Dose-Dense ACT

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SARxMan
SARxMan Member Posts: 3
edited April 2018 in Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After

Hello. Newbie to the site. My wife will start dose-dense ACT next week (Happy Easter, right?) and am looking for any helpful advice/suggestions/input to help us get through the anxiety beforehand and the potential side effects later. She will be getting a medi-port put in tomorrow (thank goodness, from what I have read) and had her Echo cardiogram today. She has always said that losing her hair would be worse than losing her boobs :(. Now we are preparing. I would appreciate any input.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited March 2018

    Hi SARxMAN and welcome to Breastcancer.org,

    We're so sorry to hear of your wife's diagnosis and all that you're going through, but we're really glad you found us. You're sure to find our Community an incredible source of information, advice and support.

    While you wait for the ever-helpful responses from our members, you may want to check out the following threads which hold tons of practical information to prepare your wife for treatment:

    Also, you may want to join the April 2018 Chemo thread where you can chat with others who are undergoing chemo at the same time. There's also great information on this month's March 2018 Chemo thread from those who have already started their chemo journey.

    We hope this helps and we look forward to hearing more from you and supporting you and your wife.

    --The Mods

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  • moth
    moth Member Posts: 4,800
    edited March 2018

    I suggest you check out the January, February, March 2018 chemo threads. Many of us have this protocol & you can read about our experiences and how we're managing side effects from people who are just a few months & weeks ahead.

    Then join the April thread so you can cheer each other on. It really helps to go through it with others.

    People deal with the hair thing in various ways. FWIW, I don't mind being bald at all & on warm days I don't cover it at all. Everyone is different with this.

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  • star2017
    star2017 Member Posts: 827
    edited March 2018

    Hi SARxMan. I just completed the dose-dense protocol about ten days ago. I had four infusions of AC and four of Taxol.

    It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. With AC, fatigue was my main symptom. I was rarely nauseous. There were various anti-nausea meds in my infusions and some prescriptions pills like Zofran in case I needed it. I think I only took Zofran twice the whole time, and it was more as a preventive measure when I thought I may be feeling a little queasy. I never vomited. I was also given the Neulasta on-pro device which helped keep my white blood cell counts up. I had one hospital stay because I caught a virus at the same time the white blood cell counts hit a low in the cycle, but everything corrected very quickly and I was kept there only as a precaution. My hair started shedding about 2 weeks after I started, but the real falling started about three weeks later, and my husband had already buzzed my hair short at that point. While I did get a nice wig, I have mostly worn a bunch of the chemo beanies. Some pretty ones I found on www.themastectomyshop.com. Amazon also carries them. I also bought some cheaper ones on Amazon, but the stitching was pretty bad on those and they didn't look as nice on, so I'd say the pricier ones are worth it if your wife likes them.

    Taxol is generally "easier" but I did experience 3 days of aches a couple days after the infusion. It took a little while to figure out the right pain meds, but in general taking Aleve regularly before the aches got too bad helped to keep it in control. My eyelashes and eyebrows fell out during the Taxol period, but I think that's due to hair cycles, not specifically the Taxol. This bothered me a lot more than the hair on my head falling (which I was prepared for and got used to). It's also harder to hide the loss of eyelashes/brows, and I feel it makes me look "sick". But I'm done now, and hoping things start growing back soon.

    I'm happy to answer any questions you and your wife have. Wishing you the best.

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  • SARxMan
    SARxMan Member Posts: 3
    edited March 2018

    Congrats, star17, on completion of your chemo! 🙏🏻🙏🏻. And thanks SO much for your reply. You’re the champ! We had our “chemo class” yesterday and are scheduled to start this next Tuesday. We were feeling a little overwhelmed with all the information presented yesterday. They say there are some patients who go through it without any major side effects, so we are hoping for the best, but being realistic at the same time. She made an appointment for Monday to get her hair cut short (as a type of transition) then will get it shaved after a week or so. We do not want to go through the clumps of hair falling out. Her hair is long and thick and has been very important to her. We’re bummed that the cold cap therapy is not an option with this regimen. Also fighting with insurance to get her Sancuso nausea patch approved. Ugh! As you say, the first four treatments will be the worst. However, they also said the taxol is not a “cake walk” as you have mentioned. Interestingly, she said she will be wearing some type of ice mittens and footies to help prevent neuropathies during those infusions. This disease sucks!

    THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP

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  • bravepoint
    bravepoint Member Posts: 404
    edited March 2018

    The only other advice that I can add is to make sure your wife drinks lots of fluids during chemo. I am not a big water drinker so drank gatorade, herbal tea, diluted juice and had soup. I also got an extra bag of IV fluids to help with fluids. Rest and nap as much as your body ant to!

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  • star2017
    star2017 Member Posts: 827
    edited March 2018

    Thanks for the good wishes, SARxMan. I did also have long hair (tho not thick) before this whole thing started. I did a cute short cut before starting chemo and it actually looked really nice (I had never had it like that before) and I think helped me feel just generally better. It also made the transition to shaving it off easier.


    The neuropathy hasn't been too bad so far. I get some occasional tingling/itching in the hands and feet, but it doesn't last for long. I also feel just generally stiff, and am thinking to start yoga in addition to other simple exercises to help feel better.

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  • DxAt37
    DxAt37 Member Posts: 52
    edited April 2018

    hello, I almost done with my dose dense ACT (4xAc and 4xt). My last taxol will be next wed may 2nd.

    My advise would be to not overdo anything. Keep your hear low and dontgo out too much.

    I started very strong-my first ac gave me nothing but weird chemical taste in my mouth.

    I felt so normal I was going everywhere, including yoga daily, any stores I could think of etc. and then, come second chemo I got a terrible stomach bug, to thepoint where my husband had to take me to get some IV fluids. After that it was downhill for me. Always plagued with something.

    My MO is saying for some reason I am especially difficult case and if most people would have the same amount of SE, there wouldn’t be so much chemo given. So, I am sure your wife will have it easier but I would still be very careful with contacts with other people. It’s best if she won’t pick up any virus or anything during chemo.

    Good luck to you.

    Remember it’s only temporary

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