We sympathize with you John, those chemo drugs are often full of major side effects. Sometimes you wonder if the cure isn't worse than the ill!
My wife Nancy has been battling Stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer for 8 years now, and gets chemo every week to survive. She's had surgery twice, radiation until she glowed, and eight different chemo drugs, sometimes as many as three different ones in a session. Side effects have included both diarrhea and constipation, fatigue, hair loss, nausea, headaches, bone & muscle pain, dizziness, burning sensations, sores on feet or in the mouth, rashes, neutropenia (low white blood count), and depression. With one drug the depression side effect was so severe she had to quit using it, but fortunately the FDA approved an new alternative at just about that time. Our biggest problem is that her cancer is very aggressive and mutates quickly and the chemo stops working, so she has to try something different. Each one seems to be effective for 9-12 months and then the tumors start growing again.
But we are happy she is alive, and mostly able to lead a normal life. We still able to spend summers in our RV (though it takes a lot of planning), visit friends and family, dine out, go shopping, etc. Life is still good, despite the bumpy road.
