Before starting chemotherapy, I, like the rest of the world, was familiar with the idea of taking a drug to relieve a symptom. But taking a drug to relieve a symptom caused by taking a drug does take some getting used to. And, what about taking a drug to relieve a symptom caused by taking a drug to relieve a symptom caused by taking a drug?! Well the mind just boggles. 

Take Docetaxel as an example. I was feeling fine (in cancer terms) before this toxic little cocktail came along. Docetaxel causes the number of white blood cells in your blood to do a nosedive. So, along come eight Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) injections to encourage the bone marrow to get busy producing more. With the injections comes bone pain, for which painkillers are prescribed. That’s a nice little drugs chain to get your head around. It actually got me thinking about what the longest drug chain reaction might be. If you can top this, wow, and I’m very sorry.  

You could view this ever-increasing list of pills and potions the doctors are prepared to prescribe as confirmation that chemo is a pretty brutal regime. For me, however, it serves more as a reminder of just how amazing medicine really is 

While I can’t say I look forward to injecting myself with a drug that ages me physically in a matter of hours, I have to admire the science. The fridge and I have become acquainted with many types of needle-related devices in recent months and this little one (even if it doesn’t produce babies) is pretty nifty. You pull off the cap, depress the plunger and when you take it out of your tummy, the spring at the front opens up to enclose the needle. Clever and safety conscious. I like its style!

So, if you’re having trouble facing those nightly injections, now is the time to think less about the needle and more about the amazing people tucked away in their labs researching and inventing new drugs – and new ways of administering them – so that we might sleep a little better at night. It may not be fun, but it would be even less fun if they didn’t exist.

Three cheers for injections and the injection makers! Five down, 19 to go!