A Long Day...

I had my first Taxol chemo treatment today. It turned out to be a long day. My appointment was at 9:45am; I finally got "hooked" up to the IVs around; 11am and did not finish up until 4:15pm. A full day at the office!

Overall I feel good. There are about four different pre-medications (IV Benadryll, Zofran (anti-nausea), steroids, and something else I can't remember.) I have to get before I even receive the Taxol. Those pre-meds are the ones that make me feel kind of groggy.

The associated nausea that I experienced after my last cycle has a real medical name - some psychosis blah blah blah. I can't remember the official way to say it. My doctor prescribed me some Atavan (sp?) which is a mild sedative that will help calm me when I go to the office or start to feel queasy at home. It works well!

I am tired but feeling good! 3 more to go!!!

On to Better Things...

I just had my 4th chemo treatment on Wednesday. I am now officially halfway done with chemo. This was also the last treatment of AC (adriamycin and cytoxan) - the 2 worse drugs that have the yuckier (can you tell I talk to a 3 year old all day) side effects. This cycle was definitely the hardest one. Again, it all seemed to hit me earlier than past cycles and I generally felt worse. I experienced my first episodes of nausea. A lot of it though seems to be associated nausea. The smell of the rubber gloves, the odor of the tape they use at the doctor's office, and sorry to maybe gross you out but the look of my red pee...all makes me gag today. This should be the worst of it.

I start Taxol on April 25th. The day of chemo is longer (about 5-6 hours) but the side effects seem better. The most common side effect is neuropathy - a tingling (mild to severe) of the fingers and feet. This could last weeks to months after treatment ends potentially. My nurse practitioner is going to start me on Folic Acid and B6 vitamins and L-Glutamine (an amino acid) a week before my first Taxol treatment that are all suppose to help ward off the neuropathy or lessen the symptoms. Another side effect is some achiness for a couple days after the treatment. This shouldn't lower my white blood cell count so hopefully no more painful Neulasta injections. Nausea shouldn't be a problem either. I don't even have to take the pills I am taking now for it when I start.

It all sounds better than this overall yucky feeling I have with the AC. As each cycle progressed I did notice that the drugs did have a cumulative effect. The side effects started earlier and seemed a little worse each time. But that is behind me now. The next 4 should be okay.

I also found out the other day that the Taxol treatments will be every 2 weeks - not every 3 like I originally thought. This means chemo will/should be done the first Wednesday of June. I will have 3-4 weeks off from everything. Radiation will start the beginning of July and I will be totally done with treatment by mid-August. A lot better than mid-October which is what I first expected. My doctor and nurse practitioner are also going to see if my radiation can be moved to Metrowest Medical Center in Framingham instead of going to Mass General every day for 6 weeks. That would make life and planning for the boys MUCH easier.

4 down, 4 more to go...