Newbie alert! First round of A/C complete - a few questions

A good takeaway from this @jtee is that, while it sucks doing it, the memory quickly recedes into the background.

Hi Jtee,  AC sucks - for me I was sick, sensitive and miserable.  My best tips are SILK PILLOWCASE for scalp and heaps of whatever moisturiser you like - I slathered myself in  shea body butter from the Body Shop and rosehip oil.  Best wishes - one day this horrible chemo will be behind you xxx

Hi Jtee, chemo is not something you would recommend to anyone but it is a great achievement to get to the end. I used moo goo udder cream and QV cream for my dry skin . I found I had the same side effects after each round - once you have conquered the first one you know what to expect. My scalp was really sore and I got my friend to give me a no2 haircut ( this was after round 2 and my hair had started to fall out). It made a big difference to my scalp - no more pain. 

Hi Juliet,

I am about a month or so in front of you on this journey. Diagnosed on Nov 10th with Triple Neg BRE Grade 3 (no definite DCIS identified). I started chemo on the 20th Nov so it all moved pretty quickly.

AC x4 dose dense and now I’m on Taxol and Carbo weekly for 12 cycles. Then I’ll have double mastectomy (I also tested positive to the BRCA2 gene) and potentially radiation after that. Although last scans showed I might not need that. Yay.

I found on AC that days 7-10 were my worst days then I’d slowly feel better although I do remember that freight train feeling after my first cycle. Not great. I find each cycle kinda follows a similar pattern (without the train).

I’m only 3 cycles down on the Taxol and Carbo so still learning which are my good and bad days. Seems to be worst day 3 and 4 maybe then slowly better.

AC I had very bad mouth issues; very dry throat and mouth, ulcers, oral thrush. I got the impression from the ladies at hospital that not everyone has it that bad so don’t fret. Nilstat helped with the oral thrush.  I found salt water made my mouth dryer so I’m now using Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash which has helped a lot (and keep on top of the mouth hygiene, use the mouth wash a lot). Otherwise, I find coke no sugar gives me some relief weirdly. I get to have a break from constant dryness in the throat. Thankfully I’m just thirsty on the Taxol and Carbo, no ulcers etc so far.

I’ve also had permanent nausea but found getting on top of reflux helped that feeling during AC (not so much Taxol & Carbon). Also eating first thing and always before you get hungry. Even when the mouth and throat are bad, I make myself eat something as keeping on top of hunger really helped that sick feeling. I’ve eaten a lot of soup.

Drinking a heap of water helps with the dryness and the nausea (as the other ladies have mentioned it flushes the chemo from your system faster). So drink up. I have 3x 1ltr water bottles on rotation. I found very cold water painful though as it constricted my throat.

My skin has been dry and a little problematic so avoiding all added ingredients. I’m using Moo Goo wash in the shower and their moisturiser for my skin. I still have no idea what to use on my head as I have a little hair as I’m using the scalp cooling thing. Hasn’t worked great for me but everyone at the hospital says it also helps with regrowth so I’m powering on with it.  If you find a good head moisturiser, I’d be keen to know what it is.

I was also advised to use dark polish on my nails by my breast care nurse and so far, I’m going ok but I believe I’ll know more towards the end of the Taxol.

Ok, I’ve written heaps now, so I’ll stop but please reach out if you had other questions.

Good luck with everything and go easy on yourself. :smile:

Kel.

Sorry to hear you have joined the club! But on a positive, I hope you find comfort in chatting to us all that have been through this before and like myself who is doing it for a second time. 

Hi @jtee,
welcome to the rollercoaster. 🙃
My tumour (at 22/6/20) was stage 2B, grade 3, large (4cm), no nodal involvement. I chose neoadjuvant chemo route to kill cancer and reduce size, and it succeeded: >99% reduction in tumour. I was able to have lumpectomy plus 3 sentinel nodes removed (7/1/21).
From the first AC I too had a tingly scalP. I obeyed advice not to wash hair too often or blow dry, but my hair still started falling out when onc said it would (14 days after first AC). Prior to that also felt weird like pubes!! I massaged Jojoba oil all over incl. scalp which seemed to protect skin. 

hi @jtee Just addressing your hot dry sunburn like skin issues. I had this as well although it is not a common side effect. Mine was caused by the steroids they give to stop the nausea. I asked them to halve it in the chemo infusion and then I also didn't take the steroid anti nausea tablets they gave me. Yes I was nauseous, but I had to decide between having the burning skin or the nausea. This may not be the case with you and it may be caused by the chemo itself. All of us are affected so differently by these drugs.

I found with AC that the first and last treatments were the hardest (the last one I think because I had had enough).  Are you thirsty or is it dry mouth?  You may want to try some Biotene mouth wash and see how you go but definitely stay hydrated.  Someone (I think it was @kezmusc) said that you count up with AC but then count down with Taxol and that was right for me.  It most definitely is a head game.

Hi @julietwilson,

Sorry to hear of your diagnosis. I had a different type of breast cancer diagnosed in june 2020. Ive had a mastectomy and chemo. I had 4 x ac and 12 taxol. I just finished taxol early january. Im due to start radiotherapy soon. 

Both chemos are challenging for some for different reasons. Ac i found i was more nauseas, and i experienced a few days after chemo breathlessness and feeling very fatigued doing very little. But the cycle is longer and gives you a bit of time to recover. Your hair tingling is signalling it is getting ready to fall but it may be frustratingly slow at first.  I was relieved when ac was complete it felt like an achievement. The taxol started and i had hand and foot issues but these were monitored, i also had mouth issues for nearly the whole way through. Taxol was weekly and not a lot of time to recover and in the end i was counting down till the end. Just as i finished taxol my eyebrows and eyelashes fell out. This was sadder than my actual hair though i do miss having a full head of hair. It is growing back but wouldnt go outside without a scarfe yet. 

Some of chemo is a head game. Its a long treatment and you will find strategies to get through it. It is doable and now that its gone i feel better than i thought i would. 

Hope this helps. 
Michele

Hi @julietwilson, I did the same chemo regime and I held up pretty well, but I was very fatigued by number 4 and spent the following 9 days pretty much on the couch watching a lot of TV. I found I was more tired each time, but that changed once taxol started and I started to get my energy back. I had waves of nausea during AC but nothing that wasn’t fixed by taking the medication and it passed after the third day. I didn’t get any nausea with taxol. You will need to drink lots of fluids to flush the chemo through your system and this will really help. You will feel like you are sloshing with all the water, but it is worth doing. I recommend getting up and moving - even just a gentle stroll for a short distance is really helpful. Ultimately, just do what you can, don’t push yourself too hard and be kind to yourself.
My scalp tingled and did get really sensitive and sore and it was a sign that my hair was about to start falling. A lot of women opt to have it cut really short to lessen the feeling and that’s what I ended up doing. I also bought a great wig and various turbans so I was ready. This is a really personal decision as to what you want to do, but it is good to be prepared. I was lucky as my beautiful sister-in-law is a hairdresser so I had her on standby to help me.
I used MooGoo body lotion and you can actually buy ‘oncology packs’ to help you during treatment. Your skin will be super sensitive in the sun while you are having treatment. I got quite a sunburn sitting at coffee shop in filtered sunlight - reminded me to avoid the sun or to be very careful. Remember to watch your head in the sun as it is going to be exposed and you don’t want to get sunburned. 
I would recommend trying ice therapy on your hands and feet for the rounds of taxol as this may help with preventing nerve damage. You will find lots of great information on this forum. I got the things I needed ready so I was good to go on the first round of taxol. If you can, speak to your nurses about it as mine were really supportive. I was lucky in that I didn’t have any issues with my nails - I did paint my toenails. I had some ridges appear and the nurses always checked my fingernails. The ice therapy may have protected them. 
I finished chemo in May 2020 and my hair is back, I did a gradual return to work in September and I am heading back to work for 2021. I had a BMX in June and completed the reconstruction in December. It can feel like you are on a parallel planet at times, but you will through it. I am wishing you well and please let ask any questions. This forum is amazing for grass roots, day to day advice. M x