chemo-what kind?

kg - I was 37 when I was diagnosed. I had my chemo upfront also and my tumor was nearly 4 cm, with at least 2 positive nodes as found on US and PET. My onc does most of his continuing ed at MD Anderson and thus followed their protocol. I had Taxol every week x 12 weeks, followed by AC every 2 weeks x 4 treatments. It was all do-able. They supplement chemo with various shots for white and red blood cells as needed. For white cells it is either Neupogen or Neulasta (which I may be the only person in the world allergic to Neulasta and not Neupogen... go figure) and for red cells it is Procrit. I do know that I was put in touch with a friend of a friend who is an oncologist at Sloan Kettering in NYC. He siad their protocol is very similar except that the AC is first followed by the taxane - but they use Taxotere instead of Taxol. But I also know that there are some other drugs out there that different docs use. I personally had very good response to chemo - so much so that by the time of my surgery my tumor was less than 6 mm and all my nodes were negative. Good luck to you. Chemo is time consuming and sometimes overwhelming, but it is do-able. Try to eat healthy and DO eat when you are feeling up to it. I also incorporated walking daily  - the distance would vary depending on how I felt - sometimes several miles, and sometimes I barely made it around the block. Studies have shown that exercise helps decrease side effects from chemo. Also - I would suggest seeing if you can get into your dentist for a check up before you start chemo if you haven't been for a while. Sometimes people get sores in their mouth (I never did) or dry mouth (definitely did - Biotene mouth rinse and gum work great for this and I got mine at Target). Let people help you when they want to and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Let people know WHAT you need as sometimes they don't know what to do to help. Take a nap when you need to. Cry when you need to. Accept lots of hugs. And hang in there, knowing that we are all pulling for you.

Most TN patients receive aggressive treatment - AC (Adrymycian/Cytoxan) and Taxol.  There are other combinations, but that one seems to be the most common chemo.  Most of us have rec'd AC as DD (dose dense).  Taxol is given either weekly or DD. 

Chemo isn't fun, but doable.  I won't sugar coat it and say it's a walk in the park, but keep in mind that we all have different reactions, some women breeze through, others have a harder time.  Your onc should give you medications for nausea, which help wonderfully.  I found that by taking walks daily and on my good days getting out to run errands, lunch with friends, movies and hanging out at a friends house helped.  While I choose to stay home from work during chemo and had days that weren't so great, I did keep the house cleaned, cook meals for the family and participated in school functions for my daughter, as well as did some work from home. 

Nordy gave you good suggestions with Biotene, both the mouthwash and toothpaste are wonderful during this time. Also, drink a lot of water, it really helps with the SE's.  One of the hardest things we all seem to have trouble with in the beginning is help........accept it.  You will find that some of the smallest things mean the most.

Good luck.

Hi, KG...I am new here. Diag early Jan, had BMX w/TE's Jan 20th, might start chemo on the 10th. I will be treated with Taxotere and Cytoxan, which I know nothing about. I am 11 years out from ovca Stage 3 with one recurrence, 8 years in remission. Will be getting the Neupogen shots for 3 consecutive days, five days after each treatment. This is all new to me and very different fro the ovca journey. Wishing you luck and well-being.

TifJ...thank you so much for your post. I had Taxol and Carboplatin for the ovca and it was pretty strong stuff but I tolerated it fairly well. Hair loss, joint pain, nausea and constipation is what I had, but the general feeling of malaise was the worst. I could not even describe it. Of course, I was 11 years younger then...I am hoping I will be as lucky this time around as I was before. I will look for that thread you mention. THANK YOU!

Hi TifJ.....how do I find a thread here? I am looking for that one you mentioned about the chemo drugs I will be on. I am learning my way around this site. Thanks! Ana Maria

YES !!!!!!!!!!!! I found it !! VERY informative...thanks so much!

KG, my diagnosis was almost identical to yours.  I had BLM/tissue expanders as I have a strong family history of breast cancer, and I don't want to deal with this twice.

I had 4 DD AC followed by 4 DD Taxol, with Neulasta shot after each.  I finished at the end of February.  I lost all my hair 2 weeks following the first AC, but I was only queasy a couple of times. The Emend really prevented the nausea.   I never had any bone pain with the Neulasta until my first Taxol.  I had considerable bone pain for probably 3 days with the first and third Taxol treatments, and didn't get the shot after my last one.  Many people say the Taxol is easier than the AC.  Neither was particularly hard for me.  I worked full time during chemo, and took off on treatment days.  I scheduled them on Thursdays so if I felt sick or tired, it would fall on the weekends.  That worked out very well for me.

What I have found is the anticipation of the surgery/treatment is a lot worse than actually going through it.  Be careful on the boards and don't dwell on the negative posts.  The people who breeze through this aren't on here gloating about it.   Look into the Look Good Feel Better class, it is fun, and they give you some great cosmetics.  Try to keep a positive attitude, and I hope your experience is as good as mine was.

Kg - If you can not find Biotene locally, try www.Vitacost.com. I don't know if they ship to Canada - couldn't tell initially from their website, but I believe they do. And they are SO much cheaper than in the store anyway. I buy most of my supplements through them now because it is just much more economical. Good luck!

Ana, I did six rounds of Taxotare and Cytoxin, one for 7 hours every three weeks.  It wasn't a ton of fun, in fact I worked through it all, but it can make you call in sick every once in a while.   

Hi sisters.......I have been MIA due to bad chemo side effects (and it was just my first round !) and then just busy. Everyone posted great replies to my questions, thanks for the support.



KLG49: I have the same diag you have, and I, too, am on the Taxotere/Cytoxan wagon. I will be having the second treatment this coming Thursday and even though I do not have the same level of anxiety I had before the first one, I AM a bit apprehensive about it since I had a strong reaction to the Taxotere. My schedule will be every 3 weeks, and as of yesterday, my hair started falling off. Wigs are ready, as are the hats and scarfs. This is the second time in 11 years that I lose the hair and definitely do not like to go bald.



Happy to be back, ladies.