Triple negitive, looking for direction

Jocelynb

• thank you for reading, I have stage 2B
• Triple negitive
• 2 different opinions on treatment
• One AC/textol
• 2nd Carboplatin/ Textol
• Anybody care to share there experience with either one?

• Thank you and god bless you!!

VL22

HI! Sorry you’re dealing with this. I did ACT. I know a lot of ladies do the AC, then Taxol with Carboplatin or just Taxol.

Not sure I personally now anyone who has just done Taxol and Carboplatin. I know if you look at the NCCN recommendations for chemo for TN it is not listed under “ preferred” regimens

Unstoppable

Hi. I’m also TN and did ACT. I took the first 9 weeks off of work during the AC. My nurses told me to take the nausea meds as prescribed for the first 5-7 days. For me, I needed them for 6 days after my infusion. I was very tired and didn’t have an appetite. After the six day , I didn’t need them and my energy and appetite would slowly improve. By the next infusion I felt pretty good. I walked every day. No matter how bad I felt and it made me feel better. Some days I walked very slow and not far but it helped. I kept a journal of every day in the two week cycle and found patterns like day 3 after infusion was my worst. I went back to work 20-30 hours per week during Taxol. I tolerated it really well it very well. Fatigue was high but otherwise I felt good. I did the baking soda/salt rinse 3-4 times per day and never had mouth sores. The worst part of Taxol for me was the Benadryl premed before to prevent reaction- it knocked me out felt like an out of body experience. Nurses told me to ask MO after 2nd treatment to reduce dosage which she did so I was able to make it through infusion then go home and sleep for 3 hours.

I wish you all the best.

AgathaNYC

Hi, JocelynB - I'm sorry you find yourself here, but welcome to a very supportive community.

I am also TN. One good thing about TN is that it is known to respond well to chemo. I am doing chemo before surgery. I did 4 infusions of AC - once every 2 weeks. That was followed with Taxol. The Taxol first infusions were bi-weekly "dose dense", meaning triple doses. I started to develop some side effects so we continued my Taxol at an easier pace, six single doses, once a week.

I am down to my last 2 Taxol infusions and I think chemo has been a success. I had a VERY large tumor that seems to have disappeared. I'll know more when I get my post chemo MRI and ultimately when I have surgery, but as far as physical exams go the tumor appears gone. I'm hopeful that I can have a lumpectomy and not a full mastectomy.

The worst side effects for me on AC were mouth sores and general tiredness. I had a little change in my sense of taste. Luckily I had no problems with nausea. With AC you will likely get a Neulasta shot so that your white blood cell count can recover. That drug caused some bone pain. And of course hair loss - it came out about 3 weeks into treatment.

Taxol side effect that hit me the worst was neuropathy in my hands. That's what made me switch to the easier dosing. Almost done with Taxol and eyebrows are starting to fall out. Not my eyelashes yet, but that may come soon.

I didn't work through treatment, but many people do. My overall fatigue was just too much for me.