Giving Up Might Be a Better Choice; You Won't Know Until You Try

Rebirth → Is Oral Chemotherapy Worth It?

"Giving Up Might Be a Better Choice; You Won't Know Until You Try"

After enduring 12 rounds of chemotherapy and 33 rounds of radiotherapy, I finally felt reborn.

A subsequent PET scan showed that no cancer cells could be found in my body. At that moment, I truly thought I was free…

However, the doctor recommended that I continue with oral chemotherapy (Capecitabine).

The treatment involves taking three pills twice a day, morning and evening, for 14 consecutive days, followed by a 7-day rest period, constituting one cycle. A total of 8 cycles are required, lasting approximately 6 months.

The doctor told me that this treatment could reduce my risk of cancer recurrence in the next three years from 30% to 18%.

I also consulted several doctors and friends, and finally decided to bravely accept this challenge.

The doctor reminded me that the most common side effects include:

• Diarrhea

• Darkening and brittleness of the hands, feet, and nails

Some medications were also prescribed to hopefully alleviate the side effects.

But after actually starting the medication, the situation was far more serious than I had imagined.

On the fourth day, my complexion had noticeably darkened.

A few days later, severe stomatitis (mouth ulcers) appeared, the numbness in my hands and feet worsened, and I was so exhausted I had almost no strength left.

Even so, I forced myself to complete the first 14-day course of treatment before consulting the doctor.

After understanding my condition, the doctor immediately told me to stop the second course and moved up my scheduled follow-up appointment.

What truly broke me was the stomatitis.

The pain is something only those who have experienced it can understand.

Every time I rinsed with Oral7 mouthwash, tears would involuntarily stream down my face.

But to reduce the risk of infection, I forced myself to rinse more than ten times a day.

Drinking water hurt.

Speaking hurt.

Eating hurt even more.

My appetite vanished completely, and my weight plummeted to 68 kilograms, even lower than when I received intravenous chemotherapy.

Ironically, the pain from this oral chemotherapy was even worse than the previous intravenous treatment.

Later, I specifically researched the side effects of capsicumabine and compared them to the Cisplatin + Gemcitabine chemotherapy I had previously received.

I discovered that the side effects were actually very similar; the biggest difference was that one was oral, and the other was intravenous (IV).

From then on, I kept asking myself one question:

Having finally overcome cancer and entered the recovery phase, is it really worth enduring this pain again, just to reduce the risk of recurrence by 12% over the next three years?

Statistically, if 100 patients choose not to receive oral chemotherapy, approximately 70 of them will not relapse within three years.

Of course, this is on the premise that they are willing to maintain a healthy diet, have regular follow-up appointments, and change their lifestyle habits.

So, I've been thinking...

If I choose to stop taking medication and focus on exercise, a balanced diet, a regular sleep schedule, and active rehabilitation...

Could I become that 71st person?

I know no one can make this decision for me.

But I really want to hear everyone's thoughts.

If it were you today, what would you choose?