Has anyone taken TAC? TC? How do I decide which chemo regime?

How to Decide
I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in Nov. 2009 - Stage IIa, grade 3. Two of 22 lymph nodes were positive for cancer. I had a right mastectomy followed by 12 rounds of A/C (Adriamycin/Cytoxan) and 12 rounds of T (Taxotere). No radiation. I had my reconstruction surgery done on 6/13/2011.

How do you decide which chemo regimen if given a choice? Whichever one will give you a better chance of survival for the longer time in my opinion. When you meet with the oncologist or the nurse to go over your treatment plan you they discuss a HUGE list of possible side effects. You are likely to have some but not all of them. That includes the possible cardiac damage. You can make yourself absolutely crazy with worry/anticipation if you let yourself. I believe you have to throw everything you have in your arsenal at this disease in order to get rid of it. There are a number of women on this discussion board who have worked through chemo. Of course, everyone is different in how they react to the chemo and the nature of their job. Depending on your employer you could qualify for disability or be eligible for FMLA benefits. Other govt. programs might exist that could assist you also (medicaid, food stamps, AFDC, etc.). When I was diagnosed with TNBC I was a stay-at-home mom and my husband had been out of work for just over a year. We were not eligible for COBRA and were paying $1500/month for health insurance. Believe me, I know a little something about financial stress.

I am glad you have found this site. No matter what your issue someone here has experienced it before and can lend an opinion and support. I wish you the best of luck.

IRENE

atiredparent said:

Thanks for the encouragement
I am single and when I say bankrupt I include homeless as part of that equation. Unfortunately I don't feel like it is a risk I can take. No home, no food, no sense in treatment. It is still a hard decision to make because I agree with you in giving it all and it sucks that I may not be able to afford to. The doctor says that neither choice is wrong and only I can decide if the risk of the heart damage is worth it. I guess my real issue is that the Adriamycin (?spelling) would only increase my chance of survival by 5%. Such a small percentage for such a big risk. My chemo will be followed with 33 radiation treatments.

I had 33 radiation
I had 33 radiation treatments after the chemo. If I had had a job, I felt well enough to work. I talked to many women who were working through their chemo and radiation. In fact, one woman would be on her phone handling business while she was taking the chemo.

sending you prayers,

Judy

Gabe N Abby Mom said:

That is certainly a
That is certainly a difficult decision to make, and you have to do what feels right for you. You'll get our support whatever you decide. I did 6 rounds TAC, 3 weeks apart. My dx was triple neg inflammatory bc.

I am curious about why your doctor assumes you will be off work? There are many here who worked through their chemo, only taking a day or two with each treatment cycle. It seems to me that you should be allowed to try and work if you are able...and you won't know that until you see how you react to the chemo (and that's true with TC or TAC). If your doc is aware of your financial concerns, perhaps he can adjust your chemo schedule to shorten the six month time frame.

It also seems to me that whether you do TC or TAC it will potentially be a financial strain. In addition to the resources mentioned above, check with the American Cancer Society, Susan G Komen, and Avon. I know ACS and Komen have programs to help is situations similar to yours (not sure about Avon, but they do lots of bc fundraising too). Does your doc's office have a social worker? Mine did, and they're in place to help you find those resources. Perhaps the center you're working with has programs that can help you too. Finally, have you looked at clinical trials? That may be a way for you to get needed treatment with less cost.

I hope this helps, come back and let us know how you're doing.

Hugs,

Linda

So sorry you have to stress about this
I had 6 rounds of TAC (treatment every 3 weeks)--not nearly as bad as I had imagined. Was it a picnic? No. But, it was doable and honestly, except for a handful of days, I tolerated it very well. I kept as active as I could but when I needed to rest, the couch, my dog and old movies were my best friends.

I know of several women who continued to work through treatment--maybe had their chemo on Thursday/Friday, took a day or two off and then went to work. It may not have been easy, but they did it.

All I know for me was that my oncologist said that we were going to hit this hard with everything we had--and that was enough for me to say, "Let's do it."

I hope that you can work this out financially and physically so that you are comfortable with your decision.

Best of luck to you.

Hugs, Renee

joannstar said:

I had T/C
for Triple negative, stage 1 grade 3, no lymph node involvement. I had 2 lumpectomies (to get clean margins), 6 rounds of chemo on a 3 week schedule (first 4 were cytoxan/taxotere and last 2 were cytoxan/taxol due to swelling in my ankles) and 33 rads. My onc said because I was 58, he didn't was to do the "A" (I'm also overweight--but don't know if that has anything to do with it) because of the possible heart side effects. He also said that the studies gave very similar results for the T/C and TAC in my situation. I was off work 2 weeks for the first surgery, 1 week for the second and 2 days for each round of chemo. I work as a bookkeeper and while I had side effects, it was managable and I would do it again if I had to. I finished all treatment on 4/1/11. I go for my mammo and 6-month blood work this week and am keeping my fingers crossed that all is well. I'm still not back to my "old" energy, but am feeling healthy otherwise.
Good luck,
JoAnn

I had TAC, my infusions were
I had TAC, my infusions were every Friday afternoon, I worked the morning then had the weekend to try and re-coop. I never missed a Monday after my chemo weekend, my body was sluggish and slow but I made it. I fortunately have an easy job and a very caring boss. My work allows me to sit and stand throughout the day, whenever I got tired I just moved to the desk job when my body told me it needed to sit. As the days went on they got easier and easier, I just made sure I got plenty of sleep in the evenings. The "A" drug is hard on the heart. I had to have a mugascan prior to treatment so they could check the condition of my heart. I passed that with flying colors so the drug was given to me as part of my chemo infusion.

Maybe you need to talk with your employer and see how understanding they will be regarding your absenteeism if it's needed. Like I said I missed minimal work, but I know if I had a job of being on my feet all day, lifting or focusing on moving objects I don't think I could have done it. Work with your employer maybe they can give you an easier job on the first few days after your infusions?

I wish you luck and my prayers are with you,
Hugs,
Lorrie

Hard decision
However, I was able to work thru a/c, only off the day of to travel to the dr. 5 hrs and have the infusion. Then used the next 2 days to sleep, be ill and recoup, drove back Sunday nights and worked Monday. I was tired, but I was a single mom and felt I had no choice. Therefore, it was the best decision for me. However, everyone reacts differently. Another gal who was getting it the same time didn't get ill at all. Chemo and its effects are so individual.

I too would talk to your doctor again as the anti-nausea meds are so much better than they were 9 years ago. Whatever informed decision you make will be the best decision for you so try not to second guess whatever you choose!

Prayers,
~Carol

atiredparent said:

Thanks for the encouragement
I am single and when I say bankrupt I include homeless as part of that equation. Unfortunately I don't feel like it is a risk I can take. No home, no food, no sense in treatment. It is still a hard decision to make because I agree with you in giving it all and it sucks that I may not be able to afford to. The doctor says that neither choice is wrong and only I can decide if the risk of the heart damage is worth it. I guess my real issue is that the Adriamycin (?spelling) would only increase my chance of survival by 5%. Such a small percentage for such a big risk. My chemo will be followed with 33 radiation treatments.

I didn't have these but
I didn't have these but wanted to wish you good luck.


Hugs, Jan