13th & 14th Chemo: Getting There!

My 13th treatment was on January 5th 2006..
My 14th treatment was today, January 12th 2006..
2 more to go.. if my fingers can take it!

...more reactions keep coming!

I was warned, as I get closer to the end, it gets a little tougher:

The side effects are starting on Fridays (instead of Saturdays) which are body aches/junky feeling and drowsiness (still tolerable).

Several fingers & toes have become quite sensitive, it's not just painful to touch things, but I'm dropping things and having problems picking things up. I'm feeling pretty clumsy. If my thumb becomes any more sensitive, my treatment may come to the end sooner than planned. What's concerning is that some side effects may be PERMANENT (although in "most cases" it's temporary, but I've learned not to count on being in the "most cases" category!) So the plan is to see what happens this week, if it gets worse, we'll reevaluate.

A less serious side effect I've noticed are marks/bruises in my finger/toe nails, not too attractive but at least it's cosmetic and can be hidden with nail polish. I was told in most patients the marks are black, but mine are dark red and just look like bruises.

Last week I learned that white blood cells can replenish quickly (in hours). Red blood cells take longer (over a week), which is why I'm receiving Procrit injections until I complete chemo. I'm also trying to be very careful not to get the flu again, as it was a major drain on my white blood count.

~Christine