Thursday, December 23, 2010

A Shot of Neulasta

Well, so far so good. I woke up feeling pretty much the same as yesterday which was much like the day before. I keep wondering when it will catch up to me. My luck can't keep holding on.

Today I received my first Neulasta shot. This drug stimulates the production of white blood cells in bone marrow to reduce the risk of infection. One common side effect is bone pain which can be from mild to severe. Tylenol can be effective for milder pain. However, the current recommendation is to use Claritin, an allergy drug. Somehow, someone found out Claritin helped to relieve the bone pain caused by the Neulasta shot. And a bit of Tylenol along with it should pretty much wipe out any twinges. So I took a Claritin earlier today and will continue it for the next 2-3 days. I guess it must be working because none of my bones are aching yet. But I don't want to dance the happy dance yet. For some patients, pain comes the first day, to others in a the next couple of days, and for others yet, the pain shows up 7 days later. Everybody's body behaves differently. That is a resounding statement for patients of chemotherapy. So I will just have to wait and see what I will experience. But I'm sure hoping the Claritin does the job!

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