Sweating out chemo drugs is not what I would call a pleasant experience. It’s most acute in the days immediately following and I’m starting to find it as gross as it sounds.
I don’t really know if it’s noticeable to anyone else, but to myself there is a very distinct smell coming out of my pores. It smells like medicine. Its during these days that I don’t like being in my own skin, but at least I’m not achy yet, that comes later.
What’s even worse, about flushing the drugs out of my body, is the way my urine smells. It’s not something you think you’d notice, but you do. I’m sure you wanted to know this. It’s the reason you visit my blog!
I most amazed at how fast it starts to happen too, one of the chemo drugs I take (Adriamycin) is the color of bright red kool-aid and if I go to the bathroom within several minutes of it being administered my urine is already red in color. To me that just goes to show how the body immediately identifies the drugs as something that shouldn’t be there and how the kidneys get to work immediately in trying to get rid of it. I try to drink as much water as I can to help the process.
Just some fun things for you to think about this weekend =)
Better or worse than stanky asparagus urine?
Jonez – it’s worse and you start relating it to the whole process, and just makes you sick!
Not to make it any better for you Brian, but some empathy, I can still imagine the smell. That, and I now HATE Purell because it relate it to all those days at GHC. In fact, just typing that my throat got tight and stomach is knotting just thinking of the smell. AAAhhhhhhhhhhh. Yuck.
The worst smell. I had BEP chemo for TC and that smell is something I can’t describe. I never felt clean no matter how hard I scrubbed, the stench of that sweat was still there. It ruined sheets, clothes, and I am starting to think the mattress aswell. For my meds I would not describe the smell as medicine-like.. it’s like a strange dirt smell, with some strange spice to it, and a very strange body to it. Though ghat description will get yoibno where near the idea. It’s like something terribly rotten, beyond death…
The urine smell…. I believe it was the Platinum I could smell the most. I believe many chemo regimens use some form of Platinum – mine was Cisplatin. Terrible stuff. And your kidneys and liver know all too well to get it out quick… if they go to slow they will shutdown, hence the need to drink water, and add water to the IV for some…meds. But, I shouldn’t say that word, meds. Meds are chemicals to help make your body better. Chemo chemicals, some being super toxic, are chemicals to kill all fast growing cells in your body. All of them… and like the cancer, the chemo does not discriminate. It goes after anything it can.
But, I had 3 cycles of it. It’s been 11 months. I’m missing a testicle. …and I couldn’t be happier. Why? Because I’m still here. 🙂