Chemo, round 3!

I just got home from my treatment, which took the bulk of the day. Overall, my doctors think I am responding to the medicine well. It is really hard to tell until we do full body scans in June. However, I have just decided to believe that the medicine is working. There are medical reasons for me to think this, but I am a strong believer in the mind-body connection. They both work together for optimal healing.

Chemo does not come without side effects so I thought I would share some of that experience with you. Since chemo goes after fast-growing cells, it can sometimes deplete the white blood cell count. The balance that a good oncologist tries to create is to allow the medicine to work its magic on destroying the cancer without actually depleting your white blood cells. If these become depleted, with the Absolute Neutrophils being low, an infection will ensue. (Absolute Neutrophils represent the mature white blood cells.)

In order to avoid this issue, there are medicines such as neupogen and neulasta that help create bone marrow and increase white blood cell count. Neupogen is more of a quick fix so usually patients will have to go in over multiple days to get the WBC boost needed. Last week, I went in for a shot on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Neulasta has a longer maturation process so you get the shot once in hopes that it will increase WBC over time. I will be getting a Neualasta shot tomorrow that will stay in my system for a week or so. These shots help women to stay on chemo in a consistent schedule, which is an important factor in chemo success.

Other side effects include...having my mouth taste like a battery. Yum! It is bizarre. It actually tastes like it would if my mouth were sucking on a battery. Lemon drops can help, but you just have to get use to the new taste buds. Peripheral neuropathy, is a temporary state in which your fingers and toes feel numb. This can happen on the chemo I am on. It has not happened yet, but it will.

Alopecia, the medical name for hair loss. As I have mentioned in the past blogs, I am in the phase of alopecia wear my scalp tingles and aches. I assume that my hair will actually start to shed over this next week. Once it goes, the pain will increase so I will have Michael, Mo and Jack shave it off.

Fatigue is a big one, too. However, I was able to get out and ride my bike last night. My stamina is shot, but you have to start somewhere. Chemo, itself, is far less scary to experience than what you might think. Sometimes, it is just a necessary evil that must be endured.

Blessings,
Lolo