Hi Everyone,
I hope we are all as well as can be. I’ve taken a little break away from here for a while as when I started chemo (CAPOX) I felt like I had done twelve rounds with Mike Tyson and I’ve spent the last few weeks just getting some kind of strength back. The oncologist paused the treatment for three weeks after he saw the state of me and I told him of the whole range of side effects and how severe they were. This was after just one IV of the Oxiliplatin and a day and half of Capecatbine tablets.
I had many sleepless nights agonising over whether to give the chemo another go and deep down I knew my body just couldn’t take it. I obviously felt guilty that I was letting people down but I also knew I had to listen to my body. Once I made my decision I had the best night’s sleep in ages. When I met again with the oncologist (different one this time) she was great and said based on how debilitating it had been for me after one dose and my relatively young age (42) it was a sensible decision. I couldn’t get out of bed for several days, when I did I could barely stand, would stagger to the bathroom manage a shower and then have to go back to bed through exhaustion. This was for a least week. Thankfully the crushing chest pains have gone now but I still have neuropathy in my hands, arms, legs and feet. It comes and goes, for example today has been pretty uncomfortable and I rely on the heat pad I bought to take the edge off. Makes me wonder how bad it would be if I continued the treatment and I just hope it will subside in time.
i am 100% comfortable with the decision I’ve made, the oncologist said some people are just not suited to the treatment and I was one of the unlucky ones. For now at least I am concentrating on recuperating, we have a little holiday coming up which as a family we all really need and deserve and I can look forward for the first time in what feels like forever.
Much love to you all,
Craig
