Well no big surprise there, right? I started the chemo on Sunday the 17th, so today is Day 12. The first 3 days were okay...no real problems...a little nausea, no big deal. Wednesday night, things started to go a bit downhill. I went to bed and my skin felt quite warm to the touch while I felt like I had chills (just like when you have a sunburn). Thursday was not a good day. I met with my PA and was doing okay. I spent the rest of the day on my feet and by the end of the day, my feet were on fire! I literally wanted to jam them in some ice. That was the hand/foot reaction they warned me about. I called the NexConnect support line (offered by the people who make the Nexavar poison, I mean chemo) and talked about the problems I was having. They told me to soak my feet in Epsom salts try this, try that and to be sure to call my doc to see about stopping for a few days until my symptoms eased. I did call the next day and they cut my dose in half. Since then, the symptoms have been manageable. I have tingling, pain and/or numbness in my extremities in varying degrees. If I stand for too long (still trying to figure out what too long is) my feet start to hurt, so I'm taking it easy for the most part. I noticed a couple of days ago that individual strands of my hair are falling out again. I'm told that I won't lose it all, but it will thin. Great. I wake up every morning with a stomach ache and nausea, but it usually disappears within a couple of hours. Despite all of this, my appetite has actually increased, although my digestive system isn't completely happy about that. Some fatigue kicked in on Day 8 or so, but not nearly as bad as I was pre-transplant. I have to tell you...it's really difficult to consciously put poison in your body every day, especially when you were feeling really great before you started taking it. I have to say, I'm a little disappointed that XYZ University hasn't followed up with me to see how I'm doing or to talk about trying to increase the dose again or anything like that for the last 7 days.
Oh, and I had an MRI a couple of weeks ago. Everything looked great, and my bloodwork looked great too. I'm thinking I'll be transferring back to Dr. Awesome Hepatologist by July when I'll need to do a lung scan and another MRI. So why do I think he's so awesome? Well many reasons, but here are a few: 1) He randomly sends me e-mails to see how I'm doing; 2) He quickly responds to my e-mails, especially when I have concerns, and he tells it like it is, which I appreciate very much; 3) His bedside manner is second to none; 4) One of my friends, a patient of his, says he routinely asks her how I'm doing. Now THAT'S a great doctor.
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