Mom starting Chemo in 1 day - HELP!

Dean
Dean Member Posts: 19
edited June 2014 in Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment

Hi All,

On March 5th my Mom is starting  8 rounds of neo-Adjuvant chemo. 4 Rounds of Taxotere and then 4 rounds of AC every 3 weeks. Also, since we consented to the B40 clinical trial, on day 1 of each of the 4 rounds of Taxotere, we will be taking Xeloda(Capecitabine) for 2 weeks, then 1 week break. Can someone please shed some light on these treatments?

Can you please let me know how the chemo was for those who had this type and what you think will be helpful in coping with it? I'm so nervous for it and would like to make sure we are well prepared.

Thanks, Dean!

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  • lexislove
    lexislove Member Posts: 2,645
    edited March 2009

    Dean...

    every lady handles chemo differently. Did the nurses go over the side effects of the drugs with you and your mother?

    I did AC X 4 T X 4. The A/C I tolerated well, but a lot of woman have nausea. I recommend following the instructions exactly for the anti nausea meds. The T I had joint aches and fatique. That is mostly the complaint with the T.

    The anti nausea drugs are actually steroids and can cause moodiness, insomnia, slight depression. But they are necessary! Or your dear mom will be off worse. I'm sure other woman will chime in here...but that is my experience with this regime.

    I wish your mom all the best with her treatment..and come here for support!p.s. I also did neo adjuvant as well.

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  • susan13
    susan13 Member Posts: 732
    edited March 2009

    Dean,

    I had 4 rounds of neo-adj AC, and now I am going for my last round of Taxotere next week.  The AC was difficult, lots of fatique, some nausea and just feeling crappy for the week during the treatment.  My worst days were Day 3 and 4, same on the Taxotere.  Very important is to keep her hydrated with lots of water, and I mean ALOT. I think I drink a gallon a day during the 7 days after treatment.  It's very easy to get dehydrated, and when u get dehydrated you feel it big time.  Also she should be getting plenty of anti-nausea meds which will keep vomiting at bay. If she does vomit then you should call her doctor right away because she might need something stronger, but I doubt this will happen.  Lots of rest and good eating (red meat will keep the anemia away) and she'll do just fine. She is lucky to have u to get her thru this! Good luck and let us know if there's anything we can do.

    Sue

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  • nelia48
    nelia48 Member Posts: 539
    edited March 2009

    I felt like road kill through the whole thing!  Everything will taste terrible, stomach feels like it has a burning brick in it (Prilosec helped a LOT), heart pounding and heart racing, moodiness that sometimes turned to almost rage, burning urine and bowel movements, etc.  But it all goes away in the end.  Don't try to fight it, just go with it, sleep a lot, pamper yourself, and count the days!  So great you are by her side fighting through this!

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  • lovinmomma
    lovinmomma Member Posts: 1,879
    edited March 2009

    I did 4 AC and I am on my last of 4 Taxotere now. 

     With AC- I was tired day one and 2, drink lots and lots and lots of fluid. You feel so much better when you have fluid on board. Follow the antinausea meds they give her.  Do it for the first round when they say to. Then you can adjust on the next rounds if you need to.  She will pee red from AC (do not be scared!!!). I lost my hair on day 15.

    Taxotere - joint and bone pain.

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  • Dean
    Dean Member Posts: 19
    edited March 2009

    Thanks so much to all of you! Here is our update!

    Hi there!

    Thanks so much for taking the time to reply to my post. It is much much appreciated!

    On Thursday, the first round of Taxotere went well. They started with some saline and then the actual chemo - total abour 1.5 hours. She took a steroid the day before, day of and day after which worked well but caused her some insomnia. She tolerated the chemo well and on Friday/Saturday had a bit of joint pain in her knees but alot of fatigue today with no energy. She spent most of the day resting. We're also taking Xeloda 1300mg in the am/pm and seems to be tolerating that well also - so far no nausea/vomitting/diarhea. So far just some joint pain and alot of fatigue which we know is normal.  We're also making her drink ALOT of fluids and using a soft toothbrush, loaded up on sanitizer, etc. Her appetite has always been very good and thankfully still is!

    She is off work right now and the rest of us are helping alot so she does not have much to do!  The tumor in her breast after one treatment she says is not as painful as before and she even says she feels it a tad bit smaller. It could be mind over matter but it makes her feel good. So right now, we're playing it day by day.

    Thanks so much for your help/concern!

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