Hi Jennie,
I had the same chemo in the same format as you will be having.
For me, the effects from FEC were nausea, sore eyes, mouth ulcers and fatigue. The nausea was similar to what I experienced as morning sickness, it was helped by eating small amounts frequently. The fatigue was the worst around day 4, then improved with some exercise. My symptoms were usually gone by the second week and I felt normal for two of the three week cycles. So not too bad really.
Docetaxel was different. No nausea but aching muscles, particularly in the legs at night. Had some constipation from pain relief meds. Mouth very dry (biotene mouth wash good for this) which led to oral thrush. I was unlucky and picked up an infection during the second week of the first Docetaxel. Hospitalized on IV antibiotics and had to have neulasta injection to boost neutrophils for the last two rounds. Lots of bone pain from this. I also had some fluid retention and was very breathless on Docetaxel with each dose making this a little worse. Fatigue was relentless with the only relief the days I was on steroids each time. This went away very quickly once I finished though.
Everyone is different and many people find Docetaxel easier than I did. Maybe if I had not got the infection it may have been different? Keep an open mind, prepare for the worst (sounds like you are doing this) but hope for the best. On balance I had more good days than bad on this chemo routine. I hope you do too. Best wishes. Deanne xxx
