What Chemotherapy did for me. Even if it's temporary

What I know for a fact because I feel the "Side effects".

Bad Side effects I expect will linger for quite a while longer (1-4 years).

1. Neuropathy. Sudden lightening pain that shoots into any random muscle with nerves, into any part of your body, some last only seconds, others last minutes (forever). It can hit any part of the body (I do mean any, I had some Va JJ lightening bolts that nearly made me consider having it all complete removed and become intersex.) 

• Just a few days ago I had a pain start at my ankle, run into my heal - I could wiggle my foot, point it north / south, no issue: as soon as I put weight on my entire foot, the weight on the ball of the foot while walking would send a deep "stabbing a knife into it' pain that lasted until mid the next day. 

• I have consistently every day had this "lightening pain" shoot into and STAY in between my shoulder blades, staying from 5 hours to a few days straight. It does go away, but immediately comes back as soon as I do "ANYTHING" reach up to my coffee cup shelf to get my cup for morning coffee.

• Then there is the Typical Everyday, repetitive, no matter what, several times a day or consistently through out the day....  Ankle pain, toe's feel like they are suddenly on fire with hundreds of needles or like someone is stabbing it with 1 large needle, same with finger tips, knuckles on hands and feet. Wrist (total loss of strength: Can't tell you how many glasses I broke before switching to plastic or Stainless steel tumblers). Sharp Rib pain (in-between the ribs). 

• --My Favorite of all (note the sarcasm): The already destroyed 4-5 vertebrae in my lower back (and my neck as well) where the cushions are missing in between, arthritis, degenerative disk disease with hooks of bone etc... THOSE hurt nearly 24/seven, every day of the week, all month long. Only now, chemo has blessed me with intensified pain.  The pain is at the very least disruptive. More often it is debilitating. NO bending at all, if I do, instant lightening pain, up to shoulder and neck, then throbbing for hours, the rest of the day if I don't take a pain pill.... With a pain pill it will ease the pain enough that It might give me 30 minutes of random easy tasks. Put that dirty cup in the sink on my way to the bathroom, fold that kitchen towel back up when I go from bathroom to living room to rest in my lazy boy. etc. NO heavy lifting over 8 lbs. No bending over to pick up the despicable dog hair balled up at the kitchen table leg. No ability to stand at the sink for more that 10 minutes to wash a cup or two and have to sit right back down again.

2. Exhaustion:  as I have mentioned in early posts, Day to day - Normal - pulling an 18 hr shift at work, pulling the midnight shift when it's not your normal schedule, Nursing jobs often get 2-24 hr shifts.. THAT is exhaustion.. However, Chemotherapy exhaustion can be described as much much different. Of course, WE feel it is worse, simply because we didn't do ANYTHING to get that exhausted. It is simply because Chemo depleats your vitamin b in your body. All of them, it shrinks / destroys both Red and white blood cells from your body, all the way from inside the bone (marrow), it causes your platelet to drop drastically low. There for, exhaustion from the minute you wake up to the minute you go back to bed. Nothing you do will replenish this, nothing you can eat, drink, snort (lol) or NAP away, will fix it.  You can get injections/Banana bags (typically given for hangovers) with all the essentials: Vitamin b complex, ellectrolytes etc..  That can get you through the roughest of days. (my insurance did NOT cover this and as you know I am poor as dirt. So I didn't get that option.)  Even with taking double B complex (at doctors OK) as well as taking American Gensing, vitamin D3 k2, Saffron and a few other vitamins not necessarily for that symptom. I STILL felt exhausted and had NO strength at all. It can take upward to 4 years for Nerves to regenerate (from Chemo) if at all. It's a slow process. But, for my husband, who has been dealing with Diabetic Neuropathy for over 17 years, his will never get better only worse. Type 1 diabetes permanently damages, and even fatally damages nerves all through the body including the eyes. He has no periferal vision since he was 40 years old. He has permanent damage to ear drums and wears hearing aids.

3. Changes in Eyesight:  My Eyesight has gotten worse. I've had to get strong reading glasses and have to get an appointment for new Tests ran and new glasses bought. As soon as we can afford it, that might be a few months to a year, so I am hoping this is one of those temporary side effects that will correct itself. Anyway, It's not just that everything got blurrier, I see floaters (where blood vessels have burst in my eyes: Not painful at all, you just see black floaty shadows running accross your eyes, it's very annoying).  Most morning since Chemo treatment 4, I wake up with these white spots that cover the peripheral vision area that have lasted anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. Leaving me unable to drive, as I do not trust it just yet. I will give it a few months after this last treatment to make sure if they are going to return permanently or go away.

Good side effects (so far that I have noticed)  Yes, it is true... There were (SO FAR) some good side effects. But first, let's go over the pre-existing (being treated for) conditions:

Migraines (autoimune): Off and on since age nine once a month or so or always after eating beef, beef by products and always after strenuous exercise (PE/Gym class) at home doing chores using the loud vacuum or standing for an hour or longer doing dishes. This gradually got worse as the Scoliosis showed up at age 16 (neck and back) read more about that next, but the migraines increased to weekly migraines. Then after having my first child at 20yrs old, increased to a few times a week, second child increased again with intensity a few times a week, 

Scoliosis found at age 16: Back then, Doctors / Chyropractors did NOT believe the spine curviture could possibly result in pain, muscular or otherwise. I always knew better. I was in severe pain all the time (and have been, even now). Logic tells you that when a vertibrae is out of place and twisted and turning, surly the muscles are affected; Either being pulled too tight in one direction and being scrunched or being stretched beyond it's ability (which I experience on a daily). My Ribs would twist and cause harm, I couldn't breath without sever pain, usually lasting 3 days or so even with going to a chyropractor for an adjustment. That being said, each muscle has nerve ending that connect at the spine. IF said spine is twisted or out of place, does it not stand to reason that nerve is either being pressed on or even smashed by said vertibrae, therefor causing pain?  Hmmm. Sit for that for a minute.  Doctors have come a long way since 1986. But it took them freaking way too long. I had to suffer so much.. Even when they finally said, Oh yeah, it's painful. All they could do is offer permanent physcial therapy (which my insurance would not pay for) or highly addictive pain medication, highly regulated, that in all honestly didn't last long enough.  One 5 mg pill of Hydrocodone only lasted 5 hours. A stay at home mom is on her feet for 12-17 hours a day.. The math didn't math.  I have always been the type to "NOT" use medication unless absolutely necessary. I struggled all through my adult life with severe pain, was a very agry person as a result of that pain and had no clue how to deal with it, other than push through it and cry at the end of the day. Pray I wouldn't over do it and land myself in bed for 3 days recovering. Childhood was mentally damaging as no one believed I was actually in pain.

I've had Hypoglycemia since my first pregnancy, at that time deemed as Prenatal Diabetes, or gestational diabetes. Mine never went away. Although my blood sugar is fine, I have dips in my blood sugar when I go without eating at least something by noon. It has gotten so bad, that if I am out and about and no money to stop and eat, I will pass out where ever I stand. Luckily I learned to always have a drink with me and always have a snack or some candy in my purse. 

IBS & IBD: depending on what I ate (later finding out what that was see below) From around 12 years old is when I started noticing the severity of this. Never correlating it to what I was eating, didn't know better, and neither did my authoritative adults in my life. So, I just suffered and tried to hide it. As showing pain and weakness only got you accused of being lazy, a princess, and spoiled. "Toughen up woos".  Yeah.  That was my childhood.   And to top it off, when IBS / IBD got worse, migraines got more intolerable and more frequent.

Bowel blockage leading to urgent / emergent bowel resection surgery in 2018.

Consistent Non cancerous tumors (1995-2025) being found on one breast, Cervix and cysts on ovaries. had several outpatient surgeries to remove tissue from Breast and Cervix. Cysts they can't do anything about. All which were very painful and added to the list of building ailments I had to deal with.  These eventually landed me at having a partial hysterectomy at 45 - 2025

Early onset Low Bone mass, usually found in 70 year old's (also known as osteoporosis) found in 2018-2020 can't remember, that came about because I got a severe bronchial pneumonia that wouldn't go away, broke one rib just coughing and broke another when I went to jump on  my boyfriend at the times, back and gave him a hug, being playful and snap a rib broke. This was after I recovered from the Bronchitis.

Anemic since I was very young. Always tired and always had dark circles under my eyes, everyone deeming me the "sickly" kids, but Never anyone giving suggestions on how to fix it. Give me Iron pills that only made the IBC even worse and more painful.

Underweight: always, except while pregnant. At one point, I was on a medication for preventing the migraines, a blood pressure medication, that made me gain weight up to 178 lbs., once I got off of it, I went back down to 126,  Nothing I did, even as I aged and went through menopause. Yes I slowly over 12 years gained up to 145 (finding out later that 9 lbs of that was Cancer tumors)

Non alcoholics Fatty liver with mild scarring. Diagnosed around the same time I got diagnosed with ALPHA-GAL syndrome (no longer able to have meat or by products made or created with or using any type of 4 legged animal). Somewhere in 2022 just before I lost my insurance.

Undiagnosed:  A few years before we found the cancer, I felt I had Pots or something similar as I had all the symptoms. It was like Menopause on crack (ten times more symptoms on top of) Severe leg cramps every single night even though I was taking magnesium. yes the right one (I researched all the way through the freaking rabbit holes), dystonia when one single toe randomly and usually at 2 am, would start to point to the stars as if wanting me to look up, mood swings from hell (yes at some point menopause, which doctors blamed it on that, even though these symptoms began way too early for Menopause), Insomnia from hell, resulting in the last 35 years of wearing blackout masks and the best ear plugs on the market to drown out noise. ALWAYS always having pain in my gut (since the bowel surgery most of all), but all over my gut, never the same place, shifting through out the day.

NOW for the Possible CURES, either by diet change from the alpha gal (3 years prior to cancer/chemo), the Chemo itself, or the Vitamin Protocol I finally researched the crap out of because decided it was needed since my "menopausal" symptoms were not going away, as I refused to be put on an Hormone replacement (side effects alone scared the crap out of me), and I had an infinite fear of Breaking bones, always tired, always feeling sick, always dreaming of getting healthy, hated the dark circles under my eyes, was constantly stressed out, couldn't sleep, was turning into the biggest MONSTER BITCH my new husband did NOT deserve, on and on. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. 

So After a few dedicated months (late 20232 - during the couple years of no health insurance - 2022 until  cancer hit in late 2025) of intense "Crunchy green" research on what GOD MADE herbal concoction I could take to make me feel better, further diet changes, and a year or so of testing out several and only keeping the ones that made me feel better. I ended up during the year of 2024 consistently taking Methylene blue (one drop a day in the morning) I was on Maringa (but can not take that anymore because of the cancer and quite possibly aided in the cancer actually growing bigger faster) I took apricot seeds (2 day) I took vitamin B12-6 and 1 a full dropper of liquid a day inside my new Vitamin blend by Mary Ruth (daily women's vitamins) I also added on Mullein tincture (1 dropper a day as I was a smoker) Saffron for mood swings (yes it works - one a day, getting ready to up that to 2 a day). Vitamin D3 K2 because a decade or so of not having energy to go outside and get Natural vitamin d truly made me deficient, it also helps you naturally absorbed calcium.   

Well, Once starting chemotherapy, I added on a couple more. Astaxanthin, NAD / NAC and a few others.  So far, I watched my blood test consistently show my deficiencies were improving slowly, that as of today: Nov 29th 2026) my calcium became normal (no more osteoporosis - not diagnosed as gone yet, getting that done soon). Anemia is Gone. It's all in the green zone of normal. My fatty liver is GONE; NO Trace, no evidence it ever existed- from the Doctors own mouth.  Now, only while I was going through Chemo treatments 1-4, I no longer had Migraines, unfortunately, those have come back with a vengeance. My daily Mild to strong headaches have also returned. as soon as I wake up and sticking around all day, most of the time turning into a migraine. (I will be researching, I believe something in the premeds they were giving me was helping with that).  Scoliosis, obviously, will never go away as well as the pain from that. Bummer, But all my blood tests are coming back normal on the things I was deficient in. Including the B12, 6 and 1, that being deficient can cause a slew of issues (look it up).  IBS / IBD was starting to go away since the diet change after being diagnosed with Alpha-Gal, turned out the ANIMAL based foods and products were keeping me very sick. I don't wear makeup anymore or take pills in capsules anymore.  However, during Chemo, it itself caused Diahrea and constipation, but once that is out of my system I should go back to my life of NO IBS / IBD unless I unknowingly ingest Mammalian products.  The underweight thing?  I believe that should level out too. During Chemo I have lost from 145-48 down to 123. The debulking surgery made me lose 10 lbs. instantly, that was the tumors.  Chemo killed my appetite so I consistently lost down to 123 as of yesterday. Once I get through this last chemo session side effects, I should gain back up the 135-45 where I am normal. I will be working on that. The Bowel blockage: That one is under investigation. It appears early on after removing the cancer, they noticed I had build up again. So I am waiting on the Doctor appointment to have the checked out. But I am positive if I stay on my No mammal meat or by product diet, that should go down to minimal worry.  Hypoglycemia is far and few between, because I have become vigilant about making sure I eat Lunch before I go anywhere, or at the least carry something with me just in case. Not even sure it's an issue anymore, but haven't taken the chance to "test" the theory. OH, and before I forget. The Alpha-Gal. Not sure if Chemo killed it, or just maimed it, but, I have eaten a few things that I haven't had in three years, pork, butter, cheeses and have had absolutely no reaction to it. Is it possible that Chemo cured the Alpha-gal? I wouldn't recommend this choice of action, there are much cheaper courses to take, and less inavasive and damaging. I hear acupuncture is doing amazing things to cure Alpha-gal. I personally would go that route. If my syptom reappear that is next on my list. Get rid of Alpha-gal, I am waiting to see if maybe chemo did it for me. So, that is a possible plus.

You decide. You've heard what I have done, what I do and will continue to do. You can decide what you think about it.  Ask me anything, I would be glad to share my procol or whatever advice you ask more. Just know, what worked for me, may not work for you.