I am on a 10 three weekly cycle of chemotherapy with Taxotere® (docetaxel).
During my ‘chemo’ week I have to pop into the hospital for a blood test in the morning followed by a clinical meeting in the afternoon.
As well as the chemo drug I am also given three other drugs; Metoclopramide (anti-sickness), Chlorphenadine (anti-allergy) and Rantidine (to stop heartburn).
The actual chemo itself takes place on the Thursday normally late in the morning. It can be a very tiring day!
| cycle | Clinical (Tuesdays) | Doctor | Chemo (Thursdays) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4th January | Dr Katherine Pigott | 6th January |
| 2 | 25th January (m) |
Dr Anup Vinayan | 27th January (b) |
| 3 | 15th February |
Dr Katherine Pigott | 17th February (b) |
| 4 | 8th March | Dr Dan Smith | 10th March (b) |
| 5 | 29 March (m) | Dr Zainab Wasim | 31st March (b) |
| 6 | 19th April | Dr May Stancliffe | 21st April (m) |
| 7 | 10th May | Dr Uzma Asghar | 12 May (b) |
| 8 | 31st May | Dr May Stancliffe | 2nd June (b) |
| 9 | 21st June | Dr Naila Ahmed | 23rd June (cancelled) |
| 10 | 14th July (cancelled) |
Although my chemo was planned for 10 cycles it was cancelled after cycle 8 due to side effects.
My chemo blood test results were:
| Cycle | Haemoglobin | White Blood Cells | Platelets | Neutrophils |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cycle 1 | n/k | n/k | n/k | n/k |
| Cycle 2 | n/k | n/k | n/k | n/k |
| Cycle 3 | n/k | n/k | n/k | n/k |
| Cycle 4 | 13.9 | 11.86 | 348 | 8.44 |
| Cycle 5 | 13.9 | 13.58 | 339 | 9.82 |
| Cycle 6 | 13.2 | 11.82 | 296 | 8.47 |
| Cycle 7 | 13.0 | 11.42 | 284 | 8.15 |
| Cycle 8 | 13.0 | 10.97 | 320 | 7.13 |
