TAC......Will be my treatment, I'd like info from others

praiseJesus

After my 2nd surgery for Margins and to place a port in next Friday.A few weeks of heal time and then my 1st treatment using the TAC....who has done this kind of treatment....and what are your experiences with it......what can you share to help me...I'm very....very...uptight and uneasy about it all...and scared....can't seem to get my game face on.But I'd like to hear it straight-up.And my name is shannon by the way...I'm from Wilmington,N.C....I'm 43.

CR1954

Hi Shannon...
Hi Shannon,

I am in the midst of my chemo. Two down and four to go, with the last two infusions being Taxol.
The A/C has been very kind to me. Losing hair of course, but otherwise, not suffering much at all. Fatigue is my worst symptom, and the onc has said that it is cumulative...will get worse with each infusion. But, one foot in front of the other every day, and on I go.

Please try not to be so afraid. Your doctors are doing everything in their power to help you, and you need to put faith in them and what they are doing. At least, that's how I look at it, and it helps to get me through it all.

Everyone is different and so, how you will react to treatment remains to be seen. But, rest assured that I am sending good vibes your way! Just remember, be kind to your body while going through this. And rest.

My port was placed on 9/5. It has healed nicely, and you shouldn't worry too much about that. Although, the thought of facing ANY more surgery of any kind, had me bummed...
My surgeon placed the port directly under where my bra strap goes, so it has been kind of tender when I dress, but I am hoping that with a bit more time, I will forget it's even there.

Please keep posting and talking about your fears, as it truly helps to share with others who have "been there, done that". And all of the fine people here are so willing to help! They have calmed my nerves immensely over the past several months, patiently answered my questions and concerns, and yes, even made me laugh about all of this. They will do the same for you.

Hang in there and I will be sending calming thoughts your way.

Hugs,
CR

mjfromtx

I'm doing TAC
I just started the TAC regimen Thursday. It does have side effects so be sure you have good connections with your onc drs and nurses. They can help you but you have to let them know what is going on. As you may hear each person reacts differently to the chemo so what I experience you many not. From what I am understanding TAC is the best combo of drugs to prevent recurrance. They think they got all my cancer with the mastectomy and the lymph node dissection but they want me to do six treatments just to be sure. The most common side effects are neuropathy in hands and feet (see if they will let you take Alpha Lepoic Acid R and Glutamine powder twice a day while you are getting chemo. They also put cold mitts on hands and feet to minimize the effects of neurapathy while the Taxetere is being infused. The thinking is that if you restrict blood flow to hands and feet the less likely you are to get neurapathy in the first place. I am legally blind and neuropathy is a big concern for me since I walk everywhere and use my hands for tactile things. Also, I had severe nausea symptoms five hours after infusion so I made sure the drs knew this so they could get me in to get more anti nausea drugs. I am finding out quickly that I need to speak up when something is not right or if I have any questions. I think that is the big thing. I'ts ok to let your onc team know when something is not right. Hope this helps! MJ

praiseJesus

CR1954 said:

Hi Shannon...
Hi Shannon,

I am in the midst of my chemo. Two down and four to go, with the last two infusions being Taxol.
The A/C has been very kind to me. Losing hair of course, but otherwise, not suffering much at all. Fatigue is my worst symptom, and the onc has said that it is cumulative...will get worse with each infusion. But, one foot in front of the other every day, and on I go.

Please try not to be so afraid. Your doctors are doing everything in their power to help you, and you need to put faith in them and what they are doing. At least, that's how I look at it, and it helps to get me through it all.

Everyone is different and so, how you will react to treatment remains to be seen. But, rest assured that I am sending good vibes your way! Just remember, be kind to your body while going through this. And rest.

My port was placed on 9/5. It has healed nicely, and you shouldn't worry too much about that. Although, the thought of facing ANY more surgery of any kind, had me bummed...
My surgeon placed the port directly under where my bra strap goes, so it has been kind of tender when I dress, but I am hoping that with a bit more time, I will forget it's even there.

Please keep posting and talking about your fears, as it truly helps to share with others who have "been there, done that". And all of the fine people here are so willing to help! They have calmed my nerves immensely over the past several months, patiently answered my questions and concerns, and yes, even made me laugh about all of this. They will do the same for you.

Hang in there and I will be sending calming thoughts your way.

Hugs,
CR

Happy Sunday
I feel Like I am Having to drag myself kicking and screaming...with the dose of hyper fear....through all this and most certainly when I think about my 1st treatment of any kind I will soon face within a month....My insides are screaming NO...NO...NO...I'm trying everything...having a hard time being strong for me....and thats never been an issue with me....What can I do....I'm overwhelmed and hurt that this has even come into my life!!

mmontero38

praiseJesus said:

Happy Sunday
I feel Like I am Having to drag myself kicking and screaming...with the dose of hyper fear....through all this and most certainly when I think about my 1st treatment of any kind I will soon face within a month....My insides are screaming NO...NO...NO...I'm trying everything...having a hard time being strong for me....and thats never been an issue with me....What can I do....I'm overwhelmed and hurt that this has even come into my life!!

Praise: So you had your
Praise: So you had your pity party, now, you're stronger. You've always been a strong person so you will get through this. Remember we are there with you in spirit. Hugs, Lili

chenheart

TAC
I also had TAC. It seems to be the "drink of choice" in waging war on this beast! It does indeed have side-effects, but please know that the "Cure is NOT worse than the Disease"!!
WE do react differently, as some of us experience nausea, but there are many GREAT anti-nausea drugs available. Some, but not all of us, experience mouth sores~ there are soothing mouthwashes for this as well. (I did NOT experience either of the 2 above-mentioned things.)

You WILL 100% definitely lose your hair! It generally starts about your 2nd round of chemo, and nothing you do will stop that. Hard as it is for most of us, I think most all will agree that you need to shave your head soon...your hair will otherwise fall out in clumps and you will be worse than an animal shedding its fur all over your pillow, shower, and kitchen. And, though my Drs never told me, you will lose hair EVERYWHERE you have hair now...NOT "just" your head. Sigh! The good news is, it also 100% reverses itself after chemo...you get all of your hair back` and probably curly hair at that!

There is a lot of advice you will get from us along the way, but I don't want to overwhelm you! For now, let me advise you of two important things: 1) DRINK PLENTY OF WATER! Before and after chemo...you need to rehydrate and flush your system. and 2) Make the RNs your best friends! They are happy to help you, 24/7.

Perhaps the most important thing???? This is YOU, on your journey to life after cancer! Look at your treatment as a blessing...the cancer is not one, to be sure, but knowing there is treatment, it's a good thing.

Keep us posted!
Hugs,
Claudia

praiseJesus

mmontero38 said:

Praise: So you had your
Praise: So you had your pity party, now, you're stronger. You've always been a strong person so you will get through this. Remember we are there with you in spirit. Hugs, Lili

Hello
I wish I could say it was a pity party I've been having...that I could deal with......it's far from that.I'm on the fence about treatment.Thankyou all for your care and input....would like to hear more of your experiences...thanks.

mmontero38

praiseJesus said:

Hello
I wish I could say it was a pity party I've been having...that I could deal with......it's far from that.I'm on the fence about treatment.Thankyou all for your care and input....would like to hear more of your experiences...thanks.

Shannon: I was dx with
Shannon: I was dx with invasive intraductal carcinoma. I had had a mamo on 1/24/07 and felt a lump on 5/5/07 can't tell you what a shocker that was for me. It hit me like a ton of bricks that on my 49th B'day, I got the news that I had breast cancer. What a B'day that was. Here I am 49 yrs old with a 16 yr old and a 14 yr old and let me tell you the news could not have hit me harder. I had to tell my kids and my elderly parents that I had cancer. I was able to tell my kids but I wasn't able to tell my parents and my husband had to do that for me. I can still see their faces and every time I think back it brings tears to my eyes. My dad took it the hardest, and of course, being elderly he got sick while on vacation in Florida. And even though I was a Stage 1, with no lymph node involvement, because they found cancer cells in the blood vessels in my breast I had to go through 8 rounds of cytoxan/adriamycin and 5FU.

What a combo, I was ok the first 4 rounds, and by ok, I mean nauseas and tired but not vomiting. The 5th and 6th were pretty bad. But the 7th and 8th I didn't think I would survive. I guess because chemo has a cumulative effect, it got worst as we progressed. But, I made it. I finished my last round on November 16th, 2007. Because I opted for a mastectomy, I didn't have to do radiation. So, that was my last day of battle with the beast. It will be the most difficult battle of your life, because that is what you are fighting for, your life, but you will make it by the grace of God and you have all of us here rooting for you. Good luck to you Shannon, and keep us posted. Hugs, Lili