My Cancer Journey

On Thursday, January 10, I had two tests, an echocardiogram to make sure my heart had not been affected adversely by the Herceptin, and an MRI to see how well the tumors had reacted to the chemotherapy.    My heart looked good. It did not seem it was affected at all. Great news! I was, however, concerned about the MRI. The contrast (color) they put into my system to get a better picture, made me nauseous last time. Not to the point where I vomited, but I did not want to take a chance that would happen.    First, I thought to put Vick’s Mentholatum in my nostrils as the nausea was brought on by a chemical “smell,” but the smell did not enter through the nose, but from inside my body. Therefore, I did not think it would be possible to block the smell. Instead, I brought one of my anti-nausea pills, the sublingual (melt-in-your-mouth) Zofran. I took that right before the MRI and it worked great. No nausea!   The other concern was that the tumors had not shrunk enou...

I brought my list of side effects when I saw the doctor the week after my first infusion on September 22. That was very helpful as now we had a better idea of what my particular side effects looked like. For example, where some get diarrhea, I was constipated, so needed different treatment. It took a while to figure things out, but this is what worked for me -  Chemo belly (bloated and gassy) -  Every morning with my supplements - the maximum amount of stool softeners With each meal - TUMS (I used Equate brand Antacid Chews) and Gas-X (I used Equate brand Gas Relief) Heartburn / GERD -  With lunch and after dinner / before bedtime - Acid Controller Constipation -  Every morning - MiraLax (I used Equate brand ClearLax) in 6-8 ounces of pineapple juice as it tastes better than putting it in water, and pineapple juice is also helpful for constipation Drink as much water as my body could handle. This also helps flush the chemo drugs out of your system more quickly s...

The first week after the first infusion was the worst one overall. Your body has a difficult time figuring out what to do with the drugs in your system. The nausea lasted less than one week for me, but the fatigue, although worst the first week after each treatment, was always there. It was a workout just to take a shower. I was huffing and puffing and not physically able to squeegee the glass shower door. During weeks two and three, while I was able to clean the shower door after showering, I moved very slowly. It might seem counterintuitive, but going for walks helps you not feel as exhausted; especially when combined with sunshine. I took many short walks outside. Usually very slow ones as they took a lot out of me. The pre-med steroids make your face round and ruddy. It is not a pretty look, but there is not much you can do about it. I also gained about 20 pounds, which I did not need, but it is better than losing weight. You need your strength so you can fight. I am very slowly lo...

I know others have different experiences, especially with drugs that are different from mine, Taxotere, Carboplatin, and Herceptin, but the infusion itself was not painful or uncomfortable for me. It was, however, very stressful and anxiety inducing. My blood pressure still shoots up every time I go to the hospital. It was also tiring to sit for such a long time. Because of he premeds I was pretty perky the day of and day after. So perky that it was difficult to sleep at night. Even though I was bloated from all the liquids and steroids, I wanted pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) for my meal after the infusion. It was delicious and perfect, and Craig was happy, because he likes it as well. It became our tradition to eat pho after all my infusions. I unfortunately associate pho with chemotherapy now, so I cannot eat it. It will hopefully change eventually. The day after the infusion, September 16, we went back to the hospital for my Neulasta injection. This pushes the bone marrow to create w...