Keep Calm and Chemo On

It has been three weeks since my first chemotherapy infusion and I'm going for my second in the morning. I've been feeling pretty good this past week, almost normal.

I didn't start feeling bad until about three days after my first treatment, but right from the beginning I felt very odd, just strange and surreal. If you've seen the Lord of the Rings movies, picture the scenes where Frodo has the ring on his finger. That's the visual that comes to mind when I think of how I felt  for about the first week to ten days: like I was not quite in the real world, not quite in the land of the living. It was a struggle to focus my mind or my eyes. I heard roaring and ringing in my ears and they pulsed and throbbed. After a few days I felt random sharp, stabbing  pains in my head, jaw, throat, ears, back, pelvis, legs. 

I had an awful taste in my mouth and foods and beverages tasted odd. I've been a coffee drinker for over forty years and love a good, strong cup of freshly brewed coffee. Now, I can hardly taste coffee and the taste that does come through is off somehow. I did experience some nausea, but the anti-nausea medication they gave me with the chemo seemed to keep it in check. Of course there was fatigue, which didn't become debilitating, but I've been told to expect that to get worse with successive treatments. I had stomachaches and GI symptoms I won't go into detail about.

But after about the first ten days, I began to feel progressively better. It's good to know that this won't be four months of solid misery. I'm very thankful that so far I've been able to work and go out with Rick and the dogs for our daily walks.

About two weeks after the first treatment, my hair slowly started coming out, so Rick buzzed my head for me, but I still have a lot of stubble that hasn't fallen out yet. I wear hats or "buffs" except when I sleep now.

I've learned that there are scores of different chemotherapy drugs and regimens geared to different types of cancers and patients. The side effects and experiences can vary widely. I am being treated with two drugs: Cytoxan and Taxotere. I will have six treatments at three week intervals. The drugs are administered one at a time by IV into the port that was placed under the skin beneath the left side of my collarbone. Each treatment takes about three hours.

Just before I began chemo, we got the results of a blood test my oncologist had ordered that showed that I would have trouble metabolizing the drug, Tamoxifen. Taking Tamoxifen for five years was going to be an important part of my treatment plan to help prevent recurrence of my cancer. My tumor was strongly estrogen receptor positive and Tamoxifen is very effective in preventing recurrence of this type of tumor for most women. There is another class of drug I may be able to take instead, but we decided to table that decision until after I've completed chemo and radiation.

For now, knowing that Tamoxifen has been removed from my arsenal of anti-cancer weapons, it seems even more important to persevere through my chemo treatments. I'm confident that I can, with God's help and with the support of my wonderful husband, family and friends.