We've talked a lot about side effects (well, I've talked a lot and you have graciously listened), but for something that has "side" as a first name, it seems to be at the front of any conversation or decision involving medical treatment or maintenance. As we have come to learn in the Age of Covid, there are risks and rewards associated with any medication, surgery or vaccination. And the hope is always that the benefits will outweigh the detriments.
But let's briefly take a closer look at terms like side effects and risks. Do I have any side effects as a result of my myriad maintenance medications? Oh yah sure you betcha (as my Aunt Bernice used to say - you know, cousin Bobby Zimmerman's step-cousin . . . but we'll save that for another blog). I tussle with some tummy turbulence during the first few days of taking my current monthly 21-day at-home cycle of Pomalyst (chemo pills). I do have some expected neuropathy in my feet and left baby finger (for some crazy isolated reason). And I did lose my hair at one point (Jan 2018), but that has since grown back; redder and softer. These are legitimate side effects - openly identified as predictable consequences of my treatment regimen. But are those really "risks?!" Getting cancer is a risk. Having heart disease is a risk. Contracting diabetes is a risk. But to me, at least, an occasional morning or two of diarrhea (there, I said it) is an inconvenience - not a risk. Especially when weighed against the more permanent negative ramifications (or worse) of any of the aforementioned maladies.
So do I think that the benefits of my treatment and present state of "remission" are worth the risks of a few side effects? For me the answer is easy and obvious - damn straight they are. That's not the case for everyone. And the severity or tolerability of these, and even more compounding side effects, can be different and much more overwhelming for others. I sit in judgement of no one, but have made my decision in an informed and objective manner - and now am prepared to live with these modifications. The operative word here being "live."
