Chemo round 3 of 8 over 16 weeks! As I tackle this journey, it is super important for me to be optimistic about the future. I like to think about the next milestone, which right now, is surgery tentatively in June… while also not getting overwhelmed by what’s in front.
Yesterday was a chest x-ray followed by chemo.
Don’t panic at the photo below. I look worse than I feel as there are awesome big windows on the chemo suite. I also took a big nap while I got the drugs!
Talking about drugs, there are lots of before and after meds I take to help control the side effects, such as nausea. Most of these also make me tired, while combined with the fatigue from chemo, can make for lazy days. It is odd to think a little time ago I was ignorant to breast cancer treatment. I didn't know how many different chemotherapy regimes existed. I didn't know about all of the appointments, testing and "side drugs" - nowhere near as exciting as choosing garlic mash or a twice baked potato as your side on a steak!
So what is the regime AC-T? Doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and cyclophosphamide (Procytox) followed by paclitaxel (Taxol). Not to continue and be all science-y (technical term!), but the first 4 chemos are AC, followed by T for 4 weeks. My schedule is double dose - which means accelerated to kick it in the butt (every two weeks)!
If folks are curious about more, this is a good article to explain what each of the three drugs I am on does, the side effects etc.: Chemo Regimen FAQs: AC + T. I am sharing because, as I mentioned above, I knew so little of this until I was the one diagnosed.
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