The End of Cycle 8 & The Start of Cycle 9: Anaphylaxis

I had thought that I had written on Cycle 8, but given what happened yesterday I suppose that is just as well. Cycle 8 went as usual, with the exception of a blood pressure spike near the end of the course. At the time, both my oncologist and the R.N. attributed the spike to a combination of the Avastin that was added in this cycle and the narrowing of my veins and arteries by the over-all chemotherapy. I noticed the effects of the chemo lasted longer this round--usually they fade by the Saturday or Sunday after the clinic, but Cycle 8 kept the fatigue and neuropathy going up until this past Friday, with a couple of nosebleeds to keep me on my toes.

Yesterday, Cycle 9 started with a twist; about an hour into the procedure, I felt a wave of heat begin from the back of my head, sweep over and down to my chest and arms. My skin began to prickle and redden, like a bad sunburn, and I could feel my pulse start to race. I was so distracted by the itching of my skin that I didn't even think to pull the emergency cord next to my chair. By the time my nurse stopped by to check on me, my skin was breaking out in hives and I was beginning to have difficulty breathing.

"Are you feeling OK?"

"I think there's something wrong."

Five minutes later, after about 25ml of Benadryl and a steroid I don't remember the name of, I was breathing easier, and cooling down. The nurses told me my blood pressure had jumped to 153/96, and that I had suffered an allergic reaction to the oxaliplatin. Apparently, one can develop a sensitivity to the chemical if one is exposed long enough, and I apparently hit my threshold. Anaphylctic shock ensued.

The Benadryl pretty much wiped the floor with me--my head was swiveling like my neck was a bag of ball bearings. I mostly slept through the remainder of the chemo, waking up every half-hour or so. By rights I shouldn't have been able to sleep at all--my sleep apnea should have made it pretty difficult, and Benadryl makes my condition only worse. But the O2 supply they had me on must have provided enough force to keep air flowing through my airway, and keep me stable.

Where I go from here, I can guess--but I won't know for sure until my next meeting with my oncologist. The most likely course that I can think of is that the oxaliplatin will be discontinued. But I don't know how important the oxaliplatin is to the overall treatment, so that's just a guess. Perhaps the dosage can be changed, or staggered out over the next three cycles. I'll just have to wait and see.