Today was chemo injection 3 of 16. Here's where I stand...
Side effects - It can be different for everyone. But so far, aside from the UTI which was inconvenient, hair loss and night sweats, I've avoided most others SO FAR. It runs the gamet of diarrhea, constipation, nausea, mouth sores, loss of appetite, loss of taste. I've got thirteen
more treatments to go, so these things can pop up anytime. I'm so grateful that these first six weeks have been fine.
Counts - I'm learning about white blood cell counts an immunocompromised conditions. So after my first chemo and the following Neulasta injection, my blood count results 13 days later said my count was 1.5. A normal range is 4.0 - 11.0. For people on chemo taking Neulasta they hope it's at least 3. Mine was so low the first go around because the Neulasta leaked. But this second go around it was 3.0. Once I go to weakly chemo treatments, I'll no longer get Neulasta, so my count might be in the 1.5 range or lower.
Work? - My doctor surprised me yesterday by saying she didn't want me to go back to work while I'm receiving chemo. My chemo is scheduled to last until the end of August. That's a long time not to be at work. I'm hoping I can work from home, which I think my employer will be open to, but it's still a long time to be isolated. I wasn't prepared to hear her say that. Most people I talked to or read about who went through chemo worked full or part-time, so it may be specifically COVID-19 related. I need to get more clarification, but it shocked me when she said it, so I didn't have the follow up questions ready. I'll be sure to prepare my list soon.