The new drug, in place of the Taxol, is called Abraxane - it is so much better, primarily because I'm not having an allergic reaction to it, but there are some side effects. The first one that I had was muscle and bone aches in my legs. Uncomfortable but not horrible, especially since I could take Aleve and alternate that with Tylenol. It only lasted a couple of days and then eased up a lot. The second side effect was more annoying and made life harder - diarrhea. It would start with actually not going at all one day, then abdominal pain and the beginnings of looseness the next. The first week was about 3 days, the second seemed to start sooner and be a little worse. It is controllable (I am allowed to take Imodium) but honestly, that didn't seem to make much difference in the length of time it lasted. It's almost at an end when the tremendous gas pains begin but, was still in effect enough today that I had to cancel a lunch out with a friend - I certainly didn't want to be somewhere, eat something and have to make emergency trips to the bathroom!
Luckily I have wonderful friends who understand my inability to plan more than 5 minutes (or so it seems) and are adaptable to my side effects!
The good news about this treatment (there are 12 in total and this Thursday will be #10 counting down from 12) is that it's for three weeks with a week off - so I'm treatment free the Thursday before Christmas and should be feeling fine with all side effects behind me! At that time I'll also be in single digits for the number of treatments left! YIPPEE!!
I have a meeting this Friday with my surgeon - have lots of questions for her. I've been on a board on Facebook for cancer patients (not all breast cancer) and have heard some things I definitely need clarified - for instance - tissue expanders - will I need them?? I'm not sure I want to have them as I've heard that some women have them for months (or longer). I want this to be over and not to delay anything! If the reconstruction is done immediately (without expanders necessary) and recovery can then begin, it's one thing. Otherwise - flat isn't so bad! I'm not 20 anymore - don't really care what I look like to other people. Hopefully she'll have answers! PS I have high hopes, since the oncologist said that by simply squeezing my breast, he couldn't feel the lump anymore (and neither can I really) that the lump has shrunk enough to make the surgery easier. I'll find out!
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Friday, December 1, 2017
A long time
It's been over 6 weeks since I posted last and a lot has happened. After the last A/C treatment, I didn't bounce back at all - in fact I got worse. The diarrhea got worse, I could barely eat or even get out of bed. I went weekly for my blood work and it wasn't getting better - I got fluids twice and that helped for a couple of days but then I was back in the same predicament. Finally, on November 9, at my meeting with the doctor to start the next round of treatment with Taxol, the doctor said, "we're going to admit you to the hospital and see what's causing this". By this time I was losing 5-7 pounds per week - not good!
That was a Thursday and I went into the hospital. They finally were able to get the samples they needed for testing in the next day or so and found that I had an aggressive intestinal bacterial infection that meant that I was in isolation and anyone visiting had to wear gown and gloves and not touch me. 😓 It was definitely scary, especially when the first antibiotic didn't work. I was switched to an oral antibiotic - vancomycin which, along with probiotics and Questran did work. Gradually things got better. I was receiving fluids and lots of enzymes as my levels were way down but eventually I was able to go home the Tuesday after I arrived. I was SO happy to be back home, even with a strict regimen of pills and oral meds to take. Each day I got stronger, ate more, drank the right amount and best of all, intestinal functions improved! I was lucky to have the wise counsel of friends who were familiar with the disease and could ease some fears!
I was well enough to restart the next round of treatment with Taxol Thanksgiving week but it didn't go well at all. There is a reaction to the drug in very few people, but, of course, I was one. After only 4 minutes of receiving the drug, I was horribly flushed, my lower back was in agony (going down my legs), my stomach was cramping and I was vomiting. Not fun at all! They stopped the medicine, pushed saline and then gave me Ativan to calm me down (after determining I hadn't driven myself!). Once I got home, and was calm, I felt much better.
The next week (this past Thursday), I met again with the doctor who said that the reaction isn't actually to the Taxol but to the protein its bonded to for delivery. Apparently that protein and I don't get along at all! We started a different drug - similar but not with the same protein - and that treatment went well. I feel great - still eating, drinking and now I'm able to get out on my own!
It was so funny, a few days after I got out of the hospital, I felt well enough to drive myself to the bank and deposit some checks. My son laughed at me and said "what, you want to drive your new car"?? He's put many more miles on it than I have, driving me to the doctor's, the hospital and getting groceries in the time when I'm getting treatment! I'm so very lucky to have such a great caregiver with me - I don't know what I'd do without him around.
It's been three days since the treatment and I've not experienced any noticeable effects so I'm hopeful this will continue and that this treatment will be successful. It's one more step along the way - I certainly don't want to go back to the way I was in October and early November.
That was a Thursday and I went into the hospital. They finally were able to get the samples they needed for testing in the next day or so and found that I had an aggressive intestinal bacterial infection that meant that I was in isolation and anyone visiting had to wear gown and gloves and not touch me. 😓 It was definitely scary, especially when the first antibiotic didn't work. I was switched to an oral antibiotic - vancomycin which, along with probiotics and Questran did work. Gradually things got better. I was receiving fluids and lots of enzymes as my levels were way down but eventually I was able to go home the Tuesday after I arrived. I was SO happy to be back home, even with a strict regimen of pills and oral meds to take. Each day I got stronger, ate more, drank the right amount and best of all, intestinal functions improved! I was lucky to have the wise counsel of friends who were familiar with the disease and could ease some fears!
I was well enough to restart the next round of treatment with Taxol Thanksgiving week but it didn't go well at all. There is a reaction to the drug in very few people, but, of course, I was one. After only 4 minutes of receiving the drug, I was horribly flushed, my lower back was in agony (going down my legs), my stomach was cramping and I was vomiting. Not fun at all! They stopped the medicine, pushed saline and then gave me Ativan to calm me down (after determining I hadn't driven myself!). Once I got home, and was calm, I felt much better.
The next week (this past Thursday), I met again with the doctor who said that the reaction isn't actually to the Taxol but to the protein its bonded to for delivery. Apparently that protein and I don't get along at all! We started a different drug - similar but not with the same protein - and that treatment went well. I feel great - still eating, drinking and now I'm able to get out on my own!
It was so funny, a few days after I got out of the hospital, I felt well enough to drive myself to the bank and deposit some checks. My son laughed at me and said "what, you want to drive your new car"?? He's put many more miles on it than I have, driving me to the doctor's, the hospital and getting groceries in the time when I'm getting treatment! I'm so very lucky to have such a great caregiver with me - I don't know what I'd do without him around.
It's been three days since the treatment and I've not experienced any noticeable effects so I'm hopeful this will continue and that this treatment will be successful. It's one more step along the way - I certainly don't want to go back to the way I was in October and early November.
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