First Infusion - what to expect?

Annalyn

Hi all. Happy Friday eve.

It's day 3 post infusion of chemo. Had the AC and will be having this every fortnight for 4 total infusions followed by 12 weekly infusions which I believe it will be taxol ?

I know everyone is different but regarding AC I wanted to know how you felt, when you felt the side effects, how long it lasted  and how did you overcome them? 

Thank you all in advance 

Blossom1961

Hi @Annalyn That first chemo is a shock to the system. On day four and five I thought I had the flu and ached all over. This is not common. I had the full gamut of side effects but by day six they were subsiding and by day eight I was ready to be human again. Rest when you can as your body needs that time to recuperate from the onslaught. Try to focus on something else if you can. By the end of the AC you will be tired but feel like you have accomplished. Believe it or not, this time goes fairly quick. I had no trouble with taxol until right at the end when I was really tired for weeks. The Dr can prescribe drugs for most of the side effects so do not be hesitant to ask. Sending big hugs

Afraser

Dear @Annalyn

Everyone is different - I had almost no side effects on A/C (three weekly in my case) to begin with except hair loss, which was expected. No nausea, no tiredness, nothing. After completion of A/C, I got a heart irregularity. No conclusive evidence as to what caused it - I was 67, blood pressure a bit high. Could have been anything, it’s perfectly manageable. With Taxol, I had a slight nose problem, Taxol can be hard on soft tissue so mouth, eye, nose issues are not uncommon. Sniffles, occasionally a bloody nose. I also lost most of my tastebuds! Still no fatigue, no nausea and towards the end of my 12 weeks on Taxol my hair started growing back which was a pleasant surprise. I did get peripheral neuropathy though, which is worth trying to avoid through ice treatment (hands and feet). That treatment wasn’t a thing ten years ago, but mangled nerve endings in your fingers or feet can be a pain so it’s worth discussing, along with anything else that might help (vitamin B helped mine a bit)! Many people don’t get it at all. The nose and mouth problems ended promptly with the end of treatment, my peripheral neuropathy has lingered but most people find it abates too, just not as quickly. Best of luck, the time goes faster than you’d think, once you’re on weekly treatments, count them down! Each week is closer to the end.