So, her first chemo week is over. Had her first treatment last Monday. Then on Tuesday we went back in for a shot they call "growth factor" that is supposed to amp up the bone marrow in producing white blood cells particularly to keep the immune system going, when chemo typically does the opposite and beats down the immune system. Crazy thing is, that growth factor shot nearly broke us both. Somehow she responds heavily to that medication, combined with the fact that this is the first time she has been exposed to this medication, and it sent her bone marrow into afterburner mode. Which means extreme levels of pain. She described it as if someone were pulling a white hot length of barbed wire out of her bones continually. Her pain levels were off the charts. And this lasted for the better part of 5 days until we ended up in the ER over the weekend as the percocet they gave her would barely take the edge off the pain. But we found out that IV dilaudid did the trick. With all of that she also has issues taking narcotics because it stops her digestive system in its tracks and part of why we ended up in the ER was she hadn't had a BM in over a week at that point. They got her pain under control and gave her lactulose as a last-ditch laxative, which worked unbelievably well the next day and cleaned everything out in the most violent way possible. She is feeling much better now, the pain finally subsided to at least manageable levels, and everything else is working as it should. But wow what a ****** week. She said her pain level, like when they ask you at the dr to rate it on a scale of 1-10, was hovering at an 8 or 9 for most of the week, and this was continuous, no reprieve. In the end she compared it to a kidney stone in its relentlessness. But with a stone they can give you meds to help it move along, and it comes and goes in waves, but this kind of pain just never let up.
I had the same kind of shots when I had cancer, although the doctor told me the newer stuff is better and stronger, so I am sure that makes the difference, but they told us that most people tolerate that growth factor shot pretty well. My wife just happens to be in the 5% of people who experience excruciating pain with it. They told us that is a good thing in some ways because it means her bone marrow is responding at a very high level, so doing what it is supposed to do, but at that level of pain, I have to ask if it is even worth it. We have a follow up planned with the oncologist the morning before the next chemo treatment and we are going to have a very real discussion with him about that. If it is going to cause that level of pain every time, then we will take our chances with infection and deal with that if it arises, but she cannot bear another week like this. I can't either. It damn near broke me this week. I hardly slept, trying to get her as comfortable as possible so every little noise she made in the night woke me up. I kept rotating hot and cold packs because that provided a little relief at least. Needless to say, I am pretty exhausted. But nothing like she is. So I suck it up and do what is necessary.
So now she has 2 weeks before her next chemo treatment and hopefully from this point everything will be ok. The biggest side effect from the chemo itself, enhanced by the pain and the pain meds, is just tiredness and lethargy. She is always high-energy so it is weird to see her just want to lay on the couch and basically do nothing. She also lost 10 pounds this week, which is weight she simply did not have to lose as she started all this at 125 pounds at 5'7". 115 is not a healthy weight, so we are trying to get her to eat more as well.
I hate watching her go through this. I wish I could take it on myself, I would in a heartbeat if I could.
