You would think that by cutting those nasty cancer cells out of the skin and remove the lymph nodes it attacked (plus 65 others it potentially could have) then that would be it, right? WRONG. Those cancer cells might be tiny, but they move quickly. Sneaky little pricks. My doctors explained to us that based on how fast mine had spread, the chance of a recurrence would be greater than 50% so as an added insurance policy, I would have to go through treatment. At this point, I wasn't eligible for these "miracle" drugs that recently became available. My options were A. Interferon B. Radiation or C. Both. Interferon is a drug that is typically administered to Hepatitis C patients, but they have found some success with melanoma over the years. The treatment consists of 20 IV infusions and 11 months of self-injections, not to mention the long list of side effects that go along with it. Much of the side effects are similar to having the flu (i.e. headache, weakness, fatigue, nausea, chills, etc.) There's also the risk of becoming severely depressed, because this cancer sh*t isn't mentally exhausting enough. I was given the option to begin radiation as well. This would decrease the chance of cancer coming back to my scalp, but increase the chances of it showing up somewhere else in my body. Given that the radiation would cover a large portion of my scalp and neck, it would cause a number of long-term issues with my throat, glands, and teeth. As you can imagine, I was not totally thrilled with my options, but was willing to do anything for this to be gone so I can go on and live a long life. After getting a second, third, and fourth opinion, it was decided that I would proceed with interferon as chemotherapy and hold off on radiation.
I was beyond ready to get going on the daily treatments. I figured the sooner I got them over with, the sooner I could get back to my normal life and this nightmare would come to an end. Hospital employees started noticing that I was showing up everyday, so I got to know the nurses, receptionists, and complimentary valet parkers pretty well. They even had a nickname for me. After my treatments on Fridays, I couldn't seem to hurry out of there fast enough. I would hear them say "Sasha Fierce is OUT OF THE BUILDING" as I was hauling it to my mom's car. My mom took me to just about every infusion. She would buy lots of green juice for me to stay hydrated and hold my hand when after six attempts they still had trouble getting a good vein. I don't know what I would have done without her. Both my mom and stepdad would go out of their way to get my favorite foods, trying so hard to get me to eat. At the beginning of my treatment, the doctors had prescribed me a cocktail of medications to counteract some of the side effects to make me more comfortable, but those meds had side effects of their own. I had something to take for nausea during the day, something to take for nausea at night. They gave me a high dose pain reliever only to be taken if Tylenol wasn't working and I wasn't planning on driving. They also gave me a low dose sleep aid to ease anxiety. I still feel like I'm forgetting some, but you get the point. The Interferon took a major toll on my immune system as it was working to train my body to prevent the cancer cells from returning. My white blood cell count plummeted, so my body wouldn't have even been able to fight off a common cold. With a compromised immune system, spaces with large amounts of people were now off-limits. I had to stay away from the gym, which I couldn't say I was too upset about, but places like baseball games and public transit as well. Raw veggies, lunch meat, and sushi were also not allowed given the risks of foodborne illness. I spent the majority of April sleeping, often on my boyfriend's shoulder. I made it through all of my treatments without taking a break, which apparently doesn't happen, like ever. Getting through it was the most rewarding feeling, perhaps more rewarding than anything I had ever done. I mostly just felt relieved and so badly wanted to believe that it would be smooth sailing from here on out.
I was beyond ready to get going on the daily treatments. I figured the sooner I got them over with, the sooner I could get back to my normal life and this nightmare would come to an end. Hospital employees started noticing that I was showing up everyday, so I got to know the nurses, receptionists, and complimentary valet parkers pretty well. They even had a nickname for me. After my treatments on Fridays, I couldn't seem to hurry out of there fast enough. I would hear them say "Sasha Fierce is OUT OF THE BUILDING" as I was hauling it to my mom's car. My mom took me to just about every infusion. She would buy lots of green juice for me to stay hydrated and hold my hand when after six attempts they still had trouble getting a good vein. I don't know what I would have done without her. Both my mom and stepdad would go out of their way to get my favorite foods, trying so hard to get me to eat. At the beginning of my treatment, the doctors had prescribed me a cocktail of medications to counteract some of the side effects to make me more comfortable, but those meds had side effects of their own. I had something to take for nausea during the day, something to take for nausea at night. They gave me a high dose pain reliever only to be taken if Tylenol wasn't working and I wasn't planning on driving. They also gave me a low dose sleep aid to ease anxiety. I still feel like I'm forgetting some, but you get the point. The Interferon took a major toll on my immune system as it was working to train my body to prevent the cancer cells from returning. My white blood cell count plummeted, so my body wouldn't have even been able to fight off a common cold. With a compromised immune system, spaces with large amounts of people were now off-limits. I had to stay away from the gym, which I couldn't say I was too upset about, but places like baseball games and public transit as well. Raw veggies, lunch meat, and sushi were also not allowed given the risks of foodborne illness. I spent the majority of April sleeping, often on my boyfriend's shoulder. I made it through all of my treatments without taking a break, which apparently doesn't happen, like ever. Getting through it was the most rewarding feeling, perhaps more rewarding than anything I had ever done. I mostly just felt relieved and so badly wanted to believe that it would be smooth sailing from here on out.