"Take 2 Benadryl and Call me in the morning" is the theme for the taxol rounds. Turns out I'm a bit allergic to Taxol and it creates the classic "sneezing, watery eyes, red-face, itchy throat " histamine response. The last hour in the chair was pretty amusing - luckily for me the kleenexes are free at the infusion center :) I came home and took 2 Benadryl which promptly put me face down in my bed!
Now that I've been through the entire two weeks of my first round of Taxol I can report that for the most part the side effects are far more tolerable than the AC rounds. Still a bit of what I call "chemo palate" ( things taste funny), some bone pain, fatigue, and mouth sensitivity ( no sores this time) but no major 4 day headaches, no seeing stars, no nausea, no "lower GI tract pain/issues". I will be stocking up on the Benadryl though!
In other news, my 2008 tax return is complete and was mailed today. Big refund - yay! Yeah, yeah, I know, I shoulda done this earlier....no need to let the government collect interest on my money. My refi is well under way and I spent the last 2 weeks getting financially organized including sorting through the:
"Spaten Box"- Sometimes the fear of something is bigger than the thing itself. This was certainly the case with the Spaten Box. Ever since diagnosis I have placed all the unopened medical bills, insurance EOB's and any other mail associated with my disease into an empty Spaten Box. After dealing with some of my family members' medical bills and fighting with the insurance companies for coverage I just didn't have the energy during the early part of my disease to deal with fighting the inevitable fight with the insurance companies. This is not a cheap disease and I appreciate having my company's insurance plan but I knew there would be a fight somewhere. Anyway, it had been 3 1/2 months and some of the bills started showing up with those red borders that indicates they are thinking of sending the bills to collection. So, I knew it was time but I just didn't feel like sitting at home alone sorting through the box - I needed moral support.
Just then, in the nick ot time, my friend Linda invited me and my injured friend Pat to join her at her art studio. She was going to make art, and Pat was going to hang out with a few books and I could have a spot to sort out the Spaten box in the company of supportive friends. It worked like a charm and it turns out that I owe a very reasonable amount considering the exhorbitant cost of cancer treatment and there is only one $3,000 denial to fight. And, to boot, I used that momentum to organize ALL my financial records so I can make intelligent plans for the remainder of my treatment. Turns out the fear of the Spaten Box was bigger than the result!
Thanks to ALL of you for your support in all of the different ways that you show it. I really appreciate it!
Next step - Meeting with the surgeon on Monday - whoah that's starting to feel real!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Time for a Change – 5 Down, 3 to go…..
Wed Sept 9
I’ve completed the 4 AC rounds and this week was the first of the Taxol rounds. No matter what, it feels good to be in the second half of the chemo! I just have to avoid the autumn cold season and stay healthy.
By all accounts the Taxol is supposed to be easier on the side effects. Right off the bat it’s easier on the wallet. The copay for the prescription meds that are taken with the AC was ~ $60 every 2 weeks; for the Taxol it’s $10 for the whole 2 month series! The main side effect of Taxol is that almost every one is allergic to it to some extent. This allergic reaction is managed thru steroids the night before and during the infusion and a big dose of Benadryl in the infusion. I found the combination of steroids and Benadryl to be very confusing – I was wired and tired at the same time – Twired!
Feels like the winds of change are blowing in other areas of my life too:
I’ve completed the 4 AC rounds and this week was the first of the Taxol rounds. No matter what, it feels good to be in the second half of the chemo! I just have to avoid the autumn cold season and stay healthy.
By all accounts the Taxol is supposed to be easier on the side effects. Right off the bat it’s easier on the wallet. The copay for the prescription meds that are taken with the AC was ~ $60 every 2 weeks; for the Taxol it’s $10 for the whole 2 month series! The main side effect of Taxol is that almost every one is allergic to it to some extent. This allergic reaction is managed thru steroids the night before and during the infusion and a big dose of Benadryl in the infusion. I found the combination of steroids and Benadryl to be very confusing – I was wired and tired at the same time – Twired!
Feels like the winds of change are blowing in other areas of my life too:
Work - we have a new boss at work and it feels like there are org changes coming down the pike as well as changes in direction/focus. I am still very thankful for the support at work – it is very helpful on many levels to continue working as much as I can through the chemo.
Money - I’m in the process of refinancing my house . This time it served as a major reality check on my balance sheet. What did I spend my paychecks on last year?.... oh yeah, eating out a lot and buying wine:) It was fun, though! But now back to reality and getting my 2008 tax return done for the refi…. Maybe a purple ( I mean Grape) popsicle will help…!
Treatment - I feel like I am out of the “deer in headlights” phase of dealing with the diagnosis and into more of a resolution/action space. I’m also past ( for now at least) the hard work of deciding what the treatment plan will be and can now focus on getting through it with as few detours as possible. And, for some reason, getting through the difficulty of the AC and into the relative ease of Taxol has changed my focus and made me feel like I might want to start treating more than the cancer. I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking for – maybe meditation, massage, acupuncture, music, aromatherapy – who knows? But it feels like I would like to start giving my mind, body and spirit a lot of TLC. Ideas welcome!
Popsicle Time!!
Wed Sept 2.
Popsicle Time!! Yup it’s that time in the cycle when popsicles are the only thing that taste/feel good in the mouth. And now that I’ve got the perfect popsicles I’m much happier! So, last cycle I was trying to soothe the sores and I bought a bunch of popsicles from Whole Foods. They were “all-natural” fruit juice based, “healthy” popsicles…. But the “real” fruit juice was “really” acidic and “really” not the right thing for mouth sores. Then my friend Kezya explained the truth about popsicles – “Julie, what are you thinking? What you need are the popsicles of our youth! You know the ones…. with 2 sticks that you cut in half, and flavors like “red” and “purple” , and are made from frozen sugar water”!
Sure enough, she went to Safeway and delivered to my doorstep a bag of “Quiescently Frozen Confections” in artificially flavored Orange, Cherry and Grape. Nary a fruit acid in the bag – they are perfect! I think I’ll have a cherry pop next :)
Popsicle Time!! Yup it’s that time in the cycle when popsicles are the only thing that taste/feel good in the mouth. And now that I’ve got the perfect popsicles I’m much happier! So, last cycle I was trying to soothe the sores and I bought a bunch of popsicles from Whole Foods. They were “all-natural” fruit juice based, “healthy” popsicles…. But the “real” fruit juice was “really” acidic and “really” not the right thing for mouth sores. Then my friend Kezya explained the truth about popsicles – “Julie, what are you thinking? What you need are the popsicles of our youth! You know the ones…. with 2 sticks that you cut in half, and flavors like “red” and “purple” , and are made from frozen sugar water”!
Sure enough, she went to Safeway and delivered to my doorstep a bag of “Quiescently Frozen Confections” in artificially flavored Orange, Cherry and Grape. Nary a fruit acid in the bag – they are perfect! I think I’ll have a cherry pop next :)
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