be pulled muscles.

They also changed my staging from 3A to 3B. I don't know if this will rule out any possible surgery. I was originally told that no surgery could be done. But apparently the onc.surgeon & rad.onc.doc. are at odds on this. Hopefully they will let me know something at some point....lol.

Thanks again for all the good info. I appreciate it & the fact that all of you are here & willing to help out.

Creekgirl

[MY reaction to Taxol...blew my mind! Anyone else have one?]

Hello All.....

I went for my first chemo today after having taken 20mg decodren at midnight & at 6 this am.

At the chemo treatment they gave me 0.25 mg aloxi, 50mg zantac, 50mg benadryl, & 8mg decodren.

We waited 1/2 hr. & then they did the Taxol.

Within a few minutes I started seeing hundreds of little flashing white lights, developed bad pain in upper right chest & limbs changed color & I felt like I would pass out.

Put me on oxygen, stopped the Taxol & started giving saline drip. After a couple of bags of that my blood pressure came up enough that they let me come home.

I was amazed at how fast my doctor must be able to run because he was on the scene within a couple of minutes of being paged.(There was some talk of a hospital stay but we convinced the doc that if anything looked wonky my husband would take me to the nearest ER.)

They want to switch me to something called Naveline combined with the carbo on Wednesday. Has anyone been treated with that?

I have no one that I can ask about this as I don't know anyone else who has cancer. I could google it but would rather hear first hand experiences.

I hate that all of you have to be here on the cancer messageboards but you sure are a blessing to me.

Any info much appreciated.

Creekgirl

[Joining All of You in this]

I just wanted to thank everyone who posted with good wishes & prayers directed to me for the treatment that is to start Monday. I am hoping that since my onc. doctor placed me at the "high end" of being 111A that I'll come through the rad/chemo without too many side effects. As he said to me "You are VERY healthy except for your leg & your lung". I had to laugh at that.

I have faith in all my doctor's "plans of attack" to do the very best that they can for me.

I am praying for all of them...Rencken, Pastis, Keogh, Kline & Decker that their knowledge & skill will be put into play to my benefit & also for anyone else that is under their care & treatment.

Connie L

[Joining All of You in this]

Hello......I am Connie L from South Carolina. I was diagnosed on June 24, 2007 & am working my way through reading posts from other members. I am very glad that I found this site. It gives me hope for a good outcome.

I didn't keep good records when this first started but will try to put it in good order by my next post so that I can add it to my profile..

I am at stage 111a & will start radiation this next Monday. I am anxious to get on with this.