I am 30 years old and was diagnosed with breast cancer, specifically invasive ductal carcinoma. Before my diagnosis, I didn't even know what that meant. Now I have been forced into a reality where I not only know what it means but my doctors appointments and daily thoughts are filled with other previously unfamiliar words like neoadjuvant therapy, metastases, HER2 and triple negative.

I started this blog in hopes that some of the information I share may be helpful to other young women in a similar situation. Rather than posting my day to day experiences, feelings and progress, I plan to share some of the things I have learned along the way. Being dealt this hand in life at 30 years old brings with it some unique issues and questions. Will I ever have kids? How will this affect my relationships with my husband and friends? What is my long term prognosis?

Through this site you may find that my way of dealing with things is a bit different. I want to be educated about my disease and take an active role in my treatment and recovery. I want to understand every part of my pathology report, what it means, and feel confident that my doctors are recommending the best course of action. At each stage in my journey, I have experienced challenges with finding answers to my questions and ensuring that the medical professionals treating me really understand who I am and why my way of dealing with this disease may be unlike other women. My hope is that people will be able to relate to my experiences, learn from them and find some comfort that they are not alone.

Tuesday, 29 September 2015

Taxol

Everyone says that Taxol is much easier than AC but because I didn't have many problems with AC, I was worried that I would be the opposite (that always seems to be the case with me). Luckily, I did not have a reaction my first infusion.

The pre-medications with Taxol are different as well, I took Dexamethasone 12 and 6 hours before chemo. My infusions were scheduled in the mornings so unfortunately this meant waking up at 3am to take my medications. One of the main side effects of Dexamethasone is insomnia so good luck getting back to sleep. Here is what I recommend:


  • Take a sleeping pill with the Dextamethisone if you have to take it in the middle of the night. I took Zopiclone which helped me go back to sleep. 
  • Eat something small with the Dexamethisone so your stomach doesn't get upset. 
  • Bring something with you to your infusions as they are long. If my chemo was scheduled for 9am, I usually didn't leave the hospital until at least 2pm. I had magazines, an adult colouring book and of course, my family to keep me occupied. 
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