Just thought I would pull this up and update on my progress. The good news is that I'm having my last chemo treatment on Wednesday. Can't tell you how good it feels having only one more to go. This time in three weeks, I'll be feeling even better, knowing I don't have to go through it again! I'll start the radiotherapy about 4 weeks after that but it doesn't have the same side effects. I'll also have to keep on having the Herceptin intravenously every 3 weeks, but apart from possibly affecting heart function, it doesn't have side effects either. I had my second heart scan on Tuesday and my heart function has gone down a bit, but is still okay.
I will certainly be glad to see the back of the chemo. The fatigue gets worse with each one and by the 7th day now, it's an effort to get out of bed and put one foot in front of the other, let alone do simple things like brush teeth. I feel almost sub-human, so much so that when I start to feel semi-normal again (usually by the 10th day) I'm pretty euphoric. I don't know how people having chemo continue to work full time (and some people do), certainly for those first days after treatment. I know I couldn't.
Having said that, I think I've been pretty lucky with the side effects - touch wood. There's so much more that I could have had and I still have some hair on my head, pretty motley, but I'm not shaving it off! My finger and toe nails don't look like they're going to fall off, a side effect of the Taxotere drug. I've been painting them religiously with nail strengthener, although I did stop for a while when my friend told me it contained formaldehyde. One of the clinic nurses poo pooed that by saying you'd have to drink the stuff for it to do you harm! So I decided I'd rather take the risk and try to keep my nails. Counting on the chemo etc to kill off any nasties anyway. I get really bad hay fever - itchy, runny eyes and nose, etc - in the last week which is an allergic reaction to the drugs. The doctor always checks my breathing and heart etc, because they can be affected in a more extreme allergic reaction. I asked him about the vertigo episode and he said that it was very difficult to diagnose the cause of it. Hasn't happened again, so hopefully it was just a one off.
We've been having beautiful weather here, which has helped me tremendously. I love autumn in Sydney - usually sunny, warm days, cooling down in the evening. I'm sitting outside at the moment. It's 5.30pm and a very pleasant 24C with a nice cool breeze. I know I haven't been posting much, but I do come in and read all the time and you all continue to make me chuckle and laugh out loud - really lifts me. Keep it up!
I'm just off to see if my sister is on Skype - she's gone down to visit her son and family in Gloucester, so I'll be able to see my great nephew and niece on the webcam. The wonders of modern technology! Better remember to put my wig on so as not to scare them when I switch my webcam on.
Then I'm going to pour myself a Dubonnet (rediscovered and quite good as a little bit of a tonic in the evenings - gone right off white wine and beer tastes funny) and sit down and watch The Biggest Loser. The one good thing about the nausea is that I've lost about 5kg in weight since I started the chemo.
Take care everyone,
Joan
