Had my first round of Taxol or "T" chemo last week. What a long day at the hospital! I have to go for labs, then meet with my oncologist, then off to chemo and the chemo takes 4 hours, so you're there for a good 7 hours. There are just not enough good movies or TV shows to occupy me for 7 hours straight! Maybe I should take up knitting.
For this chemo I had to take 4 steroid pills the night prior then they give you all kinds of drugs before the chemo including more steroids and Benadryl. Some people have an allergic reaction to Taxol, thus the Benadryl, but thankfully I did not. Taxol comes in a slow drip IV bag to also help manage the reactions, like I said it's a long process.
The 2-3 days following chemo I had horrible pain in my bones and muscles. Felt like I could count the number of ribs and vertebrae in my spine. It even hurt in my thigh bones, arm bones, and hand bones. It was so sharp that during the night anytime I rolled over it would wake me up. I tried taking Advil every 4 hours but it didn't help. The final night I tried Tylenol PM and Ativan (sleeping pill) and finally got some rest. I also found the night after chemo I woke up in the middle of the night wide awake. All kinds of ideas were going through my head including career planning, thinking about the kids futures, and of course ski plans. I tried getting up, moving around, and going back to sleep but had no luck. When I saw the nurse the next day she said that is typical due to the steroids administered with Taxol, maybe I should plan some cleaning those nights. One thing I was not expecting was continued sore throat, hoarseness, and mouth sores - thought those were over with AC but found I am still having some on Taxol. I continue to brush and rinse my mouth after every meal and avoid foods that irritate my mouth (failed that today with potato chips). I'm also finding that I'm super thirsty and have to drink lots and lots of fluids on Taxol. Today is the first time I've had a voice in 10 days, but expect this will still be on again/off again the rest of chemo.
By the end of the week after not getting much rest I crashed just like the nurse said I would. I took a long nap Friday afternoon and took it easy on Saturday. The aches and pains returned some at night at bedtime but for the most part I am fine during the day. In fact I prefer not to nap because I wake up with some of those aches and stiffness. Now, at a week later, I am feeling much more my normal self. Instead of eating dinner and being exhausted from my day I find I have energy to play with my kids and put them to bed. Or after the kids go to bed I can plan something for the family. During AC my second week was hardest, I still have a week to go on Taxol but it definitely seems like an improvement.
Should also note that I got my oncologist to open up my FMLA leave by recommending me for 2 days of leave per week, and got it approved. In addition to the 1 day every two weeks for treatment, I now have 2 days a week I can take time off due to illness from the side effects - this is good news! The worst may be behind me now that I've finished AC but chemo has cumulative side effects like fatigue so it's nice knowing I have some extra time if I need it.
5 chemos down, 3 to go!!!
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