Hiya, you seem on the exact same trajectory as my wife. Even down to the same treatments. This was my post about this exact thing yesterday, and the response was reassuring. www.cancerresearchuk.org/.../experiences-with-docetaxel

Like yourself, my wife is worried about this. Like yourself also, my wife was also worried about the EC treatment, but it was nowhere near as bad as she thought it was gonna be.

I'm not saying for one minute this may not be rough on both of you, but everything my wife has dreaded thus far has never panned out as bad as she thought it was going to. So there's that. Got my fingers crossed for both of you and i hope you and my wife get through this next treatment relatively smoothly.

Seems you and my wife have to go goth for the next month or two as painting your nails black seems to be a thing.

Hi thanks for your reply, iv also read the link from the other lady. Iv managed really well with EC like your wife so feel nervous of what's to come, I had my 3rd an last EC treatment yesterday so il be starting the dosetaxel on the 28th Feb. We'll here's hoping your wife an myself will sail through as we have done so far. 

Many thanks

Hello,

I was on Docetaxal in 2021. I had two EC cycles, and then four cycles of D. For me, the two types of chemo were very different. I had no issues with EC. With D, I had bone pain about three days after the infusion. For me, this lasted 2-3 days. It happened with every cycle. During the third and fourth cycle, it affected my thigh muscles, and mobility was reduced a lot. I was lucky in that I did not really get peripheral neuropathy in my fingers and toes. Just a teeny weeny tingling in my right thumb for a second, and it didn't develop further. Less than one week after my last chemo cycle, I could walk a couple of miles again. Not as fast as before, and my son said that I got breathless easily, but things did improve for me quite quickly. I had a mastectomy exactly one week after chemo, but was walking fine. Six months later I now walk like I used to, although I have to have a rest day after a very long walk. I admit that radiotherapy knocked me back a bit ... I got tired easily, but that has improved too. 
Hope that helps, x

Hi Carole,  thanks for your reply, wow this D treatment sounds quite harsh as iv been fearing. I had my operation ion october 5th followed by EC treatment×3 started on 26th Nov, my D ×3 starts on 28th Jan. I'm nervous of changing over to this as iv coped well with EC. I'm 44 with 3 kids youngest been 9.  Would you mind me asking your age? I'm dreading it all changing if I'm honest. X

Hi. I was 59 at the time. I'm a mum, but my son is older. Paracetamol does help with the bone / joint pain. I hope you don't think that I'm interfering, but if you have offers of help (meals, taking children to school, housework, laundry etc) then I would accept them. You might not need much help for the first Docetaxal cycle though, as most people seem to remark that the effects are cumulative. Everyone is different though, I have a friend who did get some side effects on D, but she didn't get the mobility issues that I got. Neither of us lost any nails. Also, you are having three cycles, like my friend. I had four, and the fourth was the worst. 
I understand what you mean about dreading changes. A lot of it for me was the 'unknown'. But everyone that I know who has been on D gets through it. 

Thanks for your honest advice carole, I will probably end up taking help when offered. The unknown is very frightening if I'm honest. I hope I can just get through it all with the least trouble. I will start radiotherapy after chemo followed by 10 years of tamoxifen tablet to stop me producing the hormone my breast cancer fed off. 

I'm glad to hear your picking up and doing well, all the best for the future x