This Chemo is Rougher Than the Last

Last year I went through 4 months of chemo treatments. The last one was on December 31, 2015. I really wanted to end it in 2015. Started the new year with that over - so I thought.

The first chemo regimen treated me kindly. I didn't have the nausea or vomiting that seems to be common with a lot of chemo drugs. I tolerated it all well - had some down days, some side effects that weren't pleasant - but I kept working full time through out that, missing just one and a half days at the very end.

This new chemo drug, trabectedin, is not so nice. I've only had the one infusion so far, but already I can tell it's going to be more trouble.

Halfway Through Chemo Treatments

I did Cycle 3B on Thursday, which means I'm halfway through the six-cycle plan. On Friday the Neulasta delayed injection went off just fine.

Friday evening I began feeling confused and felt clumsy and off balance when walking. I couldn't concentrate on much and ended up watching TV on the sofa all evening, although I'd planned to try studying.

Today is Saturday, and I felt ok during the day. I went out with a friend for a couple of hours for errands and coffee, then I had other errands so I didn't get home until late afternoon. And soon fell asleep while watching TV.

The fatigue comes in waves. Tonight I'm feeling the beginning of the sore throat that will continue for a week or so.

Chemo Day 2

Chemo Day 1 was September 3 - it's now October 4. I'm going to try to catch up. I've been keep my CaringBridge journal updated, so my friends and family will know what's going on, but I've been lax in writing here.

Chemo Day 2, September 10, the port worked, with a bit of effort. The nurses discovered if I stood up like the statue of liberty - holding my right arm up into the air - they could draw enough blood out of it. So chemo went as planned. Drugs infused were Gemzar, which took about an hour, then Taxotere, which was about 90 minutes. Flushed the port and unhooked me from the machine.

This was the second week of the 2-week cycle, so I was also scheduled for a Neulasta (pegfilgrastim) injection. According to the official website, "Neulasta® is a prescription medication that can help reduce your risk of infection during strong chemotherapy. It does this by boosting the number of certain infection-fighting white blood cells called neutrophils, which strengthens your immune system." https://www.neulasta.com/what-is-neulasta/