Chemo Round One: Effects

It’s been two weeks to the day since my first chemotherapy treatment, which feels like a good time to get all retrospective up in here.

The first two days were a bit of a blur; I took the prescribed Ondansetron to make sure the nausea stayed manageable and some Dilaudid for some pain. Other than that, I don’t exactly remember what happened that day. Opiates: 1, Tom’s Memory: 0.

The day after makes more sense; there wasn’t any Dilaudid involved, but I remember aches and pains. And started to notice that things tasted weird. For the next week I would have the taste of metal in my mouth almost continuously. We picked up some lemon drops on the advice of the chemotherapy nurse; lemon drops cut through the metallic taste in saliva, providing a much-needed flavor break.

I had some pretty long-lasting indigestion, too. People described the few days after chemo as the worst hangover ever; I didn’t have noticeable nausea or headaches, but my body ached and my belly hurt. “Hangover” seems an apt description.

Another significant effect that I’ve noticed: peripheral neuropathy. I’m losing sensation in the tips of my fingers, courtesy of Vincristine. Apparently there is an 80% chance that I’ll recover from it.

Burning my mouth with hot liquids is another thing that I have to give up — I had some coffee and hot tea over the weekend, and my tongue is taking much longer than usual to heal.

In all, I think that the effects of the first round of chemo were not as bad as the warnings forecasted. I bounced back well, feeling a restored appetite by the third or fourth day, I think.

Let’s hope the next round goes as smoothly.