Thursday, February 18, 2010

New news is new news.

I had a very eventful checkup with the oncology group. I'm very low on iron, so they ordered me to eat a steak for dinner. Deal! They said it was time to schedule an appointment with my surgeon. I also have a "treatment summary" appointment scheduled with my oncologist.

Since my veins have been disappearing and being difficult (it took three nurses four tries to stick me at my last chemo), we decided to have a PICC line installed.

Now, the most important part. I've been very achey with the Taxol and Abraxane. It makes it uncomfortable for me to sleep so I am exhausted. Then, there is the neuropathy (numbness and tingling in my fingers and feet). The neuropathy is a concern because instead of getting better over time, it only gets worse (and may be permanent). With the Abraxane, the neuropathy is more likely to reverse. The other option is to take smaller doses in more frequent treatments. This would mean I'd have three weeks of treatments, a week off, and then three more weeks of treatments, thereby extending my chemo for a few weeks. So the question is... if you had to get sick would you prefer a) a flu with a fever and the whole bit, completely knocking you out for two days, or b) a cold with a sore throat and the sniffles, but still being able to do most things for two weeks (and no cheating and saying you don't get sick or you get ebola in this hypothetical situation)? I guess I'd pick the flu. I'll just tough out the chemo for two more treatments (the side effects aren't unbearable, just uncomfortable).

1 comment:

  1. I would prefer A. Unless B meant a lower chance of permanent neuropathy. Sorry your meds are making you feel bad.

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