Today I was told the plan forward -- for now.
To recap... I'd been coughing for a month with extreme fatigue and difficulty breathing. They thought at first it was allergies. Medicine didn't make things better. So based thru a process of elimination, including: It's not COVID, it's not pneumonia, I have what's called: Chemo-Induced Pneumonitis. They gave me steroids and eight-hours after taking the steroids, the coughing stop. That's how they knew.
Basically, this can be a side effect of chemo. The current chemo drug is called Paclitaxel (AKA Taxel) and its causing lung inflammation. Untreated, it can cause severe respiratory issues. That's why they took me off the drug immediately when they discovered how my lungs were reacting.
I have four infusions of chemo left, so they don't want to just stop it. They want chemo to continue to kill the cancer in my body before surgery. They are now going to try another chemo drug called Abraxane. I'm a bit dubious. It's basically Paclitaxel that has been protein-bound, which should change how my body reacts to it. We'll monitor closely to see whether the lung symptoms return.
Starting next week, I'll have four rounds of this Abraxane, which sets my surgery back by 2-weeks. After surgery weeks of radiation. Radiation also triggers chemo-induced pneumonitis, so we'll need to watch my reaction again (sometimes it doesn't manifest until weeks after all the treatment is complete.
Part of me is glad that I can proceed with more chemo. Die, cancer, die! But, of course, I'm annoyed with this side effect. I had been spared so many of the other side effects.
So thanks again for your prayers and support. I can feel them both!