Days 29-35: I went in Monday July 15 for my third round of AC chemo. My bloodwork came back great and my temperature was normal, but I had a bit of a tickle in my throat. It felt like typical summer allergies, so I didn't think much of it but mentioned it to my doctor anyway. By Thursday, the tickle developed into a lot more so I called in to the doctor's to see what I could do. Salt water gargle. It helped temporarily, but I'm terrible with gargling and ended up choking half the time! The coughing made me so tired, on top of already being super-tired from chemo, so I spent the week in bed, which has been the norm for chemo week anyway. No fever fortunately, but the cough is super annoying!
Days 36-42: Monday July 22, I called the doctor again. Sunday night I coughed so hard I threw up! My doctor called in a prescription for antibiotics, which he would prescribe for someone with bronchitis or pneumonia. He also said I could take Robitussin at night so I could get some sleep. I've still got the cough, but I feel like it's not as intense. I'm still exhausted though, and this is usually my week where I recover from the last chemo.
I'm scheduled for my fourth (and final!) AC chemo tomorrow July 29, but I'm not sure my body can handle it. Part of me wants to hurry up and get it done, and part of me wants a few more days to recover. Tomorrow, prior to chemo, I'm getting a chest X-ray, which should help determine if I'm ready for this next treatment. I might make the call to wait a few days. We'll see how I feel in the morning and what the doctor thinks. Thanks everyone for your prayers and positivity! I'm thrilled to be almost done with AC chemo, and I'm looking forward to the less-intense Taxol chemo that will follow.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Cycle 2 complete!
Day 21: Another thing my doctors warned me about... mouth sores. I've been trying to stay ahead of this by using a new toothbrush every other week, switching to a natural toothpaste and alcohol free mouthwash. Still I think I feel something! Also, this week I felt a couple of spasms, likely from the Neulasta shot, but they were very brief and didn't warrant any Tylenol. At least I know my body is working hard making white blood cells!
Days 22-28: My "recovery week" went well once again! It's amazing how on Sunday night, all of a sudden, I feel the brain fog lift and I can do things again, like pick up my daughter -- who's getting heavy! Around Day 25 I had some bone pain. I probably could have dealt with it without meds, but I took a Percocet! I've been through enough! :-) I've been sleeping pretty well, with the exception of some night sweats. Also, false alarm on the mouth sores. Yay! Ready to start my third treatment of AC chemo.
Days 22-28: My "recovery week" went well once again! It's amazing how on Sunday night, all of a sudden, I feel the brain fog lift and I can do things again, like pick up my daughter -- who's getting heavy! Around Day 25 I had some bone pain. I probably could have dealt with it without meds, but I took a Percocet! I've been through enough! :-) I've been sleeping pretty well, with the exception of some night sweats. Also, false alarm on the mouth sores. Yay! Ready to start my third treatment of AC chemo.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Cycle 2 continued...
Day 17: I'm definitely shedding! I feel like it's still too early to cut off all my hair though. While I'm in the midst of my feeling-gross week, I don't really feel like adding a new hair style to the mix. I'm feeling more nauseous today, but the Zofran and Compazine are helping a bit. I feel pretty good as long as I'm lying down, though I'm propped up on a pile of pillows. I'm still no where near as queasy as I was during pregnancy.
Day 18: I've got the brain fog big time, and all I want to do / all I can do is sleep! If my first treatment was any indicator, I'll hopefully get some of my energy back by Saturday or Sunday. In the meantime, I'm so exhausted my teeth are pulsating! Eating has been a challenge the past couple days. I really can only stomach Cheerios, toast, and ginger ale. Even my beloved coffee is making me feel icky.
Day 19: I managed to eat part of a burger! My appetite seems to be slowly creeping back, and I feel like I'm craving anything with iron. My chemo plan allows for me to take a steroid on days 1 to 3 of treatment, and that definitely helps. Days 4 to 6 seem to be the hardest, energy-wise, and then day 7 I start to feel like a human again.
Day 20: Goodbye old friend! My hair was coming out in clumps today, so my husband offered to give me a military haircut. I thought it would be more traumatic, but I was just glad to have it finally happen. My head was feeling very sensitive and now it feels a whole lot better. It's just hair... it'll be back before I know it! My doctors said people usually lose their hair between days 12 and 17. Props to my hair for being so stubborn! I wore one of my wigs last night for a bit. It feels pretty natural. Then I slept with one of my husband's skiing hats... also comfy... so I'm going to invest in some more knit headwear for sleeping.
Day 18: I've got the brain fog big time, and all I want to do / all I can do is sleep! If my first treatment was any indicator, I'll hopefully get some of my energy back by Saturday or Sunday. In the meantime, I'm so exhausted my teeth are pulsating! Eating has been a challenge the past couple days. I really can only stomach Cheerios, toast, and ginger ale. Even my beloved coffee is making me feel icky.
Day 19: I managed to eat part of a burger! My appetite seems to be slowly creeping back, and I feel like I'm craving anything with iron. My chemo plan allows for me to take a steroid on days 1 to 3 of treatment, and that definitely helps. Days 4 to 6 seem to be the hardest, energy-wise, and then day 7 I start to feel like a human again.
Day 20: Goodbye old friend! My hair was coming out in clumps today, so my husband offered to give me a military haircut. I thought it would be more traumatic, but I was just glad to have it finally happen. My head was feeling very sensitive and now it feels a whole lot better. It's just hair... it'll be back before I know it! My doctors said people usually lose their hair between days 12 and 17. Props to my hair for being so stubborn! I wore one of my wigs last night for a bit. It feels pretty natural. Then I slept with one of my husband's skiing hats... also comfy... so I'm going to invest in some more knit headwear for sleeping.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Cycle 2
Day 15: Today I went for my second infusion of adriamycin and cytoxan. This time I went on my own since I had no trouble last time. I've gotten to know the chemo nurses pretty well. I found out one of them graduated from my college just a few years after me, so we had fun exchanging horror stories! Also, the chemo nurses (and some of the patients) take turns baking so I got to enjoy a delicious brownie and cup of coffee during my visit. I really thought I wouldn't like the infusion room. I was imagining people in there would be on their last leg and that it would just be depressing. But it's quite the opposite... lots of joking around and a general good feeling in there.
I started to feel tired and a little squeamish around 2pm (about three hours after my treatment) so I spent most the rest of the day in bed with my cozy kitty companion Chadwick. Nick got home from work around 6pm, but I was too tired to even get up for dinner, nor did my stomach crave any dinner foods. So he made me the eggos I was craving and then I went back to sleep.
Day 16: Back to the infusion room again! This time for my standard follow up shot of Neulasta, which helps produce white blood cells. I ran into a woman I had met once before at the Cancer Center and had a good talk with her. We were comparing symptoms and its always nice to talk to someone going through the same crazy situation. I had to laugh when I told her my tumor was the size of an orange. She said "Mine was the size of a grapefruit. I win!" Gotta keep that sense of humor!
I'm still waiting for my hair to fall out. Oddly enough, my nose hairs have fallen out! And I wouldn't mind not having to shave my legs for a while. It's really hard to tell if my head hair is thinning, because I shed like the dickens anyway! From what I've heard, it should start coming out in clumps any day now. Woot! And, gross! I'd really like for it to just happen already so I can mourn my hair and move on. Also, I really like my wigs!
Super tired and about to cozy up with the cat and do some relaxing. More to come!
I started to feel tired and a little squeamish around 2pm (about three hours after my treatment) so I spent most the rest of the day in bed with my cozy kitty companion Chadwick. Nick got home from work around 6pm, but I was too tired to even get up for dinner, nor did my stomach crave any dinner foods. So he made me the eggos I was craving and then I went back to sleep.
Day 16: Back to the infusion room again! This time for my standard follow up shot of Neulasta, which helps produce white blood cells. I ran into a woman I had met once before at the Cancer Center and had a good talk with her. We were comparing symptoms and its always nice to talk to someone going through the same crazy situation. I had to laugh when I told her my tumor was the size of an orange. She said "Mine was the size of a grapefruit. I win!" Gotta keep that sense of humor!
I'm still waiting for my hair to fall out. Oddly enough, my nose hairs have fallen out! And I wouldn't mind not having to shave my legs for a while. It's really hard to tell if my head hair is thinning, because I shed like the dickens anyway! From what I've heard, it should start coming out in clumps any day now. Woot! And, gross! I'd really like for it to just happen already so I can mourn my hair and move on. Also, I really like my wigs!
Super tired and about to cozy up with the cat and do some relaxing. More to come!
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