Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Tykerb Treatment and Effects

On July 7th I began taking Tykerb, which is a chemo pill.  The dosage Dr. Korde prescribed was 4 (very large) pills at once daily.  The normal dose is 5 pills, but since I am a smaller-than-average person, my dose was 4.  I woke up VERY sick to my stomach the next morning and it continued throughout that day into the next couple days.  I became dehydrated and weak.  Monday morning Dr. Korde's nurse emailed me to ask how I was doing with side effects of the pill.  I explained the situation and she told me to stop taking the pills until further notice and to keep in touch about how I was feeling.  It took several days for my body to recover from the side effects (including a mysterious case of vertigo and nausea), so I didn't end up resuming the medication until Friday night, July 13th.

Dr. Korde lowered my dose down to 3 pills at once daily.  I still became very sick even with the lowered dose, so they began having me take another medication twice daily to counteract the effects of the Tykerb on my stomach. Now I am starting to develop another common side effect of Tykerb, which is a rash.  It is only on my face so far and is somewhat itchy.  I'm not sure how severe or widespread it will become, but time will tell.  I have been blessed never to have had acne (even in my teen years), so this is not going to be fun for me.  I am also developing mouth sores, which are a common side effect also.  The nurse called in a prescription mouth rinse that should at the very least help me be more comfortable when eating.  It contains a numbing medication. 

Life's not too fun or comfortable these days, but I'm thankful to be alive! Taking it one day at a time. =)

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