2nd to last day of treatment :o)

I had my second to last treatment today and then they connected the portable infusion pump that I'm wearing for the last and final time!

It's so nice to be finishing my chemo rounds on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow when I go in, I'll be taking cards and gifts for the wonderful and professional staff that have been caring for me these past six months.

It's so hard to believe that it's finally going to be over, but it also seems like it didn't start all that long ago either. I'm feeling a lot more fatigue with this final round, but keeping in mind that it IS my final round.

Starting *Final* Round of Chemo

Today started off kinda bad, but ended a bit better because I wasn't going to let anything bother me during this final round of chemotherapy.

First of all, it started snowing here last Friday and didn't stop until last night and then a quick freeze settled in. With the gusty wind, it brought in windchills in the -10 to -3F range by this morning. So we got up early this morning to get a head start on a busy day.

My wife and I both got stuck from where the plow had dumped in front of our cars, so we were out there for quite awhile until we finally got both cars free from the snow. She left for work and called me when she got there to say that she made it okay and the highways were in much better shape. I then left for my chemo appt at 6:55am, even though I didn't have to be there until 8:00am. I was there by 7:30am and was able to get into the facility and wait until the staff showed up.

My white blood cell count was pretty low, but my oncologist said that it was within range and after discussing it with me, opted to continue without any delays. He also said that I've been a model patient (maybe he says that to all the patients?) and asked me if I'd be willing to talk with new patients that had some fear and/or concerns regarding the folfox treatments that I've been having. He said that a re-assuring veteran of the program could really calm a newer patient. Of course I told him that I'd be more than glad to speak with anyone that he wanted me to and I told him how my friend, Rob, is the main person that I, myself, had communicated a lot with when I was first diagnosed, and Rob has been a true friend throughout my whole journey and we still keep in touch via email, although we've never met due to the distance in where we both live.

Rob is now "cancer-free" and although I think I've posted his blog a few months back, here is another link to it :

http://rocamata.com/default.aspx

When I went into the treatment rooms, all of the other doctors and oncology nurses were coming by to wish me Merry Christmas and congratulations on finishing up this week. They are truly a great, professional and fun group and have really made it somewhat enjoyable (if that makes any sense?) to go through chemotherapy with.

Before leaving today, my oncologist spoke with me about the follow-up again and said it would about early summer (if all goes well) when I'd be having the mediport implant removed. I'll have to be monitored closely for a short period, then every 6-8weeks I'll go in to have both mediports flushed (it's a dual catheter port). After that some PET/CT scans and my follow up scope check. My bloodcounts are expected to recover slowly, but my immune system is low and I'm still at risk for catching infections from others while in the early follow-up stages.

So, day 2 tomorrow (Tuesday)of the treatments, they'll disconnect the pump then start the IVs before re-connecting the pump for the last time and on Wednesday (in 2 days) it will be out for good!

Now it's siesta time and I hope to wake up for the season finale of 'Prison Break' tonight.

End of November

Chemotherapy is not cheap! I don't know how one without some kind of health plan could possibly afford it. The above is a sample of just my monthly visits/treatment bill. When you add in prescriptions, medical supplies and other items that you use, it can get quite expensive.


I hope that everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with their families. I wasn't too hungry this year, but I had figured that would be the case with Thanksgiving being during a treatment week. Christmas is going to be during a treatment week also, but it will be my last cycle.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of December (the shortest daylight of the year month) and the weather is just starting to get cold, but so far no snowstorms. I'm looking forward to my upcoming 'off-week' and REALLY trying to keep away from crowds or anywhere that I could get sick due to my weakened immune system.

3/4 Finished with Chemotherapy :)

Today I went and had my portable infusion pump of 5-FU disconnected which ends my 9th cycle !

I'm now 3/4 through my treatments!!!

I asked my doctor what the next steps would be when I finished my treatments at the end of this year and when could I have the surgery to remove the implanted mediport with catheter.

He said that upon completing treatments that I would need to come in to have the port flushed every 6-8 weeks, have some blood tests and that he would be ordering scans and we'd take it from there.

I asked if the mediport could come out if the scans looked okay and he said he likes to keep them in until after the followup colonoscopy which would be in May of 2009 for me.

The HALFWAY point !

Woooo Hoooo...

I'm almost finished with my 6th cycle which is the halfway point of my chemo treatments.

After tomorrow, I'll be going down the other side of the hill and having reached the top with feeling about as well as could be expected, I'm looking to finish all 12 cycles by Jan 1st.

One small step for those not afflicted, one GIANT step for those in the know and who have been there, or know someone who has been there.
I don't know why I'm ramblin' on....must be the chemobrain syndrome?

HALFWAY is GOOD!!!

Thanks to all for your support.

Nausea feeling

For the first time since beginning chemo, I woke up early this morning with a feeling of nausea. I didn't throw up, but just feel kind of sick.

Maybe this is an indication that it's going to start getting a little harder and uncomfortable or maybe just a "bug" I might have picked up from some of the other patients yesterday? Some of them were coughing pretty steady and not looking too well.

I didn't take anything because today's session is just a short session of about 2-3 hours of leucovorin and fluorouracil and I think I'll be okay.

http://www.chemocare.com/bio/leucovorin.asp

Infection !

I'm still hoping that this won't prevent me from starting my 3rd cycle of chemo this week, but I woke up this morning with a moderate burning sensation in my chest. After getting up and looking, it appeared to be a bacterial-type infection of some type overlapping the area of my mediport incision and about the size of a quarter.

I called my oncology group and the on-call doctor called in a prescription of oral Dicloxacillin 250mg capsules. Dicloxacillin is indicated for the treatment of infections caused by susceptible bacteria.

I'll speak with my oncologist in the morning and see if he wants me to come in immediately to look at it or wait until I go there for my regular appointment on Tuesday morning at 8:30am. I'm really hoping that I won't need to re-schedule and prolong the treatment plan. I want to get this done by the end of the year,