So thats me you and @deb5 all doing Docetaxel. I had a lovely nurse today who said “youve got the worse one out the way” (as in EC) like Deb said one cycle at a time. We are getting there now 
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That’s made me feel better!
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Hey well done @sammy75 ! You made it to the end of the worst stuff. Strong woman 
! Hope you have a good night and the side effects are kinder this time 
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@vizsla_mum i don’t know, they never told me why I’m weekly. One nurse told me it was like having 1/3 of a full dose each week, but when I said that to the oncologist she blew a gasket and said it was absolutely full strength! Go figure 
. What I would say is it completely takes over your life when it’s weekly as you have the blood test 2 days before, then the chemo, then a day of wondering what side effects might get you, then if you’re really lucky maybe 2 or 3 days when you can actually do something or go somewhere and then it starts all over again! Whilst it means it’s over more quickly in my case (12 weeks) and I wouldn’t have wanted it to last longer, it does put the kibosh on your life and week!
I have everything crossed. Thanknyou @sam1204 xx
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Yeah I get that. I had thought about asking if weekly was an option, but I’ll just leave it. Chemo day comes around fast even when your on fortnightly.
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Well done @sammy75. Friday is my last EC. Can’t wait to be done with it. 
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@vizsla_mum ive found it brutal 
hoping to get through this cycle better than the last one xx
I hope your well
I’ll be lurking over here from the March thread to see how you all get on with docetaxel. I’ve just done my 2nd EC today, one more left in 3 weeks then should be starting docetaxel in May xx
You will be fine, this is such a great group when you need a bit of help, I had a wobble earlier and everyone here is so good at keeping me calm
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I MISS WINE! There I’ve said it 
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I’m on my 3rd week of weekly Paclitaxel and I don’t mind. It’s definitely overwhelming for your week like @sam1204 says - bloods + chemo day + side effects can take over the week. However I’m not minding that, my understanding is the alternative would be the 3 weekly but longer infusions. Even with ice gloves/socks I only take 3 hours max. Only 1hr 30 of that being with the cold therapy - I don’t think I could stand longer infusions with the cold therapy.
So even if I’m spending more time on it technically, each individual infusion isn’t as bad I think. They’ve said it’s easier to tolerate weekly, and I’ve found it much easier than EC so far, so it’s a bit of a toss-up.
I think generally on NHS they’ll try 3 weekly as it means less time in the chair/appointments and therefore easier to get more patients through.
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@vizsla_mum me too and I have probably said somewhere on one of these threads that I do have the odd glass even on chemo. I don’t drink the day before, the day of or the day after chemo, and I don’t drink the night before my blood test. But the remaining 3 nights of each week are fair game as far as I’m concerned if I’m feeling ok and I never have more than 2 glasses (always opt for the 11% stuff, nothing stronger). I’ve had the odd half of beer at the pub but I find I’ve gone off that. I know it’s a bit controversial but chemo and cancer aren’t meant to be punishments and 6 weeks in I’ve not found any adverse effects to my approach. Shoot me down but I think everyone has to do what’s best for them, and frankly it helps keep me sane through this mad time of my life.
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