Most often people think of chemotherapy as the drugs that cause hair loss and nausea. Chemotherapy is a compound of two words that mean "chemical" and "treatment". We have all experienced treatment with chemicals, such as antibiotics and cold medicines, for other illnesses. The word chemotherapy usually refers to treatment of cancer through the use of drugs. This is systemic treatment that travels to all parts of the body through the bloodstream. A combination of several drugs may be used to fight cancer. The drugs selected will have different side effects and work in different ways to kill or control growth of any cancer cells that may be left in the body.
Goals of Chemotherapy Drugs:
- Destroy cancer cells in other parts of the body
- Stop cancer from spreading to other parts of the body
- Slow cancer growth
- Relieve symptoms of cancer
Chemotherapy works by killing cells that are dividing in your body. Cancer cells are constantly dividing until something disrupts this cycle, which is the role of chemotherapy. Even when the surgeon thinks all of your tumor has been removed, you may receive adjuvant chemotherapy because there is a possbiility that some cells may have broken away from the original site and moved through the lymphatic or blood vessels to other parts of your body (metastasis) where they cannot be detected; this is called micrometastasis (the cells are too small to be detected). Adjuvant chemotherapy helps destroy these cells.
Because chemotherapy works by killing only dividing cells, most of the side effects will be on the cells in your body that are constantly dividing to produce new cells. These cells are found in your bone marrow, where your blood components are made, resulting in lowered blood cell counts; in the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in a possible sore throat, sore mouth, or diarrhea; and in hair follicles, which could result in hair loss. Most of these cells are able to recover quickly when treatment is over. Therefore, these side effects are temporary.
I've been cautioned not to listen to anyone else's stories about their side effects of chemo because there are about 100 types of cancer, including approximately 15 different types of breast cancer; and just as many drugs being used to treat them, so side effects will be different for everyone. Chemo may be given by mouth, as an injection into the muscle or fatty tissues, or into a vein by an I.V. Most chemo for breast cancer is given intravenously. I receive most of mine this way through my mediport.
I am doing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy. Sometimes several doses of chemo may be given before surgery to shrink a tumor; this is called Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy. The doctors opted to go this route with me because of the size of my tumors and the fact that it's already in my lymph nodes. It will help shrink the tumors before my surgery and kill any cancer that has traveled undetected elsewhere in my body.
Nadir is the time in treatment when chemo drugs impact my blood count causing my blood values to fall to their lowest levels. Different drugs impact different blood components so the doctor will tell me when nadir is expected. During this time I will feel most fatigued if red blood cells are impacted, be most susceptible to acquiring an infection or virus if white blood cells are lowered and have the highest potential for spontaneous bleeding if platelets are decreased. Usually this is midway between scheduled treatments. Blood levels are allowed to come back to near normal before my next treatment is given.
I will not be covering all the different symptoms and treatments of each because there are sooo many and everyone is different. I will keep a list of my symptoms, meds and foods that are working each time so I can pull this up on my phone for the doctor.
First Chemo (March 12)
Current Meds:
- Lidocaine/Prilocaine Cream- for mediport
- Ondansetron (O-drug) 8mg- nausea
- Prochlorperazine (P-drug) 10mg- nausea
- Claritin- helps with achiness from white blood cell booster injections
- Prilosec- Heartburn
- Synthroid 175mcg- thyroid
Symptoms:
- Nausea (Thursday through Monday)
- Headache (Thursday through Monday)
- Hot Flash (Friday and Saturday)
- Metal taste in mouth (Always there)
- Heartburn/Acid Reflux (Started Wednesday)
- Hair just feels different, very slight thinning started yesterday (March 24)
Foods that worked during Nausea last time:
- Berry smoothie with spinach, yougurt, apple juice
- Orange Julius with banana
- little cutie oranges
- bananas
- raw almonds
- carrots, olives, cucumbers with cottage cheese southern ranch dip
- popsicles
- multigrain toast
- orange pop
- cranraspberry juice
- salty foods: popcorn, chips
- flavored water
It's interesting, as I sit here typing this and Angelina Jolie's story pops up on the news. We are the same age, fighting the same scare. She avoiding the possibilty and I living the reality. I'm currently doing very well. Shad let me go to the kids track meet last night as it was outside and I'm feeling pretty good. The wind was cold but it felt so good to be outside.
As I was sitting in the waiting room, on the day of Shad's surgery, there was a group of friends laughing and conversing about different issues. I would guess that they were a little older than my parents. One of the topics that was brought up was a brother, of someone in the group, fighting cancer in Seattle. They were discussing how he had 30 doctors working on his case and wondered how that was even possible. They were pretty loud in their conversation so I thought it might be ok to give my two bits on how that is possible. I explained how groups of doctors get together and discuss different patients cases and how they would treat them. One lady in the group asked how I would know this and I gave a very short version of my story. They asked me what my name was and if they could add my name to their prayer list. With an overwhelming sense of emotion and deep gratitude I said, "Yes." Many people, of different faiths tell my family on a regular basis how we are in their daily prayers. I know that Heavenly Father listens to all prayers and that we are all sons and daughters of God. I receive peace, strength and healing through your prayers. Thank you and love you!
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