Sprycel Vacation: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!!
Interestingly enough, I have noticed many different things
that Sprycel does, and doesn’t do, to my body. After a nearly three week vacation,
it has been difficult in some ways to return to my CML treatment, but comforting
and even helpful, in others.
The major disappointment in returning to treatment is my missing
“spark”; Sprycel seems to have a way of diminishing my inner “happy” glow! I
know that sounds silly, and I am still an extreme optimist, but the
bursting-over joy, that I have when I am not on Sprycel, just is not the same. This
coupled with the fact that when I am not on Sprycel, the leukemia has an
opportunity to kick start its engine.
That being said, there is a comfort to returning to the
battlefield. The most difficult part being the return of the side effects; I
have suffered greatly from muscle spasms in my back, am extremely tired, and once
again, my hair is starting to fall out! Ugh, it was finally beginning to grow
again. The afternoon, flu-ish, fever-y feeling has returned, along with the
headaches.
The Good news is that the peripheral neuropathy, from the
Cipro damage, is beginning to subside again. I still cannot believe how taking
Sprycel keeps the pain in my feet, and joints in my legs, at bay. I suppose
this really is the golden lining to living with a chronic cancer; totally
strange!
My belief and hope is that it will not take as much time, as
it did when I first began taking Sprycel to adapt to the medication and for the
side effects to seem less severe. I often wonder whether the side effects
actually lessen, or if we just learn to better adapt to them.
What do you think?
hello. i felt the same way..after using chantex to quit smoking. energy was ok but the joy was gone..esp. from the things i really liked. dont know if it gets better after a while for you?
ReplyDeleteI am on Gleevec 400mg, and the side effect for me is primarily GI-related - not fun. It comes and goes. I also have a weird gold lining (I think) -- ever since I started on Gleevec 2-1/2 years ago, my blood pressure and cholesterol rapidly dropped into perfectly normal levels after hanging around the high-end of the normal range for years. I was able to ditch blood pressure medication and haven't looked back! I often wonder if Gleevec treatment is actually keeping my blood pressure normal .......
ReplyDeleteI am on my 4th week of sprycel 100mg. I have also been diagnosed with CML. In the last 3 days hips and lower half is in pain. Muscle pain and cramping at night in calf's. Real fun! I'm 40yr old male and am still way positive but am finding I am Moody.
ReplyDeleteMoody is a great word! I have never been a Moody person, but think I now have the potential!
ReplyDeleteMichele