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I would say chemo and cancer is very individual, you and doctors will look at the statistics and be pessimistic, they because they don't want to give you false expectations, since setbacks are probably harder to fight than no progress. And you because you don't have the personal experience with cancer yet. You have X chance of Z time, etc. But that's statistics, you as an individual will often fall in the normal range in your stratified group. Except when you don't. 27 Years old, I was dying of cancer really bad, it is worse than chemo, I didnt know it, but I was dying very bad. It felt like the worst flu ever, with constant cold symptoms, fatigue and night sweats, it was so bad I had to change several times a night. It was terrible. When I was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer with secondary cancer in my liver, I thought that was it, I have screwed up bad and should have gone to the doctor earlier. The first meeting with my oncologist he said the chemotherapy is to give you time, it is not a cure. I didnt ask how long, it is nothing I want to know. He said he will throw what ever he can at me, since I am fit and young. Even though there was no reassurance, I felt much better after this. So chemo, it sucks, I was on a 2 week cycle routine, which meant usually, go to the clinic on Thursday, get 3 different drugs over 3-4 hours. Some are fine, like oxaliplatin (and quite interesting when its cold outside), others hit you right in the head like irinotecan (this one sucks bad, kicks you in the head hard and make you feel sick), and finally 5fu which is much milder than irinotecan. The 5fu I would get as a pump which administered it over 46 hours or so at home. So Thursday, on the day I feel bad when administered, would say a 3 when irinotecan hits. Afterwards mby a 6 or 7. I would have energy to work this day if I wanted. Friday, did go to work some days with my pump. Feeling probably a 5-6, energy a 7. Saturday, pump disconnected and the fatigue starts to hit, Feeling probably a 5, energy a 5. Sunday, Feeling probably a 4, energy a 3. Monday, Feeling probably a 3-4, energy a 2-3. Tuesday, Feeling probably a 4, energy a 4. Wednesday, Feeling probably a 5, energy a 5. Thursday, Feeling probably a 6, energy a 6. ...
It would improve until the next Thursday where I would be feeling probably a 8, energy a 8-9. So by the time you go back for more chemo you would feel quite good. So on average I worked one week every two weeks. Now, as soon as I started chemo, much of my cancer symptoms started to melt away, no more gut wrenching pain in my bowels, no more regular night sweats because my liver is shutting down, not feeling like having a flu, this is after 2-3 cycles of chemo. Chemo can make your quality of life better, it did it for me. Chemo sucks and I was lucky that I found ways to eat, keep my weight and stay healthy and positive. In the end, I managed to have liver surgery and bowel surgery and am now cancer free. My oncologist didnt think that I would survive until surgery, and was lucky my chemo was soooo effective. 1 year from diagnosis to cancer free, I am lucky. But of course, this is an individual experience, but I would say, dying of cancer suck more than chemo, for me. |