TC chemo 4 vs 6 cycles
Hello I’d like to hear from anyone who has had more than 4 cycles of adjuvant TC. I’m coming up to cycle 4 next week and I still don’t know whether that will be it or whether I will have to do more, because my oncologist has been on leave since straight after my first cycle. I’ve had a different oncologist and he has been consistory saying 4 but now is back tracking and saying it will be up to the other one! She won’t be back until early April, just before cycle 5 is scheduled. I am finding the side effects and mental toll very challenging. The uncertainty around how many cycles is playing into this because I can’t give work a definitive answer of when I’ll be back. I’m also a single parent and the fatigue is crippling. So I’d like to get an idea of in what cases would 6 cycles be given? If you had 5 or 6, why was that decision made? And what questions should I be asking of the replacement oncologist at my appointment next Tuesday to get some certainty around the timeline?
Cold Capping and hair loss experience with TC chemo
I went for my first TC chemo session with cold capping on a Paxman. I've got wavy coarse hair, that's not particularly thick. Conditioner and water was applied with a focus on the top of the head. I was expecting a brain freeze but came nowhere near that in the 2.5 hours of the cold capping. I'm a skier so I'm comparing it to having damp hair on the snowfieds. The nurse said only about 20% of his patients keep their hair. I'm now paranoid it was ineffective and am sitting at home with a bag of ice in a large ziplock affixed to my head, which feels colder than the cap. Has anyone had a similar experience with cold cap not being as cold as you expected, but still had reasonable hair retention after that session?
Neoadjuvant PLUS adjuvant chemotherapy?
Hi everyone, As my wife's neoadjuvant chemotherapy draws to a close we've been looking more forward to surgery / radiation, however her breast care coordinator dropped a new bit of information last week that, depending on the pathology of her tumour, she may require additional chemotherapy after surgery. This was a bit of a bombshell, since it's the first time we've heard anything about this being a thing and although the coordinator said that "it's a good thing, since it gives us more options", it doesn't feel like a good thing. We've been steadily working through this process for the last 4 months assuming that we'll get to the finish line and be able close the book on chemo and move on, but now it looks like we have an uncertain pathway again. I'd love to hear from anyone who's had this experience of getting through months of neoadjuvant chemotherapy only to find out that they needed more after surgery. What were the circumstances that drove that decision and what did the adjuvant portion of chemotherapy look like? Was it months of the same again, or a different regime? I get that everyone's different and your circumstances may not be exactly the same, but I'd appreciate any input so we can feel more informed and plan appropriately. Thanks! GeorgeMust-haves for chemo
Hi all. I am about to start chemotherapy next week, fortnightly for 8 weeks and then weekly for 12. There is SOOOOOOOOOO much out there about what it will be like, what the side effects will be, what to expect... but then it is also so much to navigate when one's head is already full! I was wondering if anyone had some very basic recommendations of things that are 'must-haves' or was a 'go-to' for them when they went through therapy. I know that everyone responds differently and everyone would have different experiences, but I guess I want to at least start with a shortlist of items that I can have on hand in preparation for the first few rounds. Haha am I even making any sense :wink: Thanks in advance :smile:
Newbie - not the 2024 I was hoping for!
I was diagnosed just before Christmas 2023 with invasive lobular cancer - a journey that just keeps unfolding. Initial diagnosis scans showed the ILC was 3.3 cm, then MRI 6 cm and the pathology results ended up at 7 cm and another 1 cm LCIS spot in a totally different area. I had two surgeries- a mastectomy and a positive sentinel node, followed with an axilla clearance. I have some cording post surgery which physio is working on. Next week, I start chemo (AC and then Pacilitaxel) followed by radiation and then endocrine treatment. Not what I was hoping for the year I turn the big 5-0. I really appreciate reading other’s experiences, and the Q&As available here.
Chemo caps
Hi All, I'm new here and was carer for my cousin who was diagnosed with aggressive, metastatic BC in July 2021. She underwent many rounds of different chemos and lost her hair three times throughout her journey. I have approx 16 of her chemo caps (she called them 'hats') that I would like to send to someone who could use them. Happy to split them and send 8 in each bundle to two ladies. She loved her 'hats' and would receive many compliments on them. The bottom picture is to give you an indication of what they look like on. So, if anyone would like all or half of these, please let me know 😊
Protecting family from Chemo medication
HI all. Wondering if anyone has some tips/experience for protecting family from chemo medication who live in the same household. Thanks There are some information I found: https://www.cancervic.org.au/cancer-information/treatments/treatments-types/chemotherapy/safety-precautions.html
Oncotype
I was diagnosed with stage 2 in December and decided to have to Oncotype test to determine whether chemo would be of benefit. I'm 44, have 2 young girls and I just didn't want chemo unless there was going to be a benefit. We used my car money so am stuck with my old banger for a while but my score came back in at 20 so the benefit of chemo over tamoxifen alone is < 1%. I am so relieved and overwhelmed - but in a good way! I also feel really shitty this test costs 5k and there are lots of women having to go through chemo when 5k might tell them they don't need it. I'm thinking of writing to my local MP John Alexander for what it's worth but for now while I wait for radiotherapy and tamoxifen I'm taking this great news and feeling very happy :)
