The oncology team again assured me that most of the side effects that would happen to my body during chemotherapy would eventually reverse themselves.

The combination of chemo drugs I’m on this time around is not going to be as harsh on the body as the first time around. I was advised to report any changes as it presents. My body apparently would take it better this time around.

I have taken the time to read through all the side effects that could occur with the chemo combination I’m on this time around and so far so good as far as what could go wrong.

Taste: This was the first change again. It started the same day as cycle one. My mouth has had a metallic taste and some foods are starting to taste off and bland.

The eve after Cycle five of my chemo treatment. The metallic taste to my mouth was more prominently noticeable.

The first time around, my mouth could tolerate very spicy, hot chilli foods, but with this combination of chemo, I can eat spicy, but not extremely hot foods.

I received my ninth Paclitaxel chemotherapy on the 3rd of March and I can confirm I can hardly taste anything as everything is completely bland.

Mouth Tenderness: This was noticed the second day while brushing. I noticed my already mild toothpaste and mouthwash were now too harsh. I’m diluting my mouthwash with water and my toothpaste has been changed to a much milder one, my toothbrush has been changed to a softer brittle from the medium.

Stomach Pains: The third day after cycle one began I started having mild lower abdominal pain on the left side of my stomach. Was advised to take painkillers and monitor. The pain hasn’t gotten worse and sometimes I don’t get it at all, however, it lets me know it’s there after each meal, no matter how little I eat.

Chemo Veins: I had a port-a-cath inserted for my chemo and other treatment this time around as my veins have not been doing so well due to the constant needle puncture since I was first diagnosed almost five years ago. Scarring on the veins around the port has developed aka chemo veins and bruises.

My ninth Paclitaxel was administered on the 3rd March and the entry point to my port isn’t healing as quickly as it used to so I’m aiding it with healing natural creams at home.

The port entry has also become more sensitive and although I’m applying the numbing cream before leaving home, I still sometimes feel the needle entry into the port.

Heartburn: This started a few days after cycle one of chemo and has gotten progressively worse. I get heartburn after each meal even if it’s a bowl of oats. I’m yet to get some heartburn relief as there are quite a few brands out there so will enquire from the chemo nurse’s recommendation this Wednesday when in for the next Paclitaxel hit.

Hair Loss: While taking a shower on Friday 20th November I noticed my bodily hair had started falling off, but my lashes, eyebrows hair and the hair on my head were still hanging on so on Saturday morning, I took out the hair removing cream and shaving stick and got rid of all the hairs on arms, legs, and the lower region. My lashes, eyebrows, and hair on my head were on observation.

My scalp became quite itchy and extremely tender so I decided it might be time to get rid of the hair on my head. After a rather restless night, I got out of bed with only one mission in mind. On Monday 7th December 2020, I went into my bathroom, and found a pair of scissors, a medium-sized freezer bag, and my tweezing mirror. Pulled at my locks and very carefully inserted the pair of scissors underneath and s n i p p e d. 

There were nine locks in total. I then pulled and cut off as much hair as possible. I noticed while doing this that some of the hair just came off the scalp as I pulled so the damage had already been done to some parts of the hair on the head. Then had a quick shampoo and conditioning using my Kiehl’s hair products followed by a few drops of black castor oil to nourish my scalp.

On Tuesday 8th of December, I visited the local high street and bought a hair clipper. Came home, read the instructions and cleaned it. I wrapped myself up in the bathroom and shaved what was remaining of my hair.

After a quick shampoo and conditioning with my Kiehl’s hair product and black castor oil to nourish my scalp, the itching and sensitivity subsided.

I had my eighth hit of Paclitaxel on the 24th of February and noticed my already growing soft curls had started thinning out again so decided to re-shave my head.

It’s now the end of May 2021 and my soft curls are growing out more evenly after two shaves so have decided to let it continue growing.

Nausea: The evening of the third hit of the antibodies Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab I experienced extreme nausea even after taking the anti-sickness medication. Two days into the treatment and it’s a little better.

Cycle five and my nausea is still quite bad even with the anti-sickness medication. The first few days after the infusion are the worst but get better as the days progress.

Woke up on Saturday 30th January feeling better but while getting ready for bed in the evening, I threw up twice, so slept with the bin next to my bed.

Nausea seems to be a major part of the side effect of this current chemo treatment for me. My anti-sickness tabs are being taken as instructed but it seems in my case the medication is having very little effect as I now throw up regularly. Yesterday was Friday the 12th of February and at 20.44PM I threw up like never before. Called the chemo line for advice and there wasn’t much that could be done for me.

We are now in March 2021 and nine Paclitaxel infusions into my treatment and the nausea is still playing a major role.

Skin Discolouration and Breakout: The skin on the back of my hands have started to darken and the nail stems have become quite tender. It’s cycle three of the antibodies and only one session of paclitaxel.

Had my fourth round of antibodies combined with my second hit of Paclitaxel chemo on Wednesday 6th January 2021 and on Friday 8th Jan I woke up to find that the skin on my face had darkened with a serious breakout all over my face.

The breakout was worse on my forehead and the skin there had become very sensitive, extremely dry, and sore.

By the time I was on my eighth Paclitaxel end of February 2021, the skin on my face had become extremely dry and patchy. I have dark patches where it looks like the skin has thickened in layers than other parts with lots of dark spots. The skin tone on the face has become extremely dark and extremely thirsty.

The skin tone on the back of my hands and feet has also become very dark and dry. I keep moisturising as often as possible using my Kiehl’s body range whenever I feel any tightness.

Nerve Damage (Numbness of the Toes & Fingers): I started to notice some numbness to my big left toe shortly after the fourth cycle and the second hit of Paclitaxel in January 2021. The same toe stings at night while in bed and sometimes during the day.

On the eve after Cycle five Thursday 28th January 21st of my chemo treatment, I noticed the cramps I’d been having only on the left foot is now happening on the right foot too.

The numbness to all of my toes and fingers had intensified, so had the stinging sensations.

It’s the beginning of March 2021 and the numbness to my fingers and toes is more pronounced, and I’m finding it harder to open things with my hands. I massage my toes and fingertips at night because they go completely numb if I don’t. The advice is to keep them warm.

It’s now the first week of April 2021 and there are still new developments with my side effects. Apart from the skin on my hands and feet turning really dark and burnt looking, the nerve damage to the tips of my fingers has started growing out. The dark growth can be seen on my nail bed. As it grows out it turns the entire nail bed dark.

Loss of Appetite: My appetite isn’t what it used to be although I have never been a big eater. I try to eat something small at mealtimes so that I’m not going without. Most of the fruits and vegetables that I love sadly taste off or leave a bitter aftertaste so I’m constantly figuring out what would taste ok.

After cycle five eating became a little more difficult with no desire to eat at all but I kept trying to find new things to eat.

After cycle five eating became a little more difficult with no desire to eat at all but I kept trying to find new things to eat.

I drink a lot of fluid though. Green tea, fresh pineapple juice which helps with the metallic, bitter after taste, lots of lemon, ginger, and turmeric with hot water. Loads of organic coconut water.

I had a loose stool episode that started after my 5th Paclitaxel on Wednesday 3rd to Thursday 4th February. After the last running tap-like stool, I made breakfast but wasn’t able to eat much from it. Three days later, I’ve had no desire to eat, I have only been able to force down a little breakfast and a little dinner without any food desires during lunchtimes so just stuck to liquids.

Five days on and my appetite is slowly returning with me now feeling hungry during meal times. Still eating very little at a time but eating I am.

By my eighth Paclitaxel which was on the 24th of Feb, I had lost quite a lot of weight so I intensified my search into finding food that tasted good while still nutritious. I’m ensuring that I eat something at every mealtime, however small.

My appetite isn’t what it used to be although I have never been a big eater. I try to eat something small at mealtimes so that I’m not going without. Most of the fruits and vegetables that I love sadly taste off or leave a bitter aftertaste so I’m constantly figuring out what would taste ok.

After cycle five eating became a little more difficult with no desire to eat at all but I kept trying to find new things to eat.

It’s the beginning of March 2021 and eating and getting hungry is still very much a task.

Fatigue: Fatigue is one of the serious effects of having chemotherapy. This doesn’t seem to be a problem for me at the moment and if I remember correctly had very little effect on me the first time I had chemo over four years ago. If anything I remember being quite restless.

A day after cycle five of my chemo treatment I slept not too badly but woke up full of energy. I had more energy than any other time after a cycle begins. I got dressed and went for my usual long run as soon as the rain stopped and felt great during and afterwards. I took it easy and kept checking myself for anything unusual but the run went really smoothly.

Feeling Flushed: I found I can get hot quickly and my palms would get quite red but once I take some item of clothing off I cool down quite quickly too.

Nosebleeds and Bruising: Friday 29th January, the dryness to the inside of my nose has intensified to the point that it feels like I have blisters inside the walls of my nose.

After cycle five daily nose bleeds became the norm with at least a few each day. I was advised to steam my face regularly then apply a little vitamin A cream to the inside of both nostrils.

Organic Vitamin A cream – helps to speed up healing, prevent breakouts and support the skin’s immune system. It promotes natural moisturising – which means it helps to hydrate the skin effectively. It assists in promoting and maintaining a healthy dermis and epidermis, the top two layers of your skin.

Steaming My Nose – Steaming my face to relieve the tightness of the blisters inside my nose was a remedy that really worked for me. Applying the organic vitamin A cream once done then randomly throughout the day was a lifesaver. I still get nose bleeds but I can also see how quickly the blisters are healing until the next hit.

Feeling Generally Unwell: The evening of Friday 29th January, I felt really unwell with no specific symptoms just a desperate ploy to leave my skin so decided to go to bed early. Woke up on Saturday 30th January feeling better.

During my telephone consultation with an Onco Breast consultant on Monday 15th February, I was informed that the steroids I’m being given before my Paclitaxel infusion could be the reason for my low, general feeling of unwellness. The dose will be adjusted so hopefully that awful feeling of wanting to jump out of my skin and generally feeling very low should stop after my next treatment.

Adjusting my pre-meds amount really made a huge difference with the feeling unwell, the violent stomach pains on the eve of every infusion, the stool, and vomiting. Life has become a little more tolerable.

Diarrhoea: I had my fifth Paclitaxel infusion on Wednesday 3rd February at Guy’s Chemo Lounge. Around 4 PM at home, I had my first encounter with a semi-loose bowel movement with shakes and sweat. It reminds me of when one has eaten bad or contaminated food and your body just wants to get rid of it.

On the same Wednesday 3rd February eve at 10.30 PM while getting ready for bed I had the first loose bowel movement with the smell of diarrhoea. The second about an hour later then went to bed.

At about 12AM Thursday 4th February my bowel movement can only be described as a running tap. Exhausted and unable to think but somehow able to go back to bed only to wake up again at 4.15 AM with another running tap movement.

Now I knew I had to call the chemo emergency line for advice and just before I picked up the mobile, remembered I had been given an anti-stool medication.

Found it, took out the instructions, and quickly read through it. Take two tabs immediately then one tab after each loose stool and do not take more than eight in twenty-four hours so act as instructed.

The capsules contained Loperamide Hydrochloride, a substance that will help reduce my diarrhoea by slowing down my currently overactive bowel. This allows water and salts that are usually lost in diarrhoea to be absorbed by the body. I took my temperature and it was fine.

Still feeling very weak I decided to call the chemo helpline at a more sociable hour. I made hot water and lemon drink then crawled back into bed. Got up again at 7.45 AM for another running tap stool and once done took one capsule as per instruction.

At 8.30 AM with a huge mug of hot water, lemon and honey drink in hand, I called the chemo advice line, answered a few questions and was told a nurse would call me back shortly.

Less than ten minutes later a very chirpy nurse called back and I narrated the past 24hrs. She said I had acted correctly with everything I did and to keep the fluids going into my body. If any more running tap-like stool resumes, take the capsule as instructed and keep them posted with any new updates.

My sixth Paclitaxel chemotherapy was administered on Wednesday 10th February. The treatment went well apart from me feeling tired once I got home so I slept till dinner time.

All was fine till about 12AM Thursday early morning when I was woken up with a very upset stomach and ran into the bathroom. I had a soft stool experience with the feeling that my body was trying to get rid of something it didn’t like.

An hour later I had my first loose stool experience so I took the anti stool tabs as soon as possible so as not to have a repeat experience as a week ago then went back to bed. Luckily I only had to take the two capsules to put a stop to the episode this time around.

My nausea has improved although not gone since the adjustment of my pre-meds.

Purple Tongue: Cycle five brought up quite a few symptoms and I woke up on Friday 5th February to also discover my tongue had turned purple. I called the chemo helpline and informed them of this too. It wasn’t hurting, burning or stopping me from eating and drinking so they said just to keep an eye on it and report back if anything else happens to it.

Purple, Black, or Hairy Tongue as it’s known is a yeast-type fungal infection similar to oral thrush but not so common. Caused by my chemo treatment wiping out my “good” bacteria and not having enough white cell count to keep it at bay.

Cycle seven on the 17th of February brought a change to some of my major side effects and eased some of my sufferings and discomforts. I had a review and they decided to reduce the amount of some of my premeds.

I saw my Onco consultant on the 8th March and after a review, he decided it was time to stop Paclitaxel chemotherapy. The chemo had done what it was meant to do to the lymph node on my collar bone which was perfect but my body had suffered badly during that period and the damage was very visible.

Extensive Skin Toxicity: Skin toxicity is the commonest adverse effect from immunotherapy with approximately 30-50% experiencing some skin symptom. Skin toxicity usually presents in the form of a rash, erythema, or pruritus.

On some rare occasions, toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), vasculitis, Steven-Johnson Syndrome, and drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) can occur. The symptoms usually develop early in the course of treatment (within the first few weeks after initiation).

My face and body after nine infusions of Paclitaxel chemotherapy. One of the things not visible in the pictures is how burnt-looking my skin became. My face, hands, and feet turned ashy black and extremely dry, flakey, and patchy.

It’s now the end of March 2021. I’ve had nine Paclitaxel infusions in total, it has now been stopped while I carry on with the antibodies which aren’t as harmful to my body.

My body is now in a regeneration process. All the side effects have stopped progressing and I’m now giving my body the time it deserves for pampering, rest, nourishment and giving it the attention it needs to find its way back to her new norm. My go-to products, Kiehl’s and Bio-oil have a lot of work to do.

My onco consultant had reassured me on my last visit with him that everything that happened to my body in terms of side effects from chemotherapy would all reverse and all I needed to do was give it time and take great care of my body.

Today is Thursday 15th April: Second Vaccination Day: I had my second vaccination jab this morning. While having the jab the doctor did inform me that I may get some pain on the arm injected and a little body pain. If this happens, I should just take some painkillers for a few days.

All was fine until Thursday evening. As soon as I got into bed, the most excruciating pain started to develop on the injected arm. I can only describe the pain as having been beaten with a baton during the day but the pain only manifests at night. This must-have lasted for about an hour or more until I finally drifted off into sleep while holding and massaging the arm with the right arm.

I woke up Friday morning with the aftermath of the pain still lingering on and as the day progressed, noticed I had started developing a rather heavy and painful head which lingered and progressed throughout the day. My tastebuds weren’t perfect, in fact, everything tasted even worse. 

I had a Super Selective Neck Dissection surgery with ENT consultant Mr. Rovira at Guy’s hospital on Thursday 8th April 2021. The affected node wasn’t attached to any organs but it was surrounded by lots of vital vessels which helped with mobility. The telltale signs of any damages can present themselves immediately after surgery or sometime afterwards.

Sadly for me, a few mild symptoms have indicated I may be sustained some damages. Along the outer side of my last finger on the right hand, from tip to the wrist there has been some stinging at different intervals during the day for about three weeks now and the upper right side of my neck to the tip of my right shoulder aches also at intervals but more so at night.