Rants and Rambles

It’s a few days after my third cycle. About the same as the last one. Hand numbness continues and I was told a few days ago that my palms don’t feel like regular skin to someone elses touch either. Hadn’t thought about that since my own sense of touch is so off. Feet are getting that way too (numbness that is).

Chemo?

So I was asked what “chemo” actually is. You hear a lot more about radiation with cancer. Well, since lymphoma isn’t a hard tumor cancer but involved blood cells (at least mine does; the B-cells) you can’t aim at it. It just seems to collect in the lymph nodes or other organs. That’s why it can’t just be cut out either. So they use chemicals that attack the cells.

Here’s what I’m getting…

R-CVP

R = Rituximab,

… a monoclonal antibody. A type of protein made in the laboratory that can locate and bind to substances in the body, including tumor cells. There are many kinds of monoclonal antibodies. Each monoclonal antibody is made to find one substance.

I get this in IV through the port. If I remember right, it’s been mixed in a 1 liter bag of D5W (water & 5% dextrose). This is one of those “treatments” I mentioned that can’t tell the difference between good and bad cells and relies on the replacement of the lost good cells. But it does at least target the specific type of cell.

C = Cyclophosphamide,

… is used to treat various types of cancer and some autoimmune disorders. The main use of cyclophosphamide is together with other chemotherapy agents in the treatment of lymphomas, some forms of leukemia and some solid tumors. It is a chemotherapy drug that works by slowing or stopping cell growth. It is a “prodrug”; it is converted in the liver to active forms that have chemotherapeutic activity.

This is another IV “bag” but I don’t remember which one it was; not a big as the Rituximab though.

V = Vincristine,

… arrests cell division (mitosis) and affects all rapidly dividing cell types including cancer cells, but also intestinal epithelium and bone marrow.

This is the one with the digestive system side effects. I’m not suffering much from this though they’ve given me another drug for the nausea if I need it.  Peripheral neuropathy, the hand and foot numbness, is one of it’s main side effects.

P = Prednisone,

… is a synthetic corticosteroid drug that is particularly effective as an immunosuppressant, and affects virtually all of the immune system. It is used to treat certain inflammatory diseases and (at higher doses) cancers, but has significant adverse effects. Prednisone is a prodrug that is converted by the liver into prednisolone, which is the active drug and also a steroid.

This is a lot of pills daily for 5 days (5 each morning). Among it’s side effects are “mental confusion” and severe joint pain. Most everything else in the list I’m doing OK with so far.