Battle Stations

Nexavar, the chemotherapy drug I take, does not know the difference between good and bad, from good cells to cancer cells.

Nexavar attacks cells that seem overactive because cancer cells are overactive. But a lot of normal cells are overactive too, like the skin, like hair, like the digestive track.

I have no idea how these little orange pills find and target fast moving cells. Some lure must draw them in. And I have no idea if these little orange pills make complete rounds of the bloodstream through the body, or if they drop into the stomach, dissolve, and together yell "Charge!" heading for a specific area.

I've often thought that the latter is likely true. Because every day, and every week, it feels to me as if specific battles in specific areas of my body are going on.

Once I had a sore, swollen area around my breastbone. In a couple days it went away.

Once I had a sore, swollen area in my right chest. In a couple days it went away.

I've had sore spots around my skull, not headaches, just a couple moments of surface level slight pain. And in a couple days it goes away.

The favorite battleground seems to be the digestive track. Since the chemo starts in the stomach it seems to be a favorite place to pick on.

Earlier this week the battleground became just behind my right eye, sporadic pains that felt like eye strain. Now it's going away.

This morning the stomach laid site to the chemo battles again, enough to make my back stiff and sore. I'm sure in a couple days it to will go away.

Somedays the Nexavar does not seem to be able to find any battlegrounds. I look forward to those days with great anticipation.

And I look forward to the development of a chemo that can target cancer cells with great accuracy, while leaving the rest of my body's normal cells alone.