I started a new chemotherapy regimen on Thursday. It has been 6 weeks since my surgery and the doctors felt I was ready to begin again. I did all the bloodwork plus had several other appointments that morning, it was a long morning.
I started my chemo with Infusion. I got Keytruda, which was given thru my port, it took 30 minutes. I will get Keytruda every 3 weeks. I also started Lenvima, a pill I will take nightly. I was given a few new prescriptions to go along with the chemo.
Each of these drugs has a list of potential side effects. Some are similar, while others sound really awful. I know the Keytruda can really mess with my kidneys, just like past chemotherapies I was on. But I know the doctors watch that closely. Lenvima has a bunch of side effects that can be awful.
Side effects of Lenvima include: high blood pressure, heart problems, blood clots, liver and kidney problems, diarrhea, openings or fissures in the stomach wall or intestines, bleeding, jaw bone problems and more. The most common side effects include: tiredness; decreased appetite; joint and muscle pain; weight loss; stomach (abdomen) pain; nausea; mouth sores; headache; vomiting; rash, redness, itching, or peeling of your skin on your hands and feet; hoarseness; bleeding; change in thyroid hormone levels; nausea.
I had a good laugh with a nurse in January talking about the hoarseness of my voice, laughing that, as a radio personality, I will be sure to get that one. And we talked about the peeling of skin on my hands and feet. So I am thinking I am getting those for sure.
Thursday night, I took my first dose along with antinausea medicine and went to bed. I got up 2 hours later, I had a bad headache, I took some Tylenol and went back to bed. I thought it could be from the busy day I had and starting chemo again. I slept pretty good for the day I had.
Jump to today, I have now had 2 doses of Lenvima, I slept good last night, no headache. I am taking the B6 that is to help with possible peeling of skin on hands and feet. But this afternoon...the diarrhea hit. I was wondering why I had a prescription for it. I am glad I have that med. I will see how this turns out. I took the meds as directed and am hoping it works.
So as I take more chemotherapy into my body, will it compound the side effects like others have? Most likely it will, time will tell. I am just wondering how many of them I will experience. I was also told that I will be on this regimen of chemotherapy for as long as my body tolerates it or until my disease progresses. OK. On a positive, I am not supposed to lose my hair with these particular drugs! Yeah!! Thankful for the small things...because sometimes they are important to a person's self esteem.
Thank you for all the love and support! Thank you God for helping me thru this journey, he is the navigator, I am just going as he leads me.
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