Many have asked how the new phase of chemo is going and if I have experienced any new side effects or anything, so I thought I would share with everyone!
I started phase 2 last Tuesday, December 3rd. Today (December 10th) I had my 2nd treatment. I will be going weekly (as long as my blood work counts are good) for a total of 12 treatments. It is a little confusing to explain how the treatments will work weekly but it helps to think of it still in cycles of 3 weeks. The first week of the cycle I will get both kinds of chemo (let me refer to them as 'T' and 'C'). This is the only time of the cycle that I will see the doctor also. That is what I did last week (December 3rd). On the second and third week of the cycle I will just get the 'T' kind of chemo. That is what I did today and will do next week also (Dec 17th). The week following the 17th I will start the cycle over and get both kinds of chemo and also see my doctor. (By the way, that is the week of Christmas and I will probably go on Monday since that Tuesday is Christmas Eve!)
One thing that is different about the actual treatment process is that they give me Benedryl through the IV during the treatment now. This is because there are possible reactions to the actual infusion of one of the types of chemo ('T') that I get. I have not had any reactions at either treatment! (Again, God hears the prayers of my Mighty Army of Prayer Warriors!!! Thank you!!!) One over-the-counter Benedryl would make me sleepy so imagine a big dose right into the IV. Needless to say, I have slept through some of my treatment and have "Benedryl Brain" for most of the evening. I am hoping it has worn off enough tonight and doesn't show in this blog!!
So far for phase 2, I really have felt better than during the first phase of treatments! I am really happy to be able to tell you that!! The main difference that I noticed in the last week was that I wanted to sleep more. It wasn't so much the low energy, I just slept in later in the morning (2 mornings it was 10am) and then I took an afternoon nap several days. There are nights that I don't sleep well but I can deal with that! The 2nd and 3rd day after treatment (Thursday/Friday) were my lower energy days but not completely wiped out or anything. There has still been no nausea sickness! Thank you Lord!
Some of the side effects could come gradually after I have had more of the weekly treatments. For example, there could be changes in my fingernails. These changes could include the color (they could turn a gray or darker color) or even worst case scenario, they fall off. That is the worst case scenario and I am not going to dwell on that! Especially with how well I have done so far! If I gave every worst case possibility it would freak you out (and me!). Remember, zero negativity zone here! Going to stay positive and only deal with what actually does happen! :)
I still get some anti-nausea meds during the chemo treatment but I don't have to take anything at home afterwards. No more shot either!! (even though it was very helpful and really wasn't that bad to give to myself).
I can still pretty much eat whatever sounds good to me. Some foods still didn't have their 'full' flavor but it isn't as bad as phase 1 of chemo. During the first phase I would get a steroid through the IV during treatment and then I took some kind of steroid pill for three days after the treatment. I felt like sometimes that made me hungry more often. During this phase I still get some kind of steroid in the IV during treatment but nothing through the rest of the week. I already feel like I see a difference in how often I want to eat. It is more 'normal' now. Surprisingly though, my weight has not changed over the course of any treatments. That is really surprising considering how inactive I have been at times!!
I already shared this on my Facebook post this morning but I still want to share it again. (Keep in mind that we drive to St. Louis for my treatments) Today was the FIRST time that a treatment was scheduled for noon so we didn't have to leave until 930. My other treatments have ALL been scheduled for around 9:00 in the morning so we would leave around 6:00/6:30am. Since we got the fresh snow last night, I was very thankful to be able to leave later in the morning and the roads were all clear. This was no coincidence or good luck or anything. This was completely God's Hand being revealed once again! :)
Thank you all again for praying for me and my family! God hears your prayers!! The support has been amazing and very encouraging!
God is Good!! All the Time!!
No comments:
Post a Comment