Stopping chemotherapy half way through - what do you think?

Please don't stop. I understand how you feel. I had an accelerated chemo course - 4x EC and 4x Taxol at fortnightly intervals. I felt very ill with nausea and fatigue on EC for the first week after each Infusion. I started to feel normal on day 10, so had just 4 days when things were ok, before I was hit again. Within days of my last EC, I caught a cold bug from the kids and felt so poorly I needed three weeks before the first Taxol. I did feel better on Taxol, but was hit quite hard by the last one, no do8bt because of the cumulative effect. There were many times when I really felt that I couldn't go on - but I did.

I'm 4 weeks on from the last chemo and, other than a bit of neuropathy in my fingers and a little bit more in my toes, I'm doing really well. This is my second primary BC and this time it is TNBC, so there is no messing around with it. The chance of it coming back is much higher than I would like. I'm so pleased I am throwing everything at this awful disease.

You are much stronger than you think you are.

X

Hi  

Lets get some positives rounded up. You are half way through and as you say have not been sick nor hospitalised. That's a big positive.

Your oncotype score suggested chemo would be a benefit to you. Can you really afford to go against that? Would you be at peace about stopping?

Never suffer side effects in silence. Speak to your oncologist about the depression and no doubt you will get meds to take the edge off. Have you discussed it with your oncologist already? my bedroom resembled a pharmacy whilst i was having chemo.

i had neo adjuvant chemo so I could see it working which meant I was spurred on however  I was very sick with FEC, physically sick for around 3/4 days after. I was hospitalised twice and had to have a blood transfusion. A few days after every session I would through my dollies out of the pram and shout and scream I was giving up but my partner just refused to entertain my outbursts. It made me feel better but I knew deep down I could never give up.i just needed to vent because I had lost control. 

chemo is 4 months of crap but I always think it was so worth it if it increased my chances of  never going through this again. Here I am three years on without a side effect and long hair again. 

seek help for the depression because from where I'm sat it appears that from the physical side your body is coping well.

big hugs

love

Julia xx

Hi

I'm going to agree with the other posts - it's tough but, all things considered it's a small chunk of time to hopefully give you a much bigger chunk of time. I think if your body was really struggling (liver, heart etc) then it's a different matter, but if it's side effects that can be minimised then I would say how about persevering with meds for the side effects - it's not your last chance to stop, if different meds don't help you can revisit this question. I think my personal best was 14 different drugs in a cycle (not counting the chemo) I took anything they'd give me! Are you not switching chemo drugs at all - no T part?

I didn't suffer too much during chemo so I got out and about and didn't need distracting. Is it the nausea or the depression that is stopping you? You'll get lots of tips in the 'chemo club' thread for the nausea -  I think the depression probably needs a chat with your oncologist for something to help.

Hope you can find a way through - as they say:

You didn't come this far to ONLY come this far!

R

ask to stop the 'F' part

it is beginning to be linked with depression

worth a shot

Carolyn

xxx

HI neverdothingsbyhalf, i would urge you to keep going if you possibly can. Given your oncotype result it seems to me it's important that you complete the treatment- i'm not the patient, that's my wife, so i realise it's easy for me to say that! I'm just nursing my wife through round 5 of TAC and this one in particular has really hit her hard. On a practical note, have you been offered Emend, the super dooper highly expensive 'keep it under the counter if you can' anti nausea drug? We only got that on round 4 and it really made a difference.  if you're not already on that i think you should ask for it and then try to keep going. Good luck :-)

Nick

Hi,

I have just completed my 6 cycles of Docetaxel and mid-way felt that I couldn't do the rest.  Not for the same reasons as you but various others including worrying about infections and difficulties with finding a suitable vein,  But I carried on and now await the scan and results.  It is hard but I hope that with help from your oncologist and nurses and with all the positive replies and helpful suggestions which others have posted in response to your question that you will be able to continue and to have a good outcome.  All the best and lots of hugs, K x

Hi "Neverdothingsbyhalf",

I can see why you would want to talk to your Oncologist about stopping FEC. My experience of chemo was so bad that I never want to go through it again. Did FEC-T. On FEC I was sick, shaky, very weak, problems breathing and bed/house bound for most cycles (apart from when I was in hospital).

T was little better but at least by then we had managed to get most of the sickness almost under control but leaving me with new side effects.

Emotionally it was very hard as I was trapped alone at home most of the time and too weak to even be able to look after myself and do simple things like bathing. I don't think that I learned to cope but I have had more experience of being in that position as I have a neurological disease that can leave me unable to move - so been there before but not for that long. 

What I did was ask to my Oncologist the increase the times in between my cycles so it was an infusion every 4 weeks instead of 3. When I started "T" I asked for the dosage to be decreased to the smallest possible one. I don't think I could have coped with 3 more FEC's. 

This worked for me. It was chemo before surgery to try and shrink the lump. There was no cancer found in my lymph nodes as well (had been on diagnosis).

My advice would be straight with your Oncologist and don't get talked into "pushing through" if you really feel you cannot cope. I couldn't have.

Ask for an alternative drug or a longer cycle or a reduction in the dose if you think one of these would help. There may be no reason at all why you cannot move to another type of regime. Your Oncologist may know. Just a personal warning that they may try to fob you off with something like "that's all we do at this hospital". If that happens your GP may be able to send you somewhere else.

You may have to be quite insistent. I had to be be. Your Oncologist may be miles better!

Wishing you all the best for a solution and hoping it is an easy one!

As my Macmillan nurse said 'don't put up with nausea, the prescribe the cheapest meds for it & hope you will be ok with them but there are lots of different ones they can give you'.  If you say you are thinking of quitting I can guarantee they will find better anti nausea meds for you.  One of the ones they gave me was also used for anxiety so you might find it doubly helpful. 

It was Levomipromazine I think.  Please speak to your nurse or oncologist.  Once you get the next cycle done the end will seem much closer.

I had a terrible time with AC (very similar to EC) - atrial fibrillation, pulmonary embolisms, aeschemic liver, steroid induced diabetes, and even respiratory failure, with the result that I spent a month in hospital including 2 weeks in ICU. T afterwards was much easier though. 

Despite all the tribulation, I would go through it again if it were necessary. I know more now though so I'd be much more assertive about side effects.

For most of the time during chemo I couldn't do much but I found computer games, colouring in and reading completely mindless historical romances worked to pass the time. I also did quite a bit of knitting. Reading that list, it looks like it was anything that I didn't need my brain for and could do sitting down. My  brain certainly wasn't working very well. I would encourage you to do some exercise though to keep your blood moving - not doing anything physical was one of my mistakes. Might make you feel better too. Even a slow shuffle round the block will do some good; no need to get all fitness fanatic about it.

Don't give up but do have a detailed chat with your oncologist. There's so much they can do to help you.

Thank you Kismet. I have just realised what my user name is, so I have no excuse to stop half way! Best wishes to you xx