Chemo day, week 2


Chemo day, week 2

Back in the USSR

Looking back to my first treatment day, it’s clear in hindsight that I was under-estimating what chemoradiation treatment would entail. I was so excited to finally get my treatment underway that at the end of Day 1 I was buzzing. That good feeling lasted until Wednesday when I was hit with some constipation with cramping and generalized fatigue that I attributed to the chemo along with mouth changes including xerostomia (dry mouth) and altered taste that I attributed to the daily radiation treatments.  I soon learned that the steroids I received as part of the pre-medication were preventing those symptoms for the first couple of days but as they washed out, I was starting to feel the normal side effects of my treatment.
The dietitian had previously recommended a smoothie supplement to combat constipation that consisted of a 1:1:1 mix of prune juice, apple sauce and all-bran cereal and so I started adding a few tablespoons of that into my daily smoothie. By the end of the week the constipation had faded away.
The generalized fatigue coupled with the mouth changes meant I really wasn’t that hungry. However, the nurses stress I need 2000-2500 calories a day however I can get them.  And its better to space out meals 4-5 times a day. They also say exercise is important to help me recover after treatment is over.  This past week I really wasn’t feeling like running or swimming although I did bike into the office most days. 
I’ve also been wondering when my throat will become sore from the radiation treatments. I discussed this with the nurse in the medical oncology unit and she told me that typically the sore throat won’t be significant until after the third week of treatment.  She said the daily radiation treatments are killing cancer cells but it really takes the cumulative effects of several weeks.  The radiation doses are limited to 2 Gy per day to reduce side effects on normal tissues. According to Wikipedia: “The gray (symbol: Gy) is a derived unit of ionizing radiation dose in the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as the absorption of one joule of radiation energy per kilogram of matter.”  This doesn’t really help my understanding and I need to talk more with the radiation oncologist. Because I am anxious to kill the cancer cells in my throat, I’m hoping to get the sore throat side-effect as soon as I can.
For today’s chemo I was placed in different rooms relative to the first week.  It turns out that the plush rooms I was in last week were a newer set of infusion rooms that were located closer to urgent care resources in the event anyone developed a serious allergic reaction to the chemo drugs.  Since I was okay last week, I am assumed to be a lesser risk.  Once again I felt a little buzz from the Benadryl.  And, when the paclitaxel started today, I felt a warm flush in my head that dissipated after a few minutes.  The nurse said this was part of the run-in of undiluted drug that was in the IV line before the main part of the drug was administered at a much slower rate.
After the carboplatin infusion I’m all done and I pack up and head over to Radiation Oncology to wait for my radiation treatment. Looking forward to getting home and going for a walk with the dogs.

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