Made it through the first 14 days!

Last night I finished off the Xeloda for the first 14 days of my 21 day cycle! So I am now on my 7 days off and then will start another 14 day cycle. I don't really think anyone wants to hear the details, but I am having some stomach issues and fatigue. Mentally, my biggest issues with these side effects is that I haven't really figured out a pattern. After over seven years of cancer drugs, I know to look for the patterns and work around them. So far all I have figured out is that mornings are the worst and I never really know until I wake up how I will feel for that day. This makes planning a little tricky!

I saw my doctor this week and we discussed my side effects. I really like her, but she was somewhat of a killjoy. I thought my seven days off would be like a vacation, but she said that some side effects don't even start to show up until the seven day break. Then she told me that the side effects tend to accumulate and get worse as you go through the cycles. Bummer. But, she did say if my stomach issues continue, she will adjust my dosage so that it is more tolerable. This is common for this drug and I have had to have d0sage adjustments with drugs before. They tend to base the 'standard' drug dosages on body surface area and I am a big girl with a very low tolerance for drugs.

I also started radiation on my shoulder yesterday. This has been something that has bothered me since my surgery in November and was irritated by the use of crutches, the walker, and the cane. There have just been so many other issues to deal with that this was on the back burner for a while. I have pretty much lost the use of the arm and have gotten tired of trying to put mascara on with my left hand. I will have ten days of radiation on the shoulder and hope to have it working again in no time! If this radiation works as well as that on my pelvis, I should be in great shape as I am now walking independently!

So, for now I am going to try to enjoy my afternoons, get through my mornings, and concentrate on some fun things we have going on this weekend!! We are having a fun family Easter weekend! If the weather cooperates, Trent will participate in baseball opening ceremonies and will play his first baseball game on Saturday!

Thank you to everyone for so generously donating to my Relay for Life Team. I have fallen behind on my thank-yous, but I do appreciate all your support and you will be hearing from me soon! Have a Happy Easter!!!