#2 The Effects – Aug 8, 2007

Number of days to go until chemo starts: still unknown
Current level of panic about going bald: subsided to 5/10

You may have noticed that my fear of becoming a slap-head is starting to reduce, and it’s all due to my new barnet! I pre-empted being told I had to have chemo by making a hair appointment early last week for this week. I figured if I found out I didn’t need chemo then I could do with a trim anyway, and if I did then I’d get it all cut off, which is exactly what I did. For the very observant of you, you will have spotted the new do on my profile pic…

While I was sitting in the chair on Monday watching large amounts of hair fall past my ears I kept telling myself that even if it looked awful it wouldn’t matter – I’ll probably only have it for about 6 weeks anyway! Having it cut has definitely had the desired effect though. I thought that if I started to reduce the amount of hair I’ve got in stages, then when I have to clipper it all off, and then finally lose it altogether, it might not be quite so traumatic. The psychology definitely seems to be working. Now when I look in the mirror I can already see myself with a shaved head. Can’t say I can picture myself bald quite yet, but I’m definitely getting there.

I also bought my first hat on Monday so I’m feeling much more prepared all round for that aspect of the chemo. There are lots of other side effects the drugs will cause that I can’t prepare for though:

Carboplatin and Taxol:

Lowered resistance to infection
Bruising or bleeding
Anaemia
Nausea and vomiting
Loss of appetite
Tiredness and feeling weak
Numbness or tingling in hands or feet
Changes in hearing
Diarrhoea
Sore mouth and ulcers
Taste changes
Kidney function temporarily affected
Infertility

Taxol:

Hair loss
Aching or pain in joints and muscles
Low blood pressure
Changes in heart rate
Skin changes
Liver function temporarily affected
Abdominal pain
Headaches
Allergic reaction

Pretty extensive isn’t it?! Of course I won’t necessarily experience all of those – some people experience a few, some a lot, and everyone has them to varying extents. Still, it’s a daunting prospect, particularly as I had most of the side effects associated with Carboplatin last time.

You may remember from my last entry that my chemotherapy this time will be what they call combination chemotherapy, which is where they use two drugs together. In my case they will be using Carboplatin and Paclitaxel (commonly called Taxol). The first time around I had Carboplatin on its own, but because that didn’t work and keep the cancer away, then this time they are adding in Taxol too. Unfortunately, as you can see, it’s Taxol that carries all the worst side effects, and is what will cause the hair loss. Not only does it cause all the same side effects as Carboplatin, but it also has a whole nasty extra list of its own!

The other major concern is that combination therapy is more likely to cause infertility, and Taxol can be far more damaging to fertility than Carboplatin, which scares me more than anything else. Still, I think that’s a whole other entry…

xxx