The first three days of Ibrance were full of mild nausea, moderate fatigue, and general ill-feeling. Thankfully by the Monday I felt like myself again. The fatigue has continued, but who doesn't appreciate an afternoon nap? The first two weeks were basically fine.
Today, the beginning of week three, started with more fatigue (i.e., I didn't get out of bed until after 1 PM), and then moved on to diarrhea. So I am still in my pajamas, even though it's lovely outside and I had planned to run errands and do some garden work. Thankfully Dr G gave me great meds to address the diarrhea.
I'll take the Ibrance for one more week (21 days total), then get a week off. Dr G wants me to have labs taken again in two weeks. I'll see him after Passover and hopefully start another Ibrance cycle if my white, red and platelet counts stay high enough.
So I'm taking today off and will nap again in between doing loads of laundry. And that's life on chemo!
March 27, 2015
March 19, 2015
Happy Anniversary to us
Yesterday Rik and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. We've had many ups and downs over our two decades (decades!) together. We both agree that we have a strong marriage.
I woke up to this glorious bouquet of exactly 20 red roses from Rik. We ate a lovely dinner of fresh, first-of-the-season halibut with rice and Indian-style lentils, roasted green beans and naan. I had bought a split of French champagne and individual desserts (lemon bar for Rik and tiramisu for me). We went to sleep early (new chemo, working hard, etc.).
I'm not feeling overly philosophical now, so let's just say that I married the perfect husband -- for me.
A week with Ibrance
This week I've been getting used to Ibrance (palbociclib). This is the brand new chemo recently approved by the FDA.
I took the first dose last Thursday morning and felt woozy and slightly nauseous all day long. After asking my nurse, I switched to taking it at night. Her theory: if I took it at night, the nausea etc. might not bother me as much. All weekend long I was still slightly nauseous and tired, but by Monday morning I felt like my usual self. That's continued for the rest of the week.
Other side effects have included joint pain in my wrists and elbows as well as in my hips, but hip pain was a chronic discomfort long before I took the first dose of Ibrance. I've felt moderately fatigued, and sleep about 12 hours a night. If I feel nauseous, I take Ativan and it stops the nausea but also puts me to sleep. So I've napped every afternoon as well.
I've had an odd side effect. I've felt a strong need to urinate, combined with low back pain, that caused me to suspect I had a urinary tract infection. Lab tests indicated no trace of an infection, but I still had that too- frequent urge to "go." Nurse J is looking into this as a possible side effect, and a friend who is on the extended trial at Swedish told me that one of those women reported something similar. We shall see. I've been taking AZO over-the-counter to help deal with the pain and discomfort I experience at night. Last night was the first night I slept straight through from 1 AM (the last time I gout out of bed to pee) until noon.
Now it's time for my nighttime snack. Ibrance must be taken with food. Let's see, shall I have a bowl of cereal? Cracker with cream cheese or nut butter? Half a toasted bagel with butter? My stomach grumbled at that last, so bagel it is.
Do send me your ideas for a quick and tasty late night snack, preferably low in sugar. I clearly have to expand my snacking horizons...
I took the first dose last Thursday morning and felt woozy and slightly nauseous all day long. After asking my nurse, I switched to taking it at night. Her theory: if I took it at night, the nausea etc. might not bother me as much. All weekend long I was still slightly nauseous and tired, but by Monday morning I felt like my usual self. That's continued for the rest of the week.
Other side effects have included joint pain in my wrists and elbows as well as in my hips, but hip pain was a chronic discomfort long before I took the first dose of Ibrance. I've felt moderately fatigued, and sleep about 12 hours a night. If I feel nauseous, I take Ativan and it stops the nausea but also puts me to sleep. So I've napped every afternoon as well.
I've had an odd side effect. I've felt a strong need to urinate, combined with low back pain, that caused me to suspect I had a urinary tract infection. Lab tests indicated no trace of an infection, but I still had that too- frequent urge to "go." Nurse J is looking into this as a possible side effect, and a friend who is on the extended trial at Swedish told me that one of those women reported something similar. We shall see. I've been taking AZO over-the-counter to help deal with the pain and discomfort I experience at night. Last night was the first night I slept straight through from 1 AM (the last time I gout out of bed to pee) until noon.
Now it's time for my nighttime snack. Ibrance must be taken with food. Let's see, shall I have a bowl of cereal? Cracker with cream cheese or nut butter? Half a toasted bagel with butter? My stomach grumbled at that last, so bagel it is.
Do send me your ideas for a quick and tasty late night snack, preferably low in sugar. I clearly have to expand my snacking horizons...
March 11, 2015
Ibrance tomorrow
Today is my last day before starting Ibrance (palbociclib). This is the drug the FDA approved on February 3, 2015 -- only five weeks ago! -- that my health insurer has approved as a treatment for me, and for which they are willing to pay $10,000 per month. And it's a pill! I look forward to being much less tied to the chemo chair.
It has the usual side effects, with a special emphasis on neutropenia, the fever accompanying low white blood cell count. I've been fortunate in this long dance with cancer that only a few chemos have had intolerable side effects. I'm hoping that palbo will fall into the majority camp and be both tolerable and effective.
In the meantime I've tried to enjoy my three week chemo break before starting the new stuff.
It has the usual side effects, with a special emphasis on neutropenia, the fever accompanying low white blood cell count. I've been fortunate in this long dance with cancer that only a few chemos have had intolerable side effects. I'm hoping that palbo will fall into the majority camp and be both tolerable and effective.
In the meantime I've tried to enjoy my three week chemo break before starting the new stuff.
March 01, 2015
Chestita Baba Marta!
In honor of spring's approach, here is a photo of my newest martenitsa, a cute hedgehog wearing a tiny spiffy red and white bow.
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