online again

It has been a rather frantic time. Renovations, no matter how small are always disruptive. Then there is the waiting.

Back to chemo again tomorrow. The last session was Monday a week ago. I thought that I understood the pattern but with each passing week I get to understand the pattern better. The final realization is that there is no pattern. Each time, the effect may be unique. Chemo on Monday. I felt alive and energised on Monday and Tuesday. Then on Wednesday afternoon WHAM! Out for the count. Now where this is changing from previous weeks is that for much of Thursday and Friday the fatigue remained. I returned to feeling fully normal on Sunday. Well almost.

Then there is the question of side effects. There are some that I don't get and some that I do. I have intimate experience with the fatigue. I have also had extensive, itchy skin rashes from the other chemo that comes as a tablet.

But you discover more and more as you go. Just because you have been lucky enough to escape one of the primary side effects for three months doesn't mean you'll escape it next time. So when I say that I don't get nausea and vomiting (well hardly ever), it doesn't mean that I won't.

Looking forward to our holiday in December. Two and a half weeks away from everything and a nice break from the chemo. Then, I guess, its all back to normal.

My condition at present is stable. I look okay and am apparently doing well for someone with pancreas cancer.  It is all down to staying positive (well, that plays a part) or as the doctor says, "it depends on the patient".

the chemo cycle

The chemo cycle varies from one person to the next. The chemo that is administered for different types of cancer is as different as the cancer itself. Some types are administered over a number of days and repeated a few weeks later. For some it is a simple 30 minute process repeated weekly.

My own case is a three week cycle with chemo administered weekly. Then there is a break, and a week later the next cycle begins. In addition, I have another type of chemo administered daily in the form of a tablet.

Much has been rumoured about the side effects, which leads to the most terrible anticipation in prospective patient. Some types of chemo cause hair loss. Other types don't. Nausea and vomitting are common but by no means universal.

The fact of the matter is that most chemotherapy is not nearly as toxic as it was a few years ago. However, most types still target fast moving cells. That means that they affect the skin and any other part where cells grow quickly. Some of the newer varieties are able to target cancer cells more specifically. Most types of chemo will affect the blood counts from time to time. There are three counts - red cell, white cells and platelets. A low white cell count can cause a lowering of the body's autoimmune system. A low red count may lead to anemia and a general loss of energy. When the platelet count is low, there is a risk of bleeding. A low count may result in postponing chemo.

I have not lost my hair. There has been very little nausea. A few days after chemo, I experience an extreme fatigue. I can do very little for the next 24 hours or so but rest. Perhaps read. My other treatment - the tablet - cases a rash that spreads all over the body. It looks just like acne. The rash may come and go. My last rash became infected and had to be treated with penicillin. It is clearing now.

Last week was my "holiday" week. No chemo. The break really helps!