dd AC-T Anyone else done this?

I did dose dense ACT. I did not have nausea because the preventative drugs given before, during and after infusion worked well. The drug regimen they gave me is at beltwaybreastcancer.blogspot.com. One of the drugs was Emend.

susansfca - I started Chemo on Dec 19 with 4 AC and finished my 12 Taxol on May 2. I was scared, anxious, and had no idea what to expect. The first time I sat in the chair before the infusion started I cried, hard. That was the worst of it...then I knew what to expect. There will be side effects. They will be different for everyone. The information you will find here is great, but know that you will not have every SE you read about. For me the worst of AC was the fatigue and the loss of tastebuds. I was not nauseous but every single thing tasted like paper for the first week. By the second week everything improved just in time to start over again. For me, Taxol was so much better than AC. I had very few SE from Taxol. The fatigue caught up with me toward the end and I gained 10 or 12 lbs from the weekly steroids and the fact that I was so happy I could taste food again. It was not a big deal because I had lost that much during AC. Again, this was my experience and yours will most likely be completely different.

My friends and family would ask how I was doing. My standard response was "chemo sucks but I'm getting through it". It is doable and you will get through it. Just keep in mind that each treatment gets you one step close to kicking cancer's butt. Keeping the end in mind always kept my anxiety at bay. 

Best of luck to you.

Susan in SFO:

This is your day! Hang in there.

I did chemo back in 2006, and I'm not sure I remember the drugs very well. I am pretty sure it was ACT.  I don't remember about the dosage.  I had extreme nausea and vomiting, even with the drugs.  BUT...a.) they said they could switch me to another anti-nausea drug that would work better for the next time (I ended up quitting chemo instead), and b.) I GET SICK WITH EVERYTHING.  So it just depends on the person.  I am nauseated after taking most antibiotics, I threw up after getting only Demerol for a colonoscopy (and I threw up the colon prep too).  I threw up the anti-nausea meds they gave me to stop me from vomiting during my C-section. I have a WEAK stomach.  I wanted only rice, sherbet, and DQ soft serve for several days after my treatment. 

I'm telling you because most people on here seem to have had an easier time of it. So don't feel you're alone if your tummy doesn't like it.  That's normal too.  So you go get yourself better! Hugs.

B

Stomach pain could be ulcers.  Ask your doc about taking omeprazole. If that's what it is, that should really help.  My MO put me on ranitidine all through chemo to prevent them, since chemo can be tough on the stomach and I had a history of ulcers.  

im on AC-T treatment 3:8 and it's been hell for me. Started out smooth with just nausea but treatment 2 i received decadron which took all nausea away but then loose stools n rectal pain kicked in oh my. I just saw a surgeon yesterday because it got so bad. No one talks about that side effect ;( every bite of food has a price to pay in the end (no pun intended) i put myself on a clear diet for two days just to get a break. Cant wait until this is over. One more AC treatment then i move on to Taxatere.  I cant imagine what's in store for me. Lord please let it be easy

Susan, I had the same regimen for AC, followed by 12 weeks of weekly Taxol and Herceptin. The AC was the hardest for me, I had very bad nausea even with Emend, among other SE's. The fatigue got cumulatively worse, I didn't think I would make it through #4, but I did. My advice is, keep in close contact with your doctor and get help for ANY side effect you have. Change meds if one doesn't work. And GIVE IN to the fatigue. Rest as much as possible. 

I found the Taxol/Herceptin MUCH MUCH EASIER. My major problem with that was fatigue (nowhere as bad as AC though) and neuropathy after treatment #7.  No nausea. So hang in there, you can do this!

 Palmer/Bettina I did not have taxotere so I can't speak to that. I have read on the boards though that there is a higher risk of permanent hair loss from taxotere versus taxol. You can search on the boards for more info on this. Don't want to scare anybody, but I think people should be made aware of this, as after chemo we all start worrying about hair growth.

Good luck to you all. My last chemo was May 13th, five months of chemo. Then five weeks of radiation, which I just finished. I thought it would never end, but it did......you WILL get through it !!

Chrissy I had taxol every week x 12, which I understand is less se's than dd taxol. I would be concerned about not seeing properly. Have you told your doctor about this?

Chrissy, How often do you go for treatments? Can you discuss with your doc the possibility of switching to weekly taxol if your side effects are really bad? It seems like forever to go every week for 12 weeks, but it goes fast and really seems to be a lot more tolerable than dd. My major se was neuropathy, which I still have slightly, 3 months after finishing treatment. I did not have numbness, but my hands tingled and felt very dry and stiff, and I had occasional pain in my fingers. My doctor cut down my dose towards the end as she is very pro-active re the neuropathy. What she told me is that she has to balance toxicity with efficacy, because some people have it very severely to the point of having trouble walking or using their hands, due to permanent numbness.

Otherwise, the SE's were minor and very tolerable. I did have dizziness as well, which went away after the first few treatments. Also had increasing fatigue as time went on, mouth sores now and again, bowel problems, and my appetite and taste buds (which were really messed up by the AC) did not come back until close to the end . However I found it much much easier that the AC. How did you do on that? Remember the AC is still in your body so you might also be feeling its effects.

I know how you feel about not being able to go on. I felt that way with the AC. Please please discuss with your doctor the vision problems, and other side effects. I found that my MO (like many doctors) tended to dismiss mine, and I had to be really insistent to get her to help me deal with them. Do not let them brush you off !!!

I know it seems insurmountable, but you will get through it !

(Forgot to say:  I got steroids as a pre-med before the taxol infusion, and I was wired the day of and day after treatment, had so much energy, usually did not sleep the night of treatment. But then crashed on day three)

Chrissy, I had the same dose dense ACT and dose dense Taxol.  I had a harder time with Taxol, the first infusion was the worst.  I had extreme bone pain, to the point that I could not sleep or rest because of stabbing pain in my legs.  my oncologist prescribed Gabapentin and I got immediate relief.  She said that the overlap of Adriamycin and Taxol caused this pain because with the dose dense the drugs overlap more.  I didn't think I could keep going but with the pain meds and taking Ibuprofen and Tylenol every 4 hours I managed.  the fatigue was ok because I just laid around most of the day saying this too shall pass, and it did.  

Wishing you the best through this tough time, but just take one day at a time and soon it will be over...

Carrie ( a fellow Canadian)

Hi Carrie.  Your info about the overlap was very true and I really gave this a lot of thought today as I spoke to the med onc. They dropped taxol dose trt two (2 wks ago) which made me a bit unhappy but the doc was concerned about the se's I was having. Needless to say I found the last two weeks a bit too easy and felt a bit ripped off if you know what I mean. I only have one go at this!!  So today was trt 3 and after my discussion with the med onc we were both in agreement to go back up to max dose of taxol. I will not know if I made the right decision until Fri which is the day I have my Neulasta inj and then usually the next five to six days are hell. But I only have this one trt today (3) and trt 4 left so want to make good use of them. This is all for prevention in my case as I have a high possible recurrence due to being triple negative. So I wanted to thank you for your comments and help. I actually had the same reaction with the first dose of AC. It was brutal and the next few seemed easier as my body had felt it before and seemed how to handle it a bit better. Maybe the same scenario with the first dose of taxol. We shall see. I will keep you posted over the next few days. Thanks. I still have rads to go beginning sometime in October. 

It sounds like you are finished with your treatment. How are you feeling and how are things going?  I am more nervous about post trt and trying to shed this extra weight and regain some of my lean muscle mass that I have lost from all of the laying around. Some days I am simply bed bound and not able to function. So have you been trying to work on that too?  From what I have read on this blog, some of the US patients that have taxol stretched out over 8 or 12 weeks must be on low dose and are able to function and even work out. This dose dense trt is popular in Canada but not so much in the US. I think it all works out the same in the end. So tell me how you are feeling. Again, appreciated your feedback giving me a different perspective and food for thought. Hope the decision I made today was the right one. 

Thanks, Chrissy 

I'm sorry you are not feeling well.  But at least you are now done with chemo. Yahhhh!  The regimens are cumulative so you most likely have quite a bit in your system thus still trying to excrete from previous treatments. I guess the last one takes the longest to get over. I also had trouble with my 4th AC. It was bad. Congrats on being done. Just hang in there. Do you still have rads to deal with?