When I started this blog, I assumed I would document all the symptoms of chemo and feeling miserable. Was I ever wrong. During the AC portion of the chemo, I had one Sunday every two weeks when I felt like I had a hangover without nausea. Then I was almost back to normal for work on Monday morning. Other than that, it was life as usual. Working out, playing video games, and whatever else we do during COVID-19.
I have completed all four rounds of AC chemo, and I have done two of the four rounds of Paclitaxel (Taxol). I have also started getting Herceptin, which I will continue on with for a year after chemo is over. The two types of chemo are markedly different. Where AC chemo makes you feel like someone tried to poison you and didn’t quite manage it, Taxol is more about pain and mouth sores for some people.
When I get Taxol on Thursdays, I feel like I could fight a polar bear with my bare (see what I did there?) hands and emerge as the victor. The problem is that the steroids start to wear off on Saturday and are gone on Sunday. The pain is not bad enough that I need to take anything for it, but the best way to explain it is that it is shooting nerve pain all over. I can’t take Tylenol anyway, so my options are limited. Advil is bad while on chemo, because it can cause internal bleeding and other nastiness. I also get some bone pain, but that’s likely from the injection that I have to give myself to boost my blood counts, not the Taxol.
Once I get past Sunday, it has been clear sailing. All the discomfort is over by Monday, then I have a week and a half before I get to do it all over again.
So yeah. Two more rounds to go, then I’m done with the chemo on May 13th. I assume I will get a break for a couple of weeks before going on to the 20 rounds of radiation. I’m dreading having to drive to Oshawa every weekday (or any day, for that matter), but it’s just four weeks, then it’s over.