Hi @Mischa,
I found Docetaxel a bit of a trial. I sailed through AC in 2006 but struggled with a new round of treatment this year. To be fair, I'm a lot older and second hand now than I was then.
Given the responses you've already had, I'd say you are starting to get the picture that the great medical standard of 'Everyone is different' rings true. There are some things that you can reasonably expect, issues with your bowels (either concrete or pressure hose and not much in between) and changes in your taste buds. And hair loss. But apart from that, nothing is a certainty. I think a great many of the things we expect are hang overs form the time when chemo was absolutely terrible--pale wane patients chucking their guts up and losing heaps of weight spring to mind. That is not necessarily the case now. The management of the worse side effects has come a long way. Thankfully.
As far as surgery choices is concerned--you really have to listen to what advice your team gives you and then balance that with what you personally think you can live with. Many of us have opted to get rid of the lot, with or without reconstruction. If you think you are going to endlessly stress about what is happening under your shirt, it can make sense to minimize the amount you have to worry about. The jury really is still out regarding the reduction in your chance of recurrence by having more aggressive surgery. Some surgeons say your chances are the same, some say it helps. I had both boobs off, and then got a recurrence in my armpit. Go figure. I will say that, given my temperament, the decision was a good one for me.
Good luck, it's a shitty time, these first few weeks, but once you start to get a plan, learn some of the language and figure out who is who in the cancer zoo, things get a little easier. Marg XXX
