A little bit more information

I thought I would go into more detail about the chemotherapy that I am on, again I want to raise awareness about bowel cancer and the treatment that you go through.  Hopefully it might encourage anyone worried about symptoms to go and get checked out.  Have a look at my post 'Be Clear on Cancer' for more information about the symptoms. 

I am on Capox, which is a combination of two chemotherapy drugs called Oxaliplatin and Capecitabine.  Every type of cancer has its own chemotherapy drugs that treat the affected area.  The dosage that you are given is dependant on your height and weight, and this dosage can be tweaked slightly if you experience severe side effects.

Oxaliplatin is given intravenously (through a vein) and is a colourless fluid.  I have mine every 3 weeks and will do for 6 months, but the length of the cycle can be different according to the type of cancer you have and the combination of drugs that you take.  As I have a PICC line I don't have to have a cannula inserted every time I go in, the drug goes straight into the PICC line.  This is the best way to have this drug as it can be very painful when it goes into smaller veins.  The infusion of the Oxaliplatin takes 2 hours and at the same time you are given steroids and anti-sickness drugs through the PICC line. 

Capecitabine is given in tablet form which I take the day after I have Oxaliplatin for 2 weeks and then I have a rest for a week before the cycle starts again.  Capecitabine can be hard for a lot of people to take, it can cause lots of sickness, mouth ulcers and diarrhoea (among lots of other things!), so some people find that they cannot take the tablets and have to have an alternative drug called 5FU.  This is administered intravenously over a period of 22-46 hours, so you need to have a small bottle attached to you for this time.  I felt that this was quite intrusive and would impact on my life too much, so I was very pleased that the tablets seemed to agree with me.  Alongside these tablets I take steroids and anti-sickness in tablet form for the first 3 days of the cycle.

There are a number of side effects which you can experience from these drugs, but mine are,

• numbness or tingling in hands, neck, throat and feet - this is known as peripheral neuropathy and extremes of cold can make it worse.  I find that I can't have cold foods or drinks and I need to wear a scarf when I go outside
• lowered resistance to infection - this is known as neutropenia.  So I tend to avoid going to places where I am going to be close to lots of people and it means that I cannot work as I am a nursery teacher.  I need to keep an eye on my temperature and if it goes above 38degrees I have to go straight to A&E
• tiredness and feeling weak - sometimes I feel as though I could sleep all day and night and still be exhausted!
• difficulty swallowing and breathing problems - this is known as laryngeal spasm.  You can feel as though you throat is closing up and can be made worse by cold temperatures, so a warm drink helps to make it feel better.
• sore mouth and ulcers - I have a special mouthwash to help with the pain
• occasional nausea and diarrhoea
• slight hair thinning

But through all of this I need to keep remembering that although it is tough, it is giving me a fighting chance of living a long and healthy life with my daughter.  I am going to see her starting school, going to university, getting married and having her own children.  There is no way in the world that Mr C is going to take that away from me!  So although 6 months seems a long time, it is a drop in the ocean compared with my long and healthy life!

Cx