Chemotherapy is such a benign word... it belies what "chemo" actually is and does. But it conjures appropriate images for anyone who has experienced it or knows someone who has. Don't get me wrong... chemo saves lives. But there's a cost. My first treatment had me scared sh*tless, and rightfully so. There are so many possible bad outcomes, including death, from the administration of chemo drugs, that I'd need to be crazy not to be scared.
I was scheduled to start a regimen known as FOLFOXIRI, consisting of a vitamin B derivative (the FOL), which helps improve the effectiveness of the oxaliplatin; flouroucil (the F... commonly known as 5FU and is administered over two days with a "take home pump"), oxaliplatin (the OX), and lastly irinotican (the IRI). The actual infusion was not bad... I sat in a comfy chair in the infusion room surrounded by others who were there for the same reason, and an army of nurses. I was visited by both a social worker and a nutritionist (both of whom would prove to be invaluable during this time). Overall, I was usually at the hospital for 8 - 10 hours on infusion day. With the blood work, doctor meeting, and 6 hour infusion, there as a lot to get done. I also visited the hospital on Thursday each infusion week to have the "take home pump" removed, and on Friday to get an injection of Nulasta, to counter the effects of the drugs to my immune system. As I was unable to drive, my wife was critical to this process.. bringing me to the hospital 45 minutes to an hour each way.
I did this every two weeks on Tuesdays. It was the toll that was the hard part, not the infusions. Eventually, I could schedule
my reaction...
Tuesday
Infusion day was not bad, especially since I was administered an oral steroid that really perked me up. 6 hours later I
was a real chatterbox and would often have a hard time sleeping. I was also given several anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea
drugs to counter the side effects of the chemo. I had a pretty good appetite on infusion day as well.
Wednesday
I would be tired... from lack of sleep as well as being uncomfortable from the "take home pump" (think of a small/medium
size ladies purse that held a two pound portable pump connected by plastic tubing to the port I had installed in my chest).
I would generally eat fairly well on this day.
Thursday
I was again tired from lack of sleep due to trying to sleep with the pump attached. My appetite would wane and I'd start
to be fatigued (fatigue is a kind of tiredness that transcends sleep... no matter how much you sleep, you are still tired).
I discovered that fatigue was my biggest enemy... it prevented me from doing almost anything. We'd head to the hospital
to get the pump removed. I'd get home and shower (something that would become increasingly difficult as time went on and
I became more fatigued and weaker). I'd generally sleep for a couple hours after a shower.
Friday
I'd started to call this "fatigue Friday" after a couple of treatments. I'd be so tired that I'd barely get off the couch.
I'd be awake by 8 (did I mention that I started to sleep 10-12 hours a night at this point?), and asleep again by 9. I'd
awaken as tired as I was before I napped. I would generally eat very little to nothing on Friday. Although, I did have to
drag myself to the hospital for the Nulasta shot. I'd come home and sleep.
Saturday
The fatigue was crushing. I was constantly too tired to do anything... and I mean literally anything. The couch was my best
friend. I'd eat almost nothing on Saturday.
Sunday
The fatigue was starting to wane... a little. I'd generally have the energy to at least eat. That was about it.
The following week got better day by day, and by the Monday of the next treatment week, I'd feel almost normal. Just in time to go through it all over again. A note about the fatigue... it never really went away after the first chemo treatment, it would become manageable after a week from each treatment. However, it still impacted my life dramatically.
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