As you can imagine, the quantity and variety of drugs swirling around inside the body of a person with cancer can be pretty overwhelming. Not overwhelming in the sense of what it is doing to the body (though that IS pretty overwhelming as well), but overwhelming in their functionality, toxicity, chemical complexity, side effects, life cycle, and most important (and mysterious) their interdependent relationship to each other. A cacophonous cocktail of cancer correcting compounds - crashing, colliding, careening and curing "all over my body" (Maude Frickert). For someone with Multiple Myeloma like myself, this process goes on indefinitely as part of the maintenance regimen designed to keep the re-emergence of my disease in check for as long as possible (ideally until there is a cure).
Speaking of cures (watch this segue), I have been fortunate enough to secure an appointment for my first of two Covid-19 vaccination shots. My age, medical classification (1-B), and general collection of comorbidities (along with a lot of registering, emailing, dialing/redailing, waiting, and a dash of luck), have garnered me a place in line next week. As part of my ongoing health overview conversations with my Onc team, I shared the good news with them. They were delighted to hear of the development (they were no closer to getting me a vaccine than any other healthcare provider), and directed me to stop taking certain medications that they manage - for a period of time beginning before the first shot, through and including two weeks after the second shot.
I can understand (and trust) that a vaccine which is intended to be injected into over 332 million Americans (not to mention the rest of the world) has been extensively vetted for any possible adverse drug interactions. This drug not only has to work against Covid 19, but also has to be able to play nice in the blood with all other medications out there (in me). So I respect that out of an abundance of caution, my Onc team is advising to suspend my chemo for now and allow an unobstructed window of inoculation and insemination; giving the preventive potion the power to properly propagate.
Word to the wise: make sure your healthcare team is aware of when you will get your vaccination, just in case they too want to make sure your pharmacological interdependencies are monitored and managed. I'm confident it will all be ok, but it never hurts to ask - and you can't assume that any one doctor of yours is aware of all of the other prescriptions being given by any of the others on your team; or how their combination can coincide with the Covid-killing concoction.
