Joining you....

BG46TN

HI everyone, I was diagnosed in the end of Oct with TN BC, my sister also had TN and is 3 years cancer free now yay!

I was wondering what chemo meds most of you are taking? I am supposed to be starting on Friday, my Oncologist right now says I will be having AC every other week for 4 cycles, and then Taxotere every 21 days for 4 cycles...is anyone else doing this regimen?

My sister had AC, then Taxol and Carboplatin...but had chemo for a lot longer time period...she has me worried that I should be on Carboplatin...

Any advice?

I also have not googled anything....too scared, this is numbing and definitely all the appts, tests etc are overwhelming these days!

Thanks!

whippetiggy

Hi. I started my chemo today. AC for 4 cycles, once every other week so 8 weeks, then Taxotere once a week for 12 weeks. Not sure about carboplatin. Dr. said he'll give it to me if my BRCA test comes back positive but not if it doesn't.

Waiting for test results is the worst part! DON'T Google! I did a lot of it and it was the worst thing I could have done. Meds and treatment plans are changing constantly so even if you find an article from January, 2016, it's already out of date. Then you get the people who only write in with bad stories. You don't hear from the millions who have good stories. That's how my friend explained it to me. It's hard not to Google, but seriously, I found a lot more confusing and contradictory info there than anything else.

BG46TN

I wonder why you are getting Taxotere for once a week for 12, my dr is giving it to me once every 3 weeks...hmmmm

How was your first day?? I start Friday....I'm a little nervous

Becky

whippetiggy

I just went back and checked my treatment plan again - AC first, then 12 wks of Taxol.

I was terrified from the moment I opened my eyes this morning. My neighbor went with me. This was my day (boring really):

Went in, got set up in puffy recliner in front of TV. Got IV fluids in my port. No pain, no discomfort. Took 3 anti nausea pills, no problem. Got a syringe of anti nausea meds in the IV line - had allergic reaction, within seconds, my team fixed it. Doctor cleared me for chemo. I did both chemo drugs. Feel fine. Oh, and they fed me REALLY well. They have a great menu. All in all, it was just a long day but nothing to worry about. I knitted while I was getting treatment.

aterry

I've had one infusion and will be getting my second on Wednesday. I'm on AC every-other-week for 8 weeks (so 4 infusions) and then Taxol once a week for 10 weeks. I'm assuming that they base the regimen on the specifics of the pathology report and what they've learned from the mamo's, MRI's, biopsies, etc. I know that it is a goal of current research into triple negative bc to be able to tailor it to the specific patient profile. So far it is less tailor-able, but since there are differences among those posting, there must be some flexibility/variability. I'm guessing a big factor is the grade. I have grade 3 and I would expect a more robust regimen since that's a high grade. Also my pathology report showed infiltration into blood and lymph so nasty little cells could have moved beyond the breast. I have a friend who had a low grade bc insitu who had no chemo at all.

hanley50

Hi Becky - Another variation here - I had 4 DD A/C treatments (eight weeks total) and then 4 DD Taxol treatments (eight weeks total.)

I think the variations in treatment are good. I like to think they are based on treating the individual and not just "cookie cutter" treatment where everyone gets the same treatment even if their diagnosis and situation are completely different (like grade and lymph node status.) At least that's what I keep telling myself!

Maryann

aterry

I had my second infusion, yesterday. It went well. Today I have a few SE but in general feel better than the first infusion. I also got the news that my genetic testing came back negative. I haven't seen the full report but that will probably be posted to my electronic chart on Monday.

I hope you are all have in happy Thanksgiving.

whippetiggy

That's awesome! I just had my second today and wondered how I'd feel. I wasn't sure if I could feel better. You're giving me hope! I'm determined to get out of here for a quiet weekend with my dog but I was afraid I wouldn't be well enough to drive the 2 hours. I'm going to hang on to what you said so that I can turn this into positive! Thanks for sharing!