💛 April 2026 Chemo Check-In — Step In, Share, Be Supported 💛

moderators

Starting chemo this April? This is your moment to step in and say hello. 💛
You don’t have to carry this quietly—and you don’t have to carry it alone.

This space is here for the real experience of chemo. The anticipation. The fear. The courage it takes just to show up. The logistics, the unknowns, the late-night “how am I going to do this?” thoughts.

However you’re arriving—steady, overwhelmed, or somewhere in between—you belong here.

✨ Don’t just scroll—join in.
Even one sentence is enough to open the door.

💬 Share what’s real for you:
• What’s been on your mind as chemo approaches
• Your regimen (only if you feel comfortable)
• How you’re preparing—physically, emotionally, practically
• Questions you haven’t said out loud yet
• Side effects you’re noticing—and what’s helping (or not)
• The tiny wins, the tough days, and everything in between

Even something as simple as “My first infusion is April 12” invites others to stand with you.

💞 Already in treatment—or finished? We need you here, too.
Your experience matters more than you know. What surprised you? What helped you cope? What do you wish someone had told you? One small tip or honest insight could steady someone just beginning.

✨ Let’s move through this together—one step at a time:
One infusion. One week. One milestone.
We’ll share tips, vent when it’s heavy, celebrate the wins, and count down to the finish line side by side. 🎉

📌 As you prepare, explore:
• Tips for Getting Through Chemo
• More Tips (and a Shopping List!) for Getting Through Chemo
• Our Chemotherapy section for clear guidance on treatments, side effects, and questions to ask your care team

🤝 Looking for deeper connection? Our Virtual Support Groups are here for you—during treatment and beyond.

💛 Most important: don’t stay on the sidelines.
Your voice matters. Your story matters. You matter.

You are not alone in this. You are supported every step of the way—and stronger than you feel on the hardest days. 💪✨

We're here for you!

—The Mods

runningwith2cats

Good morning,

I had my first of 4 TC infusions on 4/15/25. TC is Taxotere and Cytoxan. My circle will be 3 weeks apart. So far I have been experiencing fatigue, taste changes, and nausea. The medicine has been helping with the nausea and baking soda with the taste. I will be doing weekly acupuncture with the help from UNITE for HER, and cold capping. I did icing of hands and feet during treatment. The nurse said I was looked like I was doing more than most people, but I don't know which cancer people she was comparing me to.

I was diagnosed on 1/16/26 with IDC, Stage 1B, Grade 3, TNBC. I had a lumpectomy on 3/16/26. My margins and lymph nodes were clear and my tumor was a tad smaller at .9mm. This did allow me to change the chemo I receive from ddAC-T to just TC with less infusions, drugs and legnth of treatment. I am currently planned to have 15 radiation treatments, post chemo.

My feelings are bouncing all over the place, but I am trying to stay in the moment. Things do seems to be going well enough, in this moment.

#TC:TaxotereandCytoxan

amerli

Hi @runningwith2cats I’m in the March chemo group but I randomly popped in here. I am 11 days out from my 2nd TC infusion. Like you, I have had fatigue and taste changes. The side effects have not been fun but I am thankful that I have still been able to care for my young child and work from home. I rest when I can and exercise when I can, mostly a bit of yoga or a walk on the treadmill. I am also doing 1 session of acupuncture each cycle in hopes of keeping neuropathy at bay along with icing my hands and feet during the Taxotere portion of the infusion. Our diagnoses are similar, so if you want a buddy for the ride feel free to message me.

In case you’re interested, here is an article that my MO shared with me on the high survival rates of stage 1 TNBC. It says stage 1A but that includes T1a, T1b (which it sounds like you are) and T1c https://www.nature.com/articles/s41523-024-00634-6#Fig1

Sending you good thoughts.

runningwith2cats

Hi @amerli

Thank you for reaching out. I really don't understand stages 1a vs 1b. As mentioned, all nodes and margins were clear. I will read the article.

I am finding that the further away from my last infusion that slight increase in energy.

I would like a buddy. TNBC is not as common, especially stage 1. I will message you.

Wishing you ease with your treatments.

floflo

hi everyone, I am BRCA2, I had lobular carcinoma, 42mm, removed by bilateral mastectomy on the 26/03/26, nodes negative. High oncotype of 27 so on chemo now, started TC on the 24/04. I’ll have 6. Then perhaps cdk4/6, and ovariectomy, and AI.
So far I have been pretty miserable - constipation, then belly ache, brain fog, and now bone pain!
I have 3 kids under 6yo so I think for next cycles I need to get better at just asking for help full time with them.
5 to go, we can do this!!!

moderators

Welcome @floflo !

You’ve been through so much already, and starting chemo on top of everything, especially with three little ones, is a lot. It makes sense that you’re feeling this way. Those side effects are really tough, and many people here will recognize them.

It sounds like you’re already thinking about what might help for the next rounds. Asking for more support with the kids can make a big difference, even if it’s not easy to do. People may appreciate knowing ways they can help.

And I love your “5 to go, we can do this.” Some days will feel harder than others, and that’s okay too.

You’re not alone in this. 💛