Everything You Wanted to Know About Taxol

Mike and I went to Chemo Training yesterday afternoon. I was expecting a room full of people. No, it was a one-on-one with the PA.

• The same PA who diagnosed me with Lymphedema in July and sent me on my way
• Deep breath - it did not change the diagnosis or the treatment; just delayed it a bit
• Let it go

Sorry for the brief pity party. Back to the topic at hand. Where were we? Oh, yeah … Taxol.

Taxol prevents cancer cells from dividing and growing, and can cause the cancer cells to shrink and die. This is what we are hoping Taxol will do to Voldemort (my tumor in my neck). Taxol comes with a whole slew of possible side effects:

• Risk of infection
• Wash hands frequently
• Use hand sanitizer frequently
• Stay away from people with colds or other illnesses
• Neuropathy
• Numbness or tingling feeling in the hands or feet
• Loss of balance
• Trouble hearing (this one will come in handy .. hehe)
• Hair loss (I've got this one covered)
• Nausea 
• They give you drugs through the port to help prevent this
• Anemia
• Risk of bleeding
• Appetite Loss
• Mainly due to sores in the mouth
• Metallic or medicinal taste
• Change in taste buds, causing dislike for certain food
• Nail changes
• Fluid retention
• Such a great look for me ... NOT
• Mouth sores and pain (see appetite loss)
• Rash
• Radiation Recall
• Redness, tenderness, or swelling in areas that have been treated with radiation in the past
• May cause wet sores and peeling skin
• Stay out of the sun; if in the sun, use very strong sunscreen and wear a hat ALWAYS!
• Got this one covered

Doesn't this look like fun? It gets better! They pump you full of steroids through the port as well. This will cause you to be hungry ALL THE TIME! I was hoping that I could finally shed the Christmas weight from last year when the opposite is more likely. More weight gain. NOOOOOO! I will need to be diligent in watching the foods I eat to keep from gaining too much weight. 

My oldest sister, Cathy, called last night and told me she is heading my way. I mention this because my sister is an amazing cook. Hello! I need to take advantage of having a gourmet cook in the house. I told her I needed to make sure that whatever I eat is low cal but healthy. Her response? I can do that!! Yes! Looking forward to whatever she comes up with and learning how to make it when she is gone. Maybe I can ward off this weight gain after all!

Time to get my chemo bag ready. I've been putting it off, as if it will delay the chemo. I know it won't but a girl can pretend for a little while, right? 

I probably won't provide an update about the chemo session until tonight or Saturday. We do chemo until about 3 or 4, then a short nap, then off to watch my grandson play in the high school band. This is my standard Friday night during high school football season and it is important to me to stick with old norms as much as possible.