Taxol reactions

You all have helped me before re my sister who was recently diagnosed with stage IIIc ovarian cancer.  She began chemo Friday, receiving Taxol in the morning and something else in the afternoon.  She was given pills to take over the weekend to control nausea: they seemed to work.  However, now she is experiencing extreme pain in her bones, queasiness, and constipation. The nurse said these were reactions to Taxol and will likely remain for the duration of the treatment. Her oncologist prescribed vicoden 5 mg. every 6 hours for the pain. I take 10 mg. for arthritis, so I can't imagine this is the best medication.  Do you have any suggestions re apppropriate pain medication as well as medication/treatment for nausea and constipation?  Thank all of you so much: you are such a warm and caring community.

[SimplyStar]

My daughter used a stool softner  2-3 times per week,  drink plenty of fluids,   she also had Neulasta sp?  for nausea after each chemo session,  the bone pain comes from the white cells reacting to the chemo. She also drank ginger tea which helps with nausea.  Eat all the fresh fruit and veggies she can. Yogurt, exercise as much as possible, cut out the stress,  she took 2000mg of Vit C also.  Ask first if these things are ok to take with the Taxol.  There are many things she can do to help allay the symptoms, just have to find what she can tolerate and what she is allowed.

[Tybear]

I too, suffered with excruciating bone pain in my ankles and knees - it would start about two days after treatment, and last for 3-5 days. It did get worse as I went along. In the end, I was injecting myself in the stomach with Morphine..it was all I could do to stay sane, to be honest.  The pain was so bad, that I opted not to have the taxol for my last treatment, and just did the carboplatin. I wish I could tell you what would make it better, but there really isn't anything. I used anything I could get my hands on...Demerol, Morphine...anything. The best advice I can give, is don't wait for the pain to get bad before she starts taking something - take it before the pain starts and don't miss a dose. I always found it harder to control once it started. I've also heard Ativan is good, because it calms you down and helps you to relax. Tell your sister to keep her red and white blood cells as "up" as she can. My nurse told me that if I had to have one of those shots (when your counts get too low) that it would be horrible for me (because it hyper-stimulates your cells to reproduce). Don't let them do them unless they are absolutley necessary. As for the constipation, that was probably one of the worst side effects for me (along with the pain!) I still never quite figured out how to get it under control. I would take a stool softener twice a day, and either senna cot or lactulose, a couple days into it. I wish I could tell you what worked for me, but I still haven't figured it out!
Good luck!
Becky
p.s. your a really good sister to be so concerned about her...

[lucymullis]

The constipation really was a major problem for me.  My doctor told me I could take up to 6 Senokot-S (be sure to get the S one) per day.    I learned to do this a couple of days prior to chemo, ate prunes, and drank boost WITH fiber plus put fiber on my food.  The pain meds will certainly make the constipation worse.  I have also heard that Miralax is very good and it is now over the counter.  Be sure she drinks lots and lots of water or it will not work.  Tell her I am thinking about her.

[baguba]

I, too, had similar reaction to the Taxol when I took it with carbo.  And when I took my Neulasta shot, the pain was incredible.  Fortunately it lasted only for a couple of days.  However, now that I am soley on Taxol I am finding that my leg muscles ache terribly - especially when getting up from a sitting position.  This has started up just in the past two weeks.  But I suffer from very low magnesium levels and have to be infused twice a month to keep them at the absolute minimum.  Did your sister have your electrolytes checked?  I was told that low magnesium and/or potassium levels can add to discomfort brought on by Taxol.  Good luck, and I hope your sister feels better soon.