(I started this post a few days ago, just catching up now)
I switched chemo on Friday. My doctor said she would usually want more time before switching away from Kadcyla, but after two scans with a little bit of progression, I wasn't excited about that. So I'm back on Herceptin (infusion) and started Xeloda Friday. Xeloda comes from a specialty pharmacy in Tennessee. The dose is 3 pills, twice a day (3,000 mg total). I've taken it for 2 days, only did two pills after lunch today, and don't think I'll take more today. You have to have eaten with this drug (which I did) but still ended up nauseated. Last night I ended up taking 1 Zofran for nausea. I saw the warning that said "may cause headaches" - and boy it did. I've had a headache for the last 24 hours, despite several doses of Tylenol. I can't take any anti-inflammatory (Ibuprofen, Naproxen) because of the blood thinner I'm on.
These headaches start in my jaw and face, then move up onto the top of my head, with severe pain from ear to ear, and in my temples. Tonight, I feel just like I did last night and after getting very little sleep, and I'm beside myself. Mat ended up calling the on-call doctor last night, so when my doctor saw that, she called this morning. Don't remember now what she even said, of course, but I sent her another message tonight. I have a prescription for Tramadol, a "mild" opioid, but it doesn't work with headaches (I tried that last night too). She called me in prescription that looks like Excedrin on steroids, 2 of the 3 ingredients are in Excedrin.
In relative terms, I've been able to get through 4 ½ years of treatments pretty well. Of course, there have been ups and downs! I feel like, now that I have all my hair back, I can "fake" normal pretty well. But days like yesterday and today are when I realize how much cancer does affect me. Gratefully, Dr. Buys sent a message and said to stop taking Xeloda to see if the headaches would go away. And they have! I will let her know on Monday so there's time to come up with another plan of attack on June 17th, my next chemo.
Today (Saturday) I totally faked normal, as I worked in the yard much of the day AND I went grocery shopping! I had a long list of things for Mat to help me with, things I couldn't do on my own. I've waited and waited for him to be done with school for the year, for a month I've written and lost lists of things I need his help with! Today we worked on some things like, putting our house numbers by the front door. It was a good productive day despite Mat not feeling 100%.