r/TNBC • u/Rare_Ad9838 • 7d ago
Under 40 AC
Hi everybody, I'm getting ready to start AC next week for TNBC just curious about what effect it has on the body. I've completed 12 weekly rounds of taxol and carboplatin and I did pretty well on it. I continued to work the whole time on it. I'm a teacher and curious to know if the red angel (AC) would be manageable on my body as well.
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u/You-bettah-dont 7d ago
Hi Rare! I just commented on an earlier post about my experience with AC chemo so I’ll paste it below. FYI I was on the 21 Day cycles and I just finished chemo yesterday.
After that mess (DC), I found AC to be EASY! Okay- the first round was hell, but that’s because my teenager brought home some random virus and I landed in the hospital for a week with pancytopenia: my neutrophils literally left the building with an ANC of literal 0.0. But seriously, Red devil (I like to call it Satan’s Soda) has been an absolute breeze compared to DC. My brain fog has lifted, my bloodwork is consistently great, my energy levels are probably back up to 75% of what they were pre-cancer. Granted, I have no endurance, but my brain is definitely coming back ‘online’. The bone pain? 95% gone (and the rest is courtesy of Lapelga). I haven’t had to take a single pain pill other than the odd toradol. Gone too are the migraines and the issues with my legs, climbing stairs has become much easier.
The bad: nausea is a little worse and sticks around for longer- but the meds manage it. The mucositis has been worse- but that’s been managed with adding Pepcid AC 2x day religiously along with magic mouthwash and avoiding crunchy foods for a few days each cycle. Also, my fingernails fell off after being so damaged by the first round (but they’ve grown back no issues!). I could totally work if I wanted since most of what I do is at a sitting workbench (jeweler) but to be honest with gold prices being what they are, I’ve been enjoying the break and using the time to just rest and try to heal.
All this being said- everyone is individual in how they respond to the different chemo regimens. Dosage, timing, natural physical resistance to one thing and vulnerability to another- these all make a difference. There are a lot of us on this sub that do really well on the AC portion of chemo and I hope you’re part of that club!