TAC Chemo Treatment

kfprev

I'm scheduled to have my first treatment on 12/16 and I'm very anxious about it.  Can anyone offer some tips based on experience?

sheila5859

did you have the oncotype test done? i'm waiting on that to see if i have to do chemo

Tamara67646

kfprev,

I finished 6 tx of TAC on October 31st.  It is natural to feel anxious but the experience will most likely be much better than you are anticipating. My first tx was very uneventful - about 3 hours with an IV administering the anti-nausea meds and then the chem.  The adrimician is administered by the nurse into your IV - with the other 2 they just hang the bag.  Your first couple of times will take a bit longer as they administer the Taxotere at a slower rate the first couple of times just to make sure you don't have any allergic reaction (which is rare but possible). But, really it was very easy - I watched a movie on my IPOD.

There are lots of threads with advice about SE - check those out.  Here are some of the things I found helpful:

drink LOTS of water

rest and don't push yourself to do too much

eat alot of small meals - I never went more than a couple of hours without eating something.  An empty stomach seemed to bring on the nausea.  I kept ginger snap cookies by my bed and if I woke up in the night or when I first work up in the morning sometimes I felt a little nausea (I called it my chemo morning sickness) - but if I ate a cookie and laid back down for 5 minutes - I felt better.

Biotene mouthwash and toothpast helps prevent mouth sores.  I used it often along with something my dentist gave me called MI Paste and never had a problem with mouth sores.

Good luck 

Celtic_Spirit

I finished 6 rounds of TAC on Sept. 12. My worst two side effects were:

1. Thrush, which was brought on by the steroid (decadron).

2. Gastrointestinal problems. Some women get diarrhea, but I got terrible constipation. If you find you are going the constipation route, stock up on stool softeners and something like Senokot. My onc recommended I begin taking them the day before chemo since I had such a hard time with it.

I felt pretty good overall during TAC. I worked throughout and often took hikes on the weekends.

kfprev

tamara

thanks so much for the info. i will let you know how i do!

TMD

Did you have any tests such as a bone scan or CAT scan before chem?