When I started on RICE, it was suggested that it was a bit tougher than the prior RCHOP regimen. But if I tolerated RCHOP well, I wouldn’t have too much trouble with RICE.
Well so far RICE does seem to be tougher. This morning, less than 48 hours after finishing RICE, I did feel fatigue, similar to what I’d felt with RCHOP. (for a little information on chemo-related fatigue, see this post Tom Faranda’s Folly: Exercise, Cancer and Chemo.) With RCHOP it was about five to ten days after the chemotherapy sessions when I started to feel mild fatigue (this is the period when your cell levels are at their lowest), and then I was fine for the next session. The chemo sessions were two weeks apart.
So it’s possible that I’ll move beyond the mild fatigue stage with RICE and get to uhhh, what? Moderate fatigue perhaps. I only have one more RICE session, and not for another two and a half weeks.
Despite the mild fatigue I did go to the gym. Biked for 20 minutes and then did the weights (with a slight reduction and spent a little more time between sets). I figure, get the sessions in now, so if I can’t do the gym later, I’ll have gotten something in!
And just to be safe, I also got a prescription for Zofran filled (an anti-nausea medicine). Just in case. I had no nausea with RCHOP but want to have something in the house since I have felt a little queasy.
I am going to put up a post looking back on the first ten weeks of chemotherapy in the next couple of days.
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