Chronicle - Months 1 and 2 of Tafinlar and Mekinist

The first two months were pretty easy. Now that might depend on what you are comparing it to, though.

I was coming into it just having had treatment with Gemcitabine and Cisplatin. They were rough. I could barely get out of bed on most days, and my high calcium contributed to weakness. 

After dealing with my high calcium via Zometa in August, just before starting these drugs, I was much stronger. 

So to me these drugs were much easier in the sense that I could get out of bed, felt relatively strong, and the side effects were minimal. 

I dont recall exactly what side effects I had other than the skin rash starting that month. I think mostly I was just fairly tired, needing a nap each day. Some minor hair thinning, dry skin, occasional acne type bumps, and so on. Nothing extreme. 

My blood pressure and heart rate were improved from the other chemo I tried before this. So that was good. 

For the most part, the first 2 months were relatively easy. It disrupted my life way less than the previous treatment. 

In terms of disruption, I needed a nap. And needed to plan around that and when I was taking my meds so that they were always on time, on an empty stomach. 

Nothing too bad. 

My oncology pharmacist called every other week to go over symptoms and check on me during this time. 

In addition, I need monthly labs drawn. And, as mentioned under Common Side Effects, I need various checkups regarding possible side effects. These included seeing an ophthalmologist, dermatologist, and cardiologist. They are scheduled about every two months. It's standard protocol for anyone taking Tafinlar and Mekinist.