common side-effects

Today will be the first day of my long-term cancer treatment. The first day of chemoradiotherapy. So how do I feel? Bloody awful.

I'm nervous. Not scared. (Fairly certain I'm not scared. I check my inner thoughts & feelings. I know there is nothing to be afraid of. But I am still nervous.)

I've just taken the first of today's six tablets: Kytril. This is a source of more bad mood. Kytril is anti-nausea, the actual chemotherapy drug has a "nausea" side-effect. So I start the day with Kytril.

The first web-hit for "Kytril side-effects" gives a list of common side-effects as: diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain or upset, loss of appetite, weakness, headache, fever, dizziness, drowsiness, trouble sleeping (insomnia), and anxiety. Oh, great. I could have both constipation -- as mentioned by the prescribing doctor -- *and* diarrhea?

The same webpage says that Kytril is "an antinauseant and antiemetic drug". So, okay, I shouldn't be chundering in the medical centre. That's good.

Next drug on my list for today is Temozolomide. It's the actual chemotherapy drug. I have to wait half an hour before I take that. Too much time. I check for side-effects. Again, this is just from the first site I hit: Constipation (Up to 33%), nausea (Up to 53%), vomiting (Up to 42%), diarrhea (16%). That's the list of "very common" gastrointestinal side-effects.

So there's a fair chance of nausea... a rather meaningless term... and vomiting. Let's hope I'm not in the one-third who get constipation, I'm already expecting that from the Kytril.

So far my cancer treatment has involved brain surgery and ball surgery. The only day on which I have felt anything approaching negative side-effects has been the I-guess-it-was-related day of constipation. In the past -- at sea -- I have had nausea and vomiting. (Yes, sea-sickness.)

It may seem weird. It does seem weird, even to me: The one thing which I am really dreading is another day of constipation. If that happens...

Don't be surprised if future posts record me choosing the (possibly) lesser of two evils. There may be exciting stories of me chundering all over the medical centre. Let someone else share my side-effects :-)

Meanwhile... right now... I'm feeling bloody awful. Physically fine. Mentally fine. Emotionally, bloody awful. I'm blaming my bad temper on the potential side-effects of various drugs.

Realistically, I'm just about to start something new and different. I've never tried chemoradiotherapy before. I'm always nervous at the start of something -- anything -- new.

I like to be prepared. I ask, I listen, I take notes. I rearrange my notes so that I understand as much as possible about what is about to happen. I don't like to be caught by surprise.

btw: I'm very good at planning but I never expect to follow the plan. I'm planning for possibilities... what *may* happen. If the future is fixed then it's barely worth a plan :-)

Anyway, the next six weeks is -- so far -- a mystery. Far too many unknowns. Give me a week of experience and I expect it will all be routine, I will simply drift along and follow all instructions.

Today, though, I am nervous. And -- worse -- I have been given a choice: nausea or constipation... Well, the doctor has chosen "constipation" for me but there is an alternate drug which could lower the chance of constipation.

It seems that I have a choice. I don't, really, but this apparent choice has added to my bad temper.

Just put me under strict doctor's orders. Once the "treatment plan" has started it will all become routine.

Next week I'll be popping pills, giving blood samples, being zapped... no worries...

This morning, I'm nervous. Which has me in a bad mood.

Not to worry, tomorrow will be fine... And yesterday... was excellent... Toddler watching: need I say more?! ... :-)

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved
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​Hollywood actors are, "vivir en una nube de pedo"... Rita Panahi, The West, 11 Jan 17

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Now much more than a clever name for a holiday journal:

 https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/  :-)