So throughout my chemotherapy treatment I have noticed several different side-effects from my R-CHOP regimen. A few of these I was informed about having the potential to occur but several were surprises and seem a bit strange to me. Many of them have had a cumulative effect with each new chemo session and some have disappeared after the first session or two.
Initially I was a bit spooked to find that after my first chemotherapy session my sweat had a synthetic stink to it. I have always been very aware of my own smell, which is quite light, and this "new" odor was akin to the smell emitted after someone has done methamphetamines. That kind of chemical stink that you know was not created from within someone's body. Luckily this side-effect passed by the second week after treatment and either it never really returned or I have somehow grown accustomed to it.
Another passing side-effect, though be it a longer lasting one, was a strange film inside my mouth when encountering fatty foods. This occurred during the first week after each chemo session and lasted for the first three sessions or so. It should be noted that I also take prednisone for the first five days of each chemo cycle so it could be related to that. I first noticed it while attempting to snack on a fun-size Butterfinger candy bar. The flavor was definitely off and a slimy coating lined my cheeks and tongue. This also happened if I ate cheese, potato chips, even avocado - pretty much any foods with a high fat content.
The prednisone, being a steroid, has also had some interesting effects on me the past few months. Mainly it has given me a voracious appetite. I am one of the few people who has actually gained weight while undergoing chemotherapy. Since I take it at the start of each new cycle I have this screwy alternation between "I'm starving. I have to eat something!" and "I'm nauseous. I don't want anything to do with food!". Talk about feeling bi-polar. Also of note has been an increased sex-drive during the prednisone times. The patient education program has advised me to use a condom during any sexual activity for the first 48 hours after a chemotherapy session so as to be safe from any of the chemicals being excreted by my body.
The last side effect outside of the usual increased fatigue, hair loss, and growing neuropathy was a noticeable increase in the number of organisms skating around on the surface of my eyeballs. This may be coincidental but it does seem strange to notice it now. Looking up at the blue sky one day I was a bit freaked to see a lot of these protozoa-like creatures swimming around in my field of vision. Either this effect has subsided or I have trained myself to focus beyond and see past them.
Anyhow, I just thought readers might find these side-effects to be of interest in comparison and contrast to side-effects of their own.
