Special Effects

Side effects are not flashy or exciting, but I needed a good title. Below is a detailed log of the side effects I had from my 1st infusion of Adriamycin (Red Devil) and Cytoxan.

TL;DR? Head to the bottom for a summarized version.

12/9/20 Day 0: First chemo infusion at 0815. Meds tolerated well at time of infusion. Upon arriving home, slight headache began—but I had woken up with one that morning (late night with the baby, and minimal sleep!). Lunch eaten and tolerated. Initially thought my mom could go home rather than stay and watch the baby for me to sleep. However, headache quickly grew to migraine status that got worse as the day progressed. Eventually, the pain becomes skull-splitting.

12/10/20 Day 1: Headache still lingered, ice packs used and prove helpful. Medication (rotation of Tylenol/Aspirin/Ibuprofen) not particularly helpful. Nausea not present—still controlled by steroid & anti-nausea meds given during infusion. Neulasta On-Pro injection this afternoon. No immediate effects felt. Minor fatigue felt, but helped with a brief nap.

12/11/20 Day 2: Fatigue is greater. It hits in waves unexpectedly or after an activity—no matter how small. Nausea has hit! Prochlorperazine used, as the Zofran must be held off for 48 hours after infusion. Medication helpful, but side effect of headache produced.

12/12/20 Day 3: Achy feelings in bones upon waking up. However, not too strong, and is helped with Ibuprofen. Nausea continues—Zofran taken, and is effective. The medication works super well, but a new headache is produced. Nausea is particularly present after showering, perhaps from the heat combined with moving around? Fatigue continues.

12/13/20 Day 4: Nausea peaks—Zofran is needed at regular intervals to stay ahead of it. First time actually getting physically sick. Food stayed down, vomit consisted of saliva/stomach juices. Fatigue peaks.

12/14/20 Day 5: Bone pain & aches return, but are still helped with Ibuprofen. Pain level is higher than the 1st time they appeared. Nausea decreased and reasonably managed with chewable Bonine. No further vomiting.

12/15/20 Day 6: Consult appointment with plastic surgeon at 1000. Upon returning home, bone pain noticeably worse, and rapidly increases in pain level. Pain is not helped by rotation of Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Aspirin over the course of hours. Pain eventually reaches level 8/10—worse of it located in hips and femur. Heating pad used under hips. Heat takes the edge off, but doesn’t decrease the overall pain level. Ended up in tears most of the night. The pain felt like someone using a sledgehammer to turn my bones into rubble. Sleep was elusive, waking every hour.

12/16/20 Day 7: Bone pain extremely high—still an 8/10. Still is not relieved by standard OTC (over-the-counter) medications. I’ve been shivering on the couch, and the thermometer reveals my temperature to be 100.4 degrees. Called my oncologist’s office to let them know about the mild fever and pain level. Tramadol 50mg prescription called into the pharmacy, and I’m advised to monitor fever & avoid an ER visit due to risk of COVID-19 & Flu exposure. Tramadol taken with Benadryl to get some sleep. Fever broke in the early evening around 1800. Bone pain level greatly decreased.

12/17/20 Day 8: Bone pain has been managed with the Tramadol taken on a schedule to stay ahead. Mouth sores have developed—nothing major, basically multiple canker sores. Gums & teeth have developed increased sensitivity, and easily bleed during brushing.

12/18/20 Day 9: Nothing new.

12/19/20 Day 10: Nothing new.

12/20/20 Day 11: Hair has begun falling out. It wasn’t apparent until running my fingers through my hair to fix it after a gust of wind while running errands. I was taken aback, as none showed up on my pillow like I expected as a warning. As the evening went on, my scalp became tender—presumably in areas the hair has been coming from. Aleve taken, and pain was relieved. Unsure how much will come out upon showering. Blowdryer will be avoided to lessen any extra damage & loss.

TL;DR:

Days 0-4: Headache, nausea, fatigue

Days 3-5: Mild bone aches

Days 6-8: High level bone pain

Day 11: Start of hair loss