Today was my second round of Taxotere . . . and I had an allergic reaction :-( despite not having an issue with the first round.
Yesterday I had routine bloodwork including a CBC with differential. My oncologist called me because my eosinophils were high. She said this usually happens due to allergies. She asked if I have had any allergies lately. I usually do not suffer from allergies, but I was moving some stuff around and exposed to a lot of dust in the last few days. I was wearing a mask, but I thought that may have been the answer. I did wake up to some puffy eyes on Monday too. She thought we would be OK to continue with chemo.
When I arrived for chemo, the nurses commented that my face was red. This is a comment I have got at most of my doctors/chemo appointments. I have roseacea and fair skin so I do get red easily. And the decadron that I took yesterday and this morning can also cause redness as it is a steroid.
Things started out OK despite a leaky filter that caused my IV to drip - but this was caught during the saline infusion. The taxotere was then started. A couple of minutes into it I started to get a little nauseous and feel really hungry - something that happened during round 1. Then I got a really big pressure headache that moved on to feeling like my head was going to explode. At this point I told my dh that I was feeling weird. Then when my upper lip started to feel like it was getting bigger and I could feel my heartbeat in my lip I told my DH to get the nurses. Two of them came directly to my aid. One gave me oxygen while the other gave me some medicine and told me I would start to feel better right away. She was right, but I dont know what was in there(I have to find out). They also took my blood pressure and pulse which were both up. They also gave me some benadryl and more saline. They then kept me for observation for like 30-45minutes. I was feeling better, but they were concerned. I had to use the restroom and at first they wanted my dh to go with me, but I assured her that I felt fine. She was concerned that I might get weak, but deep down I knew I was ok. I compromised by telling her that I would walk slow. And I was OK, just as I thought.
The nurse called my oncologist and she wanted to stop treatment today and try again next week. I have to go in for a CBC on tuesday and will have chemo on Wednesday if my numbers are good. This will delay all future treatments by 1 week meaning I will not be done until October 17th, sigh it seems so far away. But it is better to wait than have another allergic reaction.
I was hungry, just like after round 1 . . .I went home and ate and took a nap. I was then woken up by a small earthquake, magnitude 4.1. I was not able to fall back asleep after that, but I hope that means I will be able to sleep at bedtime.
My face is a little red and I feel tired, out of it, and like I just cried or had an emotional reaction.
I have to give kudos to my nurses who were very quick to respond and took good care of me. Even though it was incredibly scary and could have been disastrous I felt that I was in good hands and that they would take care of me and I'm thankful that things turned out OK, for the most part.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Buh Bye Neutropenia, Thanks Neupogen
I went in on Monday for bloodwork to make sure my WBC's were coming up. I got a few results:
WBC's - 39 (normal is 4-11) I really responded to the Neupogen and personally feel I would have done OK with just one or two shots.
ANC - 28,000
Platelets - 177
Hemoglobin - 10.9
ANC is Absolute Neutrophil Count and is a measure of the Neutrophils that are one of the 5 components of White Blood Cells. This is really high and should be since the Neupogen is to raise the neutrophils.
Platelets are a little low, but I believe I read that they start out from the same cells that make WBC's so that kinda makes sense (WBC's are hogging the cells?) No scientific evidence behind this thought, just one of my crazy theories.
Hemoglobin is low. I have been suffering the effects of the antibiotics so I'm sure the food has not had enough time to absorb all of the iron. But I did have a burger last night. I really want to get this up before it gets out of hand. Some other people have had to have transfusions cause their hemoglobin was low and I really do not want a transfusion.
Oh and I also feel better, Yippee. Not feel better like how I felt before I had cancer or chemo, but feel better compared to how I felt last week better. Perspective is everything. I cant wait to feel better for real, but I will take the small victories.
WBC's - 39 (normal is 4-11) I really responded to the Neupogen and personally feel I would have done OK with just one or two shots.
ANC - 28,000
Platelets - 177
Hemoglobin - 10.9
ANC is Absolute Neutrophil Count and is a measure of the Neutrophils that are one of the 5 components of White Blood Cells. This is really high and should be since the Neupogen is to raise the neutrophils.
Platelets are a little low, but I believe I read that they start out from the same cells that make WBC's so that kinda makes sense (WBC's are hogging the cells?) No scientific evidence behind this thought, just one of my crazy theories.
Hemoglobin is low. I have been suffering the effects of the antibiotics so I'm sure the food has not had enough time to absorb all of the iron. But I did have a burger last night. I really want to get this up before it gets out of hand. Some other people have had to have transfusions cause their hemoglobin was low and I really do not want a transfusion.
Oh and I also feel better, Yippee. Not feel better like how I felt before I had cancer or chemo, but feel better compared to how I felt last week better. Perspective is everything. I cant wait to feel better for real, but I will take the small victories.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Taxotere - Round 1 Information
Taxotere is, well, TAXing. That is my experience, but it didnt start out that way. This is my first expereince with taxotere and everyone has been telling me it is so much better than AC chemo. I was a little sceptical, but wanted to believe. The first couple of days I did feel great. I felt almost back to normal for those first couple of days . . . I was thinking that everyone who said it was easier was right. I didnt have the "hangover" feeling like I did from AC. I also seemed to have a clearer head and was able to get some things done, something that was unthinkable on AC chemo.
The day prior to taxotere infusion I took 16mg of decadron, a steroid used to prevent an allergic reaction that can occur (but also suppresses your immune system). Then on day 1 I took another 16mg and on day 3 I took 8mg. I was warned that I would not sleep well, if at all on those days, but I was pleasantly surprised when I did sleep well enough. It wasnt the best sleep but I did feel it was enough to refresh me and keep me going the next day. Wohoo I am not even getting that bad of symptoms.
That all changed on the morning of day 4. I woke up and felt very stiff and as the morning progressed my joints started hurting, particularly my ankles, hips and knees. I was lying on the couch in incredible pain. Thankfully the PA had told me that I could take my leftover tylenol with codiene, which after some fretting and debating I did take. And I was so thankful for those meds. I thought once I started that I would be popping them left and right in and out of consciousness being loopy as I go in and out of consciousness. Surprisingly I took very few and was very clearheaded. I did take a few naps and lay on the couch, but pain is exhausting. Day 4 and 5 were spent on the couch as much as possible and popping pain pills. When the pain meds wore off my muscles felt like I had just run a marathon.
During this time I was having a weird taste in my mouth and no food tasted good. I struggled with eating. things had a weird creamy/bitter texture to them. I was forcing myself to eat, but not enjoying it at all. I also started to develop a weird itchy rash. I struggled with these for a little bit, but then went to urgent care and got my triple diagnosis . . . Oral Thrush, Shingles and Neutropenia.
Oral Thrush is a common side effect of chemo. Thrush is an overgrowth of a fungus that is naturally occurring in your mouth anyway. If you have a "normal" immune system you do not need to worry about it, but if your immune system is compromised due to chemo (or other factors) you are more susceptible to it. Here is some more technical information on thrush.
Thrush looks like a whitish film all over the tongue. It is not painful, but I was having a feeling of a hairy tongue and dry mouth and all foods were tasting horrible. I am now taking clotrimazole troches 5x/day. A troche is a dissolvable flat tablet? The size and shape is kindof like some chewable vitamin C things I had a few years ago, but you are not to chew them but rather let them dissolve slowly in your mouth. I noticed improvement within hours of taking the first dose and while it is hard to take them five times a day it is worth it. I have to take them for 10 days. They don't really have a taste, but if I don't spread the dosages out enough I do notice my tongue starts to feel a little raw. But it is better than thrush.
Shingles
Shingles are not just the tiles on your roof, but a rash that develops if you have been exposed to the chicken pox virus. I had the chicken pox when I was 16. After my body fought that off some of the virus remained in my body in the dormant or inactive state. Then as a result of a weakened immune system and likely stress the virus became active but in the nerves. The end result is a nasty rash. The internet says most are painful, but mine has been more itchy and if I scratch it I notice the pain and burning.
I was given Acyclovir to take 5 x/day for 10 days. These pills are kinda large, but manageable. The itching has subsided . . . it is a catch 22 - I find the less I scratch the less itchy it becomes, but let me tell you how hard it is to not scratch. I have been taking the medicine, but I do notice I have been also scratching my collarbone and I hope that is not another outbreak. Trying not to scratch.
Neutropenia
Neutropenia is a low white blood cell count. But there are several components to your white blood cells and a change in each of them is indicative of different things. The doc told me my white blood cell count (wbc) was 1, which is low, but not expected as the day I was tested was day 7 and on taxotere that is the nadir, or low point. She also mentioned something about my basophils being high because it was fighting off the fungal infection, but I also think my ANC (absolute netrophil count) was low too. I was lucky enough to be in a room across the hall from the doctors station and could hear the urgent care doc on the phone with the oncologist through the thin doors. Im sure she would have told me this stuff but she was already giving me so much info already that the extra info ahead of time was helpful. I was told that someone would contact me about getting neupogen injections and when I got that call they mentioned I had grade 4 neutropenia. While I am not happy about this, I am happy that my numbers were high enough to avoid hospitalization.
To help my white cells fight off all of these infections I was told I needed 4 days of neupogen shots. Since I am not comfortable with giving them myself I am going in to the nurse clinic for them to do it for me.
I had the first neupogen shot on Wednedsay morning and feel Ok. There was a little pain at the injection site but I was told to take the medicine out of the fridge and let it warm to room temp before injection to avoid this. I have noticed I get bad backaches a couple of hours after the injection. Thank goodness for leftover pain meds.
I am feeling a little better since getting the shot, but now I have the mouth sore from you know where and a sore/inflamed/partially blocked throat that makes it incredibly difficult to swallow. It hurts to swallow water but less so if I take baby sips (which means it is hard to drink enough during the day) and eating is downright painful, even after applying some local anasthetic to the mouth sore (which makes eating enough difficult). At this point I think I would like a feeding tube, but I believe these will improve in a day or two so maybe I can make it through. Update: I wrote that a few days ago and the mouth sore is still bothering me but is better. I am still not eating enough (cause it still hurts) but I am gradually eating more every day.
So I have a bunch of pills to take . . . 14 to be exact. The antibiotic is supposed to be taken 4 times a day on an empty stomach (1 hour before eating or 2-3 hours after), the shingles medication says it may be taken with food to reduce the chance of upset stomach so I have been taking that with food. And the thrush medication is to be dissolved in the mouth. I have been trying to do that after eating so as to have the best benefit. I have a little log sheet of all my pills, when they should be taken and I mark down when I take them, sigh. It is exhausting just keeping track of them and trying to coordinate taking them at the right time since I am also eating more frequent small meals due to the pain while eating.
All in all I have had better weeks . . . but I am starting to feel halfway human again after being glued to the couch all week.
Cancer sucks.
The day prior to taxotere infusion I took 16mg of decadron, a steroid used to prevent an allergic reaction that can occur (but also suppresses your immune system). Then on day 1 I took another 16mg and on day 3 I took 8mg. I was warned that I would not sleep well, if at all on those days, but I was pleasantly surprised when I did sleep well enough. It wasnt the best sleep but I did feel it was enough to refresh me and keep me going the next day. Wohoo I am not even getting that bad of symptoms.
That all changed on the morning of day 4. I woke up and felt very stiff and as the morning progressed my joints started hurting, particularly my ankles, hips and knees. I was lying on the couch in incredible pain. Thankfully the PA had told me that I could take my leftover tylenol with codiene, which after some fretting and debating I did take. And I was so thankful for those meds. I thought once I started that I would be popping them left and right in and out of consciousness being loopy as I go in and out of consciousness. Surprisingly I took very few and was very clearheaded. I did take a few naps and lay on the couch, but pain is exhausting. Day 4 and 5 were spent on the couch as much as possible and popping pain pills. When the pain meds wore off my muscles felt like I had just run a marathon.
During this time I was having a weird taste in my mouth and no food tasted good. I struggled with eating. things had a weird creamy/bitter texture to them. I was forcing myself to eat, but not enjoying it at all. I also started to develop a weird itchy rash. I struggled with these for a little bit, but then went to urgent care and got my triple diagnosis . . . Oral Thrush, Shingles and Neutropenia.
Oral Thrush is a common side effect of chemo. Thrush is an overgrowth of a fungus that is naturally occurring in your mouth anyway. If you have a "normal" immune system you do not need to worry about it, but if your immune system is compromised due to chemo (or other factors) you are more susceptible to it. Here is some more technical information on thrush.
Thrush looks like a whitish film all over the tongue. It is not painful, but I was having a feeling of a hairy tongue and dry mouth and all foods were tasting horrible. I am now taking clotrimazole troches 5x/day. A troche is a dissolvable flat tablet? The size and shape is kindof like some chewable vitamin C things I had a few years ago, but you are not to chew them but rather let them dissolve slowly in your mouth. I noticed improvement within hours of taking the first dose and while it is hard to take them five times a day it is worth it. I have to take them for 10 days. They don't really have a taste, but if I don't spread the dosages out enough I do notice my tongue starts to feel a little raw. But it is better than thrush.
Shingles
Shingles are not just the tiles on your roof, but a rash that develops if you have been exposed to the chicken pox virus. I had the chicken pox when I was 16. After my body fought that off some of the virus remained in my body in the dormant or inactive state. Then as a result of a weakened immune system and likely stress the virus became active but in the nerves. The end result is a nasty rash. The internet says most are painful, but mine has been more itchy and if I scratch it I notice the pain and burning.
I was given Acyclovir to take 5 x/day for 10 days. These pills are kinda large, but manageable. The itching has subsided . . . it is a catch 22 - I find the less I scratch the less itchy it becomes, but let me tell you how hard it is to not scratch. I have been taking the medicine, but I do notice I have been also scratching my collarbone and I hope that is not another outbreak. Trying not to scratch.
Neutropenia
Neutropenia is a low white blood cell count. But there are several components to your white blood cells and a change in each of them is indicative of different things. The doc told me my white blood cell count (wbc) was 1, which is low, but not expected as the day I was tested was day 7 and on taxotere that is the nadir, or low point. She also mentioned something about my basophils being high because it was fighting off the fungal infection, but I also think my ANC (absolute netrophil count) was low too. I was lucky enough to be in a room across the hall from the doctors station and could hear the urgent care doc on the phone with the oncologist through the thin doors. Im sure she would have told me this stuff but she was already giving me so much info already that the extra info ahead of time was helpful. I was told that someone would contact me about getting neupogen injections and when I got that call they mentioned I had grade 4 neutropenia. While I am not happy about this, I am happy that my numbers were high enough to avoid hospitalization.
To help my white cells fight off all of these infections I was told I needed 4 days of neupogen shots. Since I am not comfortable with giving them myself I am going in to the nurse clinic for them to do it for me.
I had the first neupogen shot on Wednedsay morning and feel Ok. There was a little pain at the injection site but I was told to take the medicine out of the fridge and let it warm to room temp before injection to avoid this. I have noticed I get bad backaches a couple of hours after the injection. Thank goodness for leftover pain meds.
I am feeling a little better since getting the shot, but now I have the mouth sore from you know where and a sore/inflamed/partially blocked throat that makes it incredibly difficult to swallow. It hurts to swallow water but less so if I take baby sips (which means it is hard to drink enough during the day) and eating is downright painful, even after applying some local anasthetic to the mouth sore (which makes eating enough difficult). At this point I think I would like a feeding tube, but I believe these will improve in a day or two so maybe I can make it through. Update: I wrote that a few days ago and the mouth sore is still bothering me but is better. I am still not eating enough (cause it still hurts) but I am gradually eating more every day.
So I have a bunch of pills to take . . . 14 to be exact. The antibiotic is supposed to be taken 4 times a day on an empty stomach (1 hour before eating or 2-3 hours after), the shingles medication says it may be taken with food to reduce the chance of upset stomach so I have been taking that with food. And the thrush medication is to be dissolved in the mouth. I have been trying to do that after eating so as to have the best benefit. I have a little log sheet of all my pills, when they should be taken and I mark down when I take them, sigh. It is exhausting just keeping track of them and trying to coordinate taking them at the right time since I am also eating more frequent small meals due to the pain while eating.
All in all I have had better weeks . . . but I am starting to feel halfway human again after being glued to the couch all week.
Cancer sucks.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Last AC Chemo - Not Going to Miss the Red Devil
I dont wanna go, I dont wanna go. I felt like a 3 year old having a temper tantrum. I wasnt crying . . . yet. The morning of chemo is not a fun one. I know what is in store for me - I will get drugs that will save my life but in the process will make me feel horrible. Mental preparation is tough, especially because the cruelty of the situation is that you feel the best right before the next chemo. I was just starting to feel somewhat ok and didn't want to feel bad again. Waah waah.
The last round was the hardest one and was much harder than the previous ones (although none were what I would call easy). I really felt like I was ranover by a truck last time and they say there is a cumulative effect and that it gets worse each time. That is what caused me to be so nervous about this one as I thought it would be worse than last time and I wasn't sure I could handle it.
I begrudgingly went to my appointment with my oncologist that was scheduled right before chemo. The whole way there I barely said a word. I checked in and got my ID bracelet(yeah, like the ones they give you when you check in the hospital). I then had a relatively good appointment with the oncologist. She was very rushed and when I told her about my side effects she quickly offered me more prescriptions. By this time I managed to find my big girl pants and was feeling better about going next door to chemo. I was feeling at peace with being there once I sat down in the chair. I still didnt want to be there, but accepted that it was in my best interest to just get it over with. The nurse Jenny got me all situated. She started the IV line and started giving me saline. Then we waited. And waited. and waited. Time manages to go go slower when you are waiting for torture to begin, but I was in the chair for an hour and a half and all I had was saline. I was starting to get hungry too. I wanted to get this show on the road so I could go eat.
Then, just as Jenny came back with my bag of drugs I started to have pain near my IV injection site. Yeah, I said near. It was a weird pain - not at the injection site, but rater an inch or so away. Jenny then tried to figure out what was going on but everything looked in order. It did hurt and she asked if she should move it, but I wasnt sure if I would have the same issue in a different location. I also knew that if it was to be moved it had to be done now - before the vesiccant (adriamycin) gets started. After some stress over what the right decision is, I decided to ask her to try another location. The probelmatic area was on my forearm. She then tried near my wrist. And missed. At this moment all the emotions f the day just came flooding out . . . in the form of tears. I didnt want to be there, the first IV hurt, the nurse couldnt get the second one, in addiiton I had been in the chair for 2 hours at this point. She eventually got a line on the back of my hand, but I was still crying. And I didnt stop until she was done pushing the adriamycin which took 30 minutes. The crying was the tears rolling down my cheek kind not the sobbing uncontrollably kind, but still I was doing it for 30 minutes. I did start to feel better after getting it all out. Someone once told me that sometimes the chemo has to come out through your tears.
After I went home and ate I did feel better. Surprisingly this round has been easier on the side effects than last time. It still isn't anything I would wish on my worst enemy.
ETA - FYI "Red Devil" is the slang name given to Adriamycin. I dont know exactly how it was given the name, but here are my thoughts: The chemo comes in giant syringes and is a red color - almost like Cherry Kool Aid color. Most of the other chemo solutions I have seen are clear or have just a slight yellowish color (or maybe that is just the bag). The devil part is because it makes you feel so bad, really bad.
Taxotere is next for me . . . and it is *supposed* to be easier . . . I sure hope so!
The last round was the hardest one and was much harder than the previous ones (although none were what I would call easy). I really felt like I was ranover by a truck last time and they say there is a cumulative effect and that it gets worse each time. That is what caused me to be so nervous about this one as I thought it would be worse than last time and I wasn't sure I could handle it.
I begrudgingly went to my appointment with my oncologist that was scheduled right before chemo. The whole way there I barely said a word. I checked in and got my ID bracelet(yeah, like the ones they give you when you check in the hospital). I then had a relatively good appointment with the oncologist. She was very rushed and when I told her about my side effects she quickly offered me more prescriptions. By this time I managed to find my big girl pants and was feeling better about going next door to chemo. I was feeling at peace with being there once I sat down in the chair. I still didnt want to be there, but accepted that it was in my best interest to just get it over with. The nurse Jenny got me all situated. She started the IV line and started giving me saline. Then we waited. And waited. and waited. Time manages to go go slower when you are waiting for torture to begin, but I was in the chair for an hour and a half and all I had was saline. I was starting to get hungry too. I wanted to get this show on the road so I could go eat.
Then, just as Jenny came back with my bag of drugs I started to have pain near my IV injection site. Yeah, I said near. It was a weird pain - not at the injection site, but rater an inch or so away. Jenny then tried to figure out what was going on but everything looked in order. It did hurt and she asked if she should move it, but I wasnt sure if I would have the same issue in a different location. I also knew that if it was to be moved it had to be done now - before the vesiccant (adriamycin) gets started. After some stress over what the right decision is, I decided to ask her to try another location. The probelmatic area was on my forearm. She then tried near my wrist. And missed. At this moment all the emotions f the day just came flooding out . . . in the form of tears. I didnt want to be there, the first IV hurt, the nurse couldnt get the second one, in addiiton I had been in the chair for 2 hours at this point. She eventually got a line on the back of my hand, but I was still crying. And I didnt stop until she was done pushing the adriamycin which took 30 minutes. The crying was the tears rolling down my cheek kind not the sobbing uncontrollably kind, but still I was doing it for 30 minutes. I did start to feel better after getting it all out. Someone once told me that sometimes the chemo has to come out through your tears.
After I went home and ate I did feel better. Surprisingly this round has been easier on the side effects than last time. It still isn't anything I would wish on my worst enemy.
ETA - FYI "Red Devil" is the slang name given to Adriamycin. I dont know exactly how it was given the name, but here are my thoughts: The chemo comes in giant syringes and is a red color - almost like Cherry Kool Aid color. Most of the other chemo solutions I have seen are clear or have just a slight yellowish color (or maybe that is just the bag). The devil part is because it makes you feel so bad, really bad.
Taxotere is next for me . . . and it is *supposed* to be easier . . . I sure hope so!
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