Setbacks

Has it really been over a month since my last post? Yikes. Sorry! 

Part of the reason for not posting anything is because well, there wasn't really any new information! At the beginning when I first got diagnosed, I would go to multiple doctor appointments per day, and now I pretty much only see my oncologist every few weeks just for a check up before chemo. 

I finished my first 4 rounds of chemo, Adriamyacin and Cytoxan. While they did get progressively worse, I knew the end was near and I would have fewer side effects once I switched to the 12 sessions of Taxol (another type of chemo). This one would be administered weekly instead of every other week. The best part of it was I would no longer have to receive the Neulasta patch, which is the robot-looking thing that gives me medicine to make the bone marrow come out of my bones to help prevent any kind of infection. 

As with any new treatment, I was nervous going in to it, especially since my trusty partner in crime Layne couldn't come with me since she had to work. However, she did leave me a sweet note for me to wake up to that morning which really helped calmed my nerves, AND my bestie/roomie from Teach for America came out to visit me for the weekend from Atlanta so it was going to be a good time no matter what! 

Overall, I started out feeling better on the Taxol (not as much nausea, no bone aches from Neulasta) but was much more tired. I've slept more in the last 3 weeks than I thought was humanly possible--sometimes 18 to 20 out of 24 hours. whoops. 

Each day before chemo, I have to go and get blood drawn so they can check my levels of various functions to make sure I am healthy enough for chemo. Going in for my second round of Taxol, the chemo nurse came over and sat next to me and said "I'm not judging....but I need to know if you've been drinking any alcohol lately..." (Alcohol is the one thing I can't have during treatment) to which my response was "bitch I wish!" and she laughed. She then asked if I've been taking a lot of Tylenol...also no. I asked her why, and she said my ALT and AST levels were really high. ALT and AST are both types of enzymes that your liver produces. A normal range for ALT is 5-46. The week before mine was 29, but on this day it was 107--a significant jump. A normal range for AST is 10-41, the week before mine was 20, and on this day it was 67. Although they were concerned, they do not prevent you from getting treatment unless your levels are triple the normal range, so they said they would keep an eye on it. I asked what may have caused the jump, and she said it could be nothing, but will have to compare it to next weeks to see if it has something  to do with the Taxol. Being the paranoid freak that I am, I decided to start researching what heightened levels of these enzymes could possible be a cause from. Have you ever gone on something like WebMD and typed in symptoms of the common cold and it basically told you you were going to die any day? That's pretty much how I felt, haha. Most of the results are linked to liver disease caused by alcohol dependence (I knew that's not what mine was from) but I found some that suggested it could be a sign of liver cancer. Last year, mom's issues all started when they found cancer in her liver. Naturally, this was my first reaction: 

So of course, I had myself convinced that my cancer had spread and I was going to die. That was fun. Layne and Aaron tried to tell me how unlikely that was, but when you literally have nothing on your hands but time to sit and dwell, you can't help but freak out, haha. I went back the following Friday for my 7th session of chemo (and 3rd session of Taxol), but it took about 25 minutes for the nurses to come over and discuss my labs (from the previous day) so I knew it wasn't good news. Once they finally came over, I was informed that I was unable to receive chemo because my ALT and AST levels have risen too high--this time, my ALT was 147 (remember, the normal level is 5-45) and my AST was 55 (normal level is 10-41). 

My oncologist came out to talk to me, and assured me this was not a sign of liver cancer and I shouldn't worry (too late), but rather meaning my liver is working overtime because my body is just taking a beating from the chemo, since it is a toxin, after all! It took about 10 times of Aaron explaining it to me for me to finally get it, but he said your liver's primary function is to flush out toxins from your body. To do this, it produces enzymes. Since my enzyme levels were so high, it just meant my liver was working extra hard. 

After stating I would be taking the week off of chemo to give my body a break, he gave me 2 choices moving forward: I could either continue on the Taxol, but have lower doses each week; or switch to a different chemo called Taxotere, and go back to receiving treatment every other week but only do 3 sessions total. I told him I trust his judgement and would do whichever he recommended, and he thought switching to Taxotere is the better option. Guess who also had Taxotere as part of their chemo regimen 8 years ago? MOM. Guess who is the one person I couldn't talk to about it? MOM :( That was one of the hardest parts for me, as usual. 

So, as long as I am doing well on Taxotere, I should be done with chemo in 6 weeks. Downsides:
1. I have to go back on the Neulasta patches, aka the bane of my existence
2. The literature suggests (as well as the first few Google searches) the possibility (and lawsuits available) of permanent hair loss associated with Taxotere. Yes, I look awesome in my wigs, but I will never ever ever ever ever ever EVER complain about having to wash/style/upkeep my real hair. I want it back more than I can say. There is nothing fun about feeling uncomfortable in your own skin, even after all these months.
3. Good chance of my nails falling off...ugh

So, I guess I will just have to wait and see! On the plus side, I have so much to look forward to within the next month: my Big's wedding! James' 1st birthday! Baby Girl Salvo being born! Megan's wedding in Dallas! YAY! 

Thank you for your continued love and support! Extra big shout out to my Bogle family for the amazing bag of gifts and cards and (my favorite part) letters from my students! You guys are the best!

Til next time!
Kristen