Chemotherapy

DISCLAIMER: Some medical images on this website may be considered disturbing to some.

There are several different types of chemotherapy drugs. I was selected to be a part of the research study going on with Erbitux. It is not exactly the same as chemotherapy but it is administered the same way, through my port, in the treatment center. It would be more accurate to call it a biologic therapy known as a monoclonal antibody, but that is way more complicated to say so everyone at my treatment center referred to it as chemotherapy. Check out this website for more information about Cetuximab (Erbitux®) Erbitux works by seeking out signals given off by the tumor and surrounding it basically blocking the signals that tell it to grow. Then the drug creates a bridge between the tumor cell and the immune cell causing an immune response that helps to destroy the tumor cells. It also works to make radiation treatment more effective. Check out this link to learn more about other chemotherapy drugs used such as Cisplatin and Carboplatin. Click here for more Chemotherapy information.

 

Before beginning chemotherapy, I opted to get a Bard Power Port.

 

 

Although my face doesn’t show it in this picture, I am so glad I got the power port. I hate being stuck with needles and it turns out you get stuck a lot during the course of your treatment. The nice thing about the port is that you can apply prescription Lidocaine cream to the outside about 15-30 minutes before being stuck and it will be numb when it comes time for them to stick you with the needle. I usually applied it in the car before going in to my appointments or in the waiting room. You can feel three small bumps through your skin on top of the port. The nurses will be aiming for the area in the middle of these three bumps. The port is located right under your skin so it sticks up making it very easy to find.

I squeezed a small glob of Lidocaine cream on top of my port and covered it with Press and Seal film and allowed it to sit undisturbed for about 15-30 minutes. Do not rub it in.

The Press and Seal sticks just enough to keep it covered until you are ready to be stuck with a needle. When I used the Lidocaine I felt pressure but no pain when the nurse stuck me with the needle. The port needle is slightly bigger than the average needle, however they will only have to stick you once. They don’t have to hunt for a good vein, worry about a vein blowing out, and you don’t look like a pin cushion. Even on days that I forgot my Lidocaine cream, I still didn’t think the port needle hurt as bad as being stuck in the arm. Another benefit is that the needle sort of locks in place and is not easily pulled out by accident. I found that when I had an IV needle in my arm, before getting my port, it constantly pinched and it was difficult to move around.

 

 

 

Getting chemotherapy is a long process so it’s nice to feel like you can get up and move around and go to the bathroom without fear of accidentally pulling it out. Also, I was constantly getting dehydrated during my treatments and that made my veins harder to find. I met several people during treatment that opted not to get the port out of fear of having another surgery to place it. The nurses really struggled to find a usable vein on these individuals and were forced to stick them several times. When they finally found a vein, it would often blow out and the search for a new vein would start all over again which meant more poking with needles. Since it hurt to swallow, I didn’t drink as much water as I should and I often only got liquids and food through my feeding tube, which is a whole other struggle that I describe in the Speech Therapy section.  

When I would arrive at my treatments dehydrated and feeling worse than usual, the nurses would give me a bag or two of fluids through my port and I would feel so much better and had more energy. Before getting my Erbitux treatment, the nurse would access my port by placing the needle into it and draw blood to test all of my levels to determine if my blood cell counts were high enough to get treatment. They would also check to see if there was anything else they needed to administer to me via IV while I was there such as potassium etc… Then I was given Benadryl through my IV to help with some of the side effects of Erbitux, followed by a steroid. There were days that I sat in a recliner chair to get my treatment and days that I requested a bed when I was feeling particularly awful.

Here is a picture that shows how full and dark my eyebrows got. And my lashes were so long and full. It doesn’t sound that bad, but it was very itchy and painful. My eyelashes would get ingrown and become painful.

The side effects of Erbitux began the first week. I started to develop an acne like rash on my face, inside my nose, in my hair, along my eyelashes, and on my neck and chest. My eyelashes and eyebrows grew longer and darker. And I developed sores around my fingernails. I was told that the worse my side effects were, the better the drug was working.

My side effects were very severe. At one point my skin rash got infected so I had to take antibiotics. It is very important to keep your skin clean but not to scrub too hard or you will irritate the skin and open up the blisters. As I discussed in the Radiation section, I applied Aquaphor ointment to my skin several times per day. Aquaphor makes you very sticky and causes pet hair, lint, etc… to stick to it so I cleaned my skin using an unscented antibacterial soap several times per day. I preferred to use Kleenex paper towels to clean my skin because they are very soft and I could throw them away when I was finished. I liked the idea of using a new, clean paper towel every time I washed versus using the same washrag each time which could have bacteria on it that could potentially cause an infection. I also wanted to avoid having to wash several wash rags per day. Disposable just felt more sanitary to me. When your immune system is compromised you really have to take all precautions to avoid more complications. The Erbitux drug also caused the radiation side effects to be more severe as I discussed in the Radiation section.

 

 

Three months after completing my treatment I had a CT scan. It came back clear so I was able to have the surgery to have my port removed. I recommend rubbing vitamin E oil on the scars every day to help them heal faster and flatter. Mine were raised and itchy for a few months and became thick from developing keloids. I also tried ScarGuard to reduce the appearance of my scars, which I describe in the Products section. The stitches for my incisions were on the inside of my skin and the top layer of the skin was glued together. I find it interesting that my neck scar looks better than my port scars. I still highly recommend the port even though it comes with a pair of matching equal sign scars. Over time the scars will flatten and fade more.

Here is a picture of the scars over 2 years later.

 

Try to bring someone with you to treatment to keep you company if possible. It became difficult for me to drive due to a lack of energy, pain medicine, and the nausea was in full swing. Not to mention the mental toll all of this took on me. I just thought it would be better to ask someone else to drive me to my appointments. Luckily my husband and my family were super supportive and helpful during this time. Check out the “bag” I recommend carrying with you to treatments and appointments, see the Products section, so that you are always prepared for whatever happens. Treatment and medications have unpleasant side effects so it’s best to be prepared for them.