Chemo #1

 

I’ve put writing this post off for three weeks.  It’s actually hard to write about and hard to describe.  I don’t want to cause anyone who might have to go through this experience themselves someday to have any additional worry or anxiety, because everyone reacts differently to chemo.  There isn’t a one-size-fits-all outcome.  There are a list of side effects that are pretty common, but those side effects affect people to varying degrees and some suffer with some and not others.  The first time through it is an adventure because you don't know how your body will react.

It was a hard day when I found out I had breast cancer.  I had seen my mother go through it and I knew what was in store (or at least I thought I knew.)  It was another hard day when I found out I would need to go through chemotherapy.  I dreaded this treatment more than surgery, hair loss or radiation. Submitting to chemotherapy was facing my own personal Goliath.  I simply couldn’t abide the thought that I was going to have to poison my body to save my body.  These strong drugs have the real potential to leave a person with permanent side effects and damage to vital body organs.  While the Herceptin is a sort of “miracle drug” for fighting the HER2 receptor cells that are fast growing, it also can cause permanent heart damage.  The doctors will monitor my heart function through the treatment which will be one year, but they only stop treatment when they see that it is causing problems.  I try not to dwell on these things, but they address the real issues of why I started down this chemotherapy road with real trepidation.

My 1^st experience was pretty rough.  I went in on August 22 at 11:30 am.  They drew blood to get a baseline and checked vitals.  Dr. Wallentine answered questions and explained more details about the chemo drugs I would be receiving with the acronym of TCH. I would start with a bag of saline with anti-nausea drugs and steroids mixed in.  Second bag would be Benadryl to ward off any allergic reactions to the chemo drugs.  Third bag would be the chemo drug Taxotere.  Forth bag would be the chemo drug Carboplatin and finally the fifth bag would be Herceptin, the target therapy drug described earlier that will go after the HER2 receptors.  It took nearly six hours for these drugs to slowly drip into my port.  The only reaction I noticed is that my legs were restless while I was receiving the Benadryl and it made my very, very tired.  Otherwise, the drugs didn’t cause any immediate reaction or cause me to feel strange.  I think I can thank the IV anti-nausea drugs and steroids for that blessing.

The treatments fool a person because after receiving the drugs, I felt OK.  I drove home.  I had dinner.  I watched TV.  I had to go back the next morning to receive a shot of Neulasta another drug to stimulate bone marrow growth and keep my white blood cells at a decent level.  They told me to take 3 Advil and 1 Claritin to ease the bone pain that would come because of the new bone marrow growth.  The next day wasn’t too bad. Rick and I even walked to the post office and back.  The real pain and misery started on the third day, just like they said it would.  That Friday morning, I woke up with bone pain, body pain, nausea and generally just feeling lousy.  It felt like having a bad case of the stomach flu along with morning sickness and cramps.  The next 36 hours were hard.  It was hard to drink and eat and the bone pain was constant.  My health insurance company would only authorize the sell of 10 anti-nausea pills Ondansetron at the start.  I went through those the first three days and then I had nothing over the weekend.  We finally just bought more from the pharmacy and since then the chemo clinic has talked to my health insurance to let them know that the anti-nausea drugs were for chemo treatment. Duh.

I struggled the next week with acid reflux and eventually had to go in twice to get more IV fluids with anti-nausea drugs.  I got going on an anti-acid for the reflux, but I was pretty miserable in the interim.  I got a U-T-Infection as well and at one point had a temperature of 100 degrees.  It was tough sledding which the chemo nurse said is not "normal" for the 1st treatment.  While the 1st treatment can be hard, it shouldn't have been as hard as it was.  

We learned a lot.  We know more what to do to ward off the worst of the side effects. I person absolutely HAS to eat and drink a lot to wash the chemicals from the body.  I didn't do enough of that, but I learned my lesson.   Here's hoping that Chemo #2 goes better.

Chemo #2 - September 12
Chemo #3 - October 3
Chemo #4 - October 24
Chemo #5 - November 14
Chemo #6 - December 5