Page 153 - She's One Crazy Lady!

possible side effects of all of them, sounded awful but, if they got rid of the cancer, so be it – let the blasting begin! All I knew was that whatever the side effects were, or might be, I wanted to be in the comfort of my own home, with my own toilet!
The following day, my first of many visits to the
Oncology Department at Northampton General
Hospital, I met Nigel Perry, a Clinical Research Officer,
together with one of the Chemotherapy Sisters, Jan
Oates, who I was to get to know very well and twenty
years on, we are still close friends. Between them
they went over the details about the Clinical Trial and
explained how closely monitored I would be whilst
taking it. They also talked about the possible side
effects – some of them certain – the main ones being
loss of hair and the onset of the menopause. I wasn’t
worried about the latter but – losing my hair – hmm,
I wasn’t so sure about that but had to accept this was
how it would be, and I thought of the thousands of
men and women who had gone, and were going,
through this and that hair does grow back. I asked
why the urgency in me making such an important
decision and was told, for the trial to be effective it
had to start eight weeks after surgery, or as near as
possible and I was almost out of that time span. Feeling satisfied, I asked for a pen and signed on the dotted line and gave my consent to taking part, being told it wasn’t certain I would be given the new drug.
I was then shown round the chemotherapy suite and observed several patients hooked up to drips and quietly lounging in what looked like, very comfortable reclining chairs – telling myself this would be me very soon. Some of the patients were reading, some were asleep, some were chatting with nurses and others were just sitting. I wondered how they were all feeling, how ill they were, and how they felt about losing their hair, for quite a few of them were wearing bandanas and a few were bald. What had I signed up to?
On the following two days I was sent to have blood tests and an ECG as, on the second day I was told I had indeed been randomised to receive the Taxotere and they had to ensure that the muscles in my heart were strong enough to withstand it. This was getting quite scary, especially when they said I would be starting just a few days later – time enough to go and be fitted with a prosthesis, to have a flu jab (which was recommended) and to get my hair cut – the latter being my choice, not knowing how long it would be before my hair would disappear – and to meet ‘Lynne’, the wig lady at Northampton, to choose a wig! There was a lot to take in.
Going to my surgery to have the flu jab was, I have to say, a very touching experience and quite emotional, for the nurse who injected me
“The possible side effects of all of them, sounded awful but, if they
got rid of the cancer, so
be it – let the blasting begin!
”
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