I'm pleased to report that, although my reaction to the Docetaxel infusion did seem to start a day earlier than during the first round, I fared no worse during the last nine days. I am grateful for that.
Many of the side-effects that I suffered through in the first round came back to make me suffer through them again: extreme fatigue, extreme weakness, soreness from the waist down, body aches and discomfort, headaches, and stomach/intestinal issues. However, there were a few side-effects that gave me a break this round. I never got much of a rash on my face and scalp. Peripheral neuropathy (tingling sensation) was noticeable for a few days but not anywhere as bad as it got last time. The same can be said for the sensitivity inside my mouth and nose. Also, I had many fewer strange muscle spasms and restless leg syndrome.
There's a part of me that wonders if this round was "better" than the first one because the sensations that I was feeling were no longer new and therefore no longer as scary. However, I really do believe that the intensity of many of the side-effects had decreased this time around. Maybe a combination of the two made this a slightly easier ride.
That said, though, I still felt like death warmed over on the worst days. I wouldn't wish that feeling on my worst enemy. About 24 hours after infusion, I could tell my body had been poisoned. (Sorry, but that really is the best way to phrase it.) Starting about 48 hours after infusion, I felt like absolute crap. It lasted for 5-6 days after that. I'm writing this at the end of Round 2, Day 9 and today was honestly the first day I started to feel like myself again.
What's new? I'm so glad you asked. I've encountered a new side-effect that is baffling me. You know that feeling you get in your body when you get the chills? That kind of tingly feeling that you feel inside your body when you get the chills? That's happening to me at the most random times! Sometimes I can just feel it in one leg and/or butt cheek but sometimes it's both. It's always below the waist, though. Also, lest you think that maybe it's happening because I simply get cold... we've had a heat wave for the past week, and this stuff can hit me in the middle of one of my now-fairly-regular hot flashes.
That's got to be related to the other "nerve issues" I've had, like the weird muscle spasms and the restless leg syndrome. However, unlike those, this one strikes me as kind of humorous. I hope the experts don't eventually tell me that this is a very bad sign.
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