Today I started Ribociclib, aka Kisqali, the CDK 4/6 inhibitor that, coupled with hormone therapy, is going to put my cancer into remission (well, 70% likelihood of this happening according to my oncologist at Mayo and 50% according to my oncologist at MSK.) The drug inhibits growth of the cancer cells by blocking certain proteins. But as with any of the drugs that I have been taking to manage my cancer, the side-effects are a mile long and include decreased white-blood cell count, rash, diarrhea, hair loss and my personal favorite: FATIGUE. It sounds so innocuous, the French word for tired, but doesn't prepare you for the bone-tired lethargic reality of the word. It is my least favorite feeling in the world and the side effect I am the most fearful of - lying in bed when I should be up and doing things.
Of course the first thing I did was to search for first-person accounts of people taking the drug on my Facebook groups, Instagram, Reddit and TikTok and found horror stories of weird rashes, exhaustion, inflamed livers and more. But then, who said any of this is going to be easy? Today is also Manav's birthday, so I am thinking of this as the best birthday gift I could possibly give him: a longer life together. Here is a good one I found online:


















