I was most nervous prior my very first treatment back in January for fear of the unknown. After that it got a little easier as I knew what to expect. However, my last round of AC has my nerves in knots, and for good reason........that one put me in the hospital!
I was fairly nervous for my first round of Taxol (Paclitaxel), for fear of the unknown again! But, I managed through the infusion with no major side effects that. Apparently there are some hypersensitivity reactions that can occur from the toxicity of this drug. I think reading the list of side effects is what causes my anxiety! Oh, and one not listed here is that it has been known to be fatal...yikes....I don't like that one either! Lucky for me I didn't have any issues with the first infusion and I am hoping the next few go equally as well. Below is the list of possible side effects I took off of drugs.com.
-These are what we monitored during my infusion:
- trouble breathing
- sudden swelling of your face, lips, tongue, throat, or trouble swallowing
- hives (raised bumps) or rash
- chest pains
- back pains
-These are some of the more common side effects
- severe stomach pain
- severe diarrhea
- low red blood cell count (anemia) feeling weak or tired
- hair loss
- numbness, tingling, or burning in your hands or feet (neuropathy)
- joint and muscle pain
- nausea and vomiting
- hypersensitivity reaction - trouble breathing; sudden swelling of your face, lips, tongue, throat, or trouble swallowing
- hives (raised bumps) or rash
- diarrhea
- mouth or lip sores (mucositis)
- infections - if you have a fever (temperature above 100.4°F) or other sign of infection
- swelling of your hands, face, or feet
- bleeding events
- irritation at the injection site
- low blood pressure (hypotension)
Now, I will have to say that Taxol has been easier in many ways compared to AC treatment, but it just sucks in a different way! I didn't have much of that "yucky, ewe, bleh" feeling like AC may cause. I didn't get mouth and throat sores, hallelujah! Of all the side effects from that list above I only had a few (highlighted and italicized). Yes, hair loss is one of them. I was already bald but now I literally have about 8 eyelashes left! And my eyebrows are about 1/3rd of what they used to be. Soon I'll be drawing them in! Yesterday I wore fake eyelashes for a baldy photo shoot and they kept creeping down because there is nothing to rest them on! It was kind of funny because all I could see was a blackness trying to fall in my eyes all day!
HOWEVER, the pain that I started to felt two days after infusion of taxol was INTENSE. My bones were hurting all over and felt like some of them were fractured. My nerves were tingling and it felt like little fireworks going off in random spots all over my body. Then there were a few days where the pain from my sacrum and lower spine would make my knees buckle. I can describe it as if you had a bunch of 9-volt (eh, and 12-volts too!) batteries floating around the inside of your body with exposed terminals! I hated the pain!!! But it lasted just 5 days and then all of a sudden was a lot easier to tolerate and manage.
I have better pain meds now and I will make sure I have plenty on hand for this round. I have a good feeling that I will have this one under more control now that I know what to expect. I have also learned not to be afraid to take pain pills when you need them! There is no reason to be in pain and I am confident that pain pills won't become part of my daily life after cancer! I do think about and respect the fact that they can be addicting and you can count on my not be an addict. Not sure how that is even fun considering that pain pills cause constipation...no thanks!
My mind is definitely focused on chemo tomorrow and there's not much I can do about it. I try to keep myself busy all day. Rolling up in a ball watching bad daytime television will not help so it's not something you will find me doing. Right now I'm working on some things to tidy up the house then heading to work so I can get some things done there before taking some more time off to recuperate.
Many survivors have told me to "just listen to your body". This is great advice and it's something I do! If my body can't get out of bed or is telling me to slow down then I do just that. I've learned to try hard not to let this get the best of me. We are allowed to have moments of crying and despair but I think it's best to really manage the emotions all the other times. I'm trying to manage my anxiety right now about chemo tomorrow and constantly remind my self after tomorrow I just have TWO MORE LEFT!!!
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