Day 1: Infusion Day
You aren’t likely to experience side effects during the infusion, unless you have an allergic reaction, such as a rash or facial flushing. This is why you’ll stay for monitoring after your first infusion.
Days 2–4
In the days that follow, you may experience side effects, such as constipation, a decrease in appetite, diarrhea, fatigue, and nausea. Before your infusion, your doctor may preemptively give you medications for nausea and vomiting.
Days 5–7
Any side effects you experienced after the initial infusion may start
to get better, including fatigue.
Week 2
If you’re taking sacituzumab govitecan, you’ll receive a second infusion at the start of week two (day 8), and you may experience
side effects in the days after. If your side effects are too strong or your blood counts are off, your doctor may decide to drop the
dose for your next infusion.
If you’re taking trastuzumab deruxtecan, you will have the week off, with no infusion, and any treatment side effects should continue to improve.
Week 3
Regardless of which drug you take, week 3 will be a week off from infusions. Any side effects you’ve experienced should continue to improve, and you should start to feel better.
Week 4
Based on your individual circumstances, you may begin another infusion cycle. Your doctor will work with you to determine how many rounds you’ll go through, monitor how treatment is going,
and make adjustments along the way.
Months 3–4
Your doctor will ask you to come in for follow-up scans and testing to monitor how well the ACD is working…