What are things I need to know before I start AC Chemo?

OK, so my treatment was in the reverse. I had AC first (dose dense) and the Taxol after that. I tolerated the AC extremely well...moderate side effects of stomach upset and fatigue for only 36 hours, 2 days after the infusion. I used the Neulasta patch every time, and no problems with low blood counts. When the Taxol rolled around I had intermittent (temporary) neuropathy and tinnitis (again, temporary). I kept up my work schedule (two jobs) throughout. Not sure what the ice packs are for, but I found the Taxol to be a bit more difficult to manage, but here again, all was temporary and shortly after I was off it, side effects went away. Moved on to 6 weeks of radiation after that, again with no problems (and it was the left side).

Hi,
I found taxol harder than a.c. but ask your team how to prepare. I was told to put udder cream on my nails all the time, keep hydrated, tiredness is part of this. They should give you pills before treatment and a few days of pills for nausea. There is a recipe to keep from getting mouth sores, salt and baking soda. I had an injection the day after chemo to keep my white blood cells up.
Thinking of you and sending hugs.

Hi Journey: I had the same course of treatment as you’re having. I did not ice my hands/feet with Taxol so I would ask your infusion staff for any additional suggestions.

Again, it’s important to stay hydrated and do some light stretching and movement when you can throughout your treatment. Eat what you can but try to get some protein in your diet.

I would say the best suggestion is to stay proactive and take your anti nausea medication on time even though you may feel okay.

My worst days were on days 2-3 when I felt like I had a mild case of the flu. Eat what you can and do what you can. I just slept on those days so that my body could recuperate.

After day three, I felt a lot better and started to feel like myself. I had four rounds of A/C which is usually given differently than Taxol as the chemo staff member will sit with you and take the A/C which is contained within an injection tube and will connect it to your IV and will slowly push the A/C through rather than having it drip. This usually takes about 15 minutes.

They should give you post care instructions. Just remember that A/C is one of the best chemo medications we have within our arsenal.

It’s been over four years since and I’m doing great. You will too. ♥️🙏♥️

I was diagnosed with triple negative BC four years ago at age 66. Had four rounds of AC then 12 Taxol, followed by lumpectomy and then radiation.

For me, the AC was rougher than taxol. First round I thought, hey this isn’t too bad! Second round I felt a little worse. The third and fourth were pretty hard for me. I could not have worked or cared for children. Spent a lot of time in bed with fatigue and over all feeling crappy, but you may sail through it. Taxol was much easier on my body. I was still tired but actually drove a couple hours to babysit my young grandchildren after a treatment.

We are all different as you can see from reading these posts. I used honey in addition to the baking soda/salt mouth rinse and was able to avoid mouth sores. Follow the instructions and advice from your infusion nurse and oncologist as best you can and hopefully you can carry on with your life without too much disruption.

The main thing to keep in mind is that time will pass and you will come out the other end of this tunnel! Best wishes to to you, Cindy

When I went through the A/C treatment, I was told to take Claritin on days 2 and 3 to prevent bone pain which it did. I was close enough to the cancer center to go back the next day for the Neulasta shot rather than wear a patch as I'd been told that some patients had a difficult time telling if the patch had activated correctly. I had medication for nausea which worked as long as you got the timing correct. Too much and you can get severely constipated. I generally only needed it for days 3-5. Fatigue only on days 3 and morning of 4.

@dlmdinia - its odd you would mention being told to take Claritin to prevent bone pain - I have seasonal allergies and have always taken an allergy pill daily. I was not told to take anything - I guess because I already take a daily pill. I also had no bone pain. I was shown how to give myself the Neulasta injection - absolutely terrifying the first time I had to do - it was do myself or go to their office to have them perform the injection. I was still working so I had them show me how. It got easier each time I had to do it - but I had to work up the courage to do it each time. I kept telling myself I only had to do this for these treatments. I too took the meds for nausea and would just take a small glass of prune juice for a couple days to be proactive and not get constipated. I got constipated once, then I got proactive to prevent. I was able to work my full-time job throughout my treatments - had chemo treatment Thursday afternoon; worked Friday then spent Saturday and Sunday as rest days then started the new week. My chemo treatment schedule started early Jan. 2022 and my last treatment was July 2022 - I was also fit enough to travel to North Carolina for the birth of my first granddaughter. I took tons of precautions while traveling and while there and stayed healthy enough to finish treatments when I returned.

I looked at that part of the journey as what was needed to get to the stage of the journey so I could put the thought of my dx further back in my priority of things I wanted to think about. I was very fortunate the chemo (neoadjunct - before surgery or radiation) worked extremely well - shrunk my lumps to almost nothing. Except I'm TNBC and BRCA2+ so surgery was going to be a given - unfortunately I also needed radiation after - not clear margins from surgery.