Unwanted Side Effects

The current time in Ohio is 2:30am and I cannot sleep. Thank you steroids. I went to chemo this morning which means that I am unable to sleep no matter how tired I am. I want to sleep, I love to sleep.

Another unpleasant side effect of chemo is hot flashes. Getting an early preview of menopause is not something anyone should experience. The hot flashes started a couple of weeks ago. I feel really warm and beads of sweat appear on my forehead.

Aches and pains are my other recurring annoyances. My toe "knuckles" ache. Sometimes my knees feel as if they are going to give out on me. My arms also are achy. Basically I experience lots of joint pain.

And I am often very tired. Exhaustion is becoming a way of life. The nurse today explained to me that the exhaustion is cumulative. I have one month left, and am tired all the time. Earlier in my Taxol rounds, I felt almost normal but the drug side effects are beginning to catch up with me. The nurse also told me that it is possible that I will take a while to regain my usual stamina after the chemo is over which is no good. I've got plans, and nothing is going to stop me. I need to leave the state of Ohio.

On the other side of evil chemo side effects, I am lucky to have been relatively healthy before chemo began. I never lost all my eyebrows or eyelashes. My nails did not turn gross and nasty. I never vomited. Of course I better be careful about what I saw. I still have 3 more sessions of chemo left. If there is one thing that I have learned from cancer experience, anything is possible.