Happy New Year! We continue to be grateful for the support we've received this year. All of you have a special place in our hearts and we never forget everything that has been done for us.
I am now 7 months post-chemo and dealing with the more long lasting side effects. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Avastin I receive every two weeks has caused my blood pressure to go up, so I'm on a low dose of blood pressure medication. There are also signs that my kidneys are starting to be affected. It's possible to stay at this stage for a long time but it could also get worse, so a new monthly test has been added to my routine.
Although the FDA no longer approves Avastin for breast cancer, Dr. Kaplan still strongly believes in it and thinks the statistics used to discredit it are misleading. Our insurance is still covering it, but we check with them frequently.
I'm not sure what "Plan B" will be if I stop receiving Avastin. At the very least, I'll continue taking Tamoxifen, which is a miracle drug for some patients. Why not me?
Here is a summary of my current side effects and an update on the old ones:
Hair: My hair is growing back and I've even had two haircuts. I don't like wearing my hair this short, and it's not as thick as it used to be, but it's very freeing not to wear a wig (although it takes me longer to get ready to go anywhere). My eyebrows and eyelashes are slowly coming back, too.
Eyes: The problems I was having with tearing went away pretty quickly and my vision has improved.
Nose: I have one stubborn sore that won't heal and drives me crazy! I still sneeze a lot, but not as much as I used to.
Dental: Over the last few months I've had significant chemo-related dental problems. It's been frustrating because in addition to the discomfort, time and money, I'm at risk for something called "jaw necrosis" (which is as bad as it sounds). Unfortunately, that means that the most effective treatment isn't an option. I'll be seeing a periodontist and an oral surgeon because they're quite knowledgeable about the side effects of chemotherapy, but that doesn't mean there will be an easy answer. My regular dentist thought she saw jaw necrosis on an x-ray, which had me freaked out for a couple of days (it usually gets worse and there's nothing you can do about it), but the endodontist said that although there has been some bone loss, it's not necrosis. I was quite relieved. Amazing what I think of as "good news" these days!
Hands/Feet: My neuropathy and nail problems have decreased significantly, although my nails are still brittle.
Taste: I still have some difficulty with certain tastes and textures, but I've seen improvement there, too.
Arthritis/stiffness: My neck and back are still stiff, but added to that is wrist, finger, hip, leg and ankle pain. At this point it's not constant or bad enough to warrant medication.
Port-a-Cath: In addition to the redness and itching I frequently experience, Dr. Kaplan is starting to be concerned about the scar tissue developing on the skin that surrounds the port-a-cath (which looks like a big button under my skin). Every time I go to the clinic I get a shot to numb the area and the treatment needle is placed next to that. Over time, this has resulted in a lot of needle pokes in a small area. If the scarring gets worse I'll need to have the port moved and placed under healthy skin. That's minor outpatient surgery, but I'm still hoping to avoid it. For now, I put numbing cream on the area before I go to the clinic (which doesn't work as well as the shot but it helps) and I ask the nurses to try to find a new place to put the needle. It's a small area to work with, but so far they've been able to do it.
Tamoxifen/Hormones: I'm still struggling with the hormone/mood swing side effect of tamoxifen. I think the mega doses of Omega 3's/Vitamin D/Vitamin B complex have taken the edge off but if there's any added stress in my day, I have trouble managing it. Just ask my kids. Something I haven't mentioned is that taking tamoxifen makes it easy to gain weight (WHAT? Where did this come from?) and harder to lose it. I've been exercising more but I need to get serious about a long term plan.
Chemo Brain: I still have word finding difficulties and often lose my train of thought. When I'm helping in the boys' classroom, I sometimes have trouble processing the teacher's directions. I feel like saying, "I have a master's degree! I used to be good at this stuff - it"s the chemo!" I'm feeling less and less organized and trying to compensate by writing more and more lists. This helps, but I still don't feel like myself. I'm doing better in so many ways, but it's hard to feel normal when my brain isn't working like it used to.
Fatigue: My energy is much better than it was 7 months ago but I still get tired more easily and if I have a busy day or two, I'll "crash" with a headache, nausea and general aches and pains. No surprise -- that happened a couple of times during the busy month of December.
My next scan is scheduled for the second week of January and I should get the results on the 16th. I'll write another update then.
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