Perplexed, but I'm not complaining

Well here I am, just over one week after the last chemo cycle and things could not be more different from the last lot. As you all know I didn't have the best of time with the first Taxotere cycle but things have been a lot better this time round. As soon as the pain started last Thursday I started taking Paracetamol and took it regularly, irrespective of the level of pain. I'm assuming this is why pain hasn't been that bad - I certainly have been able to move quite freely. To add to this I've not (yet) reacted to the injections, so no temperature - if the injections were actually the cause for the temperature in the first place. I really don't understand this - and I don't have enough knowledge of the human body to even make a guess. I'm hoping it's the 'pre-emptive strike' on pain that minimised the side-effects because I'll certainly be repeating that behaviour.

Fatigue remains the main problem, and my mouth has been quite sore. I'm not sleeping well at all because of hot flushes and night sweats, which undoubtedly adds to the fatigue problem. Thankfully I can have a lie down whenever I need it during the day so things could be a lot worse from that perspective. And of course Mum takes very good care of me, which means there isn't much I actually have to do.

As a result I've been able to do a bit more. Those who know me will know I get bored if my mind isn't stimulated. So I'm now working on a few things and getting nowhere fast - I really need to be concentrating on one thing at a time as my mind shuts down quite quickly. But fear not - I shall be boring you with nerdy facts relating to cancer very soon. I read an interesting article today on how a compound of the japaleno pepper has been shown to kill lung and pancreatic cancer cells grown in the laboratory. It does so by targeting the mitochondria - "the cells' energy-generating boiler room" - of cancer cells as apparently "the biochemistry of the mitochondria in cancer cells is very different from that in normal cells". Which, as far as I'm concerned, currently roughly translates into 'U wot?'. Anyway this ought to keep me busy for some time.

I hope you're all well - especially my fellow Liverpool supporters.