I put this in a new discussion thread but realised I should probably have put it here....Hi, Well as the title indicates I'm newly diagnosed with invasive DCIS, starting AC the week after next. I'm aware of side effects but wondering how the first treatment is likely to be - do they get worse with time, is it possible I'll feel well enough to attend uni two days later or is it just impossible to know? Feeling nervous, apprehensive, terrified but also wanting to get treatment underway...Any advice greatly appreciated.

Hi there love. First thing first. So sorry you have to join the BC ship. But rest assured you will feel very supported with the crew on here. Tell us a bit more about your diagnosis. Have you had your surgery yet? And do you know many rounds of chemo you are having? How old are you etc The more info you put on here the more advice you can get from us all. I had triple negative breast cancer (may ‘16) and I had 4 rounds of AC and 4 rounds of paclitaxol 2 weeks apart. I also had left boob off (stage 2a grade 3] so I didn’t have to have radiation as well as chemo. Then I took the other one off as a prophylaxis as my guts told me too. The AC was pretty much the same for me for the 4 rounds. The first week for me was the worst and I felt a bit better from about day 6 onwards. Everyone one here will give you different advice as it truly effects everyone differently. I’ll let you know what it was like for me but please keep in mind it may be totally different for you. And some of the crew on here get minimal side effects like @Afraser And @kezmusc When I was diagnosed I was studying part time at uni too and I had to give it up due to the fatigue and issues with concentration. I was given pre meds initially then was doped up on phenergan and pain relief post for a few days as I had the neulasta injections too post that gave me body aches and pains so I wouldn’t of been able to concentrate even if I wanted too. But the fatigue was the pits. I was ok for a few hours in the morning when I got all my house stuff sorted and dinner etc then I had to rest for the day either in the bath (heavenly) or on the couch I then sorted dinner for the family then crashed after that for the night. My hair started falling out after dose 2. I shaved it after that and just rocked out in bandanas. I was also lucky enough to not have too many issues with nausea either. The paclitaxol was a bit better but I had different side effects such as reflux and neuropathy to my hands. Rest assured love. It was doable for me..... shitty but doable. Does that make sense. Try not to google anything. Take advice from your team, be kind to yourself, delegate when you need to, take help if it’s offered, and trust your guts. Hope this helps. Biggest hug. Margie. Xx

Similar story, here. Had my health check to-do list - then wham! Mine is ILS and was originally thought to be about 2.5cm with no nodes so I went in for partial a few days before Christmas. Path report came back as 4.5cm without clear margins and in the nodes, so back in after New Year, mastectomy, clearance, AC chemo, then it'll be Paclitaxel, radiation and hormone therapy. One of the common themes on this site is of people going along in their life, feeling well and then being completely sidelined by this bastard.

Congratulations @des81. I don't know how anyone does 2 weekly doses of AC - I'm a week out of having had my 4th dose at 3 weekly intervals - that was bad enough. My favourite meal so far to cut through the dead slimy feel of chemo (and nice on the tummy) was spinach fettucine with (cooked) fresh cherry tomatoes, black olives, garlic and topped with basil pesto. The only meal that reminded me that I really did have tastebuds!

Hi everyone, thanks again for all your helpful suggestions prior to my first AC treatment, it was good to have some idea of what to expect and how to manage.I'll be honest though - it was brutal!! I was counting the hours between anti-nausea meds and didn't really start to feel myself again for nearly a week. Good news though is that I do now feel pretty normal again aside from a mild undercurrent of nausea (which is gradually fading), regular headache (also lessening) and a bit more tired than usual. But wow, I was worried there that I was never going to feel better again...I saw the oncologist yesterday and he is going to try stronger anti-nausea meds plus a sleeping tablet for a couple of nights next time as he felt I was sicker than he had hoped I would be, so it's good that they are happy to play around to try and make things more comfortable.Meanwhile I've had my hair cut short and keep waiting for it to start falling out - apparently I have a few more days then it will be coming out. In some ways, as scared as I am about losing my hair, I sort of want to get it out of the way now. I've bought a heap of hats / scarves / beanies / bamboo caps and also have ordered a wig, plus I've splashed out on a bunch of new earrings just to make me feel better. I feel like the first chemo session was the first big hurdle, the hair will be the next big one then I'll just be along for the ride until surgery time. That said, I'm not ready to shave it all off until it actually does start to fall out. My hairdresser is on stand-by to come to my house as soon as I need her (a wonderful lady, she refused to let me pay when she cut it short last week and says she won't charge me again till it's grown back and we're ready to start styling again!).All that aside, as I said, thanks for all your comments, you were all so quick to jump on and share your stories and it made me feel much less alone, I really appreciate it.

Hi @Little Duck. Welcome, although sorry you need to be here. It really is impossible to know how you'll react. I had a different cheo cocktail but the effects do tend to be cumulative. Keep a diary of the symptoms you get, and report them back to your oncologist. If any of your reactions seem excessive to you, don't be afraid to ring your chemo unit to ask for advice. They may be able to offer a different solution.Have you had surgery yet, or are you starting your treatment with chemo?Do a search of the forum under ac chemo, and you'll find lots of threads with useful information.Have you ordered/ received a My Journey kit as yet? I'm sure there will be lots of others along soon offering their wisdomTake care

Newly diagnosed, about to start AC

22 Replies

lrb_03
Member
8 years ago
Hi @Little Duck. Welcome, although sorry you need to be here. It really is impossible to know how you'll react. I had a different cheo cocktail but the effects do tend to be cumulative. Keep a diary of the symptoms you get, and report them back to your oncologist. If any of your reactions seem excessive to you, don't be afraid to ring your chemo unit to ask for advice. They may be able to offer a different solution.
Have you had surgery yet, or are you starting your treatment with chemo?
Do a search of the forum under ac chemo, and you'll find lots of threads with useful information.

Have you ordered/ received a My Journey kit as yet?
I'm sure there will be lots of others along soon offering their wisdom
Take care
onemargie
Member
8 years ago
Hi there love. First thing first. So sorry you have to join the BC ship. But rest assured you will feel very supported with the crew on here. Tell us a bit more about your diagnosis. Have you had your surgery yet? And do you know many rounds of chemo you are having? How old are you etc The more info you put on here the more advice you can get from us all. I had triple negative breast cancer (may ‘16) and I had 4 rounds of AC and 4 rounds of paclitaxol 2 weeks apart. I also had left boob off (stage 2a grade 3] so I didn’t have to have radiation as well as chemo. Then I took the other one off as a prophylaxis as my guts told me too.

The AC was pretty much the same for me for the 4 rounds. The first week for me was the worst and I felt a bit better from about day 6 onwards. Everyone one here will give you different advice as it truly effects everyone differently. I’ll let you know what it was like for me but please keep in mind it may be totally different for you. And some of the crew on here get minimal side effects like @Afraser And @kezmusc

When I was diagnosed I was studying part time at uni too and I had to give it up due to the fatigue and issues with concentration. I was given pre meds initially then was doped up on phenergan and pain relief post for a few days as I had the neulasta injections too post that gave me body aches and pains so I wouldn’t of been able to concentrate even if I wanted too. But the fatigue was the pits. I was ok for a few hours in the morning when I got all my house stuff sorted and dinner etc then I had to rest for the day either in the bath (heavenly) or on the couch I then sorted dinner for the family then crashed after that for the night. My hair started falling out after dose 2. I shaved it after that and just rocked out in bandanas. I was also lucky enough to not have too many issues with nausea either.

The paclitaxol was a bit better but I had different side effects such as reflux and neuropathy to my hands. Rest assured love. It was doable for me..... shitty but doable. Does that make sense. Try not to google anything. Take advice from your team, be kind to yourself, delegate when you need to, take help if it’s offered, and trust your guts. Hope this helps. Biggest hug. Margie. Xx

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Newly diagnosed, about to start AC

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