I'll start by saying that I have officially been pulled from the clinical trial. (Insert gasp) I know, I know, but it's not what you're thinking... I swear I didn't harm the gentleman blaring Christmas music. What?! Not what you were thinking?? Lets move on... the week before last (4th week of the clinical trial which was also the last week of the 1st cycle), my right side started hurting. And if I were to describe the pain, and I know this is going to sound weird, but I could actually feel my liver quiver. For whatever reason, my liver was twitching/spasming. And it wasn't a "holy crap I had so much fun partying last night" kind of quiver. Not that I know what that feels like. Again, lets move on... So we know from past experience that that's not a great sign. Thankfully Dr. H was able to squeeze me into her already busy, booked day. She thought it would be best to order a CT scan to see what was going on. During our visit I was given the slightest bit of hope that this could actually be a good thing. My liver could be reacting to cell or tumor DESTRUCTION (man, that has a nice ring to it). Unfortunately that wasn't the case this time. The CT showed even more cancer on my liver compared to when I started the trial. (Insert Debbie Downer music) Thankfully my lab work showed great numbers and everything else is functioning the way it should... except of course the cancer.
So where do we go from here?! Well, like I said before starting this clinical trial, at least we have a backup plan. We know that the meds I was on prior to the trial were working, so lets go back to what we know with a minor tweak here and there to get things back under control. So for those of you keeping track of my drugs, this is what my chemo cocktail is looking like...
Herceptin (infusion every 3 weeks)
Zometa (infusion every 4 - 6 weeks)
Tykerb (oral daily)
Femara (oral daily)
And introducing the new drug to the cocktail... drum roll please...
Navelbine (infusion weekly)
I started this new concoction last week. With it of course came all the the anticipation and worrisome of how I'm going to react to this new drug and it's side effects. To list a few of the side effects...
- Allergic reactions like skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips or tongue
- Low blood counts (you may be at increased risk for infections and bleeding)
- Signs of infection - fever or chills, cough, sore throat, pain or difficulty passing urine
- Signs of decreased platelets or bleeding - bruising, pinpoint red spots on the skin, nosebleeds
- Signs of decreased red blood cells - unusually weak or tired, fainting spells, lightheadedness
- Breathing problems
- Chest pain
- Constipation
- Cough
- Mouth sores (Nooooooooooooo, not "Can-sores"!!!!!)
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pain, swelling, redness or irritation at the injection site
- Pain, tingling, numbness in the hands or feet
- Stomach pain
- Trouble passing urine or change in the amount of urine
- Diarrhea (cha cha cha)
- Hair loss
- Jaw pain
- Loss of appetite
Hmmm, good times!!
Yes, I experienced a few of these side effects, but the one we were most concerned about was a fever I received the day after my infusion. Dr. H was out of the office this day, but thankfully the Nurse Prac was able to squeeze me into her busy, booked day. The main concern was an infection. Thankfully the fever passed and the lab work showed no signs of an infection. (Insert sigh of relief). So ya, last week wasn't much fun, but I'm feeling better and excited about getting this ball rolling. It's hard not to think that we wasted 2 months on this clinical trial, but I'm glad we gave it a shot. It might not have been the "miracle drug" for me, but hopefully it will be for someone else.
