Cardiology Issues
I did have very minor chest pains during cycle 3, that were all brought on by exercise. My wife and I take walks around our neighborhood once or twice a day if weather allows, and generally, toward the end of the walks, I'd start to feel that familiar pain/pressure. As soon as I sit down it's gone in 30 seconds.
I've been working with a cardiologist who works with chemotherapy patients and is familiar with it's side effects. He's assured me that my stress tests and catheter results look fine, and this is "just" vaso-spasms from the chemo drugs. I asked him if these spasms were doing any long term damage, and he basically said that to our knowledge, no, but let's try to prevent them so I can take walks or do chores without discomfort. So, my cardiology meds are below:
- Lisinopril (I've been on this for years to manage high BP with my family doc).
- Amlodipine (It's a different BP medication that helps prevent vaso-spasms).
- nitroglycerin tablets (It's a short acting tiny tablet I put under my tongue if I start feeling any pain. These have been around for decades).
- Imdur (isosorbide mononitrate) (it's a long lasting nitroglycerin drug that I take once a day, and protects against chest pains. It also lowers my BP).
I've been taking amlodipine for a couple weeks, I haven't needed to take the nitroglycerin, and today is the first day on Imdur. My BP was very low for me (103/57) today. Doc said to drop lisinopril first to try to get it back to normal, so I'll be monitoring and adjusting...
New Protocol
As I mentioned last time, the oncologist suspended the 5FU through 48 hour pump infusion and replaced it with pills. The retail price on these pills are about $52 per pill. I take 8 per day for the first two weeks of my now three week cycle. I've included a pic of the pills, in case you were wondering what $52 pills looked like.
The pills are essentially the same medication, but trickled in over 14 days instead of 2. That combined with the amlodipine seems to have gotten the chest pains to a manageable level. Hopefully the Imdur prevents the rest of the minor chest pains I had in cycle 3, and cycle 4 can be 100% chest pain free.
Other side effects
Because I'm now on 3 week cycles instead of 2, the OXaliplatin drug has been increased by about 50% over the first 2 cycles. So, cycle 3 I was on full blast for the neuropathy side effects. Tingling in hands, severe cold sensitivity, visual disturbances, jaw pain during first bite of food (especially salty food), etc.
I also experienced a fair amount of suppressed appetite. I usually lose about 10 lbs on a cycle, but gain most back during my recovery week. There are smarter ways to lose weight.
Ok, that's the wrap up for cycle 3 of 8 total cycles. Fingers crossed for a smooth cycle 4.
Want even more details? Check my daily chemo symptom log in the sidebar.