Tryptophan and Chemo, a Tiring Combination!

This weekend I was able to get a lot of rest, which was greatly appreciated. Nausea was not a problem, and I was able to eat way too much at Thanksgiving dinner. The tiredness you feel with the combination of tryptophan and chemo is a unique experience! My chemo treatment on Wednesday went smoothly without any major side effects. My only concern is that my neuropathy has progressed, and the numbness in my feet has gotten worse. My voice has also become more and more hoarse each day. In the past, my voice would recover over night and in the morning it would sound normal. This morning, the first words that I spoke were hoarse and weak. By the end of the day, it is difficult to understand what I say.

This week my oncologist will likely reduce my dosage of Vincristine and Vinblastine for the last two chemo treatments. These are the drugs that cause neuropathy. Almost all patients on these drugs experience neuropathy, and most have their dosages reduced during chemotherapy. The dosage reduction will not be significant enough to threaten the cancer killing effectiveness, especially after 10 weeks at full dosage.

My voice, on the other hand, will likely remain hoarse until after my body is no longer being poisoned. My oncologist could not definitively determine what is the cause, but he ran some tests to rule out any possibilities that would be detrimental. The worst-case scenario, which has been ruled out, was that the Bleomycin was damaging my lungs. The likely cause is a viral or bacterial infection causing a nasal drip, which has affected my vocal chords. Another possibility is acid reflux that is common for chemo patients. To combat these possibilities, I am taking a daily antibacterial and a daily antiviral prescription. I also take Prilosec OTC for acid reflux. All of these are just not enough to cure the problem because of my weakened immune system. Oh, well, it is a small price to pay to kill the cancer.