Chemotherapy Infusion Delay

For those of you following my breast cancer journey, know that I’ve experienced a chemo side effect of burning hands, feet, and any other areas of my skin that gets pressure or friction from an outside source. It's called hand-foot syndrome.

I won't name all of the other body parts involved... 

I’ve been a total lump this week doing nothing. Hard to walk very much and the exercise bike is out. I even have a problem sitting for very long in certain positions.  The effects are still pretty uncomfortable by the evening. I talked previously about some of the many things I’ve tried to mitigate the effect in a previous post.

I was supposed to get my 10th Taxol infusion this week. However, my Oncologist decided no infusion. I get a 1 week break! Next week he’ll either decrease my chemo dose and/or increase my infusion time from 1 hour to 2 hours or put me right on the 2nd series of infusions. i was concerned as I was scheduled for 12 Pacxilaxtol infusions. 

However, my doctor said not to worry that 12 doses were not empirical. He's had patients only make it through 4 or 5 sessions. Let’s hope my body recovers so I can get back on track next Monday, or I may jump right into the Red Devil (Adriamycin)

Chemotherapy and The Great Hair Loss

A friend of mine opted for an expensive cold capping treatment so she wouldn’t lose her hair from chemotherapy. 

If I were younger, I’d probably care more but I was ready to lose it, or do I thought.

My Oncologist says I might or might not lose it during the first series of treatments but guaranteed I’d lose it for the 2nd round. 

I had my hair cut extra short, put my hairdresser on alert, and sat back. I have fairly thick hair so I figured it would probably only thin out some in the beginning. 

To my surprise, the morning of my third infusion, it started to fall out! The shower drain was full of my hair, 

My hair was pretty short and wavy so I didn’t usually brush it, just ran my fingers through it. That morning it came out in my hands when I ran my fingers through my hair!

I dealt with it another few days and then made an appointment with my hairdresser to cut it all off four days after the fallout began.

Now that it's gone, it's a bit weird. I don't see myself as much as my husband so I don't wear a headscarf when I'm inside in the SC heat. He doesn't care. I'm often taken aback a bit when I do see myself in a mirror. 

I expect to be completely bald with the next series of infusions. Meanwhile, my hair is really short and any fallout is much easier to manage.!

Getting Ready

My supportive angel

Shave it off!

Layer by layer she kept going

Scar from falling off a horse

Close enough

How does this work

Let the expert do it

We did it together

The new lighter me