“Do you have kids?” was the question I posed to my oncologist.
“No,” she admitted.
“Cause that, that bone pain caused by the Lapelga, that’s like labour. And not just any labour; it’s up there with the labour associated with your first born child. Hours and hours of clenched fists grabbing the countertop type of labour,” I explained.
The oncology nurse, who has two children, giggled as she knew exactly what I meant.
“I’d heard it could be like that,” confessed my oncologist.
“Alright then. If I'm going to continue getting these shots after each chemotherapy treatment, then I am going to need something a little stronger than Tylenol to numb the pain,” I chuckled.
My oncologist promptly obliged and wrote me a prescription for some much stronger pain medication. I love my oncologist and her team. They are always responsive and work hard to provide the best care for me.
The Grastofil shots I am giving myself daily come with the same possible side effects of muscle and bone pain that the Lapelga caused. Based on my experience with the Lapelaga, my doctor agreed to prescribe stronger pain medication right from the start.
A Lapelga or Grastofil injection is taken during each cycle of chemotherapy and is designed to stimulate the bone marrow into producing white blood cells. Increasing white blood cells is vital for a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy as it will help their body fight infections.
In my case, the benefits of Grastofil are twofold. Not only does it increase my white blood cell production, but it also stimulates my bone marrow into releasing stem cells into the bloodstream at very high numbers. By taking the Grastofil injections, I hope to ensure that my body will create the 2,500,000 stem cells that need to be harvested for the upcoming transplant.
It was suggested to me that taking Claritin, an allergy medication, might prevent the pain from even occurring.
I've taken Claritin daily and am happy to report that I am on day 4 of the Grastofil injections and so far there has been no bone pain.
Day 4 - The aching back started. Tylenol did the trick and knocked back the demon punching me in the kidneys. LOL!
Day 5 - I am managing to stay ahead of the pain by taking extra-strength Tylenol every four hours. Hot baths help too.
I guess daily epidurals aren't an option here huh? Sending hugs and wishing you strength through the pain 💛