Was wondering if anyone on here has had weekly chemo?? Was this similar to 3 weekly with regard to the drugs and injections after?? Did it have similar side affects?? Thanks
Hi
I had 9 weekly paclitaxels after 3 x ECs every 3 weeks. In terms of the actual treatment, you get the same prep of steroid, antihistamine, anti-emetic etc but you don’t have steroid tablets to take for the next few days as the nausea isn’t predicted to last as long. It’s also a bit quicker at the hospital in that there’s just the one infusion.
Side effects are meant to be less severe. This is the theory. It will all depend on how you as an individual respond to chemo and many here will tell you it’s a lot easier to tolerate. I’m not the best person to talk about side effects as I had everything going apart from sickness! I do remember however that the last 2-3 days of each week were almost normal whereas EC turned me into a zombie. I was able to drive and socialise more easily. I was told I would definitely lose my hair (a buzz-cut by then) but I didn’t. My hair was getting a bit sparse in the last couple of weeks but I still had hair 
I didn’t have any injections so I’m guessing our regimens are a bit different. However, if it is paclitaxel you’re having, stay on the alert for tingling fingers/toes or a tingling nerve along the shin. This should be reported so the oncology team can monitor what’s happening. Peripheral neuropathy is a fairly common side effect and it can last. 15 months on, I still have it - but its early days. They can adjust your dosage to reduce the likelihood of damage.
Hopefully you’ll get some other perspectives but I hope something here helps. It’s all bearable and worth it. AND it’s not long before you are counting down to the last treatment!
All the best xx