About Taxol//Permission Granted

I took my first treatment of Taxol on Friday, and today is Tuesday. All in all, Mark and I give it "mixed reviews." Overall, it has been easy, but not symptom-free. Though I am on *NO medications to counter the side-effects, I am having side effects. (*When I say I am on no meds, it is not because the doctor did not offer me some. What happened is that the symptoms kicked in when Mark was at work, and because the meds are supposed to make me sleepy, I chose not to take them.) The way Taxol is effecting/affecting (spelling help here!) me is: common bone and joint pain; an icky stomach (not nausea, but yucky--how's that for helpful communication? Don't you envy my doctors??); and fatigue. The doctor said the Taxol should make me less tired than the AC, but it seems to Mark and I that I am more tired with this drug. All in all, though, it is bearable, and I have only three treatments left. We can do this!

As long as I am speaking about drugs, I want to make an additional comment. Before I met with Dr. O'Shaughnessy, my oncologist, one of my friends who is a breast cancer survivor mentioned to me that she took an anti-depressant during her treatment. She discussed that she had been worried that perhaps she would not experience this journey as fully as the Lord intended her to if she took it (I thought that profound), but her husband reassured her it was okay. She then passed on permission to me. I am now passing on permission to you. For me, it has been helpful. It has helped alleviate some dizziness, and I am able to not be so obssessive about my concerns. Dr. O'Shaughnessy also validates it due to the way the chemo drugs seriously mess with hormones. So...for you, or for a loved one that might some day go through a cancer journey: If you think an anti-depressant or anti-anxiety drug might be helpful, talk to your doctor. But if it is helpful to hear, I say, "permission granted!"