I just got home from my 1st chemo follow up and it went pretty good. My bloodcounts are better, but still on the low side.
I told my oncologist about the tightness in the chestport area, the ongoing neuropathy and my short term memory loss problems. He said it's typical for a chemo patient after finishing the folfox treatment of chemo.
The tingling in my fingers is still pretty bad, but he said it might take from six to nine months before that goes away, but it WILL go away! They flushed the implanted mediport with saline and heparin (both sides - dual port) with both needles at the same time!
If I play guitar for a few hours, I have to skip the next several days because of the neuropathy in my fingertips from bending strings, so I play keyboards :)
So, my next follow-up is in 2 months, March 24th, then I'll have another two months from then and next will be be CEA bloodtests, scans and colonoscopy. All in all, he said that I'm progressing very well :)
6 comments:
Yeah mike, my neuropathy was worst the first 2 months after finishing chemo (which was 3 months after I went off oxaliplatin). It's been 4 months now and I just have lingering neuropathy in my feet. I also had it in my fingers such that playing anything except 9's was painful, so I just worked out the ol' vee. I'm back to bending my 11's now, as I'm sure you will be also.
Aloha,
RH
Thanks for that info, Charles. I had my last treatment of oxaliplatin on December 22 (2008), so it's been about 1 month so far.
I'm using the D'Addario (half-steps) .095 and they seem okay, at least for now, but after playing for a few hours, my fingertips are toast for the next few days.
Cheers,
Mike
9's on a strat just leave me wanting. Can't get that clean twang.
I'm only now really able to play my 12-string, and even then after a few songs my fingertips are shot - more from lack of strength than neuropathy though.
It's funny that Fender ships there new American Standards with 9s.
They won the "Coolest Stand" award at Winter NAMM :
http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/namm-09-the-coolest-stand-award-193083
Next month is 1 year post-chemo, my hands are back to normal but my feet are still numb. My biggest issue is the continued short term memory loss.
Hello Michelle and thanks for posting.
My oncologist suggested that the short term memory loss is similiar to a mild form of Alzheimers.
Congrats on your one year anniversary of finishing chemo!
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