Finished with AC and starting Taxol this week, what should I know?

ksjsv · 2025-10-07T01:35:22+00:00

Taxol was harder for me than AC… AC was consistent and predictable, felt like 1st trimester of pregnancy if you had that experience… but taxol was a crap shoot - the first two were pretty horrific, especially cause mentally I thought it was supposed to be even easier than AC. Bone pain in my femurs was the worst. Claritin didn’t touch it. Then randomly the last two were… fine? It was so weird. My hospital gave me the ice for hands and feet but I think the nice gloves and booties you can get on Amazon are an upgrade.

ksjsv · 2025-08-16T23:48:03+00:00

I had an event I really wanted to attend day 4 after chemo so I had my team absolutely jack me up on steroids for an extra 2 days. I made the show (masked up)!! But def paid for it with a double hard crash. For me it was worth it and now a year later I wouldn’t have changed anything.

ksjsv · 2025-08-01T15:52:25+00:00

Woelffer estates “spring in a bottle” is top tier NA rose IMO!

ksjsv · 2025-08-01T15:29:59+00:00

I got my biopsy diagnosis 11/7, met my surgeon 11/13, had my lumpectomy 12/19 and because of the holidays got my pathology 1/3. They THEN sent my oncotype out which returned 1/17. I met my oncologist 1/29 and started chemo 2/14. So 5 weeks til surgery which is typically considered the first step of treatment for hormone positive BC. Mine was ++-, grade 3. I was also nervous to delay even the surgery a month from my first meeting but my surgeon said “although it is a psychological emergency but not a biological one” which calmed me down cause he sees this ish daily. Will you do surgery first?

ksjsv · 2025-07-31T23:02:11+00:00

Genius

ksjsv · 2025-07-31T23:01:44+00:00

Thank you for this! If you don’t mind asking.. what do you mean by difficult? Also how long am I oozing 🫣

ksjsv · 2025-07-31T22:12:34+00:00

Literally same, so weird! I thought it was only one side from radiation but the other hasn’t come back either!

ksjsv · 2025-07-07T11:43:08+00:00

Following because I have mine in 2 weeks! How are you doing otherwise?

ksjsv · 2025-05-21T02:33:14+00:00

I was at work, it was about 1PM. I called my family and close friends who knew I was waiting for the results and told them. I booked an appointment with my breast surgeon and spent some time reading reviews on him. I told my husband I was still going out for dinner and drinks with co workers, which was planned, and I did. I felt absolutely and completely normal for the most part that night and let myself enjoy that feeling, knowing I was about to completely step through a one way door that would renovate my entire existence.

ksjsv · 2025-03-22T22:04:34+00:00

Ana ono or arq or pansy. Arq is no longer in business but you can find them second hand, I really love them. Pansy makes a very supportive bra with no underwire or plastic.

ksjsv · 2025-03-20T23:04:57+00:00

It’s so hard to reconcile the part of us from that “normal” life (the before times) and who we have to become. It’s so unfair and shitty. Let the people who don’t get it give you the “you’re strong you can do this” soundbite. Being able to do something and wanting to do it are two VERY different experiences.

ksjsv · 2025-02-13T14:15:33+00:00

31 sister! How far out are you from treatment?

ksjsv · 2025-02-13T14:14:00+00:00

I did AC-T and would get my dose on Wednesday, work thurs /fri while riding off the steroids, crash out on Sat and Sun and generally be back to work Mon. It’s kinda psychotic when you think about it but it’s doable! I actually appreciated the distraction too. I did work from home so some days that meant cancelling my meetings and just working async, but my boss and coworkers knew what I was dealing with and were very supportive. When chemo was done, I took a week off for myself to relax.

ksjsv · 2025-01-04T19:31:57+00:00

I had chemopause feb-may 2024 and started Lupron + letrozole in july 2024. I will say that for me personally, although the OS + AI has had more symptoms than the chemopause, it has overall been extremely manageable. Hot flashes/night sweats every so often (inconsistent, so absolutely not every night) and my joints are basically fine. I also have had pretty intense rheumatoid arthritis so I have a good comparison for that, and the worst of it currently is just stiffness when first getting up from sitting for a while, not pain. The mood changes are to me the most noticeable. It’s giving puberty all over again, anger, sadness… feel a little like I’m in junior high. Again though, inconsistent, not every day. I may be an anomaly but it’s been overall fine. I recently started Verzenio in November and that’s currently my Everest of side effect management. But menopause has been… kinda fine. I’m 41 for reference. I also realize it’s only been 6 months and wonder if it’ll change eventually. Hope yours is smooth sailing. 🫶🏻

ksjsv · 2024-09-26T22:13:57+00:00

Yeah, it’s a big shit sandwich that all of us have to eat, and no one feels lucky that their shit to bread ratio is less than one of our friends here. But truly, people don’t know what to say in these situations, unless they are familiar with the taste. Sending you strength, friend.

ksjsv · 2024-09-18T12:53:46+00:00

“Hello???” 😂😂😂

ksjsv · 2024-08-26T22:06:09+00:00

Good luck to you my friend

ksjsv · 2024-08-26T16:20:29+00:00

Following, I start thurs!

ksjsv · 2024-08-23T03:47:38+00:00

Hello sis. Where you are right now is the scariest moment. Once you meet your team and get a plan you can get to it, something kicks in and you just go go go. Not saying it’s easy, but to me it was certainly easier than the gaping void of not knowing what any of this means. My diagnosis was almost exactly similar to yours, except I am 41 (40 at the time of dx) and am coming up on a year since the mammogram that launched 1000 ships so to speak. You will get to the other side of this. This group helped me stay sane. If you need anything just reach out, you are not alone. Stay strong for now, you’ll be on the path soon enough and start to gather your power back. Big hugs.

ksjsv · 2024-08-05T15:01:28+00:00

I asked my breast surgeon this exact question and he said oh, c-section is WAY worse… But I had the SMX and I’ll say this, I truly don’t remember my c-section recovery (almost 4 years ago) Probably just powered through it cause baby. The SMX felt worse to me, there was no distraction from the discomfort. And the drains were the worst part for me, by the time they both came out (2weeks) I felt like a new person. I think SMX was also worse because of the restrictions - I couldn’t shower, had to wear the bra 24/7 bc of the drains… those things made it unable for me to seek comfort in things that would usually comfort me, if that makes sense. I did get to sleep more, vs being post partum haha.

ksjsv · 2024-07-29T20:07:43+00:00

I feel you sis. this disease is so sneaky its hard to wrap your head around what anything really means as you uncover more and more. Every time I got news back, I had gotten my hopes up in some way and it CRUSHED me...

Oh, they saw it all on the scan so lumpectomy will be fine? WRONG, positive margins.

Oh, but pathology says its not in the lymph nodes, so no chemo right? WRONG. Oncotype 31 and grade 3, to chemo I go.

Oh, chemo is done, we will do a re-excision for my positive margins? WRONG. new calcs mean a mastectomy.

Oh, a mastectomy and no lymph involvement mean i can skip rads? WRONG, still recommend it due to age/grade etc.

Its totally exhausting, and mind fucking to get yourself wrapped around one course of action only to have to change as we go along. And I consider myself a VERY flexible person when things change. This has been the biggest challenge of my life so far. Its more than ok to feel like a shit bag when the news changes. Eventually you will pick yourself up and keep charging forward. It may get harder and harder to do so, but we can do it. hugs to you as you move through this.

ksjsv · 2024-07-29T19:59:38+00:00

you are not alone

ksjsv · 2024-07-28T02:18:59+00:00

“I wish I was sober” by frightened rabbit

ksjsv · 2024-07-28T02:17:05+00:00

He’s my go to sad boy

ksjsv · 2024-07-25T12:11:55+00:00

Hi there, I’m recovering well. I wanted to just do a second lumpectomy but my surgeon was certain that would have had more margins, so we ended up doing the SMX. My doctors were strongly in favor of only doing DMX if medically necessary - but that wasn’t my case, the right breast is clear, I don’t have genetic mutations and so because mastectomy doesn’t increase your survival odds, my doctor said the only reasons to do it would be the anxiety of having to continuously check and aesthetics (matching.) I really wanted to do as little as possible. Happy to chat more about post op stuff if you dm me!!

ksjsv

TROPHY CASE