Chemotherapy (2) / Kemoterapi (2)

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Chemotherapy (2) / Kemoterapi (2) - Turkce altta
Before the chemotherapy started I was really curious about how bad it will affect me, so I wanted to share my experience in more detail especially regarding my physical condition. Please keep in mind that we are different in all sorts of ways and our experiences may be very different than one another, but still it made me feel good to hear other people's experiences so that I could prepare myself better. 

My first drug was given every two weeks as I had explained in my previous post. I felt nothing during the time drugs were given, except for a severe pain in my sinuses during the last 10 minutes. It would go away in 20 minutes without taking any medicine for it. The doctor had prescribed a strong antiemetic for 3 days starting on the day of chemo. If that does not prevent the nausea, other antiemetics were available, and they all worked fine. I usually had sleepless nights in the first days of each cycle, sometimes pounding heart.

Overall, I was able to function normally the first day and the following days. Except rarely I would have some fatigue and sometimes the joint pain -which I will explain below- would keep me in bed.

 On the 5th day after chemo, I would start the injections which would improve my blood count and continued doing them everyday for 7 days in each cycle. These injections induced a very new kind of pain that I had never known, it is like a burning sensation in your joints but it is not an abrupt shock it is constant pain that changes in amplitude. I took common painkillers for them, the pain disappears for at least 4 hours, then I had to take another one. 

This went on for 2 months. I was able to cook, go out even swim. But at the end of the two months I was relieved that the drug was changing, I felt like I could not go on - which I think is psychological, if it was prescribed for 3 months I would probably feel that way at the end of the 3rd month. 

On the 2nd month, I shaved my head-my hair was still ok at the time, it is completely gone now-started wearing a wig. 

The drug changed starting the 3rd month. At first I thought this new one (I think it is taxotere) is much softer. Starting 4th month, I felt weaker, more susceptible to disease and more afraid. I started spending whole days in bed, which had never happened till that time. I had pain in my bones throughout my body-even my hands- and a headache, it felt like the worst days of a common cold. Apart from those days (started happening at least 2-3 days each cycle) I was ok, but I had a lower base energy level than the beginning. 

I now have 3 more doses left. The last two I had were reduced in dosage due to my low blood count. The doctor said it is fine to reduce it this much, I should't worry because it will not affect the overall outcome and we can continue with the treatment. I am still feeling a little sick. We will see tomorrow if my blood count is better and if I can receive another dose.
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Kemoterapi baslamadan once beni nasil etkileyecegini cok merak etmistim, o nedenle kendi tecrubemi ozellikle de fiziksel etkilerine daha fazla odaklanarak biraz daha anlatmak istedim. Hepimizin bunyesi birbirinden cok farkli ve cok farkli deneyimler yasayabiliriz, ama diger insanlarin yasadiklarini duymak bana kendimi iyi hissettirmisti, kendimi daha iyi hazirlayabilmistim.  

Daha onceki yazimda bahsettigim gibi, ilk ilac iki haftada bir veriliyordu. Ilac damarimdan giderken son 10 dakika sinuslerimde hissettigim siddetli agri disinda birsey hissetmiyordum. Bu agri da 20 dakika icinde kendiliginden yok oluyordu. Mide bulantisi icin guclu bir ilac veriyorlardi, kemoterapi gunu ve takip eden 2 gun bunu iciyordum. Eger buna ragmen yine bulantim olursa da eczanede satilan baska ilaclardan kullaninca geciyordu. Her seferinde kemoterapinin ilk verildigi gunun gecesinde uykusuzluk cekiyordum, bazen carpinti da oluyordu. 

Kemoterapinin 5. gununden itibaren 7 gun sureyle kan degerlerini yukseltmek amaciyla igne yapmam gerekiyordu. Bu ignenin yan etkisi olarak cok degisik bir agri tipiyle tanismis oldum. Eklemlerimde yanma hissi yaratan ani degil ama surekli, siddeti degisen bir agri. Normal agrikesiciler ise yariyordu ancak hemen hemen 4 saatte etkileri geciyordu. 

Bu sekilde 2 ay gecti. Normal hayatima devam edebiliyordum, yemek pisirebiliyordum hatta yuzebiliyordum. Ote yandan 2 ayin sonunda ilacin degisecek olmasina seviniyordum. Sanki daha fazla dayanamazmisim gibi geliyordu-bu muhtemelen psikolojikti, ilaci 3 ay verselerdi 3. ayin sonunda oyle hissederdim. 

2. ayda saclarimi kazittim- o siralar aslinda hala sacim vardi, su anda hic yok- peruk taktim. 

3.ay ilac degisti. Basta yeni ilacin (ismi sanirim taxotere) daha iyi oldugunu dusunmustum. 4.aydan itibaren kendimi daha gucsuz, hastaliga daha yakin ve urkek hissetmeye basladim. O zamana kadar hic olmayan, butun bir gunu yatakta gecirdigim gunler oluyordu. Tum kemiklerimde, ellerimde bile agri hissediyordum. Bunun yaninda bir de bas agrisi vardi. Hepsi beraber grip olmusum da her tarafim dokuluyor gibi hissettiriyordu. Bu gunler disinda (her hafta 2-3 gun boyle gecmeye baslamisti) iyi sayilirdim, sadece kemoterapinin ilk gunlerine nazaran daha dusuk bir enerji duzeyim vardi. 


Artik 3 dozum kaldi. Son ikisini kan degerlerim dusuk seyrettigi icin doz dusurerek verdiler. Doktorum bu kadar doz dusuklugunu kafama takmamami, sonucu degistirmeyecegini soyledi. Halen biraz hasta hissediyorum. Yarin kan degerlerimin iyi cikip cikmayacagini ve bir doz daha alip alamayacagimi gorecegiz..

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