So I started on velcade (with dex and cyclo) yesterday for at least 4 cycles and feel much happier now it's . And hopefully the velcade will knock the MM to the ground!
So what is velcade? Apaprently it is a protesome inhibitor which can cause the cancer cells to die and stop it from growing....here's hoping!
It involves about a 4 hour trip in the hospital. You give blood and have to wait for that to come back before the prescription can go to pharmacy (the drug has a short half life and s v expensive, so they have to know you've arrived and are fit to take it). Then I was hooked up to fluids for an hour. And then we just had to wait for ages for it to come back from the pharmacy. It finally came at about 2.30pm and apparently it normally doesn't come back until 1pm till 2pm. It will be a bit of a bummer with school pick up (we live an hour and a half from the hospital!) but we'll manage. Anyway, all that for a 3 second intravenous injection...lol!
I have a 3 week cycle where I have to go in on the Tuesday and Friday of the first two weeks, and then I have a week off. And it is taken with Dexamethasone (steroid) and Cyclophosphomide (chemo). The expected side effects are v similar to before but Peripheral neuropathy is more common and can cause tingling/numbness in fingers and toes, pains in the calves and sole of feet, diahorrea or constipation and fainting. Oh and the usual sickness and tiredness. I'm hoping not to have any/ many of them! The only one I'd quite like is the loss of appetite.....might help get rid of the stone I've put on!!!
Anyway, nearly 24 hours on, and the side effect so far is that the lack of sleep has kicked back in from the dex. Obviously the revlimid helped me last time and stopped the problems when I took it in the evening...no such luck this time, and I wake every 20 mins to hour! Oh well, hopefully only for 3 months.
Signing off as I go off for a 2 hour walk to try to pretend none of this is happening :-)
Good luck with the velcade. I had lot 8 (of 32 yesterday) and have not had too much trouble yet. I'm very lucky as I only work 2 miles away from the hospital, so I go at 9.00 for my bloods, then I go to work until 2.30, then I go back for the injection so I don't have to sit around the hospital all day. Mine reatment is Monday and Thursday. As yet I haven't been sick, whereas with stem cell rescue I was very very sick, and the worst thing is the calf and thigh pain that you mention . Believe me it is agony and I really wanted to stop treatment initially. But IF it happens to yopu - and I don't think it happens to everyone, just remember it is only for a very short period of time. I have had two particularly bad episodes, I couldn't walk and sorry - but I was totally hysterical with pain. I know you probably don't want to hear it, but it has only been twice and only for an hour or so you really just have to think it's all for the good. I just worry about the effect on hubby and anyone around as they are helpless and nobody likes to see suffering but it does go quite quickly and just leaves you feeling achy and exhausted. The hands cramp quite badly and regularly but nowhere near as bad. I also keep liquid morphine in my handbag for real emergencies. It may be worth mentioning, to be honest it doesn't give a lot of respite, but even a tiny bit of ease is such a welcome relierf,
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, it also effects my spelling - that was terrible!
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