6 months of chemo please help!

mema1963
mema1963 Member Posts: 18
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi! i am going thru 12 weeks of Taxol once a week treatments. 12 weeks of cytotan, 5-fu, adriamycin mixed every 3 weeks. I have had 1 treatment so far i feel a little tired, bloated some D but not too bad! Does it stay around the same or does it get worse please help me i am nervous. I noticed that most of the women get surgery first and where i am being treated they do surgery last i wonder why!

Comments

  • Marcia527
    Marcia527 Member Posts: 2,729
    #2
    I had chemo first before
    I had chemo first before surgery also. Not quite the stuff you are getting tho. I had 4 cycles once every three weeks of A/C and after surgery 4 cycles once every three weeks of Taxotere. They gave it to me first to shrink the tumors which were very large. Then had to have more before radiation because it was in my nodes too. Everybody is different and it's better if the doctor adjusts your treatment according to your condition. Hang in there.
  • mema1963
    mema1963 Member Posts: 18
    #3
    Marcia527 said:

    I had chemo first before
    I had chemo first before surgery also. Not quite the stuff you are getting tho. I had 4 cycles once every three weeks of A/C and after surgery 4 cycles once every three weeks of Taxotere. They gave it to me first to shrink the tumors which were very large. Then had to have more before radiation because it was in my nodes too. Everybody is different and it's better if the doctor adjusts your treatment according to your condition. Hang in there.

    Thank you Marcia i also have
    Thank you Marcia i also have in in my nodes under my arm but i have not heard anything about radiation yet just masectomy.
  • Mama G
    Mama G Member Posts: 762
    #4
    mema1963 said:

    Thank you Marcia i also have
    Thank you Marcia i also have in in my nodes under my arm but i have not heard anything about radiation yet just masectomy.

    Mema , is your tumor large also?
    I've been wondering how they decide which comes first and I think it's the size of the tumor. Anyone know?
  • mema1963
    mema1963 Member Posts: 18
    #5
    Mama G said:

    Mema , is your tumor large also?
    I've been wondering how they decide which comes first and I think it's the size of the tumor. Anyone know?

    They did tell me they wanted
    They did tell me they wanted to shrink it but that they treat with chemo first, I guess the the next time I see the Dr I will ask why!
  • Lynda53
    Lynda53 Member Posts: 210
    #6
    Hi Mema, you'll be fine
    follow the Dr's orders
    drink fluids to hydrate before during and after
    did you get pre and post pills?
    I also suggest a stool softener, yeah sounds bad when you have D, but also get a laxative, just in case, preventive measures
    I did ok w/foods, cant taste some now but not a big deal.
    Get rest
    that said get rest
    Peace
    Get rest and hydrate
  • Sharon40
    Sharon40 Member Posts: 93
    #7
    chemo first for me as well
    I did chemo first also. My tumor was large(6cm). We did chemo to shrink it. I did 6 rounds of TAC - 3 weeks apart. I did well with most of my treatments - just remember to drink pleny of fluids and try and keep the bowels under control. I would take 4 days to "recover" and then I could function again (although slowly). Taste buds for me were effected right away (everything tasted SUPER sweet). I can drink coffee with no sugar and I loved UNsweetened tea now, he he! Losing the hair I thought would be the worst for me, but as soon as I lost it all, I was amazed that I was not nearly as devastated as I thought I'd be!

    18 weeks of chemo for me . . . seems like a long time when your in it, but it does pass!
    Don't forget to TREAT yourself after each treatment - any kind of "special" treat is well deserved!! Good luck and you'll make it!! I truly believe we are only given what we can handle, so trust yourself, you'll be fine!
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #8
    I had chemo (4 A/C two weeks
    I had chemo (4 A/C two weeks apart), surgery, chemo (12 weekly Taxol), and started rads last Thurs.

    The surgeon said that he could not possibly get all the cancer until it was shrunk so did the A/C which really did a lot of shrinking and got good margins. 3 weeks after mastectomy, I started the 12 weekly Taxol. Last week, a week after the last Taxol, I started rads.

    Because of the type of cancer (Inflammatory) and the size it had been, the radiologist had a CT Scan done before starting rads and it came back 'clean' - no cancer there at that time.

    It would seem to me that it isn't where you live, but rather the type of cancer you have and the stage it's at that is the reason for your particular course of treatment.

    We're each unique.
  • Marlene_K
    Marlene_K Member Posts: 508
    #9
    It's doable!
    I was on TAC (taxotere, adriamycin & cytoxan) for 6 treatments, every 3 weeks. I just had my last treatment last Thursday. I got progressively more tired after my 4th, but you are only having 4 so my guess is you will do fine. I had mine after surgery and my tumor was huge. It was estimated at 5cm before surgery and told it was 7cm after. There was initial concern that it may have been attached to the muscle which would have changed the plan and I would've had to have chemo before to get it away from the wall. I'm curious to learn what you find out.

    Please keep posting! You will be AMAZED at what these wonderful women & men can do for you and time will FLY by!
  • scout5000
    scout5000 Member Posts: 94 Member
    #10
    chemo first
    I have read that some oncologists choose to do chemo first so they can determine if the chemo effectively kills the cancer cells. If the tumor doesn't shrink, then they can switch to a different cocktail. Best wishes.

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