What? Why are you still at Huntsman? I thought you were finished with chemo!
- Deb Dekoff
- Jan 10, 2017
- 2 min read
Yes...I am finished with the chemo drug, Taxol.
The Huntsman comes up with a treatment plan for every patient. My treatment plan has several components. I am merely finished with one more.
Every three weeks, I am back at the Infusion Center for a targeted therapy drug called Herceptin.
And, radiation is also in the plans.
But...
Due to Taxol, I wound up with a nasty and painful neuropathy in my fingers and big toes. How painful? Have you ever slammed your finger in a car door? Imagine ALL TEN FINGERS getting slammed at once. And heavy bricks dropped on your big toes at the same time. As one who prefers to avoid medications, I looked to acupuncture to help with lessening the pain. It works! So now, it's not all ten at once - it's two fingers on this hand, and one on the other that flare. These fingers, they seem to take turns, shouting from bright pink nail beds, "My turn!" Yes! You can see which nails are flaring. My acupuncture doctor is also at the Huntsman - and so, I go for acupuncture.
And due to who-knows-what combination of drugs and lack of aerobic exercise, my cardio vascular endurance is greatly diminished. How greatly? Well, for one who could run at an okay clip from my home to the Junction, climbing small hills, and all in under 11 minute average for a 3+ mile run... I could not walk six minutes on a treadmill. Six minutes. Walking. So, again, I have a doctor at the Huntsman helping me to regain my ability to WALK for extended periods of time.
Simply, I am not well enough at this time, mentally or physically, to endure radiation at this time.
What is the plan?
1. Surgery - done.
2. Taxol - 12 weeks - done.
3. Herceptin for a year - 1x every 3 weeks - 9 months to go. 4. Radiation - 19 x - no start date
5. Reconstruction
6. An anti cancer pill - won't know until after radiation which is best for me.
And the revised plan includes: 1. Acupuncture for peripheral neuropathy caused by Taxol.
2. Six days a week of an exercise regimen written by a doctor. This is the only part of my plan that I look forward to! I have to workout! YES! So, if you see me at the gym, lifting - it's part of my prescription. And if you see me huffing an puffing after just a few minutes on a treadmill, you'll understand why exercise was prescribed. And, yes, I go to the Huntsman for this once per week as well. Measuring progress, you know.
I was told, "You are like an 80 year old woman right now. "
I do not want to be like an 80 year old woman.
But I do want to live to be an 80 year old woman.
Or a 91 year old woman, like my grandmother...
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