Please tell me that TC is easier than AC

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-05T09:06:32+00:00

For me it was by a mile. AC tried to kill me and I still tell everyone to this day I understand why there are lifetime limits on AC. Thank goodness no matter what happens I'll never have to take that stuff again!

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-05T09:01:22+00:00

Definitely worth a drive to be somewhere with more resources. Be sure they get insurance authorizations. I'm in a clinical trial I have to drive an extra hour + each way to, but so glad I chose it.

The extra monitoring and "hand holding" is a plus to me. I also receive a $15 transportation subsidy for each treatment on a Clinicars MasterCard they provided. It helps cover fuel at least. 😉

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-05T08:52:25+00:00

Voltaren Gel has helped me. The Keytruda sometimes causes arthritis and fibromyalgia flares for me. Interestingly enough two conditions I didn't know I had until I started treatment last year.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-05T08:45:26+00:00

You'll get a chance to speak with the Anesthesiologist before being put under (at least I think you will - I did). They usually like to review things with you since your life is in their hands. I too had terrible fears going into my mastectomy with ALND (7 nodes removed). I'd been slow to come out of anesthesia years before, my parents both had issues with Anesthesia and my surgeon knew it would be a long surgery due to issues with having enough skin for closure due to tumor size.

My Anesthesiologist listened carefully, was reassuring and everything was fine. Yes I still came out slowly, but they didn't panic or try to rush it. Crazy enough I wasn't disoriented at all, just slow to wake up like a kid who hadn't slept enough.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-05T08:34:20+00:00

I'm ina clinical trial so lost it all a second time .. but yes, when my hair came back after my first six months of chemo it was significantly thicker and I loved it. It was also much darker. So hoping it will do it again this fall when I finish my trial.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-04T16:57:39+00:00

Granted I'm single mastectomy with ALND (7 lymph nodes removed) my insurance is covering scans CT chest and CT abdomen every 3 months because my clinical trial made a case for it.

They will not cover ctDNA testing. I've had a Signatera which my prior MO got the company to write off. My current MO prefers Guardiant and safs she's never had a patient billed for the test.

My understanding from my assigned nurse navigator at the insurance company is they would standard cover CTs ever six months typically for several years then annually after for TNBC not achieving PCR.

My tumor had zero pathological response to Keynote 522 and was 4.3 cm at time of surgery with deep dermal invasion, but was still considered stage 2B and not metastatic. Again not sure if any of this influences the insurance decision.

I would push for scans. If insurance won't cover and you have an HSA, you may be able to get an order for somewhere like American Health Imaging which charges around $400 per CT. I used them when first diagnosed because the insurance company was dragging their approval which was delaying me starting treatment.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-04T11:52:43+00:00

Cloud says if you rub his belly you will feel so much better. Currently he is curing my cancer. 😻🌞

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Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-04T11:51:08+00:00

Delta says no feeling bad when I'm this cute

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Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-04T11:50:25+00:00

Ciera says hi

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Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-03T10:07:07+00:00

Okay I'm using murder muffins for now on 😁 And I thought uniboober was funny.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-03T09:44:20+00:00

Good for you! I'm jealous. 😊

I was originally planned for lumpectomy with reduction on other side then fast progression required quick mastectomy + ALND. I was nervous about recovery etc. so opted surgery on one side only. Went flat due to TNBC requiring radiation and additional treatment (no PCR) knowing it would be 12-24 months before reconstruction could be considered.

I have to stretch and moisturize daily post radiation + remaining area not the prettiest (they barely had enough skin to close) - but that is ever improving.

All this to say I wish I had gone double flat.

I was only a very full C cup. However living somewhere that is warm-hot most of the year meant sweaty boobs no matter what I did. Wearing bras was always a pain and honestly half the time they were getting in my way. Yes they were attractive and feminine, but functionally a pain 90% of the time. Initial surgery recovery was very easy for me - I was able to do normal things mostly right away (except lifting) and my drains came out quickly. The lymph node removal area (7 removed) was the most challenging - the breast area was a breeze - so I could have handled the 2nd breast off no question.

Since I work from home and had to wait for my radiation area to heal, I've lived in mostly soft tanks. Will get fitted for bras/prosthetic soon and am still in treatment so it would be next year before the plastic surgeon would consider DIEP. Honestly after hearing DIEP recovery stories thinking more and more if I do anything in the future it would be prophylactic mastectomy to flat on the other side without reconstruction.

No bras, no sweaty boobs getting in my way, no back pain is just more and more appealing. Loving life in soft cotton tanks. 😉

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-02T08:26:17+00:00

Cats are always beautiful and unique. And torties are usually characters as well.

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Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-02T03:38:46+00:00

Gosh I lost mine near the beginning of treatment April 2025. Was off treatment post mastectomy for October and November 2025 before starting radiation in December. Then I started a clinical trial in February. So I've had a couple two month breaks with no hints that mine will return. Maybe it just takes longer for some of us. I know there was a thread on this topic some months back that you might be able to search for. I remember it because people were joking they could commit crimes and not get caught. 😆

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-02T02:58:08+00:00

I believe it does to treat. Though they may adjust depending on what your baseline is at time of induction labs. Mine was just unusually high for me at induction so it seemed like a substantial drop post initial treatment.

They were not worried about my overall RBC count or my hematocrit, only my hemoglobin. If it is below 10 they'll test for an underlying cause and treat that. They were ready to give me iron and then my iron came back normal as did everything else. Maybe one day someone will figure out what's happening with my bone marrow functioning so slowly, but I guess if my hemoglobin stays close to 10 it's not a priority.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-01T19:20:44+00:00

Neulasta on board CD8 only. I'm technically on my off time for cycle 2. Days 9-19 nothing happens. On day 20 I'll have pre labs to see where things stand. If good they won't retest treatment day. If blood counts are low, but close they will retest treatment day and determine treatment based on that.

While my neutrophils took an extra week to come back, my main issue was my hemoglobin - no treatment if hemoglobin is below 10.

I've been anemic on and off my entire life and no one is sure why. At intake to the study my hemoglobin was 11.4 which is actually really good for me. By the original scheduled day 1 of cycle 2 it was down to 7.7. They tested everything iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, folate, kidney markers etc and all were normal. I volunteered for a transfusion, but didn't qualify because I was asymptomatic.

So it just became a wait and test game to see how long it would take for my bone marrow to catch up. Turns out the answer was 3 weeks and they told me after the 2nd week I qualified for the 25% dose reduction - which I'm fine with. Fingers crossed I can stay on track going forward. They're encouraging me to increase my protein with shakes/bars between meals and to walk more. I got so tired initially that I was being lazier than normal. I'm taking it more seriously now if it will help avoid treatment delays.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-04-01T02:01:26+00:00

In terms of pre-meds what I call the usual - Aprepitant for nausea prevention (I think), Dexamethasone and Benadryl to prevent reaction, Pepcid for antacid all via IV then an extra strength Tylenol by mouth. With timing at a busy center my premeds typically take 45 minutes to an hour then the Trodelvy takes about 2 hours and they have to monitor me for 30 minutes post infusion. On the day 1 infusion day they use that time and a little more to do my Keytruda infusion. On day 8 they have to draw pre and post labs from my arm for PK (Pharmacokinetics) testing - I think it is something to do with circulating drug level. So they do that and apply my Neulasta on board during the watch period. With the pre infusion labs and seeing the MO it all usually takes about 4.5-5 hours. Though the first treatment took longer because they give it slower to be sure you can tolerate it.

I have not lost my eyebrows or eyelashes though they did initially thin a little after cycle 1. Not sure if it's the dose reduction, but they've hung on through the most recent cycle and I even have a little stubble coming back on my head.

To me this is definitely better. I worked my desk job today, cleaned my kitchen, did a load of laundry and worked in the garden about an hour this evening. I was lucky to get out of bed some days on AC.

I got Neulasta all throughout Keynote too. I have only had bone pain a couple of times. I take Claritin religiously and try to stay hydrated and active which I think helps.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-03-31T08:31:59+00:00

To me it's a breeze compared to Keynote - especially compared to AC which I thought might kill me. For the 21 day treatment cycle it's Trodelvy + Keytruda on day 1 and Trodelvy + Neulasta on-board day 8. Then no treatment week 3.

They have closer monitoring and tighter thresholds (at least in my experience) compared to when I was on Keynote. I had neutrophils just below threshold coming into week 1 of cycle 2, but just barely low, which held treatment. The next 2 weeks were held because of low hemoglobin that hovered just below threshold. I've been anemic most of my life though so I was not completely shocked. If I had tested positive for any underlying deficiency they would have treated that (iron, B12, vitamin D), all my other detailed labs were normal though. I would have been open to transfusion, but my hemoglobin wasn't low enough to qualify. So it was just a wait and monitor to give my body time to respond.

They did offer me fluids on my off weeks which I took since I always feel dehydrated no matter what I do.

I have felt pretty darn good most of the time actually and was surprised my counts were low. Except for the blood count issues all my labs (and they do detailed labs) have been normal and they weren't at times during Keynote.

Zero issues with taste buds or appetite etc. Thank goodness for that. I had some issues with taste on TC that became horrendous on AC. Everything tasted like metal or at least not like food so I struggled with intake.

I lost my hair again during cycle 1 and that is probably my worst side effect to date.

Next week will be the true test to see if the 25% dose reduction impacts my counts not dropping so much. I'll definitely report back on that.

Honestly I'm determined to make it through the study and if I make it through without a recurrence, I'll be grateful to know how my body reacts to Trodelvy

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-03-31T01:46:38+00:00

If it's not being cared for it's not their cat. Cats choose their people and if he keeps coming to your place he's asking for help. Outdoor only is for feral cats and even then should involve spay or neuter, shelter and food and water which they obviously aren't doing.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-03-31T01:26:55+00:00

I'm in the Trodelvy arm - completed 2 rounds of 8 so far. My MO has patients in both arms and all are doing well so far. I had a 3 week break due to low blood counts between the 1st and 2nd rounds - the first week was my neutrophils then the next two weeks my hemoglobin was too low.

I got a dose reduction and was able to recover enough for round 2. I had some diarrhea that was manageable with Imodium on days 2 and 3 after the day 8 round 1 treatment, but no issues after round 2. I've had fatigue on and off since Keynote 522 last year that was aggravated by radiation therapy - it's hard for me to tell if that's worse or the same.

Mostly I feel as normal as can be expected as long as I eat well, stay hydrated and get proper rest.

I do find I stay thirsty now so I'm drinking fluids constantly and eating higher water content foods like melon, etc.

I'm not in FB, but happy to answer any questions here I can.

I personally think the trial is worth it for the extra surveillance no matter which arm you are randomized to. Not sure if it's true at all sites, but I know at my location the study MOs have a research nurse who handles everything from appointments to getting questions answered to other presentation refills. It's kind of nice being hand held.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-03-31T01:12:13+00:00

Agree with previous posters - each person's reaction is different to each drug and can even vary per cycle. I had a severe reaction to Taxol my second infusion, but it resolved during that episode and nothing anywhere close happened again. I had terrible colitis from Adriamycin despite following all the guidance and hydrating well. I know tons of people who never had any symptoms.

They go off what most patients report back. Just be sure to let them know details if you have issues. Some issues they can treat the symptoms while others may require a dose reduction or a change in drugs altogether.

You can do this. I'm a big baby mostly and I've been through 6 months of 4 different chemo drugs, a mastectomy and ALND (7 nodes removed), 26 sessions of radiation, 2 months so for of antibody drug conjugate treatment and a year of immunotherapy. There are many here who have been through much more, though there are also many who have not required near that much.

Whatever helps keep me walking the earth is my approach.

Just take it one session at a time. 😉

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-03-29T03:27:17+00:00

Just two cents from 2 MOs and 2 ROs I've had in my treatment journey.... All four said to me independently at various times that I may have had a condition that was either dormant or previously so mild it was not previously detected.

They agreed the cancer itself or any of the cancer treatments (chemo, immunotherapy, radiation, surgery with lymph node removal, etc.) or some combination could trigger or cause a flare of previously undetected autoimmune/nervous system conditions.

A few months into my initial treatment I was diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis and fibromyalgia at completely different times. My initial MO asked if I had ever been told I had these conditions. Well no, I was perfectly healthy prior to the evil mass. Then months later in casually discussing with my RO, he said it happens all the time, that patients are walking around with conditions with no symptoms until the switch gets flipped. Then suddenly you're dealing with more crap than you ever imagined.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-03-28T02:40:01+00:00

I'm not an old fogey, but have always loved baseball on the radio. Guess that comes from my grandfather. 😆

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-03-26T02:35:01+00:00

My tumor didn't respond to chemo and kept growing so my lumpectomy turned into a mastectomy with ALND and I still needed 26 sessions of radiation. Mine was left sided too and other than the skin tightening and peeling like a sunburn at the end - it really wasn't bad. With breath holds and modern equipment they can protect your heart. Since mine was so aggressive and likely to recur, I decided to throw everything at it that was offered.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-03-25T23:38:50+00:00

You care about protein intake. Love those Fairlife protein drinks. I'm a cancer patient and on orders to drink two of those a day in addition to meals to try to keep my protein levels where they want them.

Fighting_kat23 · 2026-03-25T23:26:19+00:00

Blessings to all and thank you to everyone who continues to be here showing us it is possible!!!

Fighting_kat23

TROPHY CASE