I thought it might be a good idea to give you all a little more detail on the upcoming treatments. My treatment plan is T A C, which is Taxotere, Adriamycin and Cytoxan, once every three weeks with a Neulasta shot the day after. I am doing six rounds of TAC over the next 4 1/2-5 months if my white blood counts do not drop too low. I love the verbiage on the drug sheet handouts, "may make you feel generally unwell". This is the nice way to say you are going to feel like crap.
T=Taxotere. Nasty side effects, too many to list, but complete hair loss on your entire body is mentioned and the other is changes in nail color (I am hoping for a pink sparkle but I bet that is not what they mean). This one may cause an allergic reaction so I am also on Decadron, which is a steroid to help decrease this issue.
A=Adriamycin. More of the same nasty side effects, along with a few others. My finger nails may never be the same again. This one causes your urine to turn very red, nickname is "Red Devil"....nice. I had a heart ultrasound done before treatment because this one can cause heart damage. Care giver should not come in contact with patient's body fluids for five days after treatment....what in the world?! Is kissing okay?
C=Cytoxan. I love this one. On the "Drugs that may interact with Cytoxan" cocaine is listed along with products that contain St John's wort (there are also others but I found those two funny). Isn't cocaine cheaper than gasoline now?
Neulasta. The header on the drug sheet says "for patients on strong chemotherapy". Neulasta is a white blood cell booster and will help protect me against chemotherapy-related infection. The most common side effect is mild to moderate bone pain. No where on the drug sheet does it say "may make you feel generally unwell" but I bet that is what they mean.
All three drugs decrease the body's ability to fight infection with Neulasta trying to help fight infection. It is going to be the cold and flu season for me starting in June. I need to avoid crowds for the next few months. Rules of engagement for visits, if you feel like you are coming down with something or one of your family members is ill, please don't come over. Your little cold or flu can make me very ill.
Another issue beyond infections are food borne illnesses. All fruits and vegetables need to be well washed. If you can't scrub the surface, don't eat it (no berries). Melons, pears, apples, etc need to scrubbed prior to eating. Lots of hand washing and washing of food prep surfaces. Meats thawed in the refrigerator and cooked thoroughly. No raw shellfish or sushi.
Another side effect from the chemotherapy treatment is menopause. After I am through with treatment, we will have to see if I am still pre-menopausal or if the chemo put me into permanent menopause. I will feel "generally unwell" from the chemo with hot flashes and the rest of the menopause side effects too.
The oncologist says I will start to feel the chemo on the day after or possibly the second day and will most likely be in bed for a few days. Treatments are cumulative so the more I have the longer it is going to take to recover.
I hope that wasn't too much information for everyone.
Cheryl
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