New Chemo Drug

Yesterday I had my treatment and received the new drug "Taxotere". I had to see the doctor first to make sure everything else was okay. He was concerned about my vertigo (which totally acted up when he had me lay back on the table. The whole room swayed and I felt very nauseated). My neuropathy is better in my fingers, but worse in my feet. Last night it actually would wake me up when I would turn over in bed. UGH! So that's why we are trying a different drug to hopefully stop this. However, I still have it and wonder how long it will take before it goes away, if at all.  The good news is that even after not having chemo for 3 weeks, my CA-125 went down from 33.5 to 28.1!  That is so encouraging.  Normal is 0-35 and my count before surgery was 687. CA-125 is a blood test that marks tumor growth.  So we have seen a lot of progress.

The only thing different about yesterdays treatment is that they gave me a shot in the stomach after treatment. They say that with taxotere, my white blood count will plummet and so this shot is supposed to help bring it up faster. They told me that I might experience bone pain with the shot.

Last night and today are supposed to be my "good" days on chemo - because of the steroids they give me. But this time around it hasn't helped. This morning I feel dizzy and very nauseated. I ended up taking Zofran (a nausea medicine) that I haven't taken for weeks. I'm very weak and ache all over. My face has a bright red mask around my nose and eyes. Other than that, we are off to a good start. However, the best part of all of this is that I only have 1 more treatment left!!!! YEA!!! I wait for 3 weeks and on March 21st I have my last treatment. Then the next day Amy's baby is born. I really want to be at the birth and so I hope that I will feel up to it, but who knows.

I read a quote from Carlfred Broderick in the book, "The Uses of Adversity" that I thought was worth sharing. He said, "The gospel of Jesus Christ is not insurance against pain. It is resource in event of pain."   If you are interested in reading a very interesting talk filled with personal stories, here is the link:  http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/archive/2007/pdf/The-Uses-of-Adversity-by-Carlfred-Broderick.pdf

I'm so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It has been such a stabilizing factor throughout my life. I'm grateful for my Savior and his Atonement which covers my pain, afflictions and sorrows. I know that as I exercise faith in him, I am strengthened to endure what has been placed before me in my life.