Hellooooo Taxol! What treats do you have in store for me?

Happy Holidays! 

Due to popular request (and in recognition of my tardiness), I am quickly updating this blog on Christmas Eve Eve to let everyone know I'm doing fine.

Here's the latest:

When last you heard from me, I was gearing up for my first chemo treatment with Taxol.  I will have a total of 4 treatments, one every 2 weeks for 8 weeks. 

I arrived last Thursday morning promptly at 9 am.  I saw my beloved nurse, Sheryl, and her sidekick, Dr. Wasserheit.  They congratulated me on finishing with the Red Devil and being half-way done.  I'm thinking, "Yeah, yeah, let's save the congratulations for the end. Let's get this over with" so admittedly I wasn't paying full attention when my sweeties were going through the new side effects to be expected from Taxol.  Something about joint pain, taking tylenol, numbness in my fingers, eyebrow and eyelash loss (which is already happening). Most of what I heard was "It won't be nearly as bad as the Red Devil".  My white blood cell count was sky-high so they decided I should not have the neulasta shot.  Ok, so I bebopped up to the chemo suite all ready to go.  I even sent David off to do Christmas shopping instead of wasting time sitting around with me watching chemicals drip into my body.

BTW, chemo "suite" is a very generous term.  It's basically a large room with recliners (but not really the cozy Laz-E-Boy kind, more the hospital "let's pretend this is a recliner" kind).  Each recliner has a chair next to it for the visitors (no need to give the visitors recliners - they don't need to be comfortable).  There's a fridge (big sign "For Drinks Only, No Food") and a basket of snacks on top (another sign "Please take only one per patient"). Then, each recliner has a TV near it which annoyingly only shows Memorial Sloan Kettering advertisements and/or shows.  A patient once turned it on and the whole thing was about cancer patients telling their stories:  "8 years ago I felt a lump and went to a doctor.  He kept telling me it was nothing. 3 years later I finally went to Memorial Sloan Kettering and they determined it was a tumor..."  Basically the underlying (not so subtle) concept is that Sloan Kettering is the best and you should be suspicious of everyone else. 

Oh, I should mention the Sloan Kettering pets.  Some of the waiting rooms have huge fish tanks filled with gorgeous, unusual fish.  My favorite is a big, yellow, chubby one that has one snaggle tooth hanging out - no other teeth to speak of.  He always looks cranky - like he wishes he were in a more prestigious tank somewhere - Mystic Aquarium, maybe?

Ok, back to the story - I bebop up to the chemo suite.

DID SOMEONE, ANYONE, MENTION THAT IT WOULD TAKE 6 HOURS FOR MY TAXOL TREATMENT??!?  No. No, they did not.

First I had to have the benadryl drip.  Then another steriod drip.  Those, combined with the 5 steroid pills I had to take the night before and that morning finally prepared me.  It was time for the Taxol. 

Now apparently Taxol can cause a severe allergic reaction in some people to the point where they can't breathe.  So the nurse explained that she had to watch me for the first 15 minutes and if I felt ANYTHING, no matter how small, I should tell her.  I told her I'd play my online sudoku game b/c if I didn't, I would definitely feel something.  You always feel weird things if you pay attention to your body - try it.  Suddenly that little jabbing pain on your shoulderblade seems suspicous. So I played my game and she kept asking me how I was doing and if I felt anything.  I never did.  Finally the 15 minutes were up and she moved on to someone else. 

Well, I was up there quite a while.  David got tons of our shopping done.  But before we knew it, the kids were going to be coming home from school and I wasn't nearly finished.  David rushed home to get them and then they all had to come back to get me.  I arrived home around 3:30.  More than 6 hours later!  Sheesh! 

I felt great the next day.  Well, not great for normal people, but great for a cancer patient.  No comparison to the Red Devil.  Saturday was great, too.  Then Sunday, DURING THE STEELERS GAME of all things, I started to get very bad muscle and joint pains.  Stabbing pains that made me writhe on the couch.  I couldn't even focus on the game!  Horrible!  I took tylenol and advil, remembering that my sweeties had told me I could alternate.  I thought for sure there must be something severly wrong.  I could barely move.  This must be how arthritis feels!

Quick research on the internet revealed that this is a very common side effect of Taxol.  93% of people experience it.  Monday I called my doctor and she said it happened right on schedule - 72 hours after treatment.  It usually lasts 5 days. 

So, today is the 5th day and I'm feeling almost back to normal.  Cancer-normal, that is.  Just in time for Christmas.

Merry Christmas to All! 

Birthday in Bed...But I'm Feeling Groovy

Tuesday (Pearl Harbor Day) was my birthday.  Except for sending a few work emails, I spent almost the whole day in bed. I just couldn't get the energy to move. I didn't even rest, I SLEPT!  Around 4 pm I rallied and was able to have a small celebration with my boys.

Thanks to all of you for the birthday calls, texts, emails and other messages!  It made me feel special on an otherwise very uneventful day.

Wednesday I went to work but still felt nauseous and exhausted.

Today I woke up and rushed off to the train for work. Usually its swaying starts the nausea for the day but today I arrived with a spring in my step and a smile on my face.  I realized that I feel GOOD!  Well, not "normal" good, but pretty darn good for post-chemo.  I was quite chipper at work and tonight at home.

I'm so happy - I hope this lasts!!!

I will never take feeling healthy and happy for granted again. It's amazing how feeling good changes your outlook and attitude.

Last Dance with the Red Devil

It's chemo eve.  Tomorrow I dance my last dance with the Red Devil. I'm dreading it but am also eager to get it over with. Onward and upward to Taxol!  New side effects to look forward to!

For those who have never heard of the Red Devil (and lucky you are), it's the breast cancer patients' affectionate term for adriamycin. Its side effects include nausea, vomiting and life-threatening heart damage.  Well, that all sounds familiar, doesn't it?

The Red Devil got its name because it's red in color and needs to be administered by a nurse "by hand" a small bit at a time.  I get 5 huge syringes full during each session and it takes about 45 minutes to administer the whole dose.  It makes us patients feel terrible, hence the devil reference.

Well, tomorrow is that last time I have to deal with the Red Devil.  Coming up are 4 more chemo sessions with a different drug, Taxol.  My oncologist will tell me all about the new side effects tomorrow.  I know one of them is the loss of eyebrows and eyelashes and numbness in my fingers.  That should make typing at work interesting. 

I'm feeling good - physically and emotionally.  I'm almost chipper!  But you know that won't last and you'll have to be read a bunch of cranky, complaining posts.  My last chemo session was brutal.  I felt sick for over a week, and didn't really get off the couch until Saturday AFTER Thanksgiving.

We shall see how this last Red Devil session goes.  Hans (my brother) and his wife, Joanne, are here to help so that will be a nice highlight.

As a side note, I love my oncologist, Dr. Mary Wasserheit and especially her nurse, Sheryl!  They always make me feel like I'm their only patient and they've been eagerly waiting two whole weeks for me to come back!  Once again I can't say enough good things about Sloan Kettering and its staff - they are the absolute best!

Next time you get cancer, consider paying them a visit.