🌸 September 2026 Chemo Support — Join Together Here!🌸
Starting chemotherapy this September? Whether you’re preparing for your first infusion, in the middle of treatment, or nearing the finish line, this thread is for you.
This is your place to connect, ask questions, share updates, celebrate milestones, and support others who understand the ups and downs of chemotherapy.
Feeling hopeful, anxious, determined, exhausted, frustrated—or all of the above? You belong here. 💛
✨ Introduce Yourself
Tell us a little about your journey:
- Your treatment start date or where you are in your cycle
- Your regimen, if you’d like to share
- A little about yourself
- Or simply say, “I’m here!”
Then come back and keep us posted!
💬 Share, Ask & Update
This isn’t a one-and-done thread. Check in before or after an infusion—or anytime you need support.
Come back to:
- Share how you’re preparing for treatment
- Tell us how an infusion went
- Talk about side effects or questions
- Share tips that are helping
- Talk about good days and difficult ones
- Celebrate milestones and little wins
- Encourage someone else
No update is too small. Whether you share after every infusion or simply say, “Today was a better day,” we want to hear from you.
💞 Ask Questions & Share What You've Learned
Chemo can bring a lot of questions. Ask them here!
Wondering about fatigue, taste changes, hair loss, neuropathy, what to bring to treatment, returning to work, or the emotional ups and downs?
Someone here may have wondered the same thing—or been through it themselves.
And if you’ve found something that made treatment a little easier, please share it. Your experience could make someone else’s day less stressful.
🌼 Celebrate Every Milestone
First infusion? Finished another cycle? Made it through a tough week? Had a good day? Took a walk? Rang the bell?
Tell us! 🎉
The big milestones matter, but so do the little victories. Every step counts.
💗 Support Makes This Community Strong
One of the best ways to participate is to reply to someone else.
A few encouraging words, a shared experience, or simply saying, “I’m thinking of you today,” can make someone feel less alone.
And if you’ve already been through chemo or are further along, please stay and share your experience. Your perspective and practical tips can be incredibly reassuring to someone just starting.
✨ Easy Ways to Join In
- Introduce yourself.
- Share your treatment schedule.
- Check in before or after an infusion.
- Ask a question.
- Share a tip.
- Celebrate a milestone.
- Encourage another member.
- Come back anytime you need support—or have an update.
There’s no such thing as posting too often. We’d love to follow your journey throughout treatment and beyond.
🎉 One Step at a Time
Chemo can feel overwhelming when you look too far ahead.
So let’s take it together—one infusion, one appointment, one week, and one day at a time.
📌 Helpful Resources
- Tips for Getting Through Chemo
- More Tips (and a Shopping List!) for Getting Through Chemo
- Chemotherapy resources on Breastcancer.org
Our Virtual Support Groups are also here for support throughout treatment and beyond.
💛 Ready to Join Us?
If you’ve been reading without posting, this is your invitation to jump in.
You don’t need the perfect words or all the answers. Just start where you are.
Introduce yourself. Ask a question. Share an update. Celebrate a win. Encourage someone else. Then come back and do it again.
Together, we’ll get through treatment.
— The Mods
Comments
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Hello I am starting chemo in September and think this is a great idea to share experiences and knowledge.
I'm post-menopausal and was diagnosed with Stage IA, 12-mm, grade 2, ER-positive (91-100%)/PR-positive by IHC, HER2-negative IDC. Before surgery my doctors didn't think I'd need chemo. Afterward the pathology was less positive with negative PR gene expression (Oncotype PR 3.9, negative). My Oncotype was 26 - talk about being on the decision-making border! I was fortunate that my lumpectomy surgery ended up with good margins despite the tumor location right against the chest wall. The tumor's location, I believe, made it mammographically very hard to find and ultrasounds missed it for probably 3 years too. I had targeted radiation with really no irritation.
Deciding whether to do chemo or not I found the RSClin calculation to be helpful. My 9-year distant recurrence with endocrine therapy alone was 9% which dropped to 5% with chemo. My son pointed out this is a 44% reduction in risk. I did a lot of research on possible negative side effects from chemo and decided to go forward. I'm spending a lot of time now listening to podcasts and analyzing new research on breast-cancer dormancy and late recurrence, including Cyrus Ghajar’s work on disseminated tumor cells; ctDNA/MRD monitoring such as Signatera and trials like DARE and SIGNAL-ER; ESR1 mutation monitoring and early intervention; newer endocrine therapies such as oral SERDs/giredestrant; and trials aimed at identifying and eliminating dormant residual cancer cells before they cause recurrence. If anyone else likes to dig into the research literature I'm looking for "breast cancer research buddies." Doing this helps me feel a little bit in control and like I'm doing what I can to try to get the best outcome.
Passing along a tip my care team has failed to mention: I asked ChatGPT if there was anything I should do now to prepare for upcoming chemo and learned that ASCO recommends patients receive any vaccinations they may need/want at least 2 weeks before starting chemo. Also dental work should be up to date.
Wishing you all the best!
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Welcome, @falcon1goose2! And thank you so much for sharing what you've learned so far. Wishing you the best as well, we're here for you every step of the way!
The Mods
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Hi Falcon! Sounds like you're on top of things 👍 have you been told the chemo regimen you'll receive?
I'm a year out from finishing my second course of chemo and wanted to second getting any vaccinations you think you might need. At 47, nobody through to suggest getting the shingles vaccine (I had chicken pox as a kid, like so many people my age)... one of the weird complications that arose during chemo was that I had a random case of shingles! It's worth asking about if your chemo is one that will tank your immunity.
Best of luck!
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I’m getting metronomic CMF. Was expecting TC x 4 and was surprised to be offered an alternative. Anyone else out there doing it too?
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Er+Pr-Hers- Stage 3a, grade1 ILC. My breast tumor was 9mm, 6 positive lymph nodes, 4 with macro metastases. DMX with expanders in July and ALND in August. Starting 4 rounds TC chemotherapy, hopefully September 14. I still have a drain that has to be removed before they will allow me to do the chemotherapy. I previously had an ALH in left breast so have been high risk for a while. I was on Tamoxifen as a preventative, but it did not work for me.
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@pokegranny, That's a lot in a short time. The waiting is its own kind of hard when you're ready to move forward.
ILC often works this way, a small tumor with real nodal involvement, which is part of why it can be tricky to catch early. And going through ALH, trying Tamoxifen preventively, and still ending up here is a lot to carry. That's worth being frustrated about.
Our Invasive Lobular Carcinoma forum group might be a good place to connect with others who've navigated a similar pattern. Hoping that drain cooperates so you can start TC on the 14th as planned.
We're sending you gentle hugs.
Your Mods0 -
Why get vaccinations before chemo?
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@sconner Doctors generally recommend getting vaccinated before chemotherapy as the treatment weakens the immune system, making people much more susceptible to catching contagious illnesses (such as the flu), and even something as innocuous as the common cold could be potentially serious for someone with a weakened immune system. Getting vaccinated before starting chemo gives the body a chance to build antibodies which offer more robust protection against common infections!
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Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed with ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma) after testing in late July. My subtype is ER+, HER2-, which is hormone-receptor positive, but due to the overall situation, my doctor recommended starting with aggressive chemotherapy first.
I've finally finished most of my tests and got my treatment plan set!
My schedule is Dose-Dense EC (every 2 weeks for 2 months), followed by Paclitaxel (Taxol) for 3 months (either weekly or bi-weekly), and then surgery.
Since this is all new to me, I’m having trouble imagining how tough EC chemotherapy will actually feel. I've finished all my physical preparations, but I’m wondering how best to spend these next two weeks before it begins.
If anyone could share your real experiences with the first cycle of EC—or if you are on a similar timeline and starting around now—I would love to hear from you.
Sending warmth to everyone here, and thank you so much for your support! ✨
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Welcome @hellomomo748 , sorry you're finding yourself here but the company is grand ☺️
I don't know as much about EC chemo, but when I looked up the "E" it sounds like it's in the same class of chemo as "A" (adriamycin) which I did have, combined with the same C. The anthracyclines are indeed aggressive, which means it can be tough on cancer... and on you. However, there are usually lots of strategies to help with side effects -- for example, I got medication to help keep my white blood cell count up, I kept my mouth cold during the infusion to minimize mouth sores, etc.
Others may have more to add, but you may also find it helpful to search this forum for key phrases like EC or epirubicin to read what others have experienced. Sometimes the @moderators can share helpful resources too.
When is your first treatment?
Best wishes!
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Hi @hellomomo748! We know that starting treatment can bring a lot of questions. You may find these articles from our main site helpful as you prepare to start chemotherapy, particularly for understanding what to expect and some of the possible side effects:
Helpful Resources
- Tips for Getting Through Chemo
- More Tips (and a Shopping List!) for Getting Through Chemo
- Chemotherapy resources on Breastcancer.org
Best wishes, we're here for you!
The Mods
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HI ! kks_11 and everyone
Hi, thank you so much for your kind and detailed reply.
I really appreciate you sharing your experience with me.
I was a little nervous because I have decided to receive epirubicin, so hearing from someone who has actually had an anthracycline was very helpful.I didn't know that cooling your mouth during the infusion could help prevent mouth sores. I will bring some ice with me. My doctor also told me that I will receive injections to help keep my white blood cell count up.
My first treatment is scheduled for October 13th.
Everything is new to me, so I am a little nervous about how my body will react.I had a hard time finding information by searching for EC, so I will search this forum for epirubicin instead.
Thank you for telling me about that. It is very reassuring to know that I can read about other people's experiences here.Thank you again for taking the time to reply to me.
It really made me happy.momo
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The Mods
Thank you so much for the warm welcome and helpful information!
My first chemo session will start on 10-13-2026
It’s scary, but knowing there are strategies like ice cooling and great resources here makes me feel much more prepared. I really appreciate this supportive community!
momo
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Hey @hellomomo748, you’re very welcome! We’ll be thinking of you as October 13 gets closer. We’re glad to know you’ve found some useful resources here, and we’ll all be here to support you along the way.
The Mods
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@hellomomo748 glad this was helpful 🫶 your infusion nurses should have lots of helpful tips too. You shouldn't need to bring ice, many infusion centers have snacks and drinks including ice. You might find it helpful to take a tour of the infusion center ahead of time, if that's allowed. You got this!
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Thank you so much! 🫶
That’s really helpful. I’ll ask my infusion nurses about their tips, and I’ll also check if I can take a tour of the infusion center beforehand.
Thank you again for sharing your experience with me!1
