February 4, 2004

Well, all good things must come to an end….or so they say! I think those of you who have been following my journal would agree, that I have been VERY fortunate thus far to have gotten through this treatment with so few adverse affects. I’m afraid that my luck has run out! This last treatment of Taxol pretty much kicked my you-know-what!!! It’s funny though, because my Dr. said that most people tolerate Taxol MUCH better than the AC cycle. Unfortunately for me, that is not the case.

I am experiencing a common side affect of Taxol called “neuropathy.” Basically, this affects the nerves in my hands and feet. What this means is that I’m experiencing tingling and numbness in my fingers/hands and the bottom of my feet. In addition to this, I’ve experienced pretty severe joint pain, although it has subsided greatly at the moment. It’s kinda hard to tell how much is related to Taxol and how much could be related to my 2 day ski trip last weekend….ahem! ;-)

But seriously, the numbness and pain have been quite substantial, requiring me to take two days off of work. I called the Dr’s office and he prescribed something called Neurontin, which is basically an anti-seizure medication for Epilepsy patients! But it also works for cancer patients experiencing chemo-related neuropathy. The pain seems to have lessened, so perhaps the meds are working? But, I remember last treatment, I had some pain and tingling (much less than now), and it went away after about a week. So, maybe the same will happen this time? I hope so! The medication is expensive! $115 for 90 pills. I have to take 3 a day. Of course, it’s the beginning of the year and my deductible hasn’t been met….so I’ll have to pay full price for any drugs until I reach $400!

But the REALLY good news, is that my hair is starting to grow back!!! It’s not very long, in fact it’s really short. A few people said I look like a Chia-pet!!! They nicknamed me Claire-a-pet!!!! I was told my hair might start to grow back while on Taxol. It’s very fine and soft, kind of like baby hair. I think the real growth won’t happen until about a month after I’m finished with Taxol. So I can look forward to some more hair in mid-April! I’m documenting (photographically) the various stages of my hair…from falling out, to being totally bald, to it’s coming back in. And some day, when I’m feeling REALLY brave, I’ll put them on a web site for all to see!