I had Herceptin yesterday, along with the Vinorelbine (the chemo I'm on). It's been more than twenty-four hours and I have not had a reaction to the Herceptin, nor am I running a fever.
The doctors had said that my reactions would probably diminish over time. To help matters along, they pumped me full of Demerol before treatment (I've never taken a heavy duty narcotic before when I wasn't in serious pain. What a trip!), along with Gravol. I quickly became very stoned and very sleepy. They went on to give me the Herceptin very slowly (over ninety minutes) and then to keep me for an hour's observation.
It was a long day, but it was worth it. No chills, no shakes, no fever (I didn't write about this, but I landed in emergency the day after my last Herceptin treatment. Nothing like sitting in a waiting room full of coughing, puking people while your immune system is depressed...) . I'm pretty tired and a little green around the gills but I've been able to read and sleep today.
It's a pretty gruelling routine I'm on, in terms of the frequency of treatment, but the side effects (she says, crossing her fingers) seem to be less intense than what I experienced during the first go-round (before the metastasis). If I can eat a little, sleep and read, everything is a little more bearable.
And I still have hair.
No comments:
Post a Comment