this coming wednesday, july 29th, i will be receiving my third round of chemotherapy. since i have some neuropathy, the chemotherapy nurse said that the doctor would probably change the taxotere (the most likely culprit) to something else. i have mixed feelings about that. not that i am enjoying numbness and tingling in some of my toes and fingers, but it is sort of like " the devil you know" kind of thing. i know what side effects that i get from the pre-meds, the most uncomfortable being the red, and hot face, neck and chest that i get the day after i get some iv decadron. before i started treatment, the oncologist went over all of my pre-meds and i asked him if we could leave off the decadron. he said, probably not, as this hopefully prevents anaphylaxis from the taxotere. the sleepless nights and fluid retention seem insignificant compared to anaphylaxis, so i am getting the decadron.
as i said, i know what side effects come with the taxotere. i am also getting some cytoxan, which is the " milder" ,haha, of the two chemotherapy drugs. i had a problem with the cytoxan with my first chemotherapy session. they ran it in a little fast and i had these intense sinus pressure pains in my head and face. last time, i asked the nurse to please slow down the rate of infusion, and it went a lot better. instead of being hit by a ton of bricks, it was just a few pebbles.
the way that the chemotherapy goes, is that you have blood work done that morning, and the oncologist looks over that, and speaks to you about what side effects that you had last time. he then makes the decision on what drugs to use and the dosage. nothing is pre-mixed, or set in stone, as the saying goes. i have no idea what drug he would use instead of the taxotere. he might just decide to reduce the dose. my husband does not want me to get the taxotere this time because he is afraid that my neuropathy will be permanent, which is a possibility.
i also have noticed that not only did my side effects start a day earlier this time, compared to the first time, but it has taken me longer to recover. the first time, i had a full week of feeling better before i had the next chemotherapy session. this time, i have only had a few days. i know the reason for this, and it is, of course, that my immune system has been compromised. that makes me a little more anxious about my next round. i try to stay positive and keep in mind that many women have gone through this, and with tougher drug regiments than mine. i am already looking forward to august 19th, though, which will be my LAST chemotherapy. i think just knowing it will be my last session will make it easier to get through.
along with the chemo sessions , i am undergoing the reconstruction process. my plastic surgeon, who i really like, calls it the " expansion process". i can not help but think of the oregon trail computer game that my kids were so fond of, when he uses this expression. head them up, we are moving west! we are moving along slowly on this. sometimes i do not feel like getting the saline injections( side effects from the chemo). also, unfortunately my stitches broke open on one side, and it is still healing. last time the surgeon decided not to " fill "er up" because of the way the incision looked. like all plastic surgeons, i guess, he seems to think that most women want to look, well, endowed. i told him that in my case,on a scale of 1 to 10, if a 10 is dolly parton, and a 1 is pee wee herman, i wanted to be about a 5. i have to keep reminding him of this for some reason!
so, i am not sure how this next chemotherapy session will go. i am a person who does not like to be surprised. i like to research and be prepared. but in life, of course, unexpected things happen. i would never in a million years think that i would be writing a blog on my experiences with breast cancer. living near that dragon has been a life changing experience for me. this has been a new chapter in my life, a very complicated one at that. not everything has been bad, of course, there have been uplifting and positive moments for sure. but overall, things in my world have changed forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment