After some conversation, Dr. G and I have decided to start me on intravenous 5-FU (Fluorouracil). Here's why.
Xeloda (capecitabine) would have been the chemo of choice. It's more than an oral form of 5-FU, and thought to be more effective because of the way it bonds to an enzyme that affects the cancer cells. But 60% of the people taking it develop some form of hand-foot syndrome (Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia) as a side effect. The hands and feet turn red and itchy, crack and are tender.
Given my lymphedema flare up that still hasn't subsided, the thought of a greater than 1 in 2 chance of developing something that would trigger even more edema was hard to bear. I can imagine all too clearly what it would be like to wear a compression glove over such sensitive skin. I wouldn't be able to, and that would trigger more edema, and the vicious cycle of not being able to do for myself would start.
Also, given my recent hospital stay to treat a staph infection, the risk of getting another infection from a virus or bacteria that entered via a crack in my cuticles seemed like an even greater risk.
Living with mets is all about QOL -- quality of life. And if my QOL goes down too far, it's a short slide from "why bother?" to giving up. Which I am nowhere near ready to do.
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The cancer may start with just one or a few cells somewhere in the body that undergo a change and become malignant, or cancerous. The cells divide and reproduce themselves, and the cancer grows. Most cancers arise on the surface of a tissue, such as the skin, the lining of the uterus, mouth, stomach, bowel, bladder, or bronchial tube in the lung, or inside a duct in the breast, prostate gland, or other site. Eventually, they grow from a microscopic clump to a visible mass, then begin to invade underlying tissues. As long as the cells remain in one mass, however, the cancer is localized.
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