Week 11
In support of
Brittany Kell
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Brittany Kell
It is hard to believe we are done with week 11, and only have 1 more session in the first part of chemo!
Thank goodness that the steroids that they gave me last week have eliminated the pain in my arms. I am SO thankful for that. It has been making the last two weeks so much easier. Now steroids have side effects of their own, but I will take them over the nerve inflammation everyday. I am still on the steroids for the rest of the week, and then we will see if we want to add the immunotherapy back in or not.
The steroids have definitely given me a false sense of the side effects of the chemo being "not bad at all". I normally get steroids on chemo days, and then Tuesdays I feel pretty dang good. Wednesdays are when I start the nausea and fatigue, normally feeling better by Friday afternoon. Well the steroids have been making me pretty jacked up all the time, and I have been feeling really well. The oncologist warned me that once I'm off, I'll probably do a 180. Im glad they are honest about it but it's a bummer that it'll happen. Especially during the busiest time of the year!
He also warmed me about the second half of treatment, with the drug "The Red Devil". Doxorubicin is one of the most powerful chemotherapy options for a wide range of cancers. Because of the way it works, doxorubicin can kill cancer cells at any point in their life cycle. It also stops cells from being able to reproduce. When a cell unwinds its strands of DNA to replicate, doxorubicin attaches itself to the DNA, putting itself between the DNA and the enzyme needed for replication. It will do its job to make sure everything is gone before I have surgery and the goal is too be cancer free before than. I have 4 of these sessions, and these are every other week.
One thing I have struggled with is the unknown lately. I have been pretty good with not thinking about it, but I think with the nerve pain and other side effects, it has been crossing my mind since I had been experiencing more physical symptoms, it makes everything more real. I am trying to plan the future- making 2027 the year we get to do all the things we wanted to do in 2026- but it's hard not knowing how the rest of treatment will go. I pray that it will all go according to plan though and we all get to make more memories with our family and friends.
I also want to thank everyone for their generosity. From dinners, to watching kids, to monetary gifts, it is ALL so appreciated. It definitely helps with bills, keeping things normal for the kids, and saving for next years surgery and when Chad and I will need to take off for surgery. Since I work part time, I don't qualify for any kind of disability, so all the time I take off is unpaid. I am thankful for a flexible job though- so that is such a blessing as well.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Thank goodness that the steroids that they gave me last week have eliminated the pain in my arms. I am SO thankful for that. It has been making the last two weeks so much easier. Now steroids have side effects of their own, but I will take them over the nerve inflammation everyday. I am still on the steroids for the rest of the week, and then we will see if we want to add the immunotherapy back in or not.
The steroids have definitely given me a false sense of the side effects of the chemo being "not bad at all". I normally get steroids on chemo days, and then Tuesdays I feel pretty dang good. Wednesdays are when I start the nausea and fatigue, normally feeling better by Friday afternoon. Well the steroids have been making me pretty jacked up all the time, and I have been feeling really well. The oncologist warned me that once I'm off, I'll probably do a 180. Im glad they are honest about it but it's a bummer that it'll happen. Especially during the busiest time of the year!
He also warmed me about the second half of treatment, with the drug "The Red Devil". Doxorubicin is one of the most powerful chemotherapy options for a wide range of cancers. Because of the way it works, doxorubicin can kill cancer cells at any point in their life cycle. It also stops cells from being able to reproduce. When a cell unwinds its strands of DNA to replicate, doxorubicin attaches itself to the DNA, putting itself between the DNA and the enzyme needed for replication. It will do its job to make sure everything is gone before I have surgery and the goal is too be cancer free before than. I have 4 of these sessions, and these are every other week.
One thing I have struggled with is the unknown lately. I have been pretty good with not thinking about it, but I think with the nerve pain and other side effects, it has been crossing my mind since I had been experiencing more physical symptoms, it makes everything more real. I am trying to plan the future- making 2027 the year we get to do all the things we wanted to do in 2026- but it's hard not knowing how the rest of treatment will go. I pray that it will all go according to plan though and we all get to make more memories with our family and friends.
I also want to thank everyone for their generosity. From dinners, to watching kids, to monetary gifts, it is ALL so appreciated. It definitely helps with bills, keeping things normal for the kids, and saving for next years surgery and when Chad and I will need to take off for surgery. Since I work part time, I don't qualify for any kind of disability, so all the time I take off is unpaid. I am thankful for a flexible job though- so that is such a blessing as well.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
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Ali Risse