After an allergic reaction to my very last EC my oncologist has offered 9 rounds of Abraxane. However he has said if I have a re cation to this then forget chemo and we move into radiotherapy and hormone therapy.
I was borderline for chemo with 4.8 % benefit however Indid have LVI so was concerned. I have had 3 1/3 Epirubicin and all of the C. I have a strong gut feeling to move on and not do the Abraxane. So far I have been hospitalised 5 times and just know I will be the unlucky one with all the side effects this time again.
I am in a dilemma and all help gratefully received
My word what a lot you’ve been through a real tough decision for you I’m not medically trained to give you advice as I didn’t have chemo myself I only had radiotherapy. I’m wondering if you give the Breast Cancer Unit nurses on this site a call they are very kind and understanding, and I feel they would point you in the right direction.
Give yourself the biggest hug for getting this far and I wish you lots of health and well-being going forward. Please keep posting and letting us know how you’re getting on.
I had two allergic reactions to Paclitaxel so was offered Abraxane instead. This I tolerated very well. Apart from losing my hair, the only other side effects were some muscle pain in the first week (controlled by paracetamol) and some mild peripheral neuropathy.
Obviously I am not you, nor am I medically trained. I can only tell you how I found it. My oncologist had wanted me to try Paclitaxel a third time, but I refused, and said I would rather not have chemo at all than have another reaction. The suggestion to call the nurses here and chat things through is a good one. They can hopefully help you weigh up the pros and cons.
Best of luck whatever you decide
Definitely be guided by your team…but my chemo benefit was 3% and i wad told that it was Definitely reccommended at that percentage …my team wouldnt call 4.8 % borderline …maybe it depends on other factors…good luck with whatever you decide
I also had two reactions to Paclitaxel and a hospitalisation, and accepted Abraxane. First infusion gave me shortness of breath, after a dose reduction I had no further problems. I was on weekly infusions for 9 weeks, also after EC.
Wishing you all the best in your treatment and health.
Obviously I didn’t have the Abraxane as my oncologist decided I needed to move onto radiotherapy, however I would say that tiredness and headaches don’t sound too terrible on chemo. I am currently doing an exercise program as part of my radiotherapy and one of the people on it is undergoing equivalent chemo and has also reported tiredness so fret not x
Thanks @newbie half way through as had 3 sessions of EC, I was just hoping I would not feel so bad especially on a weekly cycle. Hope your radiotherapy and exercise plan is going well H x
Sorry to hear you are getting headaches and tiredness, It did get “easier” for me after about 4 weeks and the dose reduction from the third infusion (75%). I had trastuzumab and pertuzumab at the same time, so hard to say if the below is just from Abraxane or a mix.
Besides the shortness of breath resolved by the dose reduction, I am fairly certain Abraxane gave me extreme skin dryness around eyes, nausea/intestinal issues and headaches/general tiredness - last one got better over time - for the skin dryness Vichcy Neovadiol was the only thing which helped and a good supply of movicol for the intestinal issues and ginger beer for the nausea.
Nine weeks passed faster than I thought it would, I hope it will feel this way for you as well and get more tolerable.
Thanks @snowy1 for taking the time to reply. Just had the second one today so fingers crossed this week will be better! I hope that you are well. Helen x
Oh that sounds really annoying and painful! Poor you. I suppose the good thing with this drug is your immune system isn’t plummeting but I would check with oncologist as to whether they can help with easing these symptoms.
Yes I’m going back in tomorrow as my neutrophils were very low so only just managed to have the chemo last week. Hoping no delays this week but will find out tomorrow!
Annoyingly I seem to have earache, jaw pain and headaches so weird it’s very different from the EC!