Mid week Taxol Treatment #5

It's Wednesday and rainy. A rather gloomy day but I am in good spirits. Mother's Day in Racine was wonderful on Saturday. It is always nice to go home. Sunday - the real Mother's Day - I spent most of it sleeping. Not a bad day to sleep but when I did wake up I had a house full of teenagers!

Last Friday I had an appointment with Dr. W (my oncologist). Two weeks earlier she started checking my liver. Unfortunately, my liver enzymes are on the rise. After a series of questions regarding Hepatitis A, B and C , vaccines I have had, blood transfusions.... it was decided that I should stop taking all medication for my headaches since acetaminophen can lead to liver problems. This was not an option for me since I still have headaches on a daily basis. So now I am on Oxycodone. My friend Susan (Cancer Fight) is taking them for pain as well. Susan - how do you like them?! All I can say is they give me really weird and quite vivid dreams. During the day I am just a happy, dizzy bald-headed blonde. No wonder people get addicted to this stuff with what it does to you. I am hoping that the change in meds will stabilize my levels. If not, Dr. W. has already warned me I might need to get vaccinated for Hepatitis again and possibly delay chemo for awhile. That would stink since I have already counted the weeks I have left on Taxol and that would mess up my month of July. It's not that I have any plans, except maybe spend some time at the lake house, it's just the idea of having an end in sight and that being taken away from you. No matter what, you do what you have to do and make the best of it.

I am still experiencing hot flashes/night sweats on a fairly normal schedule. I get them every hour or so. How fortunate am I that I can predict when i am going to sweat? They can be brutal and definitely mess up a good nights sleep. I have volunteered to care for a few new born babies who don't sleep the night through since i don't sleep either! Of course, I really don't want a baby in the house but at least the mom gets to smile at the thought of relief! :)

Dr. W and I discussed these hot flashes/night sweats and once again she is baffled why I get them so severely. Since I experienced one in the doctors office, they now know what I am talking about. Though we are going to put me on Effexor before radiation to help control these flashes, I decided I would tough out the remaining Taxol treatments and wait to start the new med. Dr. W would have given them to me but I really didn't want to introduce yet another med with not knowing how they would effect me. She agreed. I am now praying for cold weather and snow!!! Since this is Wisconsin, my prayers may be answered!

Friday is another treatment. Keep your fingers crossed that I pass my blood tests!