Should my TN friend have chemo No 6?

Hello jackboo2009,

I was interested to read your post about your TNBC friend.

Patients do have ups and downs on chemotherapy, get infections due to low white blood cell or red blood cell counts and sometimes have to go into hospital to have things put right. Your friend should go by the advice of her oncologist.

If that were me, I think I would give myself time to recover and then have the final dose of chemotherapy.

I noticed you are from the UK. You and your friend are welcome to join us on Calling all Triple Negatives in the UK. You will find ladies who had the same problems as your friend and some who are having them now.

Warm thought to fellow Brits.

Sylvia.

Liz,

What a good friend you are!  Last year I had my 2nd bout with TNBC and chemo this time was much tougher for me.  During the course of my 8 chemo treatments (4 AC + 4 Taxol) I ended up in the hospital 4 different times because of infections.  The first hospitalization was after my very first AC treatment and I was in the hospital for 4 days.  They had to cut the dose of my AC treatments from that point on since I had a "0" white blood count.  I also had trouble with Taxol.  They thought I was allergic and wanted to stop treatment after the 1st one, but I insisted to my oncologist that he send me to see an allergy specialist.  I did see someone and they said I could continue -- this despite a horrendous skin rash I'd developed.  I was supposed to be on Dose Dense (chemo every 2 weeks) but because of all the adverse effects and hospitalizations, half of my treatments had 3 weeks in between.

Given that your friend is so young with young children, if I were her I'd want to do everything possible in the way of chemo....which is our only defense against this awful disease.  Of course she needs to listen to her oncologist but I too would recommend that she take an extra week or two between treatments and try to finish up with the 6th treatment.  Maybe she could think about wearing a face mask and gloves at home after her treatment because of her small children?  I live in NYC and I wore white gloves between treatments because of all my infections and the City being what it is.

Best of luck to the both of you, 

Ellen

I too believe that finishing treatment is best if possible.

I had six rounds myself.  On the fifth, the needle slipped and burned my hand badly, from the inside out.  I'd refused a port, so that arm was off bounds and the other where I'd had nodes removed was off bounds as well.  We tried the ankles, but I'd had a potato chip feeding frenzy the day before and they were too swollen to get a needle in.  I was intent on getting done on schedule, so there was a call to the nearest hospital, and I drove over to receive a PIIC line, then back to get the appointed dose.  Those potato chips cost me over $900 but I finished my treatment, and on schedule.

My point is that if the patient wants to get it all done, every effort will be made to see it is.  Your friend may need a couple or few days away from the little ones or a boost to the blood to make that happen, but those things can be arranged if she wants to finish.  The last dose may be monitored from start to finish or she may need observation after.  Or antibiotics after.  Anything is possible.  I haven't heard a doctor yet who will say no if there are options to assure a patient's safety.  

Hi Ellen



. How are you doing now ? Did they ever tell you that it might be a new primary? Did you finally have a double Masectomy? I'm going thru your exact situation right now. I was treated at Sloan Kettering in ny first time 12 yrs back. They gave me CMF chemo and radiation back then. How often do you have to be scanned now? How do they follow up?