Rewind

I started this blog after I began cancer treatments, so I did not do a post about my first treatment.  Since it was a doozy, I thought I'd rewind and relay what happened.

I get two kinds of chemo medicines when I get treatments.  At the time, I was also getting "pre-meds," which consisted of medicines to help me handle the side effects of the chemo medicines.  One was Benadryl, which made me very groggy, but that first time I fought off the sleepiness and stayed awake, though I found my eyes wouldn't focus well enough to read.  So, I watched a movie on my ipod.

Anyway, the first chemo medicine they gave me was Herceptin.  That went in with no problem.  The second medicine was Paclitaxal, or "Taxol" for short.  This second medicine is known to cause an allergic reaction in some patients, which is why I got the Benadryl.  So, as soon as they started the medicine they warned me to let them know if anything happened. 

It didn't take long.  I was watching a movie, and suddenly knew something was wrong.  I looked up at Steve with what must have been a frightened expression, and then everything inside me started to squeeze tight.  I could hardly breathe, and I told Steve I thought I was going to throw up.  While he searched frantically for a bucket, I managed to press the nurse's call button.

Suddenly, I was surrounded by what seemed like every nurse in the place.  They turned off the Taxol, layed me way back in my chair, and got an oxygen mask on me.  I guess I was pretty purple.  One nurse said later she was a hair's breadth away from slapping me with an EpiPen.

My symptoms quickly subsided, without the Taxol being pumped into me.  When a nurse asked me where I was--to verify my coherency--I replied, "In the infusion center."  They all laughed, because they'd expected me to say something more general, like "The Hunstman Hospital."

One nurse told me they usually try to give Taxol again, if someone has an allergic reaction, which about gave me another attack right then and there.  But, lucky for me, my doctor decided my allergic reaction was strong enough that they didn't need to try giving the Taxol again.

So, I only got one type of chemo medicine that week, and the week didn't count toward the 12 treatments I get for my first round.  The following week, I got a new medicine in place of the Taxol: Abraxane. 

This medicine has worked really well, in the last 6 weeks I've had it.  There are no allergies to it and it has fewer side effects than the Taxol: for example, you don't have stomach problems.  Also, my doctor was able to take me off the "pre-meds" a couple of treatments ago, so I actually get to be awake now for the whole treatment, and it goes a lot faster (it only took 1 1/2 hours last time).

So, even though having that allergic reaction was a traumatic experience, I feel like it was a blessing in disguise.  From what I understand, doctors won't give Abraxane first, because the Abraxane is so expensive insurance companies won't cover it unless a patient is allergic to Taxol; yet, the Abraxane is tolerated much better by patients and creates fewer side effects.  (It has to do with the medium in which the medicine is delivered: the medicine itself is the same.) 

In the midst of this trial, the Lord is looking out for me.