Chemo Case Study

So we go to see the doctor and she tells us obviously Michelle can't use that chemo anymore and she has to change it. So she decides we will stick with the first new chemo and add a similar second chemo to the one that Michelle was allergic to and that's not used much anymore but it's still a good option. I've made a decision not to go into the technical names of these Chemos because I just didn't want to go in that direction. And I can't spell them anyway or pronounce them. I certainly google them! I know way more about chemos than I ever wanted to. The big drag about this new chemo is that it's going to give her neuropathy which the last chemo wasn't going to do and that was a big issue with Michelle. Nerve pain is a bitch and she is still suffering from it six years after the last treatment.

And now we come to side effects. Chemo side effects are very very scary and completely random. Everyone is different so everyone is going to experience the side effects differently. So with this chemo besides the neuropathy, she might experience kidney damage and permanent hearing loss. What did she just say? And the other new chemo she is taking, the side effects are Peeling red hands and feet, stomach problems and terrible terrible fatigue. fatigue is the MO for both the chemos. So far she has the terrible fatigue and stomach problems. The thing that makes this so messed up is that every time Michelle feels something a little weird she just thinks it's another side effect coming on. It's really an unfortunate way to live going through this and not knowing what side effect is going to take effect when. And this new chemo is every four weeks for two short days.
With all the problems with the chemo and the fact that she only got the full dose one time out of three her tumor markers went from 50 to 18! The doctor was very very happy with that and we are really relieved that something is going right! A Very important