Chemo Treatment #11

Today is Day 4 after my last FAC chemo treatment.  Chemo itself went well and was largely uneventful.  Oddly, I didn't get the IV of Ativan, which is both an anti-anxiety and an anti-nausea med. When I asked my nurse, Amber, about it, she said that my file indicated that it was to be omitted.  Given the fact that it was my new substitute for Uncle Benny, I was pretty bummed out that I wasn't going to get a pleasant buzz, but didn't make an issue out of it.  I figured that I would ask Dr. Nelson about it the next time I saw him.

By the time I got home, I was tired but felt okay.  I snoozed for a bit and had some mac & cheese for lunch. Totally normal. Totally boring.  As the afternoon progressed, I had a mild headache and started to feel a bit more queasy.  At around 4:30, I took a Compazine - knowing that it may give me dancy legs, but I sucked it up.  For the next two hours, I tossed and turned and couldn't get comfortable.  My stomach was definitely pissed off at the poison in my system.  At around 6:30, I made my first run to the bathroom and projectile vomited.  I was talented enough to shoot myself in the eye, too.  So gross.  For the next few hours, I continued to throw up.  I couldn't keep anything down.  I asked Matt to look in my MD Anderson-issued pink binder for the "when to call the doctor" list and yep, throwing up was one of those times.  He talked to the doctor, explained what was going on and was told that she was calling in a prescription for Zofran, which was another type of anti-nausea medicine.  By the time that he got home and I was able to take a pill, it was about 10pm.  Fortunately, it started to work very quickly and also made me a little drowsy, so I fell asleep quickly as well.  I normally have a pretty iron-clad stomach and outside of morning sickness or really over-indulging with the adult bevvies, I really don't throw up.  Even then - it's never in multiples.  I can't recall the last time I threw up like that.  The crazy thing was that I didn't have any aches or pains or a raging hangover headache.  My head hurt but given my history with migraines, it was nothing. Throughout the whole ordeal, I kept asking myself, "Is this worse than the restless legs?"  Each time, I'd mentally answer, "NO!"

I slept pretty well that night and woke up feeling fine on Friday morning.  Given the previous night's events, I was pretty damn shocked.  I felt a little dicey in the afternoon and snoozed for a bit, but all things considered, it wasn't bad.  Since then, I've been pretty queasy each day.  I've taken my Zofran as needed, but to be honest, I've probably toughed it out more than I really should.  I have so much poison and medicine in me that I don't want any more than I absolutely have to.  The Zofran wipes me out a little, too, so I don't really want to take it during the day if I'm trying to work. I'm convinced that the reason that I've been so nauseated this time is because I didn't have the Ativan.  That's the only thing that had changed.

I have to say - I'm pretty disappointed that after 11 treatments, chemo made me physically sick.  As always, I feel like I should have been tougher for some reason.  Yes, I've done much better than I expected but still...  I'm so thankful that this part of my suck-ass journey is almost over, though.  I've made it this far and I can knock out these last two!  Barring any complications, my last chemo session should be on August 16th.  That's only about six weeks from now.  Woo hoo!

I'm also happy to report that my neuropathy has continued to improve. My fingernails are really ugly but they're clearly growing out, which is great.  My hands only tingle sometimes but are still a bit sensitive to heat.  They aren't sore and my fingertips really don't hurt at all.  So glad Dr. Nelson opted to stop the Taxol early!

Thank you again for all of your kind words and love and support!  They really help keep me sane (well, mostly) and strong.

Peace out, my friends.