Birads 5 with calcification
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@scaredme Hey there! I’ve been meaning to check in, but that last AC treatment really took a toll on me, definitely the toughest one out of the four. I dealt with extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and those awful mouth and throat sores. Thankfully, the magic mouthwash helped a lot with that part.
Today was my first Taxol treatment, and it only took about an hour. I’ve heard a lot of people say it can cause neuropathy and bone pain, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can make it through all 12 rounds smoothly.
It actually slipped my mind to go over and compare the plans he has for me to prevent recurrence. We ended up spending a lot of time talking about dieting and why he doesn’t want me on any weight loss medications during treatment. Then, when he brought up that I would need another PET scan before surgery, I completely lost my marbles. that part of this journey always gets to me. The scans just give me so much anxiety.
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@lisa8228
I am so sorry that your last AC was so bad, but at least you could be comforted in that it was your last of that type.
I had neuropathy with Taxol, though it went away after I finished. I don't specifically remember bone pain, but I did have chronic dry eyes that I have held onto, unfortunately. I had to go on steriod drops for them during treatment and have transitioned to Restasis for long term use. Overall, Taxol was much easier for me. I had good blood counts and was able to stop steriods and the Neulasta shots. I also didn't have any nausea or food aversions.
That stinks that you have to have another PET scan. I 100% understand how scary that is. They are probably trying to see how the chemo worked so that that they know what to expect in surgery. Try not to think about it. It is so unlikely that your Cancer became metastatic during such an aggressive course of chemo.
Once you feel better, I 100% recommend starting a walking regimen. I've been doing it for years and it has definitely helped me to control my weight. There are also studies that it helps keep Cancer from coming back.
Hope you are feeling well today.. You are technically more than half way done!!
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@scaredme So far, so good with the Taxol! I’ve actually been feeling much better than I expected. I was able to get a lot done around the house this week, things I’d been wanting to do but just didn’t have the energy for during AC.
My mom promised to come clean every week during chemo, but she only made it that first week. 😂 I’m still grateful though! I’ve mostly been just “cleaning up” to the best of my ability, and since I’ve managed to keep up with the basics, I think she figured I didn’t really need the help. Still, I’m used to my home being spotless, so not being able to deep clean for a while was really bothering me.
Yesterday, I finally felt good enough to give my place a full top to bottom cleaning! I even did some yard work and started putting up Halloween decorations outside. I woke up with a slight headache today, but honestly, I still feel the best I’ve felt in the last two months.
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That's so great that you feel better on the Taxol. That was my experience as well, though I received 4 dose dense infusions just like the AC. I did find that the weird symptoms accumulated over time though.. Do they do your blood counts every time you go? If you find them to be within normal range and you do not have any allergic reactions, you also may want to inquire about dropping the steriods and Neulasta shots.
It is hard to believe that I started this journey more than 5 years ago. The experience has stayed with me like no other. Soon you will be on the other side of it, too. Isn't it so true that chemo is not like they portray in the movies?
Hope you enjoy your holiday weekend. My husband is a riot.. He plans a big Columbus Day dinner every year with family and we are expecting 20 people tonight. He does a speech and even dresses up in costume. He claimed the holiday 7 years ago; Apparently my mom and my sister and I had already grabbed the other holidays and he was pulling this one of of the trash for his own.. It has rapidly become the favorite holiday of the family.. Hope it goes off smoothly!
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@scaredme It never occurred to me to put your own twist on an established holiday but your husband claiming Columbus Day has me both impressed and amused. I’m also curious about the menu and activities, if any, please feel free to share more.
@lisat8228 I have steroids as premeds, so I only cleaned the day after my infusion, fortunately I’m a naturally tidy person otherwise. My onc also said not to diet really, which wasn’t necessary since I lost 35lbs just from chemo side effects. I lost another 85 after brain surgery problems and I now look at extra weight as insurance.
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@scaredme Haha, your husband sounds like a true explorer claiming unclaimed holidays like Columbus himself! 😂 I love that he turned Columbus Day into a full blown family tradition. costume, speech, and all! That’s honestly hilarious and so special that it’s become everyone’s favorite. O how I wish I lived close enough to come join in on the festivities! lol!
To answer your question, yes, they check my blood count along with a list of other things before every infusion. They didn’t give me the Udencya shot the last 2 times I went because my white blood cell counts were already up. Idk why but they’ve never given me any steroids.
@illimae I was really looking forward to losing some pounds, but I don’t think that’s going to happen on its own for me during this chemo. I had a short stretch where my taste buds were off, but that was brief, and since then, my appetite has been pretty normal. From what I’ve read, fat tissue produces estrogen, so keeping a healthy weight is especially important for estrogen driven breast cancer. If I really want to lower my risk of recurrence, I know I’ll have to be intentional about losing weight once treatment wraps up.0 -
Y’all, this Taxol has been making me sleep! Not tired, fatigued, or exhausted, just taking extra naps these past few days. 🤨 My energy is actually good when I’m up, unlike with AC, which had me feeling groggy and drained all day. Lately, I just need one good “booster nap” a day. During my last appointment with my oncologist, he mentioned sleepiness had been common for a few of his patients.
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How is Taxol going for you?
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Hi @lisat8228
I'm from Austria and had the same classification on 16/07/2025
Startet chemo in Taxol on 08/08
Now on EC (like AC).
With the taxol ist was the same for me 2hour of full energy than so tired that I had to go to couch immediately 😅
Sometimes for just 15min sometimes for 2hours.
The the energy was back.
I'm39 years old.
With taxol its standard to get befor the chemo a stetoide infusion.
So I was high the day after chemo (but no sleep the day before!),
And on the 2nd and sometimes also the 3rd day I was a little bit more tired, but afterwards it was better till the next chemo.
I got 11times taxol (1 treatment I had to skip because of an infect..)
Since Thursday this week I got EC and yesterday my first Neuladta too… premeditated... I'm not happy with it because with Taxol my blood was always in the norm and I would have preferred to wait and see what effects the EC causes. And than, in case of evidence to start a blood treatment....
But I can sooo feel with you - I read all your comments till July and also for me the waitig was horror (my fist tasting the tumor was on 26/05 my ultrasound/mammography on 01/07 and than all of the staging. I was also birads 5. Now I'm between 3/4
MRT showed also supposed tumor in my breastbone but Szinti not... Than the wanted to do PET CT too but I had CT from Abdomen ecc before and my oncologist said that for the treatment it will make no difference…so I denied it.
But now the end is near! 6 weeks (hopefully!) left for me.
On 22/12 I have my next MRI.
Mri befor Ec on tuesday showed a reduction of my tumor from 5 to 2,6cm after taxol and no more lymphnodes infected.
My family prayes a lot for me and about 60 friends - believers - that helps me. Otherwise I don't now how I can survive this...
Knowing that God has everything in control is the best calming for me.
And as you wrote: I was so down after the diagnosis that I didn't do any sport for 3months. With chemo I started with walking and now trying to do every 2nd day some Pilates.
Sry for the long post 😅
Its one of my no-sleep nights…
All the best for you.
Wish you Gods blessings and send you Psalm 46
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Hi @triplepositive5 , and welcome to the BCO community! Thank you for sharing your story. You might find our Triple-Negative Breast Cancer forum helpful, and also, feel free to join our Starting Chemo August 2025 support thread to meet others going through similar experiences at the same time and share tips and encouragement.
We’re glad you’re here and look forward to hearing how you’re doing. 😊
The Mods
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how are you ladies doing? I read this whole thread this evening. Recently diagnosed and enjoyed your supportive words to each other!
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Hey ladies… I know I haven’t been on here in a while, and I have a lot to share. On October 26th, my 23 year old baby sister and I, along with our kids, my daughter 6 year old daughter and her 5 year old son were in a very serious accident. I was sedated for two weeks. I broke my neck, collarbone, and several ribs. My daughter broke her femur. My nephew, thankfully, only had a few scratches. But my baby sister… she didn’t make it. She didn’t survive the crash.
I spent a full month in the hospital, completely unaware of everything. My family didn’t want to tell me about my sister while I was in that condition because they feared I would give up. They waited until I was home to tell me, and hearing that news shattered me. She was seven months pregnant, so it feels like we lost two members of our family that day.
We were on the interstate heading home from the airport after spending a day in Houston when a tow truck, pulling someone out of a ditch, pulled out and hit us directly on her side. The pain and guilt I feel are indescribable. I keep wishing I could go back and cancel that whole trip.
I got out of the hospital on the 21st of Nov and went straight back into chemo. The nurses at my oncology office were so happy to see me. they hugged me and cried because the hospital doctors had told them they didn’t expect me to survive. My mom told me the doctors basically had to put me back together and weren’t sure if I’d ever wake up or if I’d be paralyzed. I now have a metal plate in the back of my head and screws in my spine. Hearing how close I came to losing my life is painful, but also incredibly motivating.
I don’t usually get too religious on here because I know ppl might have different beliefs. But I’m a Christian, and I truly feel like God has a purpose for me. If He brought me through that accident, I believe He can bring me through this breast cancer. When I first found out about my sister, I told my mom that if I didn’t beat this, I’d be okay because I’d be with her. But now, after hearing everything and seeing what my mom is going through, I want to fight even harder.
I’m struggling a lot mentally right now. I don’t have a car anymore. it was mine we were in, and I had only had it a year. Because I was in the hospital for a month, I came home with nothing. My older sister had used what I had to keep things paid at home. Now I’m worried about Christmas for my kids, and I’m not even sure if I still have a job. It’s just a lot to carry while grieving, especially with the holidays coming up. On the cancer side, I can no longer feel the lump. I had to go back in my records to find which side it’s on because it’s completely gone on the left breast.
Sorry for the long post, but I know I haven’t talked to y’all in a while, and I felt like you needed to know what’s been going on.
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I’m so so sorry you and your family are going through this. I don’t even know how you do private messages (if you can) but I would love to send some gifts for Christmas for your family and your nephew. I have kids similar ages and I just can’t imagine.
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@lisat8228 Geez, what an ordeal for you and such a loss for your family. I glad you shared, I know I was wondering where you’ve been (to hell and back, apparently). I can’t imagine the flood of thoughts and emotions but I wish you a full recovery and excellent luck going forward.
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@maryanne007 Thank you so much for your sympathy. This has been incredibly hard on all of us. We haven’t told my nephew or my daughter yet. my mom feels it’s best to wait until they’re old enough to understand. Surprisingly, he hasn’t even asked where she is. My daughter, on the other hand, asks every other day. She keeps wanting to know when she’ll come home from the hospital or if she’ll be out by Christmas. They still think she’s just in the hospital, and I just can’t bring myself to tell her the truth yet. She’s such an emotional child, and I know it would break her heart.
My mom visited her dad today. he’s in a medical assistance living facility because of heart failure. She usually sees him multiple times a week, so it worried him that she hadn’t been in a month. When she told him I’d been in a bad accident, he cried so hard, even after she let him know I’m okay now. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him about my sister after seeing how he reacted about me.
A lot of people have had opinions about how we should handle things, but we’re still deeply grieving and doing the best we can. My mom decided not to have a funeral because she said she couldn’t imagine burying her daughter. She chose cremation instead and said that when her time comes, she wants my sister’s urn placed in the casket with her. This has all been extremely difficult, and I truly appreciate your sympathy and your kind gesture.
As for direct messages, I believe if you click someone’s profile, there should be an option to message them.
Mom
@illimae thanks so much for you sympathy and well wishes. I truly appreciate it❤️
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@lisat8228 you can only make the best decisions you can at the time. I haven’t told my parents that I have cancer yet cause I think it would kill my dad who had a stroke this past year, so I understand! I clicked on your profile but it says it’s private. If you’re able to click on mine and send me your address, Amazon is my best friend in times of need lol.
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@maryanne007 I’m so sorry about your diagnosis. I read your post, and from one pink sister to another, the truest and most helpful advice I received from this group was that once you start treatment, things do get a little easier not better, but easier to cope with. There’s a shift that happens when you feel like you’re actively doing something to fight the cancer. It was the same for me. I was devastated at first, but after three months of chemo, my mindset has changed tremendously. Im scheduled for surgery the beginning of next year and possibly radiation. I can completely understand your decision to keep it a secret from your parents and children. My 2 youngest is completely unaware and my momma knows. I only told 1 of my friends. The less emotions the easier it is on me.
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@lisat8828
I was wondering how you were doing when we hadn't heard from you. I am so sorry for what you've been through. Don't worry about what anyone thinks of how you are handling this.. There is no playbook and you are doing the best you can.
I am not religious but I am glad that you have your beliefs to help guide you through all of this. Hugs to you.
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@lisat8228, I'm so sorry about the accident and the loss of your sister. It sounds like you had quite the surgery. I'm glad you came through it and your daughter and nephew are OK. Cancer is bad but your ordeal certainly puts things in perspective. How brave of you to go right back to chemo.
If you need a bit of help to tide you over until you can get something more permanent you could try Catholic Social Services. When I lived in Elkmont a neighbor who had lived in Tuscaloosa used to volunteer at the northern branch even though she was a Church of Christ member. She told me it was her way of paying back for the time they helped out with utility and rent money for a month while she was waiting for the local government paperwork to go through after her husband died. They will help anyone even if they don't belong to any church.
You and your family need to handle things the way that is best for you whatever others may think. You are definitely still here for a reason: your kids and other family members still need you. Thanks for letting us know you are still here. All the good wishes in the world that things work out well in the future.
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@scaredme Thank you so much for the kind words. While I was in the hospital, my mom and sister kept my phone from me. They told me it had been damaged in the accident, but the truth was they took it while I was sedated and held onto it for the entire month I was there. They wanted to make sure I didn’t get any calls or see anything on social media about my sister.
I tell my mom all the time how grateful I am that she protected me from that until I was out of the hospital. I know in my heart that if I had learned my baby sister was gone during that time, I would’ve completely shut down. I was already barely eating in there. I truly admire my mom’s strength in being there for me. I can’t imagine what it was like for her to come so close to losing one daughter while grieving another. Despite the drs, nurses, and some family remembers encouraging my mom to tell me at the hospital, I’m so appreciative that she didn’t.
@maggie15 Thank you so much for your compassion and thoughtful suggestions. I will definitely check them out. I’ve thought about creating a GoFundMe to post on Facebook, but I’ve never used social media to ask for help before so I was hesitant. I’m usually done with Christmas shopping by the end of November, so seeing the holidays come so quickly is really making me panic.
I had more than enough saved before the accident, but my oldest sister had to use it to cover November’s rent, lights, and water. Then, when I got out, December’s rent was already due, so now I’m basically back to square one. I appreciate you for sharing that information with me.
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Oh my goodness, @lisat8228, we are so very sorry to hear of your losses; what a terrible, tragic accident. Please reach out to your cancer center's social worker(s) to see if they may be able to offer some resources or recommendations, especially regarding any medically related financial concerns. We're sending you gentle hugs and wishing you and your family comfort during this sad time.
Please, let us know if you have any questions that we can help you with.
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@moderators thanks so much for your condolences and great advice. I actually mentioned it to them today at my chemo appointment. 2 of the nurses there put $250 on a Christmas card and gave it to me at the end of treatment. If was unexpected. It’s hard for me to physically accept anything from individual people, I’m so appreciative.
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