23 October 2023
A ton of bricks. That’s what it feels like has fallen on me. I would never have thought I would feel this badly six days after the last Taxol treatment. Any sleep I got last night was interrupted by bathroom breaks and increasingly achy arthritis in my hands. I’ve had arthritis in my joints in the hand for a few years now but never where both hands completely ached. I found a tube of Diclofenac gel 3% which is the strongest prescription form you can get and it helps for a few hours after application but that wears off too soon.
I called Joel this morning and canceled the ophthalmologist appointment trip. He was up early any way and I got to him at 6:30 am. Later, I called the doctor’s office and explained. I fully expected them to charge me a minimal fee for canceling on the day of the appointment but they didn’t say a thing and simply rescheduled me for November.
Next up was to cancel my wellness assessment. I had managed to schedule it the same day as a hydration infusion within 30 minutes of each other. Again, that was easily accomplished and the wellness visit is now also in November.
Because of the arthritis in my hands, because of them weaning me off steroids from the infusions, and because I’m at a loss of what to do, I called the doctor I use for arthritis injections of steroids, Dr. Fingado. His office is supposed to call me back today. Hopefully he’ll have some solution to my arthritis problem. I just can’t get any good sleep at night with the arthritis.
Additionally, when Dr. Jellinger, the endocrinologist, prescribed Jardiance, neither he nor I discussed me coming off Metformin, the drug I use to control diabetes. I left a message with his nurse Farah to get back to me.
This is getting complicated. I can’t imagine scheduling all of these things without my cell phone which transfers all dates to my computer at home, my iPad and Apple Watch. It’s too confusing.
I’m totally unsteady on my feet. The vertigo is worse but I can handle that but I constantly grab onto things to keep from falling around the house. When I take a shower, I never let go of the grab bars – the best thing I ever did was getting those installed.
My feet and hands feel cold. I guess that’s the numbness. I can’t tell if the numbness has abated or not. Sometimes it seems like it is getting better and other times it seems the same. At least it’s not getting any worse.
Joel has agreed to pick me up tomorrow around 8:45 am for my 9:15 appearance at Dr. Velez’ office. As I’ve mentioned, I have a whole list of questions for him. Let me know if you think of any others!
- How will the Herceptin affect me. I’ve been told fatigue is the biggest problem. Does the fatigue last a few days or the entire 3 weeks?
- Since the mastectomy, I cannot have blood pressure taken on that arm, nor blood drawn. I want to start my monthly massages again. What do I tell the massage therapist?
- How often will I get echocardiograms/MUGA scans?
- When will he start screening me for other cancers? There’s a blood test for many cancers and Dr. Burgers told me that Dr. Velez was a big believer in that.
- I still have problems sleeping. Should I take Xanax for that or is there a better sleep aid product?
- How will the possibility of adrenal withdrawl symptoms mentioned by Dr. Jellinger affect what Dr. Velez does?
- How can I get Dr. Jellinger and Dr. Velez to communicate on my treatments since they work for different facilities?
- Does Jardiance have any interfering effects with Herceptin?
- Exactly how many Herceptin infusions will I have. It’s always stated “to fill out a year.” My first Herceptin was June 5th. Since then, I’ve had three additional ones. Divide 3 into 52 and you get 17. Subtract 4 and you get 13 additional infusions. Is that his calculation? Does my infusion stop in June or August when they restarted?
- Prior to Taxol infusion, they gave me a precocktail of Pepsid, Dexamethasone, Benadryl and Zofran. They will no longer give me Dexamethasone and Benadryl but will they give me Pepsid and Zofran?
- I have a list of symptoms since I began chemotherapy. Which of them does he predict will go away?
- bloody nose (every morning)
- runny nose all day long
- petechiae
- joint aches
- vertigo
- peripheral neuropathy
- lack of energy
- diarrhea/constipation
- black stool
- low white blood cell count
- low libido
- diziness
- shortness of breath
- bloating
- taste bud damage
More for my edification than yours, is a calendar of events since I started this process.
| DATE | TREATMENT |
| 14 April 2023 | Mammogram that shows cancer |
| 21 April | Biopsy with Dr. Burgers |
| 24 May | Echocardiogram to prepare for treatment with chemo |
| 5 June | Taxotere, Perjeta, Carboplatin, and Herceptin infusion |
| 6 June | Injection to boost white blood cells |
| 13 June | Hospitalization at Holy Cross with dehydration and kidney damage |
| 3 July | First meeting with Dr. Velez after dropping Dr. Anauldt |
| 5 July | Cleared for mastectomy with primary physician |
| 13 July | Mastectomy with Dr. Burgers, overnight stay at Holy Cross Hospital |
| 19 July | Second surgery pre clearance with primary physician |
| 28 July | Consultation with Dr. Velez |
| 31 July | Consultation with Dr. Burgers |
| 4 August | Post-0p conference with Dr. Burgers with first surgery – scheduled second surgery |
| 7 August | Second surgery to relieve fluid and tissue build up |
| 10 August | Post-op with Dr. Burgers – second surgery |
| 14 August | Post-op with Dr. Burgers |
| 17 August | Post-op with Dr. Burgers – drain removed |
| 21 August | Chemo Infusion with Taxol and Herceptin |
| 23 August | Hydration Infusion |
| 28 August | Taxol Infusion |
| 30 August | Hydration Infusion |
| 31 August | Post-op with Dr. Burgers |
| 5 September | Taxol Infusion |
| 6 September | Injection to boost white blood cells |
| 7 September | Injection to boost white blood cells |
| 8 September | Injection to boost white blood cells |
| 12 September | Taxol and Herceptin infusion |
| 15 September | Hydration infusion |
| 19 September | Taxol infusion |
| 22 September | Hydration infusion |
| 26 September | Taxol infusion |
| 29 September | Hydration infusion |
| 3 October | Taxol and Herceptin infusion |
| 5 October | MUGA Scan |
| 6 October | Hydration infusion |
| 10 October | Taxol infusion |
| 13 October | Hydration infusion |
| 17 October | Taxol infusion |
| 20 October | Hydration infusion |
| 24 October | Consultation with Dr. Velez |
Stay tuned!