A Path Through

May 30, 2022, marked a milestone on my chemo path as it was on this day I moved away from my weekly chemo to a new three week chemo cycle complete with two new medications.

Now that I have had two sessions with my new drug buddies, I feel like I can share a bit of information and a few pro’s and con’s.

Before we move forward, let us stop for a moment of silence as I formally bid adieu to Carboplatin and Paclitaxel.  To say it is a happy farewell is an understatement, however they did EXACTLY what they were supposed to do and for that I am thankful to this poisonous duo.   

As part of our good bye, we will also say good bye to all the neurological impacts I have been dealing with.  It has been 6 weeks since I have had a seizure (oh yeah), I no longer have the slight but constant tremor in my body, and the feeling in my hands and feet is slowly returning…well…hands are returning….the feet are a bit slow!  These are things to be celebrated, however as expected they are being replaced by other side effects with the new medications.  Seriously, I never thought I would ever be at a point in my life where I am excited about feeling in my toes!

So now that we know what I have walked away from with my weekly chemo, let me introduce you to the new medications de’jour!

I am now on the “AC” portion of my treatment, what exactly is this? Well let me share a wee bit more!

My new medications are Doxorubin Hydrochloride, also known as Adriamycin or the “A” in this partnership and Cyclophosphamide, which is the “C” . For those of you who may be slightly chemo savvy, Adriamycin is also known as the “Red Devil” and it deserves the name (more on that to come). This duo is designed to move in to the house that we have unlocked with the first two meds, find all the nooks and cranny’s that the cancer might think to sneak into and hide….and basically obliterate it. We want NOTHING left of this horrid little invader!

Here is a bit of a run down of the pro’s and con’s of my new drug buddies:

• Pro: No More Weekly Chemo – I meet with the lovely AC duo every 21 days! This is a wonderful change to the 13 weeks of weekly chemo! Now, as much as this is a pro, there is a reason for the break…..your body needs to recover!
• Con: Fatigue and Nausea – The side effects are primarily that I am tired and sick. Now, this is easy to write and say, but I need to be clear…..this is “head in bucket and being okay to sleep like that” type side effects. We are working with the meds to manage this, but we have not hit the magic formula yet.
• Pro: Neutrophils are Happy – With 21 days in-between treatments, my body is showing it is happy with the rest. With my first treatment, my neutrophils were at 1.2 as they only had a week between the old chemo and the new. This meant I received 75% of my normal chemo dose. However, with my treatment on June 20^th, my neutrophils were at a WHOPPING 3.0. That’s right people, my little white blood cell warriors had not just bounced back, they were nearing my pre-chemo levels and looking for an infection to fight! This meant that I was at my FIRST full dose of chemo since the middle of March! Way to go me!!!
• Pro: Less Chemo Prep – As I no longer need all the pre-meds to assure I can handle the drugs being given to me, I only need to pop two drugs orally before we start the chemo in order to manage the nausea. That’s right. No more starting the steroids 12 hours before treatment!
• Con: The Red Devil Packs a Punch – The administering of the chemo meds is actually a little different now, more specifically how I receive the Adriamycin. For this med, the chemo nurse actually sits with me and slowly injects three very LARGE syringes of the medication directly into my IV. The syringes are full of bright red medication that makes your pee look like you swallowed a highlighter!! The other entertaining part of the Red Devil is the fact that it is NASTY if it gets into the tissue surrounding the IV. For this reason, the nurse will actually stop every 10 seconds or so and assure that the IV line is still fully in the vein. This is done by assuring that there is blood flow back into the IV when they kink the line.
• Con: Wasabi Nose – Not to me outdone by its Red Devil buddy, Cyclophosphamide has its own unique side effect. If delivered too quickly, you can develop nasal congestion and headache that is similar to eating too much Wasabi! So far so good for me on this front!
• Pro: Chemo is quicker – Three syringes of the Red Devil takes about 10 minutes from start to finish and a quick 45 minutes with a Cyclophosphamide drip. That is it. My once four and a half to five hour chemo is now less than two hours!
• Con: Hair loss – Yeah…towards the end of my last chemo regime I was feeling pretty confident that my quirky hair style would continue to grow (I resembled a hedgehog that needed a bit of Rogaine) and my eyelashes and eyebrows would continue to stick around. I was wrong. That is all I have to say on that.
• Con: Taste – So….ice cream….yeah….doesn’t bring me joy anymore. Nothing does. Everything tastes like…well…nothing. There is no flavor, no interest, nothing. This is one of my biggest challenges as you need to eat and stay hydrated and my doctors have indicated I am supposed to have whatever I WANT….but I really don’t WANT anything. However, to turn this con to a pro….I have a husband that the moment there is an inkling I can taste something is out getting it for me. I am so incredibly lucky to have this man in my life….he is my everything.

So there you have it….a bit of sharing on the wonderful world of my AC chemo regiment.  I am scheduled for four sessions in total and as of last Monday I completed the second session.  I have two more meetings with the Red Devil and its partner on July 11 and August 1 and then…..I AM DONE CHEMO!  Yes that is right…in 34 short days I am able to celebrate the end of this portion of the path I am on.

As I look back to when I started on this path I am actually amazed that I have made it this far.  I am tired, beaten, and when I am not pale I am green……but when I look at the fact that the end is so near….I am reinvigorated.  I CAN DO THIS….and in 34 days I will be able to say I DID IT!

On a side note, it is amazing at how my path through seems to be moving so seamlessly from one area to another.  Last week as I completed my second chemo session I received the call confirming that I am booked for my surgery on September 7^th and my journey will move in another direction. However, it is one that I am embracing with excitement as it will mean that hopefully….within the next few months I can announce I am cancer free. Oh what a day that will be as the path breaks through to the most beautiful view I can imagine!