another day, another adventure!

Today I began another treatment for breast Cancer stage 4. I am 52. I have been treated since 2003 for bone mets to hip and backbone. In 1992, I was dx w/mets to femur w/ breast primary. Ten years of unusual remission 1993-2003!

new meds are a combination of Avastin and Taxotere. I wanted to change out the Abraxane I took for four months (April 08-July 08), so he said he would continue Avastin and start Taxotere. Somehow my doc had written wrong orders, had to clear that up. My doc is great... a snaffu that would not have harmed me. That's why they always tell me what they are giving, before they give it!

I had forgotten to ask about all side effects, turn out they are roughtly the same as with Abraxane. Dosing schedule is different, which was my main concern. I had two days out of every week that I was out of commission, on a three week on, one week off schedule. I still work fulltime.. have too, and I like my job (teacher of students with mental/cognitive challenges)

Now I will take this new regimen once every three weeks. I am hoping for a less down time.

I fell asleep during treatment so they gave me the side effects page after I woke up. Treatment included a steroid that is given to minimize any allergic reaction, but then the steroid may keep me up tonight so they said to take "benedryl" to counter act that!!! I got some. They also recommended taking a supplement called
L-glutamine to support my body and hopefully minimize side effects of neuropathy in hands and feet and mouth soreness/discomfort. I got some of that, too, on the way home. We'll see...

Like I said, I was sleeping, and after being given quite a bit of liquid during that time, my bladder filled quite to capacity. As I was getting up to leave, I doubted I could I could make it the 15 paces to the ladies' facility, before the dam broke. I was correct!!!! What a mess. Well, being as my oncology office is on the cutting edge, they had some new scrub bottoms available, bless them! I was able to stop in to the drugstore reasonably dry with my mismatched bottoms. I chuckled to myself, and thought, I just want to get home!!!!

So here I am, one dose of benedryl down, one dose of L-glutamine down too, going to take some other herbal supplements to keep everything supported.

I guess others may have reacted to the excess moisture with more dismay. I am just different, I guess. Somethings are just funny to me. Not everything I experience IS funny, but I naturally look for the humor in it, as it comes.

Well I am going to take another benedryl and fall alsep in the tub!!!

Till the next time....

sasha