Hi icsdam,
Although it was at first difficult to disentangle with drug caused which side effect, I came off them one at a time so I think that I can figure it out.
Daratumumab: I am still getting this every 4 weeks (my sole chemo these days). It is a thick liquid which a nurse injects over a few minutes. It caused me semi-diarrhoea for 2 days, but the impact has spread out these days.
Revlimid = Lenalidomide: for a long time, these capsules had no side effects that impacted me day to day except a little fatigue. It did, however, reduce my platelet count which had always been low in the first place. After 2 years from the start of treatment (18 months into remission), my fatigue was getting worse (not unusual with Lenalidomide) and my platelet count was too low, so the dose was reduced for a few months then stopped.
Velcade = Bortezomib. Watch out in terms of what you eat! I wasn’t warned on this, but green tea and vitamin C in particular can stop it from working. If you take them well away from when you are injected, I am told that it avoids that issue. For me Velcade was the one that really caused me fatigue most. I was glad to get off it as soon as remission started.
Dexamethazone. You have probably had it before, but sleeplessness was the biggest issue. Also occasionally an increased appetite. In my case, although this is unusual, it damaged my eyesight. I had cataract surgery which also fixed my shortsightedness – my eyesight is the best that it has been since I was 6!
Not trying to scare you – you’ll get through it!
Regards
Rabbit
