January 9, 2012, day of 2nd chemo treatment.  My hair is almost non-existent but I wear a hat all the time.

Felt well, no changes during the day.

January 10, 2012

felt tired during the day.  Tried to go out shopping but had to come home.  Took an hour nap and layed down to watch TV.  Fell asleep again.  Ate some scrambled eggs and toast.  Fell asleep again for another hour or two and got up and went to bed about 10pm.  Slept well till about 4am.  Had a queasy stomach so got up and took an O, (ondansetron for nausea).  It helped but after about an hour so got up and took a P, (prochlorperazine for nausea.  Slept really well till Chuck woke me up about 7:15.

January 11, 2012

Getting up at 7:15 was not what I wanted to do but I had to.  We scheduled an appointment to get new tires on the motor home today.  They said I can stay inside if I want but it will be noisy.  I don't care; I want my bed and my bathroom just in case.

So far I feel great today except for being sleepy.

January 12, 2012, Thursday

The metallic taste in my mouth started today and in the afternoon the aches started in my shoulders and cramping in my abdomen.  Constipation is starting but is easy to fix.  I took a nap in the afternoon and then tried to go to bed at 10pm but had that restless feeling all over my body and didn't get to sleep till about 1:30am Friday.

January 13, 2012  Friday

Slept only till about 7:00am even though I couldn't get to sleep last night.  Really don't have any complaints today as I'm feeling pretty good except for a little cramping.  I'm trying to get used to one of the wigs and have had it on for a couple hours now.  Sometimes I even forget it's there.  Wish they had had a style more like I used to wear.  I'm working on making myself a crochet cloche, tight fitting hat with a rolled brim.  

I'll add some pictures once we get settled again.  We're on our way through Renton to get new tires on the motorhome.  Fun at commute time of the morning but he's doing a great job.

January 9, 2012
We left home in plenty of time to get to Issaquah to the Swedish Cancer Institute for my 2nd of 4 treatments.  Things went as they did the first time except it was hard for them to find a good vein.  Which has happened a lot all my life.  They drew blood again to check my WBC, white blood count, and left the IV in for the treatment.  Taking so much time with the IV, delayed things a bit as I still had to talk to the doctor, have my lungs checked and have my questions answered.  She wanted to know what side effects I had and how I handled them.

About 10:15am I was given a Pepcid and a Benedril just in case I have any stomach problems and allergy problems.

Then immediately (11:35 came the saline solution for a few minutes.

10:47am the anti-nausea medication was started in the IV.  They're called Emend and at 11:02 the Aloxi was started, for nausea.  And more saline to flush out the tube at 11:35am.

12:15pm taxotere was begun.  This is the first of two chemo drugs.

Side effects:  Pain or swelling at injection site, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive tearing, fatigue, dizziness, constipation, loss of appetite, hair loss and nail changes.

1:20pm more saline flushing of the tube.

1:30pm the second chemo drug was started.  This one is carboplatin.

After another flushing we were done about 2:30pm

Side effects:  stomach pain, body aches, diarrhea, constipation, weakness, nausea and vomiting.  Temporary hair loss.

Things went well and we went home..............

Now we're up to the 19th of December, the day of my first treatment.  I wasn't scared.  I wasn't nervous.  It sounds really dumb but I know I'll be treated like a queen so what's there to be scared of?  I still didn't feel like I am sick or have cancer.  Not me!  Who they trying to fool?

They do treat you like a queen! I  was seated in a comfortable lazy-boy type chair with arms like tables.  First the IV needle was inserted and a saline solution started.  I was given two pills to take; one I know was for allergies, benedryl and I can't remember what the other one was but will find out at my next treatment.  Seemed like the saline ran for quite awhile which, of course, meant I had to use the bathroom.  Their fault!!  She started something for the nausea, or an anti-nausea drip of some kind.  Then more saline to flush the tubes.  Chuck came with me to keep my company but bores easily so did leave for awhile.

Then the first of the two chemo drugs was started.  One at a time.  I felt nothing at all; not on the skin around the IV, no feeling of being flushed or any such thing.  Then flushing with saline again to make sure I got the whole dose.  Think each chemo drug took around 1/2 hour.  The second one was started and by that time, Chuck was back.  I requested some french fries but they didn't have any in the hospital lunch room so he brought back some jo-jos.  Then more flushing with saline and I was  released and could leave.  The second chemo drug did cause a sinus headache.  I knew that wasn't going to be good later.

The first two days at home were like nothing happened.  Nothing was different, I felt completely normal..  The third day, 21st, I started to lose my appetite and sense of taste.  I had a metallic taste in my mouth.  That evening and on the 22nd, the pain started.  I was told it would be flu-like symptoms but I guess I've never had the flu that bad as these pains were a bit more than I've ever had.  Every bone and muscle ached and there was a lot of cramping.  Speaking of cramping, it was about the 3rd day constipation set in and was told not go wild with anything to take care of that because one of the chemo drugs causes diarrhea.  Oh Boy!. Fun times ahead.

The 4th, 5th and 6th days were about the same........ achy bones and muscles and can't taste food.  BUT, the evening of the 6th, which was Christmas eve, I couldn't sleep.  I was extremely restless and felt so weird all over..  I put on my robe and sat in the LR just rocking myself back and forth feeling so restless inside and out.  I just started to bawl, it came so fast and so strong.  BUT it felt so good!  I did decide I was done.  No more chemo.  I am finished.  Nope, not another treatment.  I blew my nose and went to bed.  I slept pretty good then till about 4am.  I woke up really really hungry so I opened a SlimFast and drank about half of it.  Guess the hunger pains weren't hunger pains but maybe nausea coming on.

About 7:30am, Christmas morning, I was in so much abdominal pain and inside pain.  The only way to  describe it like is like the "chemo demon" trying to eat it's way out of my body.  It was horrendous and I would definitely not have another chemo treatment now!  The doctor sent home two prescriptions.  We call them O and P.  They are for nausea and it's maybe what I should have taken at 4am instead of the SlimFast.  All I did was yell for Chuck to bring me an O!!  An O!!!  Right now!!!  Of course, it took about 45 minutes to feel a bit better and at least the full hour to feel much better.  The sweating had stopped.  Then I took a P.  The combination is supposed to work super good and better than just O alone.  I spent the rest of the day and night in bed.  That was my Christmas!

We had planned on going to a movie on Christmas day but that didn't happen.  And the next day was still a wobbly day but I made myself get up and get dressed.  You can only spend so much time in bed.

Ok now we're up to the 7th day since treatment and the 26th of December.  The aches and pains continued but a little milder than before for the next 3 days. Tylenol really helped a lot.  On the 28th, the 9th day, we went for burgers with Jack.  I still couldn't eat much, started to get sores on my tongue and still couldn't taste anything so I had steamed carrots and mac and cheese at Red Robin.  Not sure they can call that cheese but it was soft and creamy.

The 29th of December, 10th day, was my appointment with my oncologist.  She did some blood work.  My blood count was low as expected but I got the go-ahead to go visit the grandkids if I wanted.  She said the episode on the 6th and 7th was too late to be caused by the chemo.  So hopefully that won't happen again.  Sores began to appear on my tongue and my nose and throat was exceptionally dry.

It was estimated that the 17th day I would lose my hair.  Then she said anytime from the 14th to the 17th day.  The 1st, New Years Day, when else? my scalp started hurting.  It was very painful towards the top of my head in back.  Hair was beginning to come out very easily with small tugs.  Here and there.  Then I had hair all over the couch behind me and my shoulders!  I wasn't sure what to do.  The pain on my scalp moved around.  Kind of weird but really really painful now.  So I wouldn't get hair all over the place, I started wearing my baseball cap.  We decided I should work on removing what hair I could before it was all over the house so I got a bag and started one morning.  The bag was getting fuller and fuller.  The nose! Breathing became really difficult with being so dry, bleeding, dry blood and completely being blocked.  Several days of that.

Yesterday, the 3rd of January and day 16, I worked a little more at  removing more hair and even wore a soft  hat to bed to keep it more confined.  Today, 17th and the 4th of January, I can say I have lost about 85% and have lots of scalp showing.  The ball of hair in the bag is getting bigger and bigger and looking like a huge nest.  It's weird looking.  I tried a wig today but I"m just not quite ready for that and don't want to get loose hair inside since I'm not sure which ones I will keep.  I put my baseball cap back on.

That brings us to today.  Still not completely bald, getting used to this whole thing, still at Jen's and feelin' great.  I will probably head for home tomorrow to share the final hair loss with Chuck. Monday, the 9th, I go for my second treatment.