So many aspects of my journey are riddled with irony. The guy who has been building marketing communications targeting oncology healthcare providers (among others) for the past 15 years. The guy who has taken nothing more than a daily multi-vitamin and an occasional aspirin now and then. The guy whose father was a pharmacist. The guy who almost never got sick, and then generally bounced back fairly quickly. The guy who never really had any major medical issues or complications. The guy who lead a fairly healthy lifestyle - completely by choice (ok, maybe a little too much chocolate - but modern life deserves a vice). And now here I am.
My daily regimen is as follows:
- Men’s 55+ Multi - a lifetime habit and homage to my father (yes, I know it just really probably gives me nothing but expensive pee)
- Daily 1000mg vitamin C - see above and my Linus Pauling Fan Club Card
- Acyclovir used to prevent infections that may occur when the body is immunosuppressed
- Amlodipine besylate used to maintain proper blood pressure during chemo
- Baby aspirin used to avoid a clot or deep vein thrombosis
- Montelukast used to reduce the rate of infusion-related reactions in patients with multiple myeloma
- Pantoprazole used to treat acid reflux and protect the stomach lining
We’re gonna need a bigger glass of OJ.
Admittedly not more than any other of my peers, but more than my past six decades. Am I just another victim of the conspiracy by the pharmaceutical industry to exploit, poison, and addict us - maybe. Now I could ignore them all, but I do pride myself on being the poster child for compliance (one of the biggest problems in successful healthcare). And the vast majority are preventive - to preemptively combat the side effects of chemo.
How many are "too many pills?" That's a tough question to answer. But one you should be sure to discuss that with your Onc team - until you are comfortable with their answers. It has been explained to me what each is for (I have the piles of PI's to prove it), and how they contribute to the mix of components that work together to: address my disease, lessen my potential side effects, and prepare my body for this chemical onslaught (more irony: pills to combat the ills of other pills that are intended to make me feel better). So I’ll go with it for now . . . it seems to be working.
Dr S. keeps a close eye on the quantity and frequency, stops any as soon as unnecessary, and has proven on a number of occasions to have a general philosophical reluctance to just throw a random OTC or prescription Med at me for no apparent reason (especially avoiding excessive overuse of antibiotics). As Jimmy was famous for saying “what the heck." He lived to be over 90 and he took his share of pills (washed down with a sip of coffee - which always intrigued me for some reason).
