Halfway through chemo update

Hello again,

This is my “I’m halfway through my chemo blog”.

For anyone not knowing what’s going with me read blog 1 about my diagnosis.

And cutting right to the good bit in case you don’t want to read all of this. The good news is: the treatment working, the tumour has shrunk “very significantly” — the radiologist’s words there, not mine.

So I’m feeling positive. I’m halfway through my chemotherapy and the scans are showing things are heading in the right direction.

Read on if you want to hear what else has been going on with me.

Chemotherapy

I’ve had 4 rounds of chemo. I will now have 4 rounds of another type of chemotherapy called Docetaxel. This has has a different set of side effects to get used to.

I would liken chemo stories to childbirth or pregnancy stories. It’s a very individual thing, what you feel, how you react depends on you and your treatment. It’s been tough but it’s working, so I can’t complain too much.

Immune systems and chemo and “not going to bed on a temperature whilst having chemo”.

On the 26th July just before my 4th round of chemo I started to feel “a bit off” and thought I’d sleep off that shivery, flu-like feeling I had. Layered up in bed I realised I had a temperature. Dreading the thought of going to the hospital (which is what you’re supposed to do if you have a temperature whilst having chemo). I took some paracetamol and went to sleep instead.

2 days later I was admitted to hospital, I had an infection. 24 hours after that Doctors were talking about “no white blood cells” and “neutropenic sepsis”. I didn’t feel that bad on painkillers. After another 24 hours, I had an operation to remove the port as this was the source of where the infection came from. This was upsetting as this was how I’d been receiving chemo.

The good news is that I responded to antibiotics and a boost to my white blood cells. The bad news was that it delayed my chemo by 2 weeks. This is something you don’t want to happen in fear of it hindering your treatment. And delaying the whole treatment plan.

This was a bit of a wake-up call. I now understand why you take your temperature every day whilst you are undergoing chemo. You don’t go to bed on a temperature you go to the hospital immediately. And don’t take paracetamol as that will mask the symptom. Which doesn’t help Doctors diagnose what is wrong with you. Lesson learned.

My treatment plan remains the same

This is a belt and braces lets get every bloody cancer cell treatment plan.

Here’s the treatment plan again

4 more rounds of chemo which are 3 weeks apart finishing around the beginning of November, finger crossed there are no more delays.

4–6-week break to recover from the chemo.

Surgery which is looking like January 2018, and then recovery.

3 weeks of radiotherapy every day.

Taking me to around April 2018, 1 year from when I found the lump.

Support

My surgeon said to take all the support you can, and I haven’t even had to ask. The support has been unprecedented and has really, really helped me and my family so far. Offers of childcare, visits, treats, trips, messages etc …..

Family, friends, my kid’s amazing school and it’s community, The Helen Rollason Charity, The Nightingale Centre, The DMCollective, Digital Mums. Too many individuals to mention, but you know who you are, there’s still a way to go but you’re all helping me get there.

Blog 3 coming soon about a little campaign I’ve come up with, with some help from the DMCollective to raise funds for the Helen Rollason charity.