Here we are on September 3rd. The heat and humidity are still with us but the rain and winds from a now downsized Hurricane Earl should cool things off soon.
I had my annual checkup and exam with my primary care doctor and it went well. I'm awaiting the results of the bloodtests and labwork. He suggested a pain management program for my arthritis since chiro manipulations are not helping, but with our
health coverage and provider changing soon, I've decided to hold off until we see what will be covered.
My next series of oncology visits are next month and I'm hoping for good results but you always have that feeling about if this is going to be the test that shows recurrence at all. Still, I remain positive in my thoughts and thank God that I've made it this far after the diagnosis. It's hard to believe that just two years ago I was into my 3rd month of chemo (folfox) treatments.
This is a blog of my journey after being diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer in 2008.
Showing posts with label folfox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label folfox. Show all posts
Friday, September 3, 2010
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
2nd Day of Chemo (First week session)
Since my treatment plan (Folfox) is a 3-day every other week curative approach with just bloodwork done on the off-weeks, after this week, I will only be posting one weekly update unless there are some unanticipated issues that come up that I feel might help someone who is reading this blog because they have or know someone in the same situation.
Today went pretty well and not quite as long because they only did the sign-in bloodwork and then about a two-hour transfusion of Leucovorin followed by a quick injection of 5-FU and refilled my holster-pump of 5-FU which will be injected over the next 22 hours again.
I had a little bit of neuropathy side effects (cold sensitivity) to ice cream and beverages with ice, so will keep an eye out for that. One of the oncolgy nurses said that by Saturday, it might not bother me as much? They had told me that the 5-FU would/could cause diarreah, but so far it hasn't, although I may get constipated from the anti-nausea meds they told me. Mostly the combined major side effect I'm feeling is fatigue and chemobrain.
Today went pretty well and not quite as long because they only did the sign-in bloodwork and then about a two-hour transfusion of Leucovorin followed by a quick injection of 5-FU and refilled my holster-pump of 5-FU which will be injected over the next 22 hours again.
I had a little bit of neuropathy side effects (cold sensitivity) to ice cream and beverages with ice, so will keep an eye out for that. One of the oncolgy nurses said that by Saturday, it might not bother me as much? They had told me that the 5-FU would/could cause diarreah, but so far it hasn't, although I may get constipated from the anti-nausea meds they told me. Mostly the combined major side effect I'm feeling is fatigue and chemobrain.
Labels:
anti-nausea,
chemobrain,
fatigue,
folfox,
leucovorin,
neuropathy
Monday, June 30, 2008
Oncologist
About a week after being discharged from the hospital, I returned to the surgeon's office and had the staples removed. We then talked about oncologists and I was referred to the chief of oncology at a nearby, hospital-affiliated clinic.
I met with the oncologist and was told about the diagnosis and treatment which he strongly recommended. I was also examined and had many questions answered.
My diagnosis was stage 3 colon cancer and the plan was to hit me hard for six months with chemotherapy. He told me that the surgeon had removed the malignant tumor and twenty six lymph nodes, of which only three had cancer cells in them, but because it had spread that far, I was staged as a 3.
The treatment plan is a curative one and is called "Folfox". It consists of Oxaliplatin, Leucovorin and 5-FU. He also said that I should have a "mediport" implant which would save me from a lot of needle pokes in my arms. An appointment was made for a "chemo training session" and the chestport surgery.
I met with the oncologist and was told about the diagnosis and treatment which he strongly recommended. I was also examined and had many questions answered.
My diagnosis was stage 3 colon cancer and the plan was to hit me hard for six months with chemotherapy. He told me that the surgeon had removed the malignant tumor and twenty six lymph nodes, of which only three had cancer cells in them, but because it had spread that far, I was staged as a 3.
The treatment plan is a curative one and is called "Folfox". It consists of Oxaliplatin, Leucovorin and 5-FU. He also said that I should have a "mediport" implant which would save me from a lot of needle pokes in my arms. An appointment was made for a "chemo training session" and the chestport surgery.
Labels:
5-FU,
chemo,
folfox,
leucovorin,
mediport,
oxaliplatin
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