Day 1, Treatment Day (Tuesday): Everything about this treatment was super routine- blood work, oncologist, chemo. The only differences were (a) Instead of having a chemo chair, I was assigned a room with a bed (much more comfortable) and (b) Matt was in London so my mom came with me. The treatment went smoothly- I got a lower dose of Benadryl so I wasn’t as sleepy, watched an episode of Killing Eve, and ate leftover snacks from Lisa’s bachelorette.

I forgot to mention that one of the side effects of Taxol is neuropathy (tingling/numbness in fingers and toes) so I have to wear ice booties and gloves during the whole treatments to prevent the Taxol from getting into my fingers and toes. This is definitely uncomfortable.

After the treatment, I went home to take a nap but was feeling fine by the afternoon. I actually ended up going out for an early dinner with my brother and felt totally fine.

I did not want to have a repeat of last week, so I took the Ativan hoping that I would be able to get a better night sleep. Unfortunately, it was still very hard for me to fall asleep and I woke up periodically throughout the night. I need to find a solution for this.

Day 2 (Wednesday): Despite not getting a good night sleep, I woke up feeling great. My mom slept over to help with the boys in the morning because we weren’t sure if I would be able to get out of bed. Thankfully, I was able to make their breakfast and lunch, get them dressed and bring Aidan to camp. I did take a short late-morning nap, but otherwise I feel great.

Day 3 (Thursday) and beyond: I am so grateful for how I have been feeling during these treatments. Post Taxol #2 I had a play date with Julie, Sage and Cooper in the park, went to Wolfgang’s, Farmer and the Fish, Emily, and Follia, for dinner, hosted a BBQ for our friends at our apartment, went to Turtle Back Zoo with family, watched Aidan perform Hamilton at camp, and tutored 2 students. If this is any indication of what the next 10 weeks will bring, I think I can handle it!

Chemo Status:

2 Taxol down, 10 to go!

After the disappointment of having my treatment delayed, I took opportunity to use the week to take care of myself. I went to a sunset yoga class with 5 Under 40 (5under40.org), did acupuncture, took a Pilates class and celebrated Father’s Day feeling great.

Day 1, Treatment Day (Tuesday): On June 18th, I walked into NYU feeling healthy and ready (and also a little anxious). I quickly had my bloodwork and then waited to meet with my oncologist. My oncologist was happy with the improvement in my blood work and I was cleared to start chemo (Yes!!!). We discussed the side effects that I should expect with the Taxol and the decision to add Carboplatin to 4 of the Taxol treatments. Overall, it seems like the Taxol should be easier to handle than the AC but we’ll see!

My favorite nurse was waiting for me in my chemo cubicle. She explained to me that even though the Taxol side effects will be easier to manage, the actual treatments will feel different. I will be getting Benadryl with the Taxol which will make me feel very sleepy during the treatments and I need to make sure I have someone to bring me home after.

The actual treatment was shorter than the AC but I slept almost the whole time. I hated how sleepy the Benadryl made me feel and was anxious to get into my bed when the treatment was over.

I stayed in bed for the rest of the afternoon but was able to come out of the bedroom to help get the boys to sleep, have dinner with Matt, and hang out. Matt and I got into bed at the same time but I wasn’t feeling sleepy yet so I started to read. Without realizing, I read straight until 4:30 in the morning. I guess the strength of the steroids outweighed the Benadryl! I probably should have taken an Ativan at bedtime to help me sleep, oops!

Day 2 (Wednesday): Since I didn’t get any sleep the night before, I was exhausted in the morning. I spent most of the morning in bed resting but by the afternoon I felt pretty good. I went out for lunch, got my nails done and felt really normal. No other side effects other than mild fatigue.

Day 3 (Thursday) and beyond: Overall, it seems like the first Taxol treatment was extremely tolerable. I left on Thursday morning for my friend Lisa’s bachelorette party in the Hamptons. I only stayed for one night but I was happy that I was able to go at all. I couldn’t party the way that I wanted to, but it was nice to celebrate my friend and spend time with all of the important people in Lisa’s life. Over the weekend, Matt, the boys and I went to our friends’ beach house on the Jersey Shore. Aidan and Cooper had a blast playing with their friends and I was so happy that I was able to witness it.

Chemo Status:

1 Taxol down, 11 to go!

I know that the treatments are supposed to compound and get worse over time, but if this first treatment is any indication, I think I’ll be okay.

How I came to acupuncture actually started with Aidan. I have always been a little skeptical of all alternative medicines and have leaned more towards western medicines when I am not feeling well. Matt is the opposite. He rarely takes any medicine at all, even when he is feeling awful.

Aidan would get sick pretty frequently as a baby. He had a lot of ear infections and eventually had tubes put in. He would also get really high fevers and wheezing coughs that would linger. We were frequent visitors to the pediatrician’s office for albuterol nebulizer treatments and oxygen checks. It was obvious that there was something going on but it wasn’t until Aidan turned 3 that his pulmonologist used the word “asthma”. Matt and I were not surprised to hear that word, but we were shocked at how the pulmonologist wanted to treat his asthma – with twice a day steroids and a rescue inhaler.

The thought of Aidan having to be put on regular medicine like that didn’t thrill me but I was willing to comply with the doctors orders in order to make sure that Aidan was able to breathe. Matt insisted that I look into an alternative approach before agreeing to let Aidan start the steroids.

The mom of a former student of mine suggested that Aidan try acupuncture and told me that she was able to control her two children’s asthma with diet changes and acupuncture. I was extremely skeptical but decided to give it a shot.

Since Aidan started acupuncture in January he has not had a single episode where I considered using the nebulizer or inhaler. He began going to acupuncture twice a week and now goes every other week for maintenance. He is not on any medication to control his asthma. He has had 1 cough that cleared up quickly. I was blown away. I believe that acupuncture works because Aidan has no clue why he is getting the treatments so there can’t be any placebo effect.

SO when I got diagnosed, my oncologist suggested that I try acupuncture to boost my immune system and help manage the side effects that come with chemo. I really appreciated that the doctor saw the value in incorporating acupuncture along side the chemo.

I started going to acupuncture at least once a week and have found it to be really beneficial. The actual treatments are very relaxing and I feel immediately better afterwards. Each session is different depending on how I am feeling that day. Kirsten, our acupuncturist, does a combination of acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and Chinese herbs during the treatments. I believe that acupuncture is a huge part of why my side effects from chemo haven’t been so horrible.