3 Weeks After DMX!!!

Don't worry about the title, DMX is not referring to the the rapper!  DMX is short for "double mastectomy" for those new to this type of lingo.  Also, BC is short for "breast cancer" and these are acronyms I've learned while talking to my BC sisters through Facebook or texts. This experience has led me to meet some amazing women out there that are true fighters. Actually......some of them are simply online friends but I'm amazed by how much support travels through the internet. I recently joined a Facebook group for Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Survivors and it's been a great outlet for me to learn from the experienced survivors and offer help to the current fighters. It seems that all I want to do now is reach out and help someone that is going through diagnosis phase, treatment, or surgery. I'm not alone because it seems like every BC sister wants to help another BC sister! We rock.

Me and Laura going to my appointment!

I should have posted last week but it was tough to just play Candy Crush on my iPad, let alone type and think straight. In my last blog I talked about the drains and I can't emphasize in words how awful they were! However, I was blessed to just have 2 drains because I saw where some get up to 6 of them. Not only are they disgusting...they are painful too! I don't think we are meant to have tubes sticking out of our bodies. My left side stopped draining and started swelling making me look even more strange. I went for my post op follow up on day 11 and when my surgeon pulled that tube out it had tissue at the end so it wasn't draining right. YES...they just pull the tubes on out like it's no big deal! My bestie, and colon cancer fighter, Laura was there to witness this nasty event. It sorta felt like something crawling as the tubes were being pulled out. I don't have a lot of feeling so it is just a strange sensation, but at least it didn't hurt. Afterwords I felt like a free woman, it was great!

Pumpkin giving me some snuggles while we nap

My pain level just 11 days out was still fairly significant but they are against prescribing more narcotics in efforts to not make us addicts. I'm not sure how much I agree because sometimes the pain is beyond Tylenol or Advil capabilities but....whatever. I started taking Advil and Aleve to find out a week later that they were causing me to have gastroenteritis/colitis, which is just great. No more Ibuprofen/NSAIDS for me, my body hates them and now I do too.  At this point (3 weeks post op) my pain has gone down quite a bit and I'm taking extra strength Tylenol. I save the prescription meds for when I can't tolerate it anymore. This surgery causes all kinds of pain - sharp, dull, hypersensitivity, pulling, aching, tightness, and stabbing. The expanders were placed under the muscle so this causes a sharp/dull/shooting pain from the ribs. These expanders bulge out on my sides so that area is sore and I try not to put my arms down all the way. They are uncomfortable and my chest felt like it had a long 2x4 in it, but this is all temporary and it will get better.  The nerve pain is the worst! They sever so many nerves that it causes them to fire at all times and it can drive you crazy. It makes some areas hypersensitive and I can't stand clothes touching my skin (upper chest, sides, under arms, back). Weird things happen like if I rub the back of my head it causes nerves in my chest to fire.....this happens when I wash my forearms too. It feels like a little bit of electricity flushing through my body. I hope this is temporary and gets better as my nerves get accustomed to my body's new landscape!

I could write an entire book about this surgery because there is so much I want to share with everyone. The physical aspects are more than I expected and then there's the emotional part as well.  I'm reluctant to post of picture of my chest even though it's just skin with two 4" vertical sutures where I once had breasts. I just haven't built up the courage to share this and I applaud the woman who have.  It's not pretty or attractive whatsoever but I know that it's temporary as I go through the reconstructive process. Honestly, I thought this would have me in tears all the time but it wasn't until 9 days post op that I shed a tear because of my new look. I was trying so hard to stay positive but the pain, tightness, discomfort, and frustrations finally got to me so I had my moment! 

First pic of my flat chest!

At this point each day is better than the one before. My range of motion is coming back and I can almost reach my nightstand without hurting myself. It nearly took 3 weeks to lift my arms high enough to put deodorant on so I used baby powder....carefully. Because of the expanders I still can't sleep on my sides and apparently I won't be able to do that for awhile....damnit.  It's getting easier to cough but sneezing is still an issue! My entire breast area is totally numb but this is a good thing, trust me. The best way to explain this feeling is it is just like after leaving the dentist when your lip feels like it's 3" thick....that's how my breast area feels. This is good because when I go to get my boobs filled with saline in the upcoming weeks I won't feel the needle sticking me!

There is so much more I need to share so expect more blogs to come related to this DMX experience. I hope this blog brings another level of understanding to what we go through to fight BC. Chemotherapy was tough but going through a double mastectomy is no joke either! All I had to do was a lumpectomy but there are too many women out there that regret not doing a DMX the first time around. I have no regrets on my decision to tackle this disease with chemo and a DMX. I also wouldn't change my diagnosis if I could. I know it's caused a lot of pain and grief for me and my loved ones but it's changed my life.....in a good way.

Moxy cuddling with me, makes this easier.

More healing pics with Pumpkin

Pumpkin helping me with PT exercises!

Post DOUBLE MASTECTOMY!

Limited breast cancer USF jersey a friend won at an auction for me.

Today is almost exactly one week since my double mastectomy and I am still getting used to my "new look"! The morning of my surgery they did 4 injections of radioactive dye into my left breast. This dye will filter to the first lymph nodes that drain lymph from the breast. The surgeons had to add another dye to interact with this radioactive dye so they can visualize which lymph nodes are considered to be the sentinel nodes and remove them. The good news is that these nodes came back cancer free, which meant that they didn't have to remove more lymph nodes!!  This also meant that I will not undergo radiation and they were able to insert my expanders to start my reconstructive surgery. I was so happy to hear this news.

The new me!

I was in surgery for 4 +/-  hours as my family anxiously watched the OR Patient Status board for updates throughout my procedure. As I was rolled into the OR I tried to just take it all in and observe everything around me. They didn't let me do that for very long because next think I saw was my anesthesiologist putting a mask over my face.....I think I was able to count to 2.  From there on I was OUT OF IT!! I remember waking up as they rolled my in my room where everyone was waiting. It sure did feel good to have such a big support crew standing by my side all day through this. They turned it into a little party because someone brought travel size Vodka and Captain Morgan bottles along with some Redds beer! I heard my bestie's husband, Rich, was responsible for this. My people know how to have a good time I guess but they deserve it after a looooong day at the hospital. Plus I was all hopped up on morphine so they needed to be on my level in some way.

Picture time after surgery w/ family

It didn't take long for me to take look down at my chest.. ....... yup they were GONE! They put pink "binder" on me which is the hospital version of a halter top. Since they used internal sutures and Dermabond I don't have any dressing over the incisions.  I thought this would be mortifying for me to see but it really isn't that bad. I also thought about how I'll look now that I'm bald and flat. But this is temporary, that is what I must remind myself!

My 2-night stay at the hospital was pleasant and I had a lot of visitors. My nurses were all great...except for one that didn't seem to fit in with the Moffitt standards but oh well. The techs in nuclear medicine forgot to tell me that my urine would be electric green so that was a huge surprise to me when I was able to go to the bathroom that first time. It was definitely a shocker and even more odd that it turned turquoise and at one point it was purple in the commode!

My body has become a FULL TIME job since surgery. Not to mention that I need a full time caregiver with me because I'm not allowed to do anything. I called about pain the other day and the nurse told me to stop doing so much and sit still......so I am following directions now! I am on a schedule of meds that I would never remember with the use of the Dosecast app on my phone. I have tubes hanging from my drain sites that dump into grenade-like containers all day. Throughout the day we have to drain the tubes then measure the amount of fluid in the grenades. Once I drain less than 30cc per day for 2 days then the drains can come off. The sites where the tubes come out of my body are extremely sore and uncomfortable........they get removed in 4 more days I hope!

Me at hospital with a swollen lip from the tubes during surgery!

One of my drain ports under my arm

One of my drain "grenades". 

This surgery is no joke but I am still standing behind my decision. Too many women that had a lumpectomy have told me their regrets not having a double mastectomy and that helped me decide.  I have a lot of pain that never seems to go away no matter how many pain pills I take. It feels like there's an elephant on my chest and tennis balls under my armpits but this is all a part of my battle to get rid of cancer for good! The strangest feeling I have now is my chest is numb. I can relate it to how your lip feels thick after getting Novocain from your dentist.....well my entire chest feels that way!

I am exactly one week post surgery and thought I'd be more back to normal. I still need pain meds and I think the discomfort at the drain sites is worse now than it was originally. In another week I think my condition will be much better so I am looking forward to that because recovering from surgery is NOT FUN! I am so thankful for my caregivers that wait on me hand and foot because I could not get through this on my own.

My husband has been awesome trying to be with me while handling business all at the same time. Our lives are beyond overfilled and we definitely did not have time to fit breast cancer in our schedule! Here is a picture of him while I was waiting to go to OR. My bestie Laura took the pic and thought maybe they gave him the anesthesia. This reminds me.....while I was laying in bed the other night he rolled over and punched me in the right boob (or area where there once was a boob)! You know this never happens unless you just had surgery in that area!

Picture time before surgery

I get lots of love!!

Thanks for reading and I appreciate all the support out there, xoxoxo!

Night before the big surgery!

It's the day before my big day to remove my ta ta's that I've had my whole life! It is such a weird feeling to count down the days of needing to wear a bra. After today I will be flat and once I get the new boobs I'm hoping I won't need to wear one! I am excited about getting this tumor OUT OF MY BODY but at the same time I have some feelings that make me anxious. I know it will all go as planned but I've never had a surgery this major before. Plus it is strange to know they are taking something that makes me a woman. People can say what they want to make me feel better but it's the truth, and to be honest the feeling is strange.

Tomorrow I get to Moffitt at 9am and they will inject my breast with dye and and take some images to see what lymph nodes take up this dye first.  Those are considered to be the sentinel lymph nodes and they will all be removed during my surgery (double mastectomy). Once removed they will run some more tests on them right away to see if they show any signs of cancer. If they come back positive then they will remove all my axilla lymph nodes and do the mastectomy then sew me back up. Once recovered I would have to undergo radiation. BUT if all goes as planned and hoped, the lymph nodes will come back negative and they will do the mastectomy and insert expanders in place of my breasts. Over the next 4-5 months they will fill my expanders until they are full size.  Once full I have to wait about 6-8 weeks before getting my permanent implants. The good thing about getting expanders put in is that I get to test drive my boob size before putting in the implants!

Expander and implant options

Above is a picture of the expander (left) that I explained above.  I chose the middle implant over the one on the right.  That one on the right is actually teardrop shaped for a more natural look. Honestly I want them to look fake! And I definitely don't want them to have any drooping! I've had enough of that the past 10+ years already, now it's time to get new ones.

I'll be in the hospital all weekend and plan to check out some time on Sunday if all goes as planned. Then I get to go home and recover with the help of my husband, family, and friends. The part I fear the most if recovery and feeling pain and discomfort....NOT looking forward to that. But this is all a part of the fight and I will do whatever it takes so that I can live my life again. 

Speaking of living life....last weekend my hubby and I went to Key West for 3 days. IT WAS AWESOME!! We flew this time and realized that we will never do the 8+ hour drive again. Our time was mainly spent relaxing but we did get out to have some drinks and enjoy ourselves. We usually do this trip every summer and I had to squeeze it in before my surgery and I am so glad I did. I'm also glad I got a hot stone massage while I was there (Jala Spa @ Hyatt Key West), it was fabulous.  AND my massage therapist sent chocolate covered strawberries to my room afterwards. Now that's good service!  I really enjoyed my time between chemo graduation and surgery and I recommend that everyone else going through this does the same!

Chocolate covered strawberries for me!!!

Dinner at the Conch Republic, great place, good music :)

Our first stop was here at Hog's Breath Saloon.

Thanks for reading and once I'm feeling better I will post an update. I asked my sister to record me after I come out of anesthesia so that may be on my next post if it's appropriate!

One Month Post Chemo Anniversary

Yesterday was my ONE MONTH post chemo anniversary! I did my best to pack as much as I could into the "feel good" weeks between chemo and surgery. The first thing I did was have a blast at the Miles for Moffitt 5K run just 12 days after my last infusion. On race day, I was in better shape than I anticipated and walked 2 out of the 3 miles. My bestie and niece decorated a wheel chair so I got to sit and roll for a mile when my feet started tingling. I felt fine the next day after the race but then the tingling, numbness, and pain kicked in the second day and that sucked. I found that Epsom Salt Baths (super hot) seemed to help with the foot pains. I also found that pampering myself to a parafilm wax pedicure is even better! I had a lot of neuropathy pain after chemo but it's starting to be manageable. It basically feels like my feet are asleep at times, especially in the evening. I also get a feeling as if I'm walking directly on my heel bones along with aches throughout my legs. It was to the point that I dreaded having to get up to just go to the bathroom. It's a horrible feeling and I'm glad that it seems to be getting better. I don't think the tingling ever stops but that is tolerable and you kind of get used to it.

I see that my chemo brain just sent me off on a tangent about neuropathy when I wanted to talk more about the 5K! The Pamela Fights in Pink team raised $5,585.00 for cancer research and we had 44 runners/walkers. It was a great way to give back and celebrate all at the same time and I can't thank everyone enough for all the support. My team was so busy socializing that we almost missed our opportunity to start the race! I just hope everyone had as much fun as I did......and I can't wait to do it again next year.

Last year I started turkey hunting and was bummed that I wouldn't be able to go this year. Well, I decided last minute that it would be a good idea to head up to my cabin in the woods and turkey hunt! I got to share the trip with one of my best friends and even got her to put on camo! I needed the time up there to relax and clear my mind......and turkey hunt. I enjoy sitting in the woods and just taking it all in. I'd really enjoy harvesting a turkey too, but that didn't happen this year so now I'm looking forward to next year already. Although I didn't get a turkey I did get poison ivy which is always pleasant to deal with as if I don't have enough problems! On the upside, I didn't catch any of the funky germs floating around on the airplane. I did wear a mask while traveling even though it draws more attention to my bald self. It was weird at first but after about a minute I really didn't care what people were thinking.

Selma and I in front of what used to be a chimney many years ago

Knowing that I will be in recovery soon for 2-4 weeks, I've really tried to put in more hours at the office. I've been away from work a lot since all this started and it's really hard to keep up. Between all my shenanigans and work I've slacked off on blogging and I kinda feel bad about that! Speaking of shenanigans, my hubby and I will be heading off to Key West for a few days to do absolutely NOTHING and we cannot wait. This is my last Ooh-rah before the big surgery coming up!

I forgot to mention that my hair has started to grow back. But it looks ridiculous!  The day I returned home from my hunting trip I immediately shaved it with clippers because my head looked like a fuzzy tennis ball. The hair was different lengths and colors so it wigged me out. I got some hair soap and root treatment from a store called Lush at the mall so hopefully it does the trick to bring back normal hair. Right now it's a mixture of dark and blonde hair and basically looks like I have pepper on my head.

Much needed Dogo love the days following the 5K.

On a final note, remember that nasty toenail I posted about 2 months ago?  Well, it healed from the infection but then last weekend the nail started turning green! My doctor put me on an anti-fungal for it along with some topical treatment. I was worried this may delay my surgery so last night I soaked my feet and removed the toenail. Nothing like having a big toe with no toenail while in Key West! If cancer has taught me anything, it's taught me to not be so vain and I'm good with that.

Some poison ivy on my arm :/

Selma and I at Fountain Square in Cincinnati

And this is how I fly

#8 - Chemo is done, I DID IT!!!

Feeling like a champ....last day in a chair!

Well I did it!  I completed 8 rounds of dose dense chemo and it feels like a major accomplishment. To be honest, the feeling I had this day was equivalent to the feeling I had the day I graduated with my Masters degree! So it was a good fit that my mom and sister made me a chemo graduation cap with a pink tassel while I rang the bell. I sat through 4 rounds of AC treatment and 4 rounds of Taxol treatment and each time I would hear at least one patient ring the bell. Each time I couldn't wait until it was my turn, yet was happy for them that they were D-O-N-E! Now I know what it feels like and I hope to never have to do it again.

I was looking forward to seeing my oncologist to give her a big hug but she was not there on my last day. I had to see another doctor and I was impressed that he knew so much about my history with chemo. He knew that my 4th round of AC put me in the hospital and emphasized that it could happen again if I don't take care of myself. I decided to tell him that I wanted to get in on turkey season before it ended and that I would be flying in 2 weeks......he looked at me like I had 3 heads! Then he scheduled be for follow up bloodwork the day before I fly out as a precautionary but I'm confident that my numbers will be pretty good. I NEED a vacation at this point.

My sister tagged my car :)

Over the past 6 months I've read everything I could regarding breast cancer and chemo treatments. It amazes me how the same treatment causes different side effects among us patients. The AC definitely kicked my ass but the Taxol has been slightly "easier". I've read about what some have endured from Taxol and consider myself fairly lucky at this point. The body pain is awful but at least I didn't get the peripheral neuropathy like many others have to deal with. Mine is so minimal that complaining about it would be embarrassing! The body pain that I get would probably be comparable to what it feels like after rolling down a hill or set of bleachers.  However, we have drugs for this and I am not afraid to take them so I can be somewhat comfortable! Thankfully, it is temporary and that is something I say to myself when I get fed up with being in pain. Having constant aches and pain does suck, but getting through this is going to make me tougher just like all the others that have been through this before me. I don't think you will hear me ever complaining about menial things from here on out! My hopes are that I detox soon and start living a healthy productive lifestyle so that my immune system is always on point.


Last time checking in!!! :)

I am so thankful that this part of my cancer journey is complete.....I smile just thinking about it. It has gone by much faster than anticipated and now I am focusing on the surgery and getting back to "normal". I'm a different person now and I think those that know me may even notice a change at some point. This sure has been a wild ride and I'm glad it's over.  I've probably stated that 10 times in this blog already but at least you will know how passionate I am about how I feel!

This weekend my team of 35 will walk, run, jog, hobble, stroll, roll the Miles for Moffitt 5K.  We've raised $3,650 so far for cancer research and I couldn't be more proud. I love doing these types of events and this one will be personal for me. All of us will walk for those that have suffered from cancer and I can only hope that they will all join me again next year. This is an excellent way for me to celebrate and let cancer know it can kiss my ass as I walk this 5K on my own!

Below are a just a few of the pics from my last day. You'll see it was very emotional and I tear up now just typing about it. I wasn't much of an emotional crier before but that surely has changed. If you haven't been a cancer patient I hope that reading my blogs has enlightened you in some way. I hope you go out of your way now to hug someone that has gone through this. I hope you feel more compassion towards someone just diagnosed. I hope you make sure they know you love them. I hope you don't look the other way when you see someone bald from cancer. I just hope that you have a better understanding of what it takes to fight cancer and that it more than just a colored ribbon.


Having fun w/ selfies on our ride to celebration dinner!

My husband and best friend that I love!

Collage made by my sister of my last 6 months

Sister, Mom, Me and Dad - My family that I LOVE!

My fan team cheering me on to ring the bell, I didn't know they were ALL here!

My new "breast" friends. Notice the tears in my eyes as these ladies are still fighters yet have been my mentors. I love these two ladies and they are truly an inspiration.

This is the "SURPRISE" look on my face....I didn't know everyone was there!

Family and Friends I just couldn't live without....
 



All smiles leaving Moffitt today

 

And finally here is a video of me ringing the bell........

 

 

 



#7 Taxol - Rehired the hubby!

I'm on #7......BAAAAM!

As you know chemo really messes with your emotions and makes it difficult to handle things at times. On my last AC treatment back in February I fired my husband from being my chemo partner! I told him that.....you are fired from being my caregiver!  It was a stressful day for me and he was wrapped up on the phone, emails, and texts with work and couldn't focus on me. I had a lot going on and just couldn't handle any additional stress. It all worked out because I was able to share my chemo experience with my family so they could fight with me even more!

For chemo #7 I hired my husband back as my chemo partner!! It was a good day and he's learned a lot over the past few months on how to deal with his wife, the cancer patient. I think it's good for him to be with me for my doctor's appointments before chemo so he can hear it from them as to why I am so off schedule and that this is temporary. They say it will be six months to a year before I am "normal" again. We had a good time and here are some pics of his long hair and my bald head.

I always seem to get dehydrated after chemo and I asked for them to increase the amount of fluids during infusion.  Now I get 500ml of fluids (before 250ml) during chemo and it made a huge difference in how I recovered afterwards.  I wish I knew that trick months ago!!

My 4 dogo girls resting with me after chemo

My Moxy girl giving me love after chemo

Now, you know when something goes well then something else goes wrong? I was home on Friday (3 days after chemo) and vomited pretty much everything in my body! It was awful and I will spare you the details.  All I know is that I was happy not to worry about holding my hair back!! All FOUR of my dogo girls were home with me and all FOUR of them were in the bathroom helping me while this was going on!! I don't know what caused this but I doubt it was the oxycodone or antibiotics I was on since it's never been a problem before. Taxol has made me nauseous each time and I've read and heard that it's fairly common. With that being said, I decided to take Compazine (anti-nausea med) for the following few days.






My attempt to get some strength back!

Next time I will use sneakers, this hurts my feet!

I had a lot of pain with this round that first weekend.  I also had the Neulasta shot which seems to increase the amount of pain. Most of the pain is in my legs and hips. There are two days where I have pain in my spine and it will radiate throughout my abdomen like electricity. I really hate that feeling and will not miss it once this is over. I thought maybe exercise may help ease the feeling so I started doing some exercises on the floor or in my bed with resistance bands.  I don't know if it helped but  I need to start building some strength back up so I'll continue to do this.
My doctor told me I would gain about 20 pounds on chemo and that freaked me out. I already needed to lose over 20 pounds before this even started! I am down about 5 pounds from the beginning but it's nothing to do a cartwheel for. I was mushy before and now I have no muscle tone and my arms are even more flabby. I feel like I gained 20 pounds but I think the fat and water is just moving around to other areas of my body. I am looking forward to working this off when I'm done!




You may recall that I have issues with insomnia. This seems to be worse the second week after chemo.  The one night I was up until 6:30AM and that was after taking 2 Ativans and 1 Oxycodone. I'm just going to accept that this is a problem and it's temporary. I've tried everything but the real issue is that during this time my heart rate is between 90-115bpm.......while laying in bed doing nothing! You can't fall asleep like that. I'm sure Dave could fall asleep like that because he can sleep anywhere.  Here he is dozing off while I was hooked up to chemo. I envy those who can sleep any time and anywhere...

Tomorrow is my last chemo! It feels like a graduation to me and I am so excited. Usually I am anxious the day before chemo but today I have a different feeling and I like it. My GI tract is a mess from this Taxol and I am looking forward to just one more round so it will go away.

My next challenge is surgery and my double mastectomy is planned for the first week of June. During surgery they will run some tests on the lymph nodes they remove and if any come back with cancer then they will remove all of them.  If that is the case then I will have to do radiation but the doctors are confident that I am a stage 2 patient and since I'm doing a double mastectomy no radiation will be needed.

I hope my doctors are right and that I can do this without radiation. I want everyone to know that your support and prayers have been greatly appreciated! The cards, gifts, and support have been overwhelming. I decided to do Miles for Moffitt and I cannot believe how awesome my team and group of supporters have been!  Below is a card I got from my good friend's sweet daughters and thought I would share it with you!

  




Chemo #6 & Taxol - Dehydration got me again!

I had full intentions of blogging after each chemo but procrastination and being a slacker has taken over! It's really hard to keep up with myself these days but I'm trying! Dealing with cancer takes up your entire life and not a moment goes by without me thinking about it or doing something related to it. I was talking to a friend who is in the very end stages of reconstructive surgery and she mentioned that now she has all this extra time that was devoted to cancer. Quite frankly, she doesn't know what to do with it! I cannot wait to have that feeling myself!

The Taxol treatment I'm on now has been tough on me but in a different way than the AC treatment. I don't know if it's fair to say that this is "easier" but it has been a little more tolerable to deal with. For my second round of Taxol I brought my dad with me to be my chemo buddy.  We marched around Moffitt and he got to experience the full effect of what I do on chemo day. I think this is something everyone should try and do for a loved once if possible. My check in time was at 9am and like always, they were backed up a couple hours so we were there the ENTIRE day and left in the evening at some point. It is annoying when it's backed up but you have to consider that things happen out of your control and it's really not that big of a deal. My dad doesn't live nearby so it was nice to be able to spend time with him even if it was at a cancer hospital!

The best way to get your name called is to get a warm blanket and make yourself comfy! That's exactly what I did and that is what happened within about 5 minutes........"FAY"!

After I get home from chemo I really try to just take it easy the next few days. This second Taxol treatment had me exhausted and I just could not get out of bed. I tried to drink water but that's hard to do when you're sleeping! So by Friday (3 days later) I felt like crap but went to work to try and get caught up.  That lasted all of about 15 minutes and I couldn't catch my breath. I was lightheaded and just felt weak. My husband put me in my mom's car and we headed to Moffitt to get evaluated. They did a ECHO cardiogram, CT scan, and Bloodwork....... all to find out I was just really dehydrated! They pumped me with a liter of fluids and I was back to normal! I can't believe how easy it is to get dehydrated and how it knocks me on my ass.

Another side effect I get with Taxol is PAIN! My legs hurt, especially my hips and femur. It's hard to explain but they hurt all over and my arms often hurt too. I tried Vicodan and Percocet but they didn't seem to do the trick. Now they have me on Oxycodone 5mg IR (as needed) and it works....usually. I also take Mobic on a daily basis.  I'm sharing this information for anyone out there trying to find something that works. We are all so different and have to try different meds until we find the ones that work!

Now this side effect may gross you out! Taxol is hard on the nails and I have been lucky enough to only have ONE toenail with problems.  It started as a red spot just after my first round of Taxol and got worse over time. It appears more painful that it really was, I just felt a little pressure. When my PA saw it last week (middle image) she immediately put me on some antibiotics so now it's looking "normal" again (bottom image). I am fairly sure this toe nail will fall off and I'm making sure that doesn't happen until it's ready! Some patients get this on all their nails so I consider myself lucky to just have one at this point. I sure do miss getting pedicures and CANNOT WAIT to be able to schedule one soon!

Nail infection oldest (top) to newest (bottom)

Now a blog wouldn't be complete if it didn't have a picture of one of my furbabies that help get me through all of this. This is Moxy and she's not very good at sharing me!

Thanks for reading!