19: Chemo #3 half way point

Chemo number three was on Thursday, November 5th. I was concerned about my portacath as earlier in the week it showed signs of infection. I immediately called my primary doctor here on Maui,  Tuesday morning, they worked me in that morning. It was cultured, and after contacting my Medical Oncologist an antibiotic was prescribed. They were able to use the port for the treatment as the infection was on scar that was healing…….minor set back. When I woke up from my Chemo siesta, my husband was there. He flew in from Oregon to be with me for this treatment because Jax was unable to accompany me for this treatment. We flew back to Maui that evening after the treatment was over.

I did work on Friday, I had a lite schedule. I got tired halfway through the day, but not so bad that I could not function at work. Not sure what is worse, the days leading up to your next treatment, or waiting for the side effects to kick in after your infusion. Yesterday (Saturday) morning I woke up nauseous and with a really, really bad stomach ache. The entire day was bad. I do have medication for the nausea and diarrhea, it does help however you do not want to stray to far away from a bathroom.

Everyone knows about the common side effects of Chemo, hair loss, fatigue, Neutropenia (low white blood count), however no one really mentions the diarrhea and how bad it is! Well here it goes………..you don’t have to read this. The main task of the colon is water resorption. Chemo drugs can inhibit this process causing extreme diarrhea. It is pretty bad when your bowel movements are exiting your body as fast as your urine! The tissue around the rectum gets irritated to the point where it is raw  (painful). That is when baby wipes and A&D ointment come in!!! The trick is to stay hydrated. You have to continue to eat and drink to avoid being dehydrated. Allowing yourself to get dehydrated will land you in the hospital! The nausea will last about four to five days post chemo. Unfortunately the loose bowels last longer, it does get better after three to four days, but not normal…………. Okay enough about poop!

Runny nose, spontaneous nose bleeds,  skin sensitivity and a heightened sensitivity to smells! It’s almost like what you experience in your first trimester of pregnancy where certain smells/scents just want to make you puke!!! I had a patient that I was doing a mammogram on, she was wearing a perfume that about made me puke! For the first week post chemo I can not walk into a grocery store because of the different scents.

With my chemo being every three weeks, the fourth chemo lands on Thanksgiving! I will have my chemo on the Friday after Thanksgiving…..chemo-friday for me not “black-friday”. I just need to stay positive and get through this journey (detour) in my life! Thank you for the cards, messages and text a truly appreciate them.

Aloha from Maui, Josefina (Pina)