types of chemo my Dr. wants me to take

trose348

I am newly diagnosed this yr. I was told I had stage 1, now after surgery the 5 out of 5 lymph nodes came back pos. Now I'm a stage 3. I just had the PET scan, came back negative. The oncologist is saying Doxorubicin, Cytoxan, & 3rd round would be Taxol for the chemo. To say I'm over whelmed is an understatement. I spend hrs. each morning trying to research & understand everything. My main concern is: I am the only 1 paying the bills. I let the Dr. know this & she seems to feel that maybe 2-3 days out of the wk. I would be 'down' but would be able to still work & carry on the other days fairly normally with this info. regarding what she's suggesting I take in the chemo family, would any of you know if I can work still while doing this. I have another consult with my oncologist next wk. because I was too hysterical when I received the news & haven't retained much of what she said. I am er +, pr+ & hers2 -.

scaredme

I had a similar diagnosis and did dose dense AC-T about a year ago. I was able to continue working throughout treatment (though I was working from home). The drugs that they give you are really good to control side effects. I was even able to continue walking 3 miles a day throughout treatment, though I will say that I was in perfect health otherwise.

All the best to you. I know how shocking it is to have your Cancer upgraded. They found 3/3 lymph nodes during my sentinel biopsy and then 5 more later. The whole situation was terrifying. That said, I am doing well one year later. You will get through this.

Kristen

trose348

Hi so AC-T is the same type of chemo I am talking about ???? How many treatments did you have to have & for how long? TY

scaredme

I believe so. The A stands for Adriamycin (another name for doxorubicin), the C stands for Cytoxan and the T stands for Taxol, thus AC-T.

I started with a combo of Adriamycin and Cytoxan for 4 treatments (every other week), then 4 cycles of Taxol (every other week). Sometimes these are given every 3 weeks unless your doctor prefers to do "dose dense".

NNS121317

What do you do for work? My cancer was "upgraded" after surgery as well, and I start AC (dose dense, every other week) on Friday. After four rounds of that, I'll do Taxol weekly for 12 rounds. I am hoping to work through treatment, although I have a desk job and am working from home, so it's not too rigorous. My MO scheduled me on Fridays in hope at least one of my "bad" days is on the weekend, so my work will be minimally impacted (I hope).

Consider reading the Starting Chemo in September or October 2021 posts, those folks can share what they've experienced recently. Come join us in November 2021 if you decide to start soon. Good luck!

moth

How long it takes depends whether you do dose dense or not. Dose dense (dd) means treatment is over faster but ususally side effects are bigger. Some people try to do dd because they choose to take time off & this way is faster. However, not everyone can tolerate dd. I couldn't & had to switch to regular schedule. dd might also mean your side effects are harder to manage & you might have more trouble maintaining a work schedule. Regular dosing means fewer side effects but goes for longer. People often manage to work through treatment. If you can take a Friday off & do chemo then, by Monday you might be able to get back to work. But it depends on how you feel - it's hard to predict how individuals do with chemo.

I'd suggest you spend some time reading through the monthly chemo threads to familiarize yourself with what people are going through. You'll get a better picture of what chemo looks like. For example, read through all the pages of the September thread & you'll get a good sesne of what it looks like as people are reporting in after several cycles of chemo .. https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics...

And yes, your treatment is AC+T on these boards.

best wishes!!

muska

@trose348

A lot depends on the type of job you have. If you can work remotely the answer is yes, you should be able to do this if you plan it properly. General health and age probably matter too.

I worked full time through chemo that was I think similar or the same as what you were recommended. I scheduled the first four sessions (AC) on Thursdays because the worst day is usually the third day after the infusion. I would take a sick day on Thursday for the infusion, work on Friday (day 2), crash and rest on Saturday (day 3), get slightly better on day 4 (Sunday) and feel OK on Monday to head to work. I did it every three weeks (not dose dense.)

Also keep in mind FMLA covers intermittent absences due to cancer treatments.

trose348

Hi, I spend so much time researching that I have decided Sat. & Sun. I will not. I found this website to be the best so far & that's why I am now a memeber.

serendipity09

Trose - I did dose dense AC&T. First was the AC every 2 weeks for four treatments and followed by 12 weeks of Taxol with Carbo every 3 weeks. My infusion days were on Wednesdays. Thursdays was always a good day for me, but by Friday afternoon I was down for the count and lasted about a week. Again, that was me and everyone reacts differently. I hope that everything goes well for you and that you tolerate chemo with very minimal SE's. Sending warm thoughts your way.

trose348

I don't have a desk job. My schedule changes wkly. Wk. ends are usually the busiest for me. I don't think the dose dense would be for me, after hearing about it.

Maryjv

I also had AC-T, DD treatments…I managed to continue working full time through chemo. Side effects very minimal with all the meds we are given and the main issue I experienced was the crash after the steroids wore off, as mentioned by others it happened a few days after chemo…I had to have chemo on Monday because of my oncologist schedule but I would usually feel really sleepy on Thursday/ Friday.

trose348

I wasn't aware of the steroids'. Can you tell me the name of those & what your symptoms were when you say 'crash'....exactly. I spend all my mornings dong research & trying to understand everything & to know what's going to happen. This website has helped me MORE than any other place I have been on the Internet. TY

serendipity09

Dexamethasone is what I was given. They gave me one in the drip right after chemo and then I'd have to take pills for three days after. The drip made me feel very energetic, the pills did not have the same effect for me. The crash is once they wear off and in my case I became very fatigued and weak and just wanted to lay around.

moth

Steroids are given as part of the treatment to prevent severe allergic reactions & as part of the anti-nausea protocol. They give you more energy. But after a few days, you stop taking them (because taking them long term has quite bad side effects) and the steroid 'crash' is the period of adjustment.

It's a period of time where many people feel sluggish & weak, sometimes weepy & irritable. People can have different experiences of it - it varies.

For me it was the Monday (I had treatment on Thurs).

It's an odd feeling because on that day I'd suddenly felt really unwell but once I realized it's just temporary it didn't worry me. So much of cancer treatment is just hanging on & repeating 'this too shall pass'

KotchAJ

I did AC then T. I did 4 dense dose AC. So, chemo one week, next one off, then on again. 8 weeks. I just finished 12 weeks of Taxol. I've worked through it but I'd never want to work through it again. I had to simply because I'd only started my job in February of this year. I did my AC on Tuesdays and would take off Thursdays of that week. That was when I would just run out of steam. I could then come back Friday to work and make it through the day. Taxol, I've been better with until the last few treatments. It then really kicked my behind. I've gone through 100 hours of sick time since June with appointments and treatments and days off.

With AC I was given two types of nausea medication and needed them both. I think it is standard of care to receive dexamethasone via IV then in pill form for AC.

For Taxol, it was dexamethasone and Benadryl via IV each time.

You can work through it. It will suck. But you need to listen to your body when it tells you it needs rest