Day-by-Day Breakdown, Chemo Cycle II

Day 1: extreme nausea (made some mistakes such as not taking my granisetron in time because it was not available at my pharmacy and not bringing enough food to chemo so that when I finally ate, I ate too fast and I ate everything on the sandwich, including the cheese), dizziness, and fatigue

Day 2: nausea in the morning, fatigue, slight cough, hyperactivity leading to sleeplessness (side effect of prednisolon), slight neuropathy, more hair loss

Day 3: slight nausea in the morning, slight cough, hyperactivity, a lot of hair loss in the shower, breakthrough pain

Day 4: slight nausea, heart palpitations, breakthrough pain

Day 5: same as Day 4

Day 6: same as Day 4

Day 7 (Queen's Day): slight nausea, heart palpitations, some breakthrough pain, fatigue, strange taste in saliva

Day 8 (took only Pantecta against nausea today): slight nausea, burping, very strong heart palpitations, slight cough, some neuropathy, some night sweats, toes black, thumbnails turning black, stiff/sore right leg, stiff right arm

Day 9 (took only metoclopram against nausea today): same as Day 8 but with only slight heart palpitations

Day 10 (took no medications against nausea today, started yoga/meditation/self-massage for hands): burping, congestion, slight cough, some neuropathy, toes black, thumbnails turning black

Day 11: same as Day 10 but with a bit more energy, actually one of the best days I've had since diagnosis

Day 12: same as Day 10 but with much stronger cough and congestion (I'm guessing that my dip period begins on Day 12)

Day 13: same as Day 10 but with much stronger cough and congestion (I'm guessing that my dip period begins on Day 12). I also accidentally cut myself on Day 12. It's was a tiny cut that would have ordinarily closed in an hour, but today it's still bleeding like a fresh cut. I put Bacitracin and a bandaid on it, to prevent infection, but the bleeding would probably indicate a low platelet count.

This chemo cycle seems to be better against nausea, though I have hopes that I won't vomit at all during Round 3, and I still feel queasy from time to time. I'm concerned about the atrial fibrillations. Even though they don't seem to be considered a serious side effect, I have this sensation that I need to take deep breaths to prevent myself from having a heart attack. I'm also concerned about the breakthrough pain; does it mean that the cancer is still fighting back?

I've had this cold since the week of March 1 -- thus, for more than two months. I am betting now that I'll have it for the entire course of chemotherapy.