5th Chemo Treatment Today

My blood counts were all in normal range, and so I was able to get my 5th chemo treatment in today. My white and red blood cell counts, and my platelet counts, have never deviated from normal range through chemo and that is part of the reason I have felt pretty good throughout treatment, and people tell me I don't look like I'm going through chemo ... less the hair loss factor, of course. Overall it's great news to continue making forward progress ... and important to stay on track to be ready for my tentative surgery date the last week of September.

My shingles are still there, but lessening in intensity. I did get prescription eye drops for the redness in my eyes. It has symptoms that are much like allergy, but the Dr really feels it's a side effect of chemo and needed some stronger treatment than what I can get over the counter. This morning the whites of both eyes were pretty much all pink and/or red and looked awful. They are better tonight after 2 doses of the drops today.

This new chemo medication starts off with a 40 minute drip of Benadryl, and my eyes definitely got heavy in the process ... but I didn't sleep until after arriving home. This drug can cause your blood pressure to rise quickly, so they had to take my blood pressure 4 times during the drip of Taxol and make sure it was staying steady. Fortunately it did, so it looks like I will be able to tolerate the new drug well also. The biggest side effect of this drug is one thing that can affect you permanently ... neuropathy of the hands and feet. So if I have any tingling/numbness in my fingers or toes, I'm supposed to let them know right away so they can get me on some medications to help lessen it. They really can't prevent it from happening, but if we work to lessen the symptoms on the early side ... the hope is that it does not stay with me permanently.

Now I transition to weekly blood work (Mondays) and weekly chemo (Tuesdays). Going every week will make the last 11 treatments go fast, I think. And summer always goes fast. If I don't miss any more weeks of treatment due to unforseen issues, my chemo will be 100% finished on September 4.

Thanks for all of your love and support ... the comments here and on Facebook, the texts and emails and the continuous stream of cards in the mail mean so much.