Hexalen®, day 6, #25

It sure feels good to just write that fatigue is my only side effect from the chemotherapy oral medication. My need for two to three naps is really a delight in relation to a few other in-treatment friends.

I wish all the cancer survivors who ARE having serious, toxic side effects will quickly be able to return to a normal life.

Hexalen® Six a day is the Way, day 5, #24

These tiny capsules are busy at work

While I needed three naps today, I was only able to take two

What's in these cancer-killing drugs?

Hexalen® The Cap Dance, day 4, #23

This capsule taking is getting to be a non-issue,

Always clean hands, before and after taking the medicine,

Swallow capsules after meals, and

Take naps when necessary.

A week from this coming Sunday, I will be on my '14 days of no capsules.'

I like my medicine

My medicine likes me

We are a team

Healing the cancer inside of me

Go Caps! Go!

Hexalen® day 3, Six Capsules a Day, #22

Six Capsules a Day

Michelle Leddel

Mixed media

approx 12 x 12 inches

December 2009

Created while in 'Cancer and Creativity Art Therapy Workshop'

Presented by Premiere Oncology Foundation and Beckstrand Cancer Foundation

Instructor: Esther Dreifuss-Kattan, PhD, ATR

Hexalen® day 2, ChemoCaps, #21

Hi, how do you do?

I'm going to call you my ChemoCaps for chemotherapy capsules.

Have you met my friends and family? They are listening, watching and lending all kinds of support. Some of them are cancer survivors, also experiencing the multiple events that go along with monitoring and treating the disease of cancer.

Additionally, there are the teams of people who are treating, monitoring, supporting, funding, and creating the tools to help the cancer survivors and their families.

So, ChemoCaps, we are not alone. There are endless numbers of people who are helping.

Hexalen® is in my system, day 1, #20

This is Day One of the first month of this oral chemotherapy, Hexalen®.

For the past 20 days I have been in mental training to create ways to see the joy and fun in swallowing six pills, two three times a day: a drug that is going to kill the fast-growing cells in my body. I will be taking them 14 days and then for 14 days I will not be taking them. After three months of this schedule, I will undergo a scan to determine the benefits of Hexalen® on the peritoneal cancer.

When I received the three previous chemotherapy drugs, the oncology nurse gave them to me and I remained fairly comfortable during the 18 infusions. The most debilitating side effect was fatigue.

Opps, I just remembered the hand/foot syndrome, the swollen lips, and difficulty swallowing. I wonder if this short memory on the topic of side effects a tool to help me endure this new drug, or is it possibly ChemoBrain kicking in?

Now that I have been prescribed oral medication, I'm more aware of individuals who are taking oral chemotherapy drugs. They are suffering from the side effects, ah, but wait, most people experience multiple side effects from any type of chemotherapy drug--they are very powerful drugs.

So I return to the joy and excitement of swallowing my chemotherapy medication. ChemoBuddy Bruce suggested that I add variety to the process of taking the medicine by having three different types of juice throughout the day. Right! This morning I just took the two capsules with water, but by this afternoon, I remembered Bruce's suggestion, and drank APPLE JUICE. Now I'm so excited, what will be my third juice of the day?

Come on, have some fun with me!

Hexalen® and Drug Warnings , #19

As I prepare to begin taking my six doses of Hexalen ® a day, the warnings on the container caught my eye again.

Verrry interesting:

These days people are so cautious about surfaces we touch,

the door knobs we don't touch after washing our hands,

the frequent use of hand sanitizers, and yesterday someone mentioned--

touching the bottles of condiments at restaurant tables that have been used by unknown hands.

Back to the label, my cancer-killing medication container is advising me to wash my hands AFTER I touch the medication.

I guess I better do what I'm told, but shouldn't I wash my hands BEFORE I take the medicine?