Simply put, the last three weeks have been hard. I have been experiencing more and more side effects that have left me feeling less and less like myself. The big new symptom was chemical depression for a couple of days due to the after-effects of three days of the dexamethazone steroid that goes along with the FOLFOX/Erbitux chemo I had two weeks ago (week 14 of chemo). Not fun. I was angry about the whole cancer thing. I finally got back to being myself after a couple of days 0nce the steroid hangover wore off. Overall, it took me a week and a half to pull out of the FOLFOX/Erbitux chemo symptoms (with the Erbitux-only chemo in between) and to feel somewhat good this past Friday. Continue reading →

Just finished my 12th chemo treatment yesterday (out of a total of 16). Only 4 more treatments left before I go to M.D. Anderson in Houston again on 9/1 and 9/2 for more tests and doctors visits. I may have more chemo once they re-evaluate the questionable spots in my liver. It’s hard to believe that 3 months of weekly chemo have flown by!

The last few rounds of chemo have hit me hard. Of course, they told me that the chemo effects would be cumulative. I’ve finally hit the point where I’m fatigued all the time, neuropathy is still increasing in hands and feet, hair is still thinning (I went scarf-shopping with my friend, Susan, just in case). But what’s really impacting me now is the fatigue. I’m napping frequently since I’m tired most of the time. It’s a bummer since I’m not used to running out of energy!! But my doctor just told me again yesterday that I’m doing incredibly well for this far along in a very aggressive chemo regimen. Good to know! Continue reading →