REALLY? It get's Worse?

So far Taxol has been WAY better overall for Shermance.  She isn't nauseous and her energy levels have been much improved, but there are new side-effects now.  In a previous blog I mentioned potential permanent neuropathy - nerve damage that causes numbness in the fingers and toes and the potential for the nails on the digits to blacken and/or fall off.  Unfortunately, it gets worse.  There are other side effects that come along with Taxol - anxiety (heart racing) and early onset menopause resulting in hot flashes.  Seriously? Did I say menopause?  She's just 43.  Yep, that's what we get to deal with now.  As if it's not bad enough that it's 100+ degrees outside, it's so much worse when you add nuclear-strength body meltdowns. 

I've got to say Shermance is a trooper, but all of this extra stuff weighs on her.  She's doing her best to prevent the side effects with multiple meds, and in the cases where prevention doesn't work she's finding ways to cope. By tomorrow, we'll have 3 fans blowing on Shermance while she sleeps to keep her cooler. As for the anxiety, you probably know that she is generally fairly high strung with enough energy to run a small power plant, but now little things can make her considerably more anxious. She's having trouble sleeping through the night and things not done timely at work and home seem to drive her a bit more crazy than in the past.  Only 11 more weeks of Taxol - wahoo! :)  By the end of it, I may be tapping into her Xanex to keep from going crazy myself.