I love you Ca 27.29!

Great news- the Tykerb rash and the Hand/Foot syndrome is all cleared up for this cycle, hello 2 weeks of feeling great!!! On another note, just got the numbers back for my blood work, and sorry to say.... ummm... Mr. Cancer.....you are dying. What started out at 99, then 76 is now a tiny little 45! Normal is considered under 40, but don't get too excited yet, I will be on these drugs for a long time yet. My alk. phosphatase levels are looking better now too, which would back up the decrease in Ca 27.29. Oddly, my eosinophils are elevated- not sure what's up with that, maybe related to the rash??
Doctor's appointment today, sore throat, probably thrush from all the chemo drugs. Good times ahead!

Side effect blues

So our trip to Pittsburgh was great! We really enjoyed seeing the sights and visiting with friends. And although I made frequent trips to the restroom, I didn't let it ruin our vacation. Eating out everyday really didn't help my digestive system either, so I was happy to be home and have some home-cooking.

Just when I finished the 14 day Xeloda cycle, the hand and foot syndrome popped back up, and it was much worse than the last cycle. Now I can barely stand on my feet without hurting, my hands are much better, but any pressure or heat on my feet makes me cringe. Plus I have the added perk of a rash all over my body from the Tykerb- grrrrrr. So I am taking a break from the Tykerb for 5 days to allow my body to recover and get back to normal, and I've been off the Xeloda for 3 days now, so my hands and feet should get better real soon. Thankfully, all these things popped up after we got back, so I am able to sit around home, ice my feet and slather myself with anti-itch lotions. Within a day of stopping the Tykerb, my stomach settled down. At the same time, I started the BRAT diet- bananas, rice, applesauce and toast- which probably helps some too.

Off all the negatives of treatment, I have found a few positives- first my short hairstyle is super quick and cute, and second- I have no appetite so I don't overeat and I can easily skip a meal and not feel hungry for days. I'm trying to eat healthy nonetheless. After getting the stitches out of my chest, I am now totally pain free on that side and finally can sleep on my left side again. It'd been months since I'd done that. So all in all, not too bad! Doctor appointment tomorrow, looking forward to some good news with blood tests and hopefully some more suggestions for managing the side effects better. Chao!