[Shirley]

Hello,

I finished round 3 of 4 neoadjuvent TCH treatments last week; every 3 weeks. There was some discussion on this board recently about having 4 vs. 6. I think there is some study out there that suggested 4 rounds were as effective as 6 but I would go by what your doc recommends. It is probably not "one size fits all".

My experience is that I feel okay for the first 3 days after chemo but on days 4 and 5 I feel awful. I have my chemo on Thursday and don't go back to work until the next Wednesday. I do not have much nausea (but they gave me anti-nausea medication in case). My ankles and legs ache (it's like bone or joint pain, not sure which), lots of fatigue, bowel issues (not constant thank goodness), and my skin hurts all over like I'm bruised. Sort of like a bad flu. Also, there is something I can't explain but it's like the synapses in my brain are short wiring and I feel dizzy and unsteady on occasion. My heart pounds in my ears sometimes on those bad days. It's manageable (as in not unbearable) although I am too unwell to work on the 2 bad days (office job).

It helps to remember that it will pass--and that it is working to KILL cancer cells. My 9 cm tumor, which I could feel beforehand, was dramatically reduced within days of the first treatment!

My hair started coming out at about 3 weeks. It will grow back, and in the meantime I'm having fun with wigs and scarves. You do what you have to do.

I think most women also have a Nuelasta shot the day after chemo; I take Claritin that day and seem to be okay with it. I understand there can be bone pain without Claritin in the mix. The shot itself is in the arm or subcutaneous fat and I think it hurts like crazy (I'm like a little kid when it comes to needles though!). It helps if you relax your arm and the nurse injects it SLOWLY. This really helped me last time.

I have a bigger problem in my mind with the thought of surgery, and never considered chemo as optional, at least at this stage. That being said the usual applies: your mileage may vary when it comes to side effects. I'd encourage you to do the chemo if that's what has been recommended and know that it is a temporary situation, just one step towards getting well. As others have said, you don't don't want to mess around with HER2--just get it GONE.