Hi!
Am also in the ‘October chemo’ section, but wondered if there is anybody out there who has been through TAC (or going through TAC) and has any top tips or experiences (nost of the posts I’ve seen refer to FEC experiences)?
I start my TAC on 17th October, so any information would be fantastic to help my pre-chemo anxiety!!
Thanks all!
Sue x
Hi Sue
While you wait for some replies from forum members who have personal experience of TAC I wondered if you had seen the top tips for chemo section. I thought you may find some useful information there. Here’s the link
breastcancercare.org.uk/community/forums/top-tips-help-get-you-through-chemotherapy
Take care
Very best wishes
Janet
BCC Moderator
Thanks very much, have had a look now, really helpful. TAC doesn’t seem as common as FEC, so harder to get tips! Is it the same as people who have ‘TAX’ or is that something different?
Sue (Little Bear) x
Hi Sue,
I got 3 fec and 3 tax. Im going to be really honest and tell you that It wasnt good for me. I was really sick on fec but on tac my energy levels were low,I had lots of sche and pains. Didnt sleep because of steroids. Sore heads and I also ended up in hospital being neutropenic for 1 week. You also get bad ulcer and the taste buds take a battering.
Sorry I can be any positive. However ine has just finished and you will get through it. Good luck. Monica
Hi I had Fec T , which is the Taxotere part of your treatment and I was fine during it all. I was never sick and I managed to cope really well. The anti sickness meds should work and if they dont you need to ask the Chemo nurse to change them. Do not suffer in silence. Everyone is so different but drink lots of water before you go for your first session and if you are having the cold cap treatment remember to take something warm to wear and a scarf to wrap around your neck. The only problem I had was my veins and they all crashed , but I took a hot water bottle with me to help the veins. You will soon learn what will help you. Wishing you all the very best. Hugs from Tracy xxx
Hi Sue
TAC stands for taxotere, adriamycin and cyclophosphamide. When you see people referring to FEC-T, the FEC stands for Fluorouracil (5FU), epirubicin and cyclophosphamide, so that part of the treatment has one drug in common with yours, and then the T stands for taxotere (sometimes referred to by the trade name docetaxel).
For me, the side effects (SEs) were much worse on Tax - but as you are having it as part of a combination of drugs you probably won’t be having it in such high doses and therefore may not suffer as much. In any case even people on identical drug regimes can react differently, so often it’s a question of wait and see. If you do get SEs then it’s certainly worth sharing what’s happening with others on the forum as someone somewhere is bound to have coped with the same things and may be able to give you tips on dealing with them - and that will reduce your anxiety. As Tracy said, if you do get SEs, don’t suffer in silence - tell your onc or GP as they may be able to prescribe things to help - don’t feel bad about ‘bothering’ them.
Good luck with it all - the time will pass faster than you think.
Sara x
Thanks for all the honest comments! I can see it’s going to be tough, but great to know that there are people out there who have got through it!! Will let you know how I get on after next Wednesday!
Thanks again, it means a lot.
Sue (Little Bear) xx
Hi, I am having 6 x tac and agree, most people on the forums seem to have FEC. I have found that the worst side effects are fatigue and loss of taste. My hair has fallen out and my mouth has been very sore at times. Constipation has been a constant problem and I have had some tingling/loss of feeling in my fingers and feet. I have had one infection for which I did end up in hospital for a few nights. Saying all that, I have had more good days than bad days! I haven’t worked since starting chemo and have found that the first week after chemo I don’t plan anything and spend most of the time sleeping/reading/watching television. After that my energy gradually returns and during the last week before the next chemo I feel nearly normal. I am having my last tac next Friday and will be glad to finish but it really isn’t that bad and you can have ‘normal times’ during treatment. Best of luck for Wednesday.
Karen
Hi Sue.
Ive had 3 FEC and 3 TAC. Mine experience seems similar to Karen. 3days after the treatment I took to my bed with bad leg pains. This only lasted for 3 days. It wasn’t a good time. Watched a lot of films and read a lot of books. Ended up in hospital with chest infection after last dose. Finger are dreadful but lucky not lost any. Used cuticle oil on toes and fingers daily and kept them really short. Used lots of hand and body lotion too. Not sure if all this saved the nails but felt there was no harm in doing it. There were more goods days than bad! Good luck with your treatment.
Dorothy x
Hi Karen and Dorothy, nearly made me cry (in a good way!!) to find people in the same boat and willing to share their experiences! Really encouraging to hear that there were more good days than bad! Am stocked up on DVDs (my son’s girlfriend bought 20 old Disney films over this week-end, which I’m sure will just hit the spot!!), hand cream, foot cream and boat loads of ginger products!! On countdown to Wednesday now … thanks SO much! Will keep posting in case others on TAC in the future want to peek in! Sue (Little Bear) xx
PS Karen - good luck for last dose next Friday!! xx
Hi Little bear
I had 6 x TAC finished 4 weeks ago now. It does seem to be less common to be given TAC, not sure why, perhaps I will ask sometime.
I just wanted to share my experience to hopefully reassure you and hopefully make your less scared about it all, I was in exactly your boat in May and was terrified.
I found it not nearly as bad as I was expecting, I found that it hit me on day 3 and needed to spend approx 3-4 days in bed/on the sofa due to fatigue, and shaky legs making me feel very unstable standing up. I also had achy joints for for a few days. I always felt pretty much ok when I was lying down though. I always barely left the house for a week.
Other SEs were dry mouth that no drink or mouthwash seemed to quench, orange juice helped a little. No ulcers though as I was expecting.
I had no sickness only a little nausea for a couple of days (days 3-4) that was easily controlled by anti-emetics.
I had a little tingling in my toes that did not cause any problem at all.
All in all I would say the SEs were very managable, just be kind to yourself and don’t feel guilty about being a lazy couch potato when necessary and accept any help offered. All my SE’s were generally gone by the end of the first week leaving me feeling nearly normal on the 2nd week and completelly normal on the 3rd, so lots of time to do normal things, eating out etc
You learn to live your life in 3 week cycles and plan the nice things on the good weeks.
I hope I haven’t painted too bad a picture of it but I wanted to be honest. Wishing you lots of luck and hope it is over in a flash without too many bad SE’s.
I am about the world’s biggest wimp and I got through it, I’m sure you will be fine
Big cyber hugs to you as you embark on this journey
Lou x
OOOh forgot to mention I had diarrhoea on and off throughout…
Lou!! Thank you SO much, that’s helped a lot! Been to Boots this evening and bought most of the contents of the pharmacy!! Have senacot, but nothing for the diarrhoea!! Oops!
Go for bloods tomorrow, to see if it’s the green light for Wednesday!!
Thanks again, it helps so much to hear of others that have been through TAC. Hope I’ll be as much help to someone when I’m through the other end of it!
Thanks again, Little Bear (Sue) xx
Day 7 of TAC now, and the absolutely worst thing is the nausea for me (even entailed a trip back to hospital yesterday!) - other than that all other SE’s manageable. Anyone else out there had the nausea thing, or have suggetions??
Many thanks! xxx
Hi Little Bear
I have had very little nausea so not sure I can help. I take Granisetron for two days after chemo and domperidone after that if I have any further nausea. Presumably you have plenty of antisickness tablets. Hopefully you will be able to change your medication as you shouldn’t have to put up with the nausea.
You have passed the one week after chemo so I hope you begin to feel better soon. I am 4 days after last tac and feeling wobbly and tired but glad it was the last one - just weeks and weeks of radiotherapy now!
Take care
Karen
Karen, thanks so much for the reply!
Theyngave me ondansetronenat hospital, & I have domperidone (sounds like champagne!!). Nausea much much better though, and feeling a little stronger every day. The strangest thing last two days has been the ‘jelly legs’ & feeling like I’m bambi on ice - but I guess that’s par for the course!!
Good luck with the radiotherapy - how much of that do you have to go through?? Hope you recover well from this last cycle of TAC (I can’t wait to be on that last cycle!!).
Little Bear (Sue) xx
Hi Sue
Glad you are recovering from your tac cycle. Once you are over your first week you will feel so much better. I am day 5 and still feel absolutely exhausted with the wobbly legs. I try to go for a short walk in the first week but it is difficult when your feet don’t do what you want them to!
I have five weeks of radiotherapy so will hopefully be finished by Christmas! The chemotherapy time does go very quickly and you do get used to the three weekly cycles and plan your life around them.
Take care
Karen
Thanks Karen!
I read that the greatest risk of infection in TAC is days 10 - 14, which seems odd as it’s the time you start to feel better! Did you ever worry about that?? I have a son coming home from University with his student germs just as I hit day 10!!
Am pleased you’ll be finished radiotherapy before Christmas, I bet that will be a huge celebration for you!
Sue x
Hi Sue
Snap! I have a son coming home this weekend. No longer at university but just started his first term as a teacher and he always manages to bring a sore throat or cold with him!
I have always started going out more when I feel better whatever the infection risk. I do avoid hugs with family and friends and carry hand gel around with me when I am out but apart from that I have just hoped for the best. The one time I did get an infection I managed to catch it by day 8 of tac and hadn’t been out in the days beforehand so not sure where I picked that up.
Enjoy your time with your son.
Karenx