I want to make the right decisions

Terricka, I don’t really have enough experience to be able to advise you about what you should do. Someone who knows more will no doubt be along soon to give you info. I just wanted to reach out and let you know you aren’t alone. Also wanted you to encourage you about chemo in general. I did not do doxorubicin, and so can’t speak to that, but the chemo I did was not as bad as my imaginings of it. It was not a picnic but it was doable. Many people work throughout chemo, and live their lives. Hopefully someone who knows doxorubicin can tell you what it’s like and help you.

These are really hard decisions, so don't push yourself and take the time to make choices you are comfortable with.

If you don’t mind, I’ll share a little if my story. On diagnosis, I was also give AC/T recommendation. I decided to be as aggressive as possible, as you only have one first shot. Like my MO said, I was young and healthy and should be aggressive in hope of the best possible outcome. About halfway through chemo, I could no longer feel my lump. On completion, the ultrasound showed it had disappeared entirely. The chemo did what it was supposed to do. I was lucky enough to get clear margins on my lumpectomy. My MO was so pleased, she surprised me with a cake on the day she gave me the results. I have no regrets.

Was chemo fun or easy, no. Was it doable? Absolutely. I did have nausea in the AC, but it is very treatable. We found the right combination of meds that worked for me, and it helped a lot. The fatigue is real, so get ready for that. But if I can do it, you can. Also, one other bit of advice that helped me. Before starting chemo, my MO told me to forget everything I had seen in movies or TV. That she had the meds to get me through any side effects. And she did. Don’t let what you have seen from Hollywood scare you.

There are so many people on this site who can help you and have a lot more knowledge than I do, but hoping my story might help. Honestly, I’m happy to share anything so feel free to ask anything. I know how scary the right now is for you. I’m here if you need me.

Generally, the younger you are the more the inclination is for your health team to really KILL that cancer and give you a better shot at a good, long life. For perspective, I am 58, and my team is still treating my Stage1/Grade3 HER2+ cancer agressively --- adjuvant chemo for six rounds. My oncologist actually said to me that they would have gone with lighter chemo drugs, except "you're so young..." and they want to do everything they can with an eye on the long term. The word 'young' made me smile. But I took her point.

Half way through, they did a sonogram and found no visible sign of my tumor. If that remains the case next sonogram and at surgery, it will tell us that my prognosis is much better than if the cancer were still there. That's the other reason for adjuvant chemo- to see how your cancer responds to the chems. Tells your docs a LOT. I see you are looking at doing this after mastectomy, so I'm not sure how that plays into a decision or not.

Chemo has not been easy for me. Everyone has a very different road with it, so you might have an easier time. There are some common side effects we all go through - changes in sense of taste and smell, some tiredness.It's been really rough on my gut. But if it means a statistically stronger chance at me being able to enjoy semi-retirement and retirement, and to enjoy my family and my life for decades to come then it will have been well worth it. I worked hard for the years ahead - the scariest thing about being diagnosed with this was the thought of losing them after 34 years of hard work and saving for a future that was suddenly threatened.

You can certainly get a second opinion but your MO’s chemo recommendation is pretty standard for someone with positive nodes. I also was diagnosed young (36) with young kids. My oncotype score was also a 19. I did the same chemo regimen- not easy but doable. Good luck with your decision

AB45, everyone is different, just as you say. My fatigue never kept me in bed. I slept fairly normal hours, but a longer afternoon nap and a bit longer in the morning throughout chemo. (I had dose dense AC, but no T.) It wasn't until after chemo was over that honest-to-gosh fatigue set in. I couldn't walk much farther than down my driveway to the street for several days of it, at the worst of it, my legs buckled when I was out -- late July, very hot out, and I could barely breathe from the heat. On either side of those bad days, there were several during which I was good for a block or 2 of walking before having to turn around and go home. When I was inside and not physically busy, I did okay. In all, the fatigue part for me was about 3 weeks.

AB45...moth and mountain gave you great advice/info. I just finished AC-T 8/5 and I was worried about all the same things you are. My MO encouraged me to drink tons of water, push protein and try to walk daily. Everyone is different but I did very well. I worked full time and only missed work for infusions. My job moved to work from home due to covid which was nice. I did 12 taxol first and then the 4 AC and did fine until the last infusion or two. The cumulative fatigue finally hit me at the end. I felt better 2 or 3 weeks after my last infusion. Take the meds to manage side effects and talk to your MO about any issues. You got this