💛 May 2026 Chemo Check-In — Pull Up a Chair, You’re Not Doing This Alone 💛

moderators

Starting chemo this May? We’re really glad you found your way here.

This isn’t just a post to read—it’s a space to land, to talk, and to be understood by people who truly get it. 💛

Chemo brings a lot with it—the build-up, the questions, the unknowns, the strength it takes to keep showing up. However you’re walking into this—calm, anxious, determined, exhausted, or all of the above—you’re in the right place.

✨ First step: say something. Anything.
Tell us your start date. Share where you are today. Or just write “I’m here.”
That one small post can open the door to support, connection, and people who will walk alongside you.

💬 This is where the day-to-day reality lives:
• The thoughts that hit right before your first infusion
• The “is this normal?” moments
• What’s helping you get through the week
• The side effects no one quite prepared you for
• The wins—big or small—that deserve to be seen

You don’t have to filter it. You don’t have to have it all figured out. Just be real.

💞 In the middle of treatment—or already finished? We’d love your voice here, too.
If you’ve been through even one infusion, you have something valuable to offer. The tips you almost didn’t share, the things that made a difference, the honest truths—someone here is looking for exactly that today.

✨ Easy ways to jump in:
• Share your chemo start date or where you are in your cycle
• Ask a question (even if it feels small)
• Reply to someone else—you might be the support they needed today
• Come back and update us as you go

The more people who participate, the stronger this space becomes—for everyone.

✨ We’ll take this one step at a time together:
One infusion. One appointment. One day at a time.
And yes—we’ll celebrate every milestone along the way. 🎉

📌 Getting ready or looking for tips?
• Tips for Getting Through Chemo
• More Tips (and a Shopping List!) for Getting Through Chemo
• Our Chemotherapy section for clear info on treatments, side effects, and questions to ask your care team

🤝 Want more connection? Our Virtual Support Groups are here during treatment and beyond.

💛 Don’t sit this one out.
You don’t need the right words or a full story—just showing up matters.

We’re here with you through every infusion, every question, every step forward.

And we’d really love to hear from you. 💛

—The Mods

clifford9416

I get my port in May 12 and start ny first infusion 13th. Recently dx with TN l. MO says stage 2 but i go on the 7 for biopsy of possible lymph node in arm pit that would be stage 2b. I have strong days terrible ones. Today actually is my 37th birthday and I have felt so mentally down. I am so scared of dying from this and cannot push these dark thoughts out even though I seen MO in Friday and she answered that with No, this is not going to kill you but it will be a hard road. Since I have had MRI and she seen My CT images but not report..I just keep waiting for it to get worst.
will the fear of dying snd leaving my kids ever lighten up?
I have never wanted to start infusions so quickly in my life..

moderators

Welcome, @clifford9416, we're so sorry you find yourself here. You are not alone - the emotions and fears you've described are so common! It WILL get better. Right now, you're in this limbo between diagnosis and treatment starting, and it's hard not to let your worries and fears take hold. It will be a hard road, as your MO said, but one you don't have to travel alone. Please keep checking in, we are all here for you.

The Mods

clifford9416

I have my 2nd round of Taxol, Carboplatin and Keytruda. I have done well this week with day 3-4 being the toughest but manageable. Cooling capping was way better/easier than I expected! After 1 week my tumour is more than half the size..it’s hardly palpable and more ropey dense tissue feeling than the rigid lump I had. I can’t believe this is after 1 round…I keep waiting for things to get worst and harder. Like the other shoe to drop.

thenewme26

This week I finished my second round of chemo after my bilateral mastectomy. I had invasive lobular carcinoma. I thought I had a plan of action after having my first session, but I think each new treatment brings more interesting symptoms. Days 1& 2 were not very good sleeping nights. I took lorazepam on day three and that did help sleeping. Day 4 & 5 are severe bone pain, especially in legs. I am glad I have a walker from last year's knee surgery. I cannot always trust the legs. Day 6 and 7 were irritable bowel days. I am looking forward to calling the doctor's office Tuesday morning to find out what else I can do besides the BRAT diet. I bought a book from the American Cancer Society with recipes for different symptoms. Made the Lemon rice today.

Clifford9416, hang in there. Happy 37th! I am 74 and these achy bones are not happy with the trauma of chemo. I have a port as well and it drives me crazy, However, it does make treatments much more tolerable. I am so glad to hear that your tumor is shrinking. I have very dense breast and the last thirty years of mammograms were all great. I found out that the cancer has been there for a very long time. At 37, you have the gift of knowing early.
Everyone tells us to be strong, think positive, and you can do this. I try to be as positive as I can be but no one knows exactly how we are truly feeling. Just keep taking one day at a time. Breathe and listen to relaxing meditation music. Send positive thoughts through your brain and try to focus on the ending of the treatments and the efforts going into your body to rid this nasty cancer creature.

wishing you the best.

thenewme26

lkissman

Started first TC infusion last week and expect 3 more infusions, following right mastectomy and lymph node removal. IDC stage 1, 1 lymph node affected. My biggest issue that lasted nearly an entire week is the neulasta - bone pain. The pain was awful and I took the max Ibuprofen and that helped, but was still more than I expected.  Anything to recommend besides Claritin and ibuprofen?

Also, I understand TC is cumulative, and am wondering how much worse each session can be, as aside from the bone pain, I was surprised at how I have tolerated TC so far.  Like said above, it was a hard first week, better now, and preparing for heavier shoes to fall. Visualization has also been a huge help.

moderators

Welcome to our group, @lkissman! That Neulasta bone pain is infamous especially when paired with the taxane chemos (like the Taxotere that's part of your TC regimen.) Keep up with your daily Claritin, and try to add in some regular physical activity, such as daily walks. Heat therapy (warm compresses) may help. If the bone pain is really intolerable, ask your oncologist whether it's possible to reduce your dosage of Neulasta. If that isn't an option, switching to a different neutropenia treatment, such as Neupogen, may make a difference. The bone pain is typically the most acute with the first infusion and first Neulasta, and may be lesser with subsequent infusions/ injections. You've got this!

bcnc321

Hi there, I had a BMX 4/2 and started weekly taxol and every third week herceptin on May 12. I'll have my 4th of 12th infusion Tuesday and was curious about hair loss on this regimen.

moderators

Welcome to our group, @bcnc321! As with most chemo regimens, hair loss is expected, and the first major shed typically begins 2-3 weeks after the initial infusion. Cold-capping may prevent a large portion of that hairloss, but results can vary widely among patients (depending on type of chemo and whether it is a dose-dense vs standard-dense regimen, type of coldcap used, fit of the cap, consistency of usage, etc.)

thenewme26

Greetings all..

I, too, had extreme leg pain. I was grateful to have a walker which I bought for my knee surgery last year. I had difficulty walking it was so severe. I used a heating pad on my legs two or three times a day, along with the Motrin and alternating with Tylenol. This second session was not as bad as the first but still caused a day or too of groaning.

I also had intestinal issues for almost six days. I finally discovered that the protein drinks, protein mix and even the bagels I had all contained sugar alcohols! I am definitely reading labels more carefully. My oncology nurse also told me to watch out for whey…. found that in my ice cream.

This is week three. (I get chemo every three weeks.) I love feeling half normal for 7 days. This all seems so unreal. I truly do not like my white bald head. I feel like an alien! Walking by the bathroom mirror at night is scary. I have chemo session 3 next Monday.

I have been working on massaging my scar and the tissue around it. I cry every time. I was suppose to have a bilateral mastectomy with a flat closure. I was totally prepared and ready for it. I had met with the plastic surgeon and it was all planned. He knew that I did not want a flabby scar with breast tissue all around it

After my surgery, I went the next day for drainage checks. I asked why I had not seen the plastic surgeon prior to my surgery. I assumed he was finishing up the patient prior to mine. It was only after that I was informed he was not even there. The breast center does not use plastic surgeons unless there's reconstructive surgery. I was so crushed. I am going to advocate for women's rights, especially with the Cancer Rights Act of 1998.

I wish I had started massaging sooner. I remember doing the scar for my knee fairly soon after it healed. Much easier scar to work with. I will continue to do my breast scars but it really does feel yucky. I am surprised just how much scar tissue is there.

I love reading what everyone is doing. My recovery exercises, walking, massaging, creaming, etc. seem like a fulltime job. My gardening, mowing and other outside tasks are being done by my lawn guys. I pretty much read, do Zentagle, Sudoku, jigsaw puzzles and knitting. I want to go back to my pastel painting but the chalk is perhaps not the best thing to be using until the chemo is done. I use my fingers to create the artwork. I could try using rubber gloves and not smudging the chalk but it's not how I paint.

So, thanks for all the pictures and news. It helps me to know that maybe my life will be semi normal once I finish chemo and radiation.

Rainy again today here in New England, but we need the water. Everything is very green right now.

thenewme26

moderators

@lkissman We're just checking back in with you to see how your next infusions have gone? Has your bone pain lessened?

We're thinking of you!

—The Mods

moderators

@bcnc321 We're also checking back in on you as we haven't heard much from you since you last posted - how are you fairing on your Taxol treatment? You must be getting close to the last few treatments? Keep us posted so we can celebrate you!

—The Mods

lkissman

Bone pain from the neulasta has been mostly the same in duration and intensity for each infusion. There is no option for a different drug or lesser dose.  It is consistent with starting in the legs, then moving up to hip and then ends at the top ribs. I find that getting ahead of it with 800mg Ibuprofen every 8 hours plus 2 claratins per day helps - so long as I keep that going daily from day 1 through the first 8 days.  Hot pads help a lot too.

I see mentions of cold-capping and wanted to share my experience (I am on TC) and see how others are doing.  I have been capping for 3 infusions and while the hair loss was still quite alarming for infusions 2 and 3, people don’t notice it as enough has stayed put so far.  The capping process itself is physically quite arduous for the partner doing it for you - what with organizing all the dry ice and rotating the caps through every 25 minutes for most of the day.  Have people found the results to carry through about the same with their next infusions? 

I was very sick several times during and after my second infusion (allergic reaction to taxotere so treated with max steroids, then a bad cold, followed by a stomach virus), and only had 4 good days during those 3 weeks and felt so down.  This third infusion seems to be going much better and not having all the steroids really made a difference.  Unfortunately, I decided to stop eating anything fresh (missing summer produce!) and my family (husband and 2 kids) have largely gone into lockdown mode as this seems to be helpful in preventing me from getting sick so far.

Wondering if folks are seeing their white blood cell counts fluctuate - maybe mine can increase for my last infusion?  I had borderline enough to get my 3rd infusion on time.

Thanks so much for everyone’s comments and stories, it really helps to read over them when I need encouragement!