Today I started my day with a posting on Facebook of the "I voted" sticker in my profile picture. I commented "First time voting ever that they didn't have "I voted" stickers after the machine sucked my ballot in...I feel after this election season I should AT LEAST get a sticker for voting! A t shirt or paid vacation to a destination of my choice would be more fitting, but I should at least have gotten a sticker! Oh well...it is done. Now off to chemo." About ten minutes after that I met Mom and we went off to chemo. I have now had 3 of the new infusions in a row and can report a little better about how my week goes on this new protocol.
Before I do that though, I am happy to say that after chemo we stopped by our voting place so Mom could vote. Seems that they were giving out stickers in the "B" line whereas this morning in my "S" line he didn't offer me one. Mom got an extra and now it is official!
I haven't been on the blog much this week. There has been a lot of activities and when there are a lot of things going on it is hard to keep caught up with the blog because I really just want to crash during down times.
So, how is the Taxol affecting me? Thankfully it isn't the terribly awful fatigue that I experienced with the big bad red stuff. I have a steady "vibration" inside. When I am still or sometimes not just when I am still, I feel somewhat of a buzz or vibrating feeling. It is especially bad when I have overdone it. I have found that knitting or doing things with my hands has helped focus my mind in a different part of my brain and it is helping.
On chemo day (Tuesdays) as well as Wednesday and Thursday I find myself constantly looking for something to eat. Not because I am hungry or feel like eating but there is a very annoying taste in my mouth and having something to chew and swallow, or suck on helps. But of course once you swallow it doesn't take long til I feel like I need something else. I almost called for an intervention at lunch today when I just couldn't put down the Jalapeno Cheetoes! (Those are awesome to fight the yucky mouth problem, they just don't last very long in my mouth)! Thankfully, I left enough in the bag for lunch tomorrow! Cold and creamy is another good remedy, but then most who know me ask "what is so new about that?"
The only other side effects that are bothersome are nausea (which can come and go through the whole week) and the neurapathy (I don't think I have spelled that right but spell check doesn't know either). A couple times now I have had one foot numb and the opposite fingers, then another time it was the other foot and the other hand at the same time. I was pretty strange. Usually it happens when I have kept a foot or hand in the same position for awhile. It is weird. It also seems to be a little bit cumulative but nothing that has been too terrible.
I got some results back today from the second culture they did on my port last week. Nothing is growing in my port! WOO HOO! The two different antibiotics have done the trick with whatever it was! I am thrilled with this news because we can continue on. Today marks four down of the new chemo and eight to go, still feel stuck in the middle a bit, but the end is moving closer with each week.
My hemoglobin has steadily gone down and has hovered back and forth between the 9's and 10's. Back down today so I will be going in on the next two Friday's to get another iron infusion. This may help my Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, I will report on that in the weeks to come.
Overall, this is a better protocol. Just being sure that I am resting and not overdoing it is my goal because it isn't easy to rest when I have overdone it.
Thank you all for the prayers! I really am fueled by them.
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