I had to edit this post and add an “almost” because my friend Megan (who was diagnosed with breast cancer just before I was diagnosed with CML) reminded me that all of this happened towards the end of the year. Oh, well, we’re close to five years!
So I shouldn’t be so public about my health problems, but it’s too late now. I really don’t want my employer to know anything much about my health, and google will be available for any health insurance company to see my problems, etc. But I have a big mouth and I’ve opened it already.
In any case, I was looking up the side-effects of the two prescription drugs I regularly take and I realized a couple of things. The hay fever medicine lists:
- nausea, diarrhea, upset stomach (no percentage listed)
- menstrual cramps (1.5%)
- drowsiness, tired feeling (no percentage listed)
- headache (10.3%)
- muscle or back pain (2.5%)
However, the frequency of these problems for the general population was fairly low.
My other medication lists:
- fluid retention (usually swelling around the eyes or legs) (59%-81%)
- diarrhea (39%-70%)
- nausea (47%-74%)
- vomiting (21%-58%)
- fatigue (30%-53%)
- muscle cramps (28%-62%)
- muscle or bone pain (30%-49%)
- abdominal pain (30%-40%), and
- rash (36%-53%)
I also see on a bulletin board that weight gain of about 25 pounds is very common as well.
I started thinking about all this because I started having back pain, muscle pain, and stomach problems about the time I started the hay fever medicine, even though the other medication should have been bothering me more. But the other medication with all the side effects is KEEPING ME ALIVE.
I just noticed that it’s been almost five years since I was diagnosed with CML and the prognosis before Gleevec (the wonder drug with some side effects) was 3-5 years. Now, who knows? They don’t see any abnormal chromosomes in my blood tests even with nested PCR (knock on wood.) And like I told a couple of people who emailed me about it in the past five years, keep your spirits up! That’s the advice I got early on, and I’m still kicking!
So I hate to say that I’m dragging my ass around the gym because of the effects of my drug use, I mean, medications, because really I’m a lazy 44YO (almost) geek who usually sits around and only ever exercises his mouse arm. And my diet is doodie, if you consider cheeseburgers to be doodie and not manna from heaven like I do.