My second chemo experience would become the Chemo of the Side Effects. The session itself went much better than my first time. A session actually begins with blood work. The day before the chemo date you go to the Cancer Centre lab where they draw a vial or two of your blood. The blood is checked to see if you have anything weird going on; especially if you are fighting infections or fever. If there's a problem then the session gets rescheduled. Fortunately for me, I never missed one of my original 6+1 sessions for any reason. Yay me. (the 6+1 reference was that I was scheduled originally for six rounds of chemo, but before my second surgery they squeezed in one more). Thus if your bloodwork is ok, you are healthy enough to get the chemo the next day. Which I did!
Now I had learned my lesson about trying to control my nausea. Pills were not enough, I needed the shots. Curiously it was like I was on a timer. With all the fluids being pumped into me I would need to occasionally visit the bathroom. Since I was still connected to an IV containing my chemo, this was a bit of challenge. However I had experience in moving around with an attached IV. ( Oodles of it, just ask a few nurses on the 6th floor of Hotel Dieu hospital... ) Once I returned back to my chair I would ask the nurse for a shot, and in a short time my nausea would disappear. This would happen every visit, twice a session, like clockwork. The body knows what it needs even if I didn't.
There was one positive side effect with the shots in that my allergy symptoms seemed to have abated for the summer. Generally I'm watery-eyed and sneezing, spring through fall. This year, not so bad, small miracles abound.
Not all my side effects were so positive. One concern that all the chemo side-effect literature warns about is diarrhea. One of the most common side effects, and obviously very disruptive to the recuperation process. This effect can dehydrate you and just kicks the crap out of your system. So to speak. I had received instructions about the B.A.R.T diet to follow if this happened. BART stands for Bananas, Apple Sauce, Rice and Toast (the alternative diet Beer Ale Rye and Tequila is definitely not recommended). This diet is low fibre, easy-to-digest and minimal aggravation for a sensitive colon. But this common side effect wasn't my problem. Mine was just the opposite. This is a Colon Cancer Blog folks, the talk is going to turn potty-mouth from time to time. There is no good way for me to write about some of these subjects gracefully. Old Bill Shakespeare could probably have written something like:
"To poop or not to poop, that is the question
whether the apothecary has the unguents to soothe the savage bum
something, something, something, ending with...
Aye, there's the rub"
Pretty sure nothing like that was ever in the First Folio. Back to reality: my most annoying, aggravating, frustrating and embarrassing side effect of my whole treatment, laid bare for the world to see, was managed by a generous supplement of Prunes, water, and Zince Oxide (common ingredient in creams for diaper rash). Drinking lots of water every day is mandatory for good health. Lots of fibre in the diet too. My health issues revolve around two things: what goes into me and what comes out. C'est la vie.
Of course my 'first time' side effects were still present: the tight arms and chest if I did even mild physical activities, and the fatigue. This time I was better prepared. I paced my activities so I didn't stress myself physically. I forced myself to do my projects and do simple tasks so I wouldn't lie around the house all day. I snacked and ate when I could. I was much better in handling this type of thing; by the end of my chemo sessions I would be almost back to my fully normal activities and energy levels within a day after the chemo bottle being removed.
Of course this journal entry is about new effects, so how about hair loss? That's a common one, and probably the most visible indicator to many that a person has undergone or is going through the cancer/chemo process. For me it wasn't too bad, I just started noticing hair falling out when I would brush it. A lot of hair. My receding hairline was no doubt exacerbated by this process, but that's not going to change no matter what. However after my session I decided to get a haircut, got the hair nice and short. A funny thing happened though: no more hair loss even through the remaining sessions. Also no more hair growth. Equilibrium in hair. Well I was comfortable for the summer at least, and didn't need to worry about sunburn on my head. Fortunately I like wearing hats.
I mentioned sunburn, and that's probably the last side effect that I noticed this time. It turns out that the chemo process makes one very photosensitive. I'm fair to begin with and generally don't go out in summer sun without my SPF 60 liberally applied. I made a mistake of going out during my session with the chemo bottle, in mild sun, without my sunblock but under a shady tree. My skin was red within minutes. Maybe SPF Cotton would be sufficient, but rather than experiment, I severely limited my outside activities during the days of my treatments.
The side effects this time around were both more noticeable and also more manageable. I could not simply dismiss any of these effects by force of will, but learned to minimize their impact upon me when I detected their onset. Like a lot of things there was trial and error, however there is also an amazing resource available to help you in these situations: the Cancer Centre. You can call them up any time if you have concerns or worries. Don't wait for the next time two weeks later to bring up a problem. Yes the internet can be helpful, but the immediacy of talking to a real person, of someone who is close to your situation is much better I believe.
One thing I initially did, as everyone else does when they are diagnosed with cancer is to go to the web. There are countless sites with amazing amounts of information. Frankly in a very short time I stopped surfing about my illness. I found that it was far too distressing to try to assimilate the technical aspects of the disease. What was much harder were the personal accounts of the various journals, blogs, and comments from cancer patients. For me it's sufficient to know there is hope, then I can concentrate on focusing my energies on a plan to achieve that goal. When I perused the online accounts of the various people engaged in the fights I found my resolve alternately wavering and being renewed. I had to get off that emotional rollercoaster. I may be climbing a mountain, but I'm always looking up towards the peak.
With the second chemo session completed, I pretty much knew what to expect in my remaining sessions. Indeed as the summer progressed I would become better at handling the effects. By the end of the first round of chemotherapy I found that I had adapted very well to the chemo process, and was able to recover extremely quickly once the bottle had been removed. With two sessions down I was looking to get 'halfway there' for the next time. Summer was flying by, the sessions were becoming routine. I believed I was actually doing more than just coping with my illness, I was living with it and in some measures, beyond it. I did not let Cancer rule my entire life. It would be front and center during my chemo sessions. It would be omnipresent, but it was neither the Elephant in the room, nor was the fight against it the sole reason for my existence. It was simply a part of me. No epiphanies or life-changing revelations, just living my life.
My journey continued, and in the following weeks I would have further follow ups with my doctors, schedules for CT's and discussions about the tumours on my liver. There would be some sad news, but only indirectly related to me. For now I had a handle on my disease, I could live with it, and was still adhering to the plan.
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