We have more good news this week, though! Her lab results are still really positive. White blood cell count is doing well (just a hair below normal), which is great because I'm still coughing and wheezing like a broken-down Studebaker over here. I don't think I'm contagious or anything. But it still makes me nervous to cough around her.
You may remember that last week we were excited to hear that she might be able to switch from the normal paclitaxel (Taxol) to paclitaxel Abraxane (protein-bound paclitaxel). Well, it was approved by our insurance (Huzzah!) and administered on Monday. From what we were told, and what we observed, the Abraxane comes with very low risk of the kinds of reactions she's felt in prior weeks.
Compared to the normal Taxol, it was a dream. For one (and this is probably the biggest one), Tamara didn't need the Benadryl! She hates the stuff because it causes her muscles to spasm, it makes her drowsy, and it extends the treatment time by about an hour. So, reverse all of that and you start to see why we were excited to ditch it.
Tamara was happier than I've ever seen her in a hospital. You would have thought that she and her nurse were old college friends just based on the peppiness and enthusiasm in her voice. I mean, c'mon ... look at that smiley face.
The only downside that we noticed was that the ice mittens and booties were much less tolerable because this Abraxane stuff doesn't send hot lava through her veins. Her fingers actually got uncomfortably cold and she had to ask for a couple warm blankets.
Returning to the bright side, though, she had 3 infusions that each took about 1/2 hour. So, we were in and out in less than 2 hours (down from about 4 hours). And she only needed the ice for 1/2 hour. In previous weeks, Tamara would get home needing to sleep off the Benadryl. So, if she didn't pass out on the couch, she was off to bed by 6 or 7. This time, we got home right around when the kids would normally get home from school, and by 9:00 she was still awake playing Phase 10 with them!
As the days have passed this week, the chemo symptoms have kicked up a level, as expected. Her hair is almost all gone, which at this point would be nice. Showers are much less enjoyable when you spend the whole time trying to get all the little buzzed hairs off you. We've actually started to wonder what the heck she's going to do in the shower without hair. No need for shampoo or conditioner. No need to shave her legs. Just soap and warm water now. Add that to the list of things nobody tells you about.
Back to the symptoms - by Thursday the weariness and nausea returned, and she started to feel flu-like aches and pains. Thursdays, so far, seem to be the hardest day of the week. She also has started to get sores in her mouth, on her scalp, and on her back. Those are just showing up for the first time this week, and we hope to keep them to a minor nuisance. We bought a humidifier to try and prevent some of the sores, as well as nose bleeds. And she has some creams handy in case anything becomes more than just a nuisance.
Food is starting to lose its savor and even cause some discomfort. The only food that sounded good to her this week was plain mashed potatoes. Today I slapped some burritos together for dinner and the taco sauce that I included prompted a trip to the store for some antacids. She's only ever really had heartburn when she was pregnant, so that was new.
In fact, I almost hesitate to mention such an unspeakable thing, but even ice cream has betrayed her. Tonight, we sat down to watch a show with a pint of Häagen-Dazs and she couldn't eat more than 3 bites of her favorite flavor. She said it tasted like cream cheese soap. Horrifying!
Have you ever burned your tongue on an premature sip of hot chocolate? You know the metallic, stinging taste/feeling you get on the tip of your tongue? She has that all the time now, all over her tongue and throat. Cancer, and the requisite treatment, takes so much away from a person. But ... ice cream? This means war. And don't you worry. I was there to teach that pint a lesson.
That pretty much sums up the week. If the observed pattern of the past month holds, Tamara should be feeling better Saturday and Sunday. We've been somewhat fortuitous in that regard, because Evelyn's 1st birthday is tomorrow and it would be a real shame if Tamara wasn't well enough to enjoy the obligatory cake smash. We both agree that Evelyn's got a good chance of being a good cake smasher.
As always, thanks for all of your support and generosity. Words can't describe our gratitude, but know that its there.
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