MY SIDE EFFECTS FROM CHEMOTHERAPY
HAIR LOSS SIDE EFFECT
Before taking the 1st chemotherapy treatment, I ordered a wig, which was a "God-send", from PAULA YOUNG WIGS. Their web site can be found at
PAULA YOUNG WIGS
To request a free catalog, call their toll-free number as follows:
1-800-343-9695
The wigs are very reasonably priced and look very natural. You can pay for the wig over the telephone, by using a credit card, or you can fill out the order form inside the free catalog and mail in your check. IF you need to return the wig, you will receive a refund, minus the shipping charge. I was very pleased with the company.
Before taking my 1st chemotherapy treatment, I also put my long hair into 9 ponytails, since I knew I would be losing my hair 2 weeks into the chemo, and my husband and I cut off the 9 ponytails. I then donated them to The Locks Of Love, so that a child somewhere could have a wig made out of my hair. That gave me a really good feeling, to turn something bad into something good!
Then, 2 weeks after my 1st chemo treatment, my super-short hair began to hurt; NOT my head...my hair. What was happening was that it was being released from the roots, which was causing a painful sensation when I touched my hair. When I went home from work that day, I ran my fingers through my bangs and chunks of hair fell out. So I sat in the kitchen, in a chair, and my husband buzzed my hair off! We laughed about it. NEVER DID I SHED THE 1ST TEAR ABOUT LOSING MY HAIR, BECAUSE I DIDN'T LOSE IT...INSTEAD, I CUT IT ALL OFF FIRST AND DONATED IT. It was much better taking matters into my own hands, instead of being devastated, when it would have fallen out on it's own.
On a humorous note, when we let our 2 doggies come into the house, after my buzzed cut was finished, I called them to come to me, and my youngest dog was so frightened at my new look, that he tinkled right on the floor. LOL! He knew it sounded and smelled like his adopted Mommie, but I guess I must have looked like a space alien to him. He quickly got over it and all was well!
EYEBROW-EYELASH-LEG HAIR LOSS
My eyebrows began to thin out 2 months after the 1st chemo session. I maintained 1/3 of them and just lightly used eyebrow pencil to fill in the hairless places. The PLUS part of this deal was that I didn't have to arch my eyebrows for many months...one less chore to do!
Also, I began losing all the upper eyelashes on my left eyelid and almost all of the upper eyelashes on the right eyelid, about 3 months after starting the chemo. The PLUS part of that deal was that I saved time and money on not having to use mascara!
As for the leg and underarm hair, it too took a little vacation! How nice that was not to have to shave for awhile! No more nics and smooth-sailing all the way! LOL!
ALL my hair has now grown back and I'm back to cutting my hair, shaving my legs and underarms, and using mascara on my eyelashes! Now I'm back to taking longer to get ready to go out because of all the little extra things that one must do!
Even if the hair would have never grown back (which it did), look at the fun in treating yourself to so many different styles of light weight wigs, as well as having different colors, if you would so choose. No matter what happens, just remember that there is NOTHING to worry about. Worrying is a waste of time and solves nothing! Using one's mind to figure out a game plan or a solution worked for me. So see, chemotherapy side effects aren't all bad...there are some PLUS advantages to them. Let's NOT forget that the hair WILL GROW back again!
As is stated in in the Bible:
(25) - Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? (26) - Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (27) - Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (34) - Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own. - MATTHEW 7:25-27 & MATTHEW 7:34 NIV
NAUSEU SIDE EFFECT
Although I had taken my anti-nauseu medicine Zofran as directed, after my 1st double chemo session, where Adria and Cytoxan were given, I came home and was physically ill twice during the 1st night. The next day, I also became physically ill twice. After the 3rd and 4th session, I was not ill at all, thanks be to the good Lord God!
I found that all food and coffee smells would be repulsive to me and make me sick, during the 1st 2 chemo sessions, but only during the 1st 2 days. Then my system was back to normal.
EXTREME FATIGUE SIDE EFFECT
Throughout all 4 of the double chemotherapy sessions, I found myself so tired and sleepy. The 1st 3 days after the chemotherapy, I would sleep a lot during the day. I really needed to rest. It took a lot of willpower to get through the day, when it was time to go back to work, but not due to being physically ill. Instead, it was due to being so tired out! But with the help of God, I managed and got through each day. By the 2nd week after the chemo, I was still tired but gaining my strength back, little by little.
TAXOL CHEMOTHERAPY SIDE EFFECTS
EXTREME FATIGUE SIDE EFFECT
With the Taxol chemotherapy, I was never physically ill. On the 3rd day after taking the chemo, I became very tired and sleepy, though I couldn't sleep. This was due to having to take the steroids, which was given along with the Taxol to help keep the side effects down. Sleeplessness is a side effect of steroids, unfortunately.
BONE AND JOINT PAIN SIDE EFFECTS
The Taxol chemo also caused the bones and joints to ache, which is a noted side effect, That started happening on the 3rd day after taking the Taxol. My oncologist had instructed me to take 1 steroid in the morning and 1 steroid at night for 3 days in a row, if that side effect started happening. That stopped the pain, but then I had to deal with the side effects of the steroid pill. Please see "My Side Effects From The Dexamethasone Steroid Pill" if you would like to read about it's side effects.
SLIGHT NUMBNESS AND TINGLING IN FINGERS AND TOES
One week after taking the 2nd Taxol chemo, another side effect began happening. My toes and fingers on my left side began to tingle and became slightly numb. This is a noted side effect of Taxol. My oncologist wrote a prescription for Neurontin 300 mg. capsules and had me take 1 at bedtime. When I was back 1 week later to have my blood work taken, my oncologist doubled the Neurontin, since I was still having the tingling and numbness in my fingers and toes. Therefore I was taking 600 mg. of Neurontin at bedtime. I discontinued taking the Neurontin a few months after finishing the chemotheraphy. I don't think it really helped me very much, since it didn't get rid of the slight tingling and numbness, I was experiencing. The slight tingling and numbness finally went away on it's own, thanks be to God!
SIDE EFFECTS WERE TOLERABLE
Even with all the side-effects that went along with my 3 different kinds of chemotherapy, I thank God for allowing man to invent the chemo medicine. It does save lives and I'm living proof of that! "The GAIN is worth the PAIN!" All thanks and glory be to the One and Only God Almighty, both now and forever more!
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