For those starting TAC in March/April 2006....

i was told my neulasta shots cost $3,500. it's amazing. but god bless the researchers who are responsible for its development.

i joined my insurance company in january and found my lump in february. i bet they're real happy to have me on board.

Julie, Thank you for sharing your story. You are right on mark about the side effects and how TAC makes you feel. Congratulations on completing your TAC. Some of us including myslef need the motivation now it seems. I hope you will live a very long long and healthy life. And I hope you never have to deal with cancer again.
Take care and good luck.
Marcia

Well, guess what today is?! My TAC day LOL What better way to enjoy 6/6/06 than lounging in a recliner getting pumped full of nasty drugs? Ah well, could be worse. #5 is alive! hehe anyone remember that movie? "Short Circuit"

Marcia, I'm so glad you're feeling better than your first treatment! I hope that last one I had was the worst for me. This time I am getting a neulasta shot, and a shot for rbc's. That should help with my fatigue and all that.

Good grief what a trip this has been so far. I didnt' sleep for more than 2 hours last night. (normal for me before treatment) Right now I'm downing juice and water as I get ready to go in about 90 minutes. Will check in with y'all later tonight I hope!

Paula

Paula, That is great...one more treatment done! hurray. One more closer to being done. I always feel such a sense of acomplishment when i finish one even though I know the sickness and fatigue follow. Hope you are resting well.

My 4th one isn't until June 16th. So I've got a few good days ahead of me as long as I can get rid of this cold and cough that I've developed. Can't seem to shake it.

It is so beautiful outside...I live only a couple miles from the ocean. Wish I felt good enough to go to the beach.

Let me know how you guys are all doing?

Molly

HI Marcia,
Its Karen in Denver - thanks for asking. Yes, finally I am feeling decent - it seems to take a good 10 days to feel decent after chemo. The horrid taste is gone and I have an appetite. It seems that I start to feel a little better about day 4 or 5, but then one week later, I take a down turn for a couple days then rebound again. It is very hard to eat or drink the first several days after chemo, so that is why I go for IV hydrations. By day 9 or 10 I can eat and drink adeqate amounts. I am on the count down to chemo #5 - 9 days - its 6/15. Each one has been worse, so I am just expecting it to be lousy. This is a busy month for appts - breast surgeon (3 months follow up), see gyn to talk about ooph, plastic surgeon and consult with radiation oncologist plus chemo - plus trying to work in between. I am done work for the summer 6/23 -have about 6-7 weeks off - too bad, part of the time is taken up with chemo #7 and starting rads. Hope everyone else is doing well. Karen

Dear ladies,
I started in May but you ladies have a much more active site and I wondered if I could join and chat. Had my second TAC last week and really appreciated reading Julie's thread; feeling wiped out is such a challenge for me .. and despite feeling tired, I feel like I barely slept last night. Am going back to work today and hope I can do four hours without conking out at my desk. Jackie, God bless you, you are half way done. Thanks for letting me share.
Brigitte

Yesterday was chemo #4. Hopefuly it won't be to bad. I have heard that #4 is the worst, but I keep telling myself that it will be a good one for me. Please let me know how you did on #4. So far, just tired. I have been takind my nausea meds just to try to keep the nausea away. I go back today for therapy for my lumphadema. I had my blood drawn on Monday and my wbc was 7 so that is good. Still have to go for the neulasta shot today.

Hope everyone is doing ok.

Take care,
Mindy

P.S. I will be walking in the Relay for Life on the 23rd of June. I also wanted to share that they also have lumminary lights that you can make for bc survivors and people going through bc. I will be making on with all of our names on it.

Kburns, Because of the neuropathy in my hands feet and face my dosage of Taxotere was reduced by 15% for chemo #4 and 25% for chemo #5. I had a reaction with the pressure and flushing during administration at my #5 chemo. My Doc said that if the side effects were getting severe that lowering my dosage would not decrease survival stats. The reasoning is that some people get allergic reactions and it is better to get smaller dosages that the body can tolerate than no dosage to work with the other drugs that kill the cells. I asked him since some people get AC then T if I should get the percentage I decreased it by at a supplemental dosage at the end of the treatments. They said no that it wasn't necessary. That TAC was a strong protocol in itself.AC is divided up into 6 doses because the Taxotere was so strong and toxic that it takes 6 treatments to get the dosage in. But that 25% was the maximum dosage to reduce it by. I am supposed to get additional hydration with it next time to help offset the reaction.

Brigitte, You are more than welcome to join in with us. TAC is like a roller coaster that none of us like riding. With the good days and bad days throughout the cycle it is good to have each other her to pick us up when the down times come. As for sleeping, I haven't had a decent night of sleep since I started chemo. Anybody out there have wierd dreams since the chemo?

Karen in Denver, Your experiences with chemo sound a lot like my days. My family expects me to be better a few days after chemo then whammo I am hit with fatigue! My Gosh you need a personal assistant to keep up with your appointments. 6 to 7 weeks off? Sounds like you will be busier that ever. Let us know how things go. As we all finish chemo in the next months or so it will be interesting to see what tests we have to see if the chemo worked and what radiation we all are offered. Thanks for the update.

Jackie, congrats on #3, Half way is always good. Usually by this time you can master the worst of the side effects. Jackie I loved Raggedy Ann much better than Barbie.

Mindy, I have had 5 chemos and the 4th was the easiest so far. I take neulasta shots the day after. The shots work but each one is a little less effective. My wbc count was normal this last time as opposed to slightly elevated like in earlier checks. And my RBC count (hemoglobin) is dropping every time I get it checked. Started out as 12.8...now 11.4 as of last week and I know it is even lower. The oncologist won't give me procrit until I bottom out to 10 or less. But I can relate to the tiredness. Thank you for participating in the Relay for life and thinking of us with the luminaries .I hope all of us will be survivors one day.

Good to hear everyone is doing ok. Paula check in and let us know how you are doing when your rough days are over.

Take Care!
MarciaA.

Welcome brigitte to the wonderful world of TAC!
Last night was a horror for me lol. I can take either a headache OR nausea but putting both together is unfair IMO. I also sweated heavily all night! I noticed that bloating in the abdomen on tac 4 and had mentioned it to the nurse, and she told me to take, of all things, a gasX if it happened again! So I did, and the nausea went away. I bet it was just from the tummy being pushed on. ANyway, I went to sleep and did my usual waking up every 2 hours or so, but I did get some sleep. Feel lots better today, no headache or nausea, just tireds. My hubby stayed home, so I'm going to go back to bed. I actually had enough energy to change my sheets, and take a shower lol. Can't say I didn't do anything today.

only 1 more only 1 more only 1 more only 1 more....

Paula

I am so thankful to be welcomed! today was a rough day at work; I felt like I could not focus on anything, and my eyes felt blurry. Finally went home and took a nap around 2. IT seems like the second treatment has pushed everything ahead by one day; last time, I felt much better by the following Wednesday. This time, I am hoping I feel better by tomorrow. The sleeping in small doses is such a pain! As are the night sweats ... the doc told me I'd go thru menopause but I didn't expect it quite so quickly!
Here's hoping everyone has a restful night. I'm trying a cup of chamomile tea to get me settled .. ice cream is making me nauseaus at this point...
Hugs, Brigitte

Hey crazy, at the risk of cursing myself.. My first 2 Tac's were not bad at all, then 3 and 4 sucked, this one seems to be going a lot like my first one did. Last night was terrible, then today was ok, just tired. I think the headache was more from heat here and anxiety. I did have a night sweat last night too! And here's a ton of online hugs for you!! {{HUGS!!!}}

Anyway I'm heading for beddy now. Hopefully more sleep than peeing tonight! And I pray that I keep having an easier time this time!

Paula

Even being on the light end of side effects, I would say the duration has gotten marginally longer (from say Days 2-5 now more like Day 1.5 to 6) and I'm more tired. Conversely, some side effects don't appear at all in some cycles but do in others with no apparent progression. It's so variable for all of us - I have traveled on Day 6 and gone back to work on Day 7 each time (4 so far), so that was an adequate "window" for me. HUGS!!! Leigh

morningskywoman, I bought Amgen stock after getting "involved" in breast cancer.

Hi Jackie--When I felt like that I took my Ativan---did you get some prescribed? I just slept through it in a pharmacological fog. I'm in school to become an Anesthetist, so I'm pretty much all about what drugs can do to help! Even Tylenol PM is good!

crazy2kayak,

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't have any Ativan but the Tylenol sounds good.

Jackie