I started my first round of chemo with Cisplatin. The docs are adding Taxol to the mix since I have a lime-sized tumor on the back of my tongue (in my throat).

I was wondering if the ladies could tell me what to expect from this mix? I'm assuming hair loss is now a given?

I was completely wiped out from the Cisplatin with horrible nausea that lasted 2 days. Treatment was on Friday and today is Tuesday. I felt a little better yesterday. Ugh.

Why don't they just put us in a coma for the duration of treatment? Trying to find the strength for this Friday.

Thanks. And here's to a healthier 2013.

Katie, yes you will probably lose your hair with the Taxol being added. Call the American Cancer Society and ask for a wig. They will help you with providing one wig of your choice for free. There may be someone available even today as I think they are available 24/7.

You really dont want to be in a medically induced coma! I was in one for 3 weeks any it did a number on my memory. Three years later, I am still missing alot of details for about a 4 month time frame.

You will get thru this!!! No its not going to be easy but you can do it. Please know you can lean on us to help you with tons of info and support.

Happy New Year to you! By spring time when the weather is much nicer, you will be feeling so much better. Try to give yourself small goals and things to look forward to. It really will help.

Hi Katie

Docetaxel does indeed cause hair loss although some women don't lose it on the first cycle. This is not because it takes a number of doses to cause hair loss - the damage is done on day one, it is just that it might take 6-8 weeks for the hair to actually fall out. I believe the product information states a high percentage of hair loss but in my experience it is 100%. My experience is limited to approximately 20 women and 2 men that I can recall though. Hair grows back and sometimes completely differently to what fell out!! I kept assuring my Mum that her hair would probably come back thick and curly (hers was fine and straight) but unfortunately, it came back fine and straight and she hasn't listened to a word I say since

Christine's suggestion is a good one but you may choose to keep the wig for "public appearances" as they can be hot and itchy on a sensitive scalp. My mother found a headscarf and attached a fringe or bangs to the front so she looked like she had hair but didn't have to suffer the itch of a wig. She was so comfortable with it, she wore the scarf to bed to keep the cold at bay. At least once a week, we would hear a shriek as she got in the shower, stuck her head under the water and THEN realised the scarf was still in situ.

Cisplatin is a mongrel thing!! Alex was given chemo on Wednesdays and the following week was hell, the second week he started to feel better and by week three he felt almost normal.

The more Alex drank, the faster he would recover. When he ate as well, the effects were minimised even further. Not so easy, as chemo also plays hell with your appetite and taste making this much more difficult than it sounds. A shift in attitude is sometimes necessary and for a while, food and water needs to be seen as treatment rather than a comforting, social or fun thing to do. No matter how unpalatable or icky, one needs to persevere with one's treatment.

The above story relates to chemotherapy as in 3 cytotoxic agents used together in 3 week cycles for a total of 12 weeks - not the use of cisplatin at the same time as radiation to assist the effects of radiation (and potentially mop up stray cells outside the radiation field). Alex had 6 weekly doses of cisplatin with radiation and had manageable nausea with that regimen which made him miserable but was not unmanageable.

It is not clear to me what exactly your treatment is as I have been off the boards this last couple of weeks and have missed your story, so I apologise if this is a bit off base.

My medical oncologist actually decided against the Taxol, so it's just Cisplatin for now. I had my 2nd dose yesterday. The nurse said the IV anti-nausea meds would wear off some point tomorrow but that is not true. I woke up feeling ok but after a couple of hours the nausea came on. I've been drinking plenty of water, had breakfast, took Zofran, Compazine and Ativan and still there's nausea. Gag! I feel like I'm in my first trimester of my 2nd pregnancy all over again. Yuck!