Chemo 2

Chemo went well yesterday and I felt pretty good the rest of the day and today has been good too. I’ve been drinking a lot more water before and after treatment, which has really helped along with walking as much as I can. No nausea so far, but I didn’t notice any problems the first time until after the bag came off. We’ll see how it goes this time around. Right now my biggest problem is sensitivity to cold from the Oxaliplatin. My hands are especially sensitive and anything cold I touch feels like a hundred needles jabbing into my skin. I can’t wash my hands unless the water is warm, otherwise the pain is just too intense. Sometimes it feel like needles and other times it feel like big shock similar to grabbing an exposed electrical wire. Either way, it’s not very pleasant. As long as I stay warm and eat/drink things that are room temp or warmer there’s no problem. I’m thankful that the weather is warmer now. I can’t imagine going through this during the winter months. My cell counts have started to drop a little bit, but nothing too serious yet. Hopefully, I can squeak by without having to take Neulasta (bone marrow stimulant) as I hear this can cause the bones to ache. That’s two treatments down and ten to go.

Aftermath

Nausea and extreme fatigue had kicked in over the weekend and continued through Monday, but I was able to make it back to work this morning. Having been on 5-FU earlier in the year I didn’t expect the side effects to hit me so soon, but combined with Oxaliplatin it’s like a double whammy.

Chemo 1 - back in black

Treatment started at 8:00 AM this morning. The nurse accessed my port and started administering premeds, which included a steroid called decadron (dexamethasone), a powerful anti-inflammatory agent and aloxi (palonosetron), which is used as an anti-emetic. Next, an IV consisting of Oxaliplatin and Leukovorin along with 5% dextrose (D5) was administered over a two hour period. I got a bolus injection of 5-FU over a 2 minute period. Afterwards the nurse connected my portable 5-FU pump. This time I got the basic black European carryall instead of the burgundy colored bag I carried earlier in the year. Treatment lasted just under 4 hours and I would need to report back at 10:00 AM on Friday to disconnect the portable pump. The first treatment went pretty well, but I felt very tired afterwards and wondered if I was going to be able to work that afternoon, but I powered through it.