My BIG FAT Side Effects

I thought I'd tell you about some of the side-effects I am experiencing while receiving Taxol chemotherapy. Don't get me wrong, I am nothing short of THRILLED to be done with that hellish AC. But with chemo, there's always a cost.

Here's what the literature says:
You may notice darkening of your skin, especially in the nail beds, tongue, palms and soles. This is more common in dark-skinned patients.

Here's what I say:
The nail beds of my thumbs have darkened, along with the soles of my feet and both sides of my hands. I now have brown spots, primarily on the soles of my feet. I don't even want to look at my tongue.

Here's what the literature says:
You may notice that your vision is worse. Some patients may have difficulty reading.

Here's what I say:
I wish I could blame it entirely on the chemo. Apparently this is well-known occurrence in my family, usually starting around the age of 40.

Here's what the literature says:
You will lose all of your scalp hair, but other body hair may also fall out such as...

Here's what I say:
I'm a bald, brown-spotted woman, with thinning eyebrows and lashes, who needs glasses to see whether my tongue has gotten darker.


Now the good news:
Most side-effects are short term and go away after the chemotherapy is finished.