Tax(es)

 Taxes have been very much in the news these days. Will tips be taxed? How about Social Security checks? Tomorrow, I will face a different kind of tax. Paxlitaxel. This is also known as taxol. Either way, tax is in the name. As an adjective, "taxing" means demanding, whether physically or mentally or spiritually. Were the discovers of paxlitaxel considering that when they came up with the name?

During our pharmacology section in the second year of medical school, some of us got a kick out of the fact that paxlitaxel come from the needles and bark of the Pacific Yew tree (also known as Taxus brevifolia). My medical school boyfriend's last name was Yu, and our group of our friends enjoyed pointing out Yew and Yu. It seems to be a fairly pretty tree, even somewhat Christmasy in appearance. Hopefully someone out West is working to conserve them. I suppose it's fitting for tree hugger me to receive a chemotherapy made in a forest. 

How does paxlitaxel work? I am thinking of it as birth control for cancer cells. It works by acting on cellular components called microtubules and stops cells from making more cells. As a result, these non-dividing cells will die various types of death. Die, cancer cells, die! Because my cancer cells are the kind which rapidly divide, this kind of treatment will especially target them. This will go on week after week for as many cycles as my body will tolerate. Taxol works alongside the antibodies which are injected every three weeks to go after my specific type of cancer and eliminate the cancer cells wherever they may be. 

My first encounter with taxol was back in 2009 with my first breast cancer. It followed four rounds of the toughest treatment. It wasn't too bad, but I had to stop a couple of cycles before the end because of developing neuropathy symptoms (numbness and/or burning of fingers and toes). Some people will come away with permanent damage to the nerves, but my oncologist wisely held off on more doses once symptoms of neuropathy began.

My first round of taxol starts tomorrow. It will be weekly from here on out, with the antibodies being given along with taxol every three weeks. The hair is expected to go again. At least I have learned to paint my eyebrows over the last 15 years. I'm going to miss the hair which has taken years to grow and to nourish and thicken. At least when this treatment is said and done, I know the best ways to help healthy hair return. Please pray with me that it will. I am thankful for this next step in the process and hopeful that all of the treatment will be over by Thanksgiving next year. Happy Thanksgiving! Thankful for the scientists who discovered paxlitaxel.