I had FEC chemo followed by surgery with clear margins and lymph nodes and was advised by surgeon that next steps would be radiotherapy and hormone therapy (oestrogen+). I visited oncologist this week for what I thought would be to arrange radiotherapy and he told me I need TC chemo now. I haven’t made decision yet and am going back Monday when oncologist has discussed with surgeon.
I’ve been reading side effects of TC, especially docetaxel and am scared to death. It seems like a really aggressive regime. I wondered if anyone has experience, and if it is just them giving you every possible scenario.
Especially upsetting as I thought I was done with chemo and the conflicting advice is not helping me to make decision whether to go ahead.
What a horrible situation to be in. I’m afraid I can’t answer your questions as I had EC and then paclitaxel but you might consider ringing the number above - the nurses are very knowledgeable and reassuring, Alternatively, have you discussed this with your breast care nurse - she’ll know the details of your specific breast cancer and may be able to answer your questions?
The issue of side effects is very contentious - they are obliged to tell us the most common or most severe but don’t provide information on the % occurrence. It’s evident from posts here that everyone experiences things differently - some people sail through, barely troubled by side effects; others (myself included) are wiped out and feel like zombies (I’m told it’s unusual and surprisingly the state of zombiedom isn’t listed as a side effect). 15 months on from chemo, I am still sorting out side effects with my oncologist! The important thing to remember though is that we do get through what at the beginning feels like an impossible experience - for a very good reason. We want the best chance of getting rid of the cancer. I’m prepared to live with my side effects if it’s increasing my chances of not getting a recurrence.
Try to talk to someone who is well-informed in order to get your anxiety level down. Emotional wellbeing is, in my opinion, over half the experience and deserves as much attention as physical wellbeing. Meantime, please don’t Google. What’s read cannot be unread! Google has a way of terrifying us and often is inaccurate, outdated or inappropriate - but it has no way of knowing the harm it does.
I hope you get a reply from someone who’s had this treatment and hope everything goes smoothly for you and is NOT as scary as the leaflets suggest. Take care,