Hi ladies,

Thanks for all the advice, etc on this thread. I join your ranks on Monday. I'm at times relieved to get this going and other times really scared. "Luckily" I've been unemployed for a bit and my daughters are grown so I have time for cancer. I give multiple kudos to the ladies w/ little ones or work demands.

~e

mysunshine4 - I believe the regimen that you may be referring to is AC+T. Adriamycin is know to cause heart damage, which can lead to heart failure and there is a risk of developing leukemia. They say the percentage of this happening is very low. The heart problems that it may cause is the reason I opted to go with TC regimen. I have extremely high blood pressure which is controlled, but did not want to take the chance of adding heart damage. Hope this helps.

Didn't get the metallic taste or dry skin till this cycle. Skin on head got sore again. All splotchy. Yikes what a difference! I spoke too soon saying my SEs were minimal.

Face looks like I live in the desert. So tired it's an effort to walk to the mail box. Didn't feel up to yoga and my chest scars are talking back in protest. Mouth taste is so bad have no idea what to try to eat. Sweets are out. Toast is ok. Sure hope it goes away when the chemo is done.

Rant is over! Hang in there ladies. This too shall pass.

twinky mom, congrats! Rads is a piece of cake compared to chemo

Hurray for Twinkiemom. You reached the finish line!!!!

Hi taxotere ladies,

Just finished my thretment on 19 this month I am so stressed and anxious. Hot flashes and sweats are killing me and I will start tamoxifen in days any advice ??? Any supplements can help with them ??

chloesmom....you and I are on the exact same regimen and timetable. I had my third round on 3/17 as well and did not do well at all. I haven't had the nausea but the exhaustion hit me hard. Then 7 days post treatment I woke with hives and welts over my entire body. It got progressively worse despite the benedryl and prednisone my MO prescribed. I ended up in the ER once the hives and swelling were all over my face. Mv blood pressure got dangerously low...78/43 and I was admitted. I spent 5 days in the hospital with uncontrollable itching and hives. Finally it got better. Now the concern is what to do with this last treatment coming up next week. My MO is suggesting switching out the Taxotere for Adraimycin for this last one. I spoke with his nurse at length yesterday. I will see him on Thursday. She assures me that the efficacy rate is the same and it attacks the cells in the same way. Just more GI related side effects. I was worried about the heart issues but with only one treatment I feel better.

I have to say that I was very positive and feeling fairly good about my treatment. Now this set me back emotionally. I was not able to work last week and am still getting my strength back this week. Next week it starts all over. I am ready to be done with this leg of the journey. Trying to look at this Easter Week as a time of Hope and Renewal and forge ahead!

Hello my name is alicia and i just found out i have to do the cytoxan taxotere chemo for nine weeks, could anyone share with me what to expect--i have four kids and my husband is away for work alot, and any advice would be greatly appreciated. How long into treat,ment is it until you lose your hair??? thanks so much!!

Alicia, welcome. So sorry that you are joining the club no one ever wants to be in, but let me tell you that the nicest people are in it.

I suggest looking at some of the other chemo threads as well, there are a lot of tips on getting through it.

What to expect... You will start losing your hair about 14 days after your first treatment. Is your husband able to stay close to home while you are undergoing treatment? If not, is there any family or friends that can help? How old are your children? I can tell you that there was no way I could have done it without my husband's help. He did all the cooking. Luckily I already had house cleaners. My husband and son do their own laundry. My son is 16 and my other son is in college, he is 19.

I had my treatments on a Friday, total of 4 treatments, 3 weeks apart. I usually felt pretty good on Saturday and Sunday, but by Monday I would start to feel really tired. By Tuedsay, nothing tastes good to me, and I experienced some intestinal distress. No nausea or vomiting, but terrible diarrhea. Some people get constipation. Your mileage may vary. The really bad side effects lasted about a week and a half. Then things would get better. The week before each treatment was usually pretty good. I could taste things normally again, and I had more energy.

You have to be very careful to avoid infection. I had two UTIs during treatment, and the second one landed me in the ER one night. If any of your children get sick, they will have to stay away from you.

I finished my last treatment on Dec. 29, but I started losing my fingernails and toenails at the end of February. I have to keep them very short so that they don't accidentally get torn off. My hair is growing back, I have peach fuzz all over now. Speaking of hair, one of the positives of chemo is that you won't have to worry about shaving, and if you ever thought of getting a Brazilian Wax, you'll have the same effect. Your period will most likely stop as well. I haven't gotten mine back yet, my doc says that I have a 50 50 shot at it coming back, probably six months post treatment

Welcome Alicia, to our group of strong and brave women.  sjacobs has given you good sense of what to expect, but honestly, we are all different and the treatments effect us all differently.  So prepare for the worst, and hope for the best:)  I am half way thru my treatments, #3 is next week.  I've been able to work the whole time, with just one day at home (the Monday after, as sjacobs mentions). 

speechmom, I do hope you are feeling better.  Here I was thinking that the next 2 rounds would be similar to what I have already been through.  But guess you never know.  I hope #4 goes better for you.  And you will be all done, yeah!

Alicia, You will lose your hair. I had my first cytoxan/taxotere treatment on December 19, cut my hair short on December 31, and shaved it a few days later when I purchased a wig (the wig store shaved it for me). Losing my hair, some fatigue, and some constipation were my issues. I did not get sick at all; however, my energy level was quite low days 4-5 after chemo and then for a few more days as well each cycle. I also had some issues with anxiety/depression....Celexa and Lorazapam were my new friends. I took Miralax every day which helped with the constipation. I am now doing radiation. It will go fast.... I also had four treatments over nine weeks. If you want to PM me, I am happy to compare notes with you! I think friends/family helping with meals, getting take out, helping with housework and laundry...... and if your kids are young.... some help with them would be a good idea (since you said your husband is gone a lot..lean on some friends)! This is doable. You will be looking back on this experience before you know it.

Chloesmom - good luck next week. I know you're anxious to be FINISHED and ring that bell. Hope all goes well.

I tried last week to have my first infusion--turns out I am very allergic to Taxotere and had an anaphylactic reaction! I was so psyched up and ready to go!

The nurses were very calm while they were working with me so I was never scared...until AFTER!

I have an appointment with my MO on Friday to see about Plan B.

*sigh*

DebAnn - Welcome. below is a link for a good thread that has tips & lists for chemo. The one thing I know for sure, everyone reacts differently. Unfortunately I didn't really got my taste back for 6 months so I had lots of Carnation Instant Breakfast & added protein powder.

Look for the "April Chemo" or Spring Chemo in the active threads.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topic/...

DebAlane-

We just wanted to welcome you to our community here at BCO! We're glad you've joined us, and hope you find it to be a supportive and informative place. You're in the right place for advice, that's for sure!

Please let us know if you have any questions, that's what we're here for!

The Mods