May 13, 2008 - My first day of the new drug, Taxol. It didn't go well. I had an anaphylactic reaction. I felt a whoosh of heat rush to my head. It felt like my head was going to explode. I turned red instantly, even the whites of my eyes were red. My heart raced. I thought I was going to have a heart attack, stroke or die. I couldn't breathe, my airway was closing. It felt like someone was sitting on my chest. My face, eyes, lips and tongue were swelling. Scary!! My chemo nurses, Alicia and Angie were on it, as was my friend Julie who remained incredibly calm the whole time. I received oxygen, mega amounts of steroids and Benadryl, then went to Auburn hospital where I was admitted for the night. I received more steroids, IV fluids and Benadryl. Mom and Paul came to see me. I had a rash all over my body, even on my hands and feet. I was still incredibly swollen. Have you ever seen a bald woman with a head to toe rash? It was literally on my head. Not pretty. I am really sick of having cancer and all of the crap that goes with it.
Okay, this is hilarious: While at Auburn Hospital a doctor came in to see me. He said, "okay, I see here in your chart that you have breast cancer... uh huh... and I see you've already had your mastectomy." (Come on, I'm nearly a B, was wearing a sports bra and sweat shirt, but really...) I said, "well, actually, no I haven't had the surgery yet". He turned beet red and hustled out of the room. I never saw him again. It really cracked me up. I bet he tells that story to this day. I also bet he never makes that assumption again.
[Anaphylaxis is a serious, potentially life-threatening allergic response that is marked by swelling, hives, lowered blood pressure and dilated blood vessels. In severe cases, a person will go into shock. If anaphylactic shock isn't treated immediately, it can be fatal. Anaphylaxis may begin with severe itching of the eyes or face and, within minutes, progress to more serious symptoms. The condition can quickly result in an increased heart rate, sudden weakness, a drop in blood pressure, shock and ultimately unconsciousness and death.]
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3 comments:
I am Julie and this day started out like any other chemo day. We both complained about how much chemo sucks and laughed about just anything as usual. The nurses are so great! Dena and I have a good mix of fun and faith that gets the job of chemo done. I watch Dena like a hawk when they start the chemo. We were so relieved that she didn't have a reaction after the first 10 minutes. Two minutes later, I flew to the nurses station alerting them of Dena's instant reaction. Dena comments that I was calm. She was the amazing one! So brave and patient, she fought the waves. My job is to protect her and love her to the best of my ability and I was truly grateful to be a part of her team that day. I thank God every day for you girl!!!
You are lucky to be alive, given your reaction to Taxol. My dad was administered Taxol and went into instant anaphylactic shock, resulting in death within minutes. :(
Hi Dena,
I hope all is well with you. Healthline just published an infographic detailing the effects of anaphylaxis on the body. This is an interactive chart allowing the reader to pick the side effect they want to learn more about.
You can see the overview of the report here: http://www.healthline.com/health/anaphylaxis/effects-on-body
Our users have found our guide very useful and I thought it would be a great resource for your page: http://denascancerjourney.blogspot.com/2008/10/anaphylactic-reaction-to-taxol.html
I would appreciate it if you could review our request and consider adding this visual representation of the effects of anaphylaxis to your site or sharing it on your social media feeds.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
All the best,
Maggie Danhakl • Assistant Marketing Manager
Healthline • The Power of Intelligent Health
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