Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Phase 2 Begins...

Let me first start by saying that the tumors are shrinking - Hallelujah!  No official scans yet (those won't come until I am finished with all of my chemo, so sometime in August or September most likely), but with a crude measurement, one can certainly feel them breaking up and getting smaller.  In the words of my oncologist: "I am so thrilled!"  I know now that because there is this favorable response to the chemo, my prognosis is looking better and better, which needless to say, allows me to breathe a bit easier.

I had my first dose of the Taxol last Friday, and it was a very interesting experience.  Apparently, about 25% of patients can have an allergic reaction, to where they have trouble breathing, and the throat can close, etc...  The doctor and the nurses told me that in order to prevent any allergic reactions, they will first load me up with a steroid, and then heavy doses of antihistamines before administering the drug.  And then they will monitor me very closely during that first infusion.  So, after hearing that, I was on pins and needles before going in, not knowing if I was going to fall into that 25% category or not.  After the third pre-med, I was very out of it, which was probably a good thing looking back.  Even though I was still awake, I was way less anxious about the medication that was about to be given.  And then once I was halfway through the bag of Taxol, I knew I was going to be fine.

The side effects from this drug are very different from the other two drugs I was given.  So far, I have been very fortunate not to have any of the stomach issues that I've had for the past two months.  I've been able to maintain my appetite and eat everything, with no aversions.  I have had, however, some mild aches and pains in my muscles, and I am extremely tired all the time.  I don't expect either of those two things to dissipate any time soon though.  In addition, I feel like I'm in a slight 'fog' that isn't lifting, which is frustrating, but I'm hoping that will come to an end quickly.  After taking it all in, I'd still rather deal with these issues than the nausea any day.  Oh, and I almost forgot - there is also a chance to develop some neuropathy with this med (with it not resolving until about 6 months post treatment), but I'm praying that I am one of the lucky ones that isn't affected by that.

We just found out tonight that I will be getting the weekly dosing of this new drug, which also makes me happy.  Even though it will be a slightly longer regimen (12 weeks total), it will be less neurotoxic, hopefully keeping the neuropathy at bay.  My next round is set for this Thursday, June 6th.  Now we know what to expect for the next 3 months, and that this will put my surgery into September.  But for now, we're trucking along, one week at a time.

Thank you again for the constant support and words of encouragement.  It's very hard to keep my fears from getting the best of me, but I can feel that part of my strength comes from all of your love pouring in.