Last dance with The Red Devil

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This week I'll be having the final of four "double-dose" chemotherapy drugs known as doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide.

This will be the final cycle of what my oncologist calls the 'heavy hitting' chemo, also known as a "dose dense" program given two weeks apart (if tolerated by the patient).

 Doxorubicin is also known as The Red Devil, a nickname given for its red colour and swathe of side effects, all of which have affected me:
  • It makes yellow urine turn red for 1 - 2 days after chemo. Not just a light shade of red, but blood red upon your first wee after receiving treatment. (Luckily the oncology nurses gave me a warning on my first dose otherwise I would have panicked in the bathroom!)
  • Fatigue
  • Hair loss
  • Diarrhea
  • Mouth irritations
  • Cessation of menstrual cycle.
Two weeks after this last cycle of heavy hitting chemo finishes, I will begin 12 cycles of paclitaxel, given once a week for three months. At the same time, I will begin taking herceptin every three weeks for the duration of 12 months. 

Herceptin, developed through breast cancer research and trials, is used to treat my type of breast cancer which is ‘HER2-positive breast cancer’. Herceptin works by attaching itself to the HER2 receptors on the surface of breast cancer cells and blocking them from receiving growth signals. By blocking the signals, Herceptin can slow or stop the growth of the breast cancer. 

So in June 2020 I'll be having my final herceptin treatment. It seems a long way off but I'm hoping it comes around quickly.

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