This Week's Chemo . . .

Here we are again plodding our way through another bitterly cold day. Goll-durn it, won't this winter ever end?

I in particular am anxious to get to the warmer weather. This week's chemo was the triple-threat: Leucovorin, Fluorouracin, and Oxaliplatin. And the side effects of the Oxaliplatin have been much stronger than they were last time. Thank heavens I only get it every other week!

As you may remember, Monday started out overcast but not terrible, with a bit of wind. Dr. Cutie had warned me about the side effects of the Oxalplatin, sensitivity to cold in the extremities (hands and feet) being the worst one. He also recommended that I buy a balaclava to wear because a gust of cold air going down the throat can cause it to seize up and close, making you feel like you can't breathe. Well, I haven't experienced that yet, but on Monday after chemo, when I stepped out into the wind, my eyes went all weird, almost like my eyelids and eyeballs were suddenly not under my control anymore. It was the strangest sensation!

Thank heavens my folks were with me. I couldn't have made it back to the car without taking mom's arm and letting her lead me because I couldn't see, really, I couldn't focus! I just kept my head tucked down and my eyes half-closed and let her guide me.

Guess I oughta buy me a set of winter goggles to go with the balaclava!

After we got home, the other side effects of the Ox. kicked in - my hands started to seize up, first the left a few times, then the right a few times, then both together. It was actually quite funny when both hands quit working. I was trying to make hot chocolate for us all, went to pick up a spoon and my right hand just all curled up on itself. Then I tried to straighten my right hand with my left, and the left thumb curled right into my palm. I was stuck! Mom had to come rescue me, straighten my hands out, and finish making the hot chocolate. I had a good laugh over that because it was just ridiculous, me standing in the middle of the kitchen with two hands that wouldn't straighten out.

Fortunately, the effects of the Ox. do wear off. The hand seizures seem to be pretty much gone but the sensitivity to cold is still there. I have also noticed that when my hands are just cool - not cold - and I put any pressure at all on them, the pins and needles effect kicks in. The effects last time didn't all wear off at once. It seemed that I would have a day with a few episodes of pins and needles, the next day I would have none, and then the day after that it would be back again. In all it took about a week for the side effects to completely diseappear.

I just want to be sure you all make note that when my hands are bad, I can barely type. I have tried to do a blog update a couple of times since Monday afternoon but between the seizing and the pins and needles, it was simply not possible. Also, I can only type for a certain length of time before the pins and needles kick in because my computer room is on the cool side. So if you have emailed me and not got a response, it isn't because I'm ignoring you - my hands aren't behaving.

The next two weeks are my chemo-vacation weeks. I go for a CT scan on March 6, then a visit with Dr. Cutie on March 12. I will be sure to keep y'all posted about what's going on.

I am sure hoping the weather forecasters have next week's forecast right. The colder it is outside, the worse my hands feel, so I am sort of housebound when it's really cold like it is today. Even with really heavy mittens the cold seeps through. I can hardly wait for days when the temperature is above or near freezing and I can get out into the sunshine.

-- Lori