The Aromasin didn't work, and so I moved on to a once-a-month-injection drug called Faslodex. I felt fabulous on Faslodex, which, for me, meant it wasn't working. The better I feel on a drug, the less likely that it is working.
My scans after six months on Faslodex showed that I had a few very small spots show up on my liver. So, in April of this year we started once-a-week chemo injections of Navelbine. After a bit of a rocky start, a reduction in dose, and the realization that I was going to have to give myself injections of Neupogen three times a week to keep my immune system going, we now have a rhythm going in my treatment routine.
The side effects of the Navelbine have cramped my lifestyle.
- I have neuropathy in my feet and my hands--tingling, loss of sensation, and pain to the point that it travels up my arms to my elbows and up my legs to my knees. I take Neurontin three times a day to help with that. I can tell when I've delayed taking a pill!
- My hair is thinned to the point that I am frustrated, but not to the point where I wear a hat. My hairdresser is creative with the way she cuts my hair, where my part goes, etc. She has a co-worker and friend who is going through chemo now, so we spend a lot of time talking about cancer while I am there. She is a gem.
- The Navelbine has built up enough in my body that I am dependent on pain medication most days. Some days I wake up and can barely make it down the steps to go take something for the pain. Some days I wake up feeling great and don't take pain meds until noon or later, so I'm hoping that means I'm not addicted to them yet.
Sundays are my worst days. I'm usually curled up in a ball on the couch, in pain. Some times my mind is blurry, either from the pain meds or from trying to think through the pain. We tend to have family movie days, or Joe takes the boys out for a bike ride or something fun while I hang out in my jammies. I used to try and get ready for church, but by the time I was showered and dressed I was so worn out and achy that I'd just end up on the couch in my church clothes. I recently gave up. I called in a prayer request last week to a friend to share with the church: If I'm not there, I'm at home in pain. Please pray for me! The pastor brought communion over this week and said that they would try to stop by with communion weekly if need be, until this is over.
Mondays are a bit better, but still painful. I have to take Neupogen shots on Sunday and Monday, so sometimes I feel the after effects of that.
Tuesdays are post-Neupogen days, but *definitely* better than Sundays. As long as I take my pain meds as scheduled, I'm doing ok.
Wednesdays I still take pain medicine, but I'm feeling fine when I'm on it. I take my last Neupogen shot of the week on this day.
Thursdays are either post-Neupogen pain, or I'm feeling great and start the day without pain meds.
Fridays are chemo days and of course, I'm feeling great. After chemo, the boys and I tend to run errands. Friday night is pizza night, and movies or tv shows via Netflix streaming.
Saturdays I feel great! I try to get as much done as possible before the coming Sunday crash.
So that is my life so far. Even on my great days, I end up taking pain medication at some point and then for the rest of the day. I never have completely pain-free days any more.
I have scans coming up on July 25 to figure out how well the chemo is working. If it is working well, we will do a couple more groups of the chemo infusion and lower my cancer markers even more (because it is lowering them). If the scans are only "meh" then we will stop the chemo because it is messing with my quality of life. We will move to a hormone-based drug instead.
