Abraxane Update

I had my first Abraxane infusion yesterday. This was the first of 12 weekly infusions, and it marks the conclusion of the prior eight weeks of two different chemo drugs. So far, the promises made by the doctors, nurses and past patients have been true - the side effects are pretty mild. A small amount of pre-meds were put into my IV before the Abraxane, which are expected to last two days. The chemo medicine itself was very minimal - instead of a big bag of drugs coupled with two tubes of red liquid, the Abraxane is a tiny pouch of cloudy yellow liquid. Much less ominious than the "red devil." By Thursday those will wear off and I will feel the side effects, if any. With this drug I do not have to take any anti-nausea meds by mouth, so hopefully that will eliminate the mood swings and chemical-ly feelings I experienced with the first round.

The side effects that most people experience with this drug are fatigue and mild neuropathy (tingling) in the fingers and toes. At the encouragement of both my naturopath and my oncologist, I have been taking Glutamine powder twice a day to offset these symptoms. The neuropathy is cumulative, so typically people start feeling some discomfort by the third week of treatment. If it gets too painful, the chemo dosage is reduced the following week. If the neuropathy is not monitored, it could become permanent. I have hope that the Glutamine - as well as the reflexology treatments I've bumped up to one a week to stimulate the nerves in the hands and feet - will keep this from becoming a problem.

As long as I feel good, Oliver and I are planning to head down south to Vancouver this weekend to visit my friend Tami from college, as well as her husband, Rich, and kids Megan and Spencer. We'll load Oliver's bike into the car and hopefully spend the weekend watching the kids ride around in the cul de sac while we visit, rest up, and maybe even do some cooking.