Dr. Coluzzi, my oncologist, told me that chemo treatment has come a long way since then and that they can give you a lot of different drugs to prevent many of the nasty side effects. He said I probably wouldn't puke. And if I do have any side effects, he wants to know about them because they can probably give me something to help with that.
Nonetheless, if you read stories from people on-line (and as Dr. Coluzzi and all the nurses say) everyone reacts differently. Here is what it was like for me.
I received my first round of treatment on Monday, November 7. In addition to the two chemo drugs (TC), I was given intravenous Benadryl and anti-nausea medicine. It made me a little loopy and made me fall asleep, which is a good way to pass the time. It takes nearly five hours for chemo.
Right after getting chemo, I was fine except for feeling a little loopy. (I actually went and got my nails done right after chemo. This sounds crazy but I just hadn't had time before and there is a salon across the street from our apartment. I had them take my existing polish off, cut my nails short, and then had them buffed. No new polish or cuticle cutting. You aren't supposed to get mani/pedi during chemo but I thought that this would be OK. And I really needed it. I didn't have anything bad happen so it seemed like a solid decision.) Day 2, Tuesday, I was fine. Just tired and a little nauseous. Day 3, Wednesday, I felt fine in the morning but by the afternoon, I started to feel awful. As I mentioned before, I'm not sure if it was the chemo or Neulasta shot that was causing the deep bone pain and the achiness. Most of that pain was gone by Saturday but it was replaced with fatigue like I've never felt before. There is no pushing through this fatigue. I've seen it referred to as crippling fatigue, which is pretty accurate.
On Monday (one week after chemo), I started to feel sick again, with an incredibly sore throat. That can be a side effect of chemo so I thought that was what I was dealing with but then I realized that I had a cold. And, what a cold it was. It started in my head and then worked its way into my chest. It gave me vertigo. Dr. Coluzzi and I corresponded and, because I did not have a fever, he thought that it was just bad timing. (I had traveled to Minnesota right before chemo and had been at a conference with hundreds of strangers. All those public places made it easy to pick up a virus. I did get a flu shot right before I found out I had cancer.) The reason for the concern with the fever is that chemo destroys white blood cells and a fever can mean that you have an infection and is definitely no bueno. I have to monitor my temperature pretty closely for this reason. Had it not been for the cold, I think I would have bounced back in about a week.
Despite having a cold, I tried to make weeks two and three after chemo as normal as possible. I worked a full week in week two and three days in week three (since it was the Thanksgiving holiday.) I was tired often and I did leave early a few days to take a nap. I also returned to the gym. My co-worker, Justin E., mentioned that studies have shown exercise increases the success of chemo. I looked it up, it is true. So, I am committed to continuing to workout as much as I can for as long as I can. One day, I just went to CrossFit and did the warm-up stretching and then I walked laps around the block while everyone else did the WOD (Workout of the Day). Once I felt a bit better, I started doing the regular WODs with everyone else. Sometimes I do lighter weights than I normally would use but I try to make it a good workout without making myself so fatigued that I can't function. I'm learning a lot about my body and I will keep trying to find the right balance. I overdid it once but otherwise I think I am making wise choices. Plus, the support from everyone at the gym has been amazing. They make me feel like a rock star for just showing up.
Dr. Coluzzi says that chemo is cumulative and that with each treatment, I'll probably feel a little more tired and have a few more side effects. He said my hair would start falling out on Day 18. Accurate. I have some left but it is thinning quickly. Next I can expect to be more fatigued and my finger and toe nails will start to become discolored and weak.
As I mentioned, I wasn't sure what to expect from chemo. I wasn't sure how much time to take off from work or whether I would be able to work out. Three days, and yes.
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