Choices

Had a fever last night. When taking chemotherapy you must go to the hospital when you have a fever above 38 C to get blood tests to see if your platelets and white blood cells are within normal range. If they are not you are admitted and they start you on IV antibiotics. My blood came back normal so they sent me home. I have a touch of the flu she said and told me to eat lots of vitamin C and Tylenol. She didn't tell me what to do with my Niagara sinus so I am walking around (the house) with wads of tissue stuffed up each nostril. I spoke to my doctor on Friday and she told me I needed to choose between all the different types of chemo I have done and choose the most tolerable. We will do whatever I choose on Monday, providing I feel a little better. Here are my choices and side effects I have experienced:

• FEC (Every 3 weeks with 5-7 days of hellish hangover x10)- Nausea & occasional vomiting, difficulty drinking & eating, unable to get out of bed, dizzy, unpredictable blood pressure drops, photo sensitivity and poor eyesight, headaches, mouth sores and dead like existence that scares the hell out of my husband. After one week something clicks and I feel almost normal after.

• Taxotere (Every three weeks with 2 weeks of intense side effects)- Difficulty sleeping due to neck/back/muscle pain, abdominal cramps, sinus pain, occasional nausea and headache. I still have the backache and sore muscles that may or may not disappear over time.

• Taxol (cousin of Taxotere given every week for a longer period of time)- overall weaker side effects like Taxotere but the cramps, back and muscle pain are pretty much the same with added "bitch from hell/I will kill you for eating too loudly" mood that I'm sure would ruin my marriage if I continued. The Monday they gave this to me I spent all day in bed due to the anti allergy and anti nausea drugs that they insisted on. Anything but Taxol!

I have a difficult choice and must choose in the next few hours due to premedication needed for Taxotere.

In other news, we did not get the houseboat. Houseboatowners ex boyfriend does not want to move and he found a solution to buy her out. This sucks for us and we continue the search... I am signing out before the puddle from my nose reaches the extension cord.