Hi all, i just thought id start a group for anyone going through the pembro/carbo/paclitaxil/EC regime for TNBC.
Mainly because im finding the carbo weeks realllllly tough going, especially on top of the weekly paclitaxel and it would be good to whinge about it to others in the same relentless boat.
Have also just been told i cant do this week’s pac because of antibiotics for a chest infection. Im hypothetically disappointed but secretly thrilled to get a break…
Hey @wildthingsare
This is a great idea for a thread as this treatment is pretty specialist and complex as can be its side effects!
I, too, found the fallout of the weeks of the “big three” as I called it to be much rougher and longer lasting than the Pac alone and others in my chemo unit on the same regime reported the same.
It is hard-going doing it every week too. As soon as you start feeling even remotely normal, it’s time to do it again! I have my last Pac tomorrow, which will be week 12, before moving onto the 3 weekly Pembro/EC portion of the show for 3 cycles and I don’t mind saying that I’m proud of myself. And I hope you can say the same about yourself. x
Wow congratulations on getting to the end of this batch, that’s amazing! The finish line is in sight! Is your plan for surgery and radio after the chemo (although i think you’ve had an unusually difficult route this far is that right?)
Ha yes the big three absolutely wipes me out! Ive been basically housebound for six days and on the 7th, im back in hospital for bloods and to do it all again. Im dreaming of the three week cycles and all the recovery time!
Thank you! Yes, I have surgery to follow after this course of chemo is finished. I have previously had a lumpectomy and as my current diagnosis is an early local recurrence, I’m not sure yet if this will be a further wide local excision of the area or a mastectomy. I have been prepped that it could be the latter, but I’m trying not to focus on it too much at the moment.
After surgery I have more Pembro! If I’m reading my consent form correctly, it looks like every 3 weeks for 5 cycles. I’m not sure about radio as it’s not been discussed on this treatment plan so I think that might depend on what surgery I have.
Aw bless you, it just makes you feel really off, doesn’t it? I find it very hard to describe because aside from the definitive side effects you can pinpoint, there’s just this weird “feeling”. I’ve only just started coming round after my last one because I was rough all week last week, then there was Pac again on the Friday, then feeling rough again after that until yesterday really. I don’t know about you, but the heat has very much compounded the issue for me too!
How far along are you now?