The Pain of Taxol

Well my last post bragged about a day with no feelings or thoughts of cancer.  I received my first Taxol treatment on Monday, and thought I was in the clear.  I had a great day Monday and Tuesday.  However, Wednesday morning I began to experience some arthritic-like joint and bone pain.  I racked  it up to the weather and thunderstorms.  By the afternoon I was in excruciating pain in every bone and joint of my body.  The only place that wasn't hurting was my chest, probably due to the fact that my mastectomy severed so many nerves. Internally, I was also hurting.  I was having spasms in my lower abdomen.  I felt like I was having uterine spasms similar to those that a woman has during the "after pains" of childbirth while breastfeeding.  It wasn't long before I could not walk.  Kevin had a call in to the doctor's office.  I thought that something was terribly wrong.  Before the treatment, I was told that the Taxol was so much better than the Adriamycin and Cytoxan as far as tolerating it.  They said some people experience neuropathy in the fingers and toes, or flu-like symptoms with some aches and pains.  What I was experiencing and still am, is disabling all over pain.  The doctor's office did call back and they told me to take my Hydrocodone with two Alieve.  It did work...and I was on Cloud 9.  I was so glad to not feel that pain anymore.   I felt so much better.  Unfortunately, as soon as the pain medication wore off, the pain was back.  The problem is, I am very sensitive to the Hydrocodone.  It nauseates me and causes vomiting if I take more than 2-3 in a day.  Today is Saturday, the fourth day of this unbearable pain.  The really weird thing is that with the pain comes what seems to be the physical shifting of my joints.  My ankles, knees, and shoulders start "popping".  My bones feel weak and my knees give out from underneath me.  I saw a commercial from "the scooter store" and was envious of the elderly lady that could move around her house with the ease of a button in her motorized wheelchair. A thought I tried to suppress, but couldn't.  I have felt like I am getting a taste of what it feels like to grow old and lose your health and mobility...all at way too young of an age.  I will pray that  these side effects will be temporary as they should be.  I told Kevin that I was afraid of the fact that with every treatment the side effects are supposed to increase.  I have read about many cases where this pain last for months or even years after treatments are over.  I hope anyone reading this that is facing these treatments understands that I believe that my reaction to this Taxol is one of the extreme, and I have to assume it will get better.  This is treatment for cancer...it is not supposed to be easy.  I have a whole new appreciation for the ease of mobility, one that I don't have at the moment.  I also have a whole new respect for people who deal with chronic pain.  I hope the next post that I put up will bring better news.  Your prayers are appreciated as always.  I love reading your comments.  I have my comment moderation option on and I will post your comments as I read them in order to prevent spam comments from posting on the blog.  Until next time my friends...