No sleep last night !

I'm not sure what they mixed in that anti-nausea IV that they gave me yesterday, but I slept for a few hours in the late afternoon, then was up until midnight, then I tried to go to sleep, but kept tossin' & turnin', so eventually got up and started playing piano with headphones on.

When I went for today's chemo, I asked my oncologist during my exam and he said it was just the usual anti-nausea meds IV. Then I asked the same question to the oncology nurse that I had and she said it might have been a little stronger with yesterday's dose but it ususally lasts about 3 days.

I took a "baby card" today to give to one of the Physician's assistants, who has been a great source of information and help since my starting chemo back in July, but she wasn't in and my oncologist said she called in with contractions. Her due date is December 25th, so we discussed it as maybe being new and first baby and possibly a false alarm? I guess I'll find out more tomorrow, but I left the card with my oncologist to give to her. I'll be back tomorrow, but she might not be? She had planned on starting her maternity leave at the end of this week anyway.

Today's treatment was the shorter one with just the port flush, unhook the IV lines from the portable infusion pump and connect me to the IVs on the stand. I took some very quiet Christmas music to listen to and felt myself sleeping and starting to snore once or twice, only to wake and open my eyes and see others staring at me. I apologized and told the group that I didn't get much sleep and to just kick my chair if it happens again. One gentleman said that it didn't bother him at all and snore away!

Anyway, finished up the leucovorin and saline, then my infusion pump was filled with 5-FU while they flushed the port and re-connected me to the pump and I was good to go. It really poured today, but it was warmer out. There were some vivid lightning strikes that we could see clearly overlooking Wellesley Hills along with a wind-driven rain.

Round TEN has started !

Or 'cycle' ten, although at this point it seems like a boxing match and it's in 'round' ten. It's been a long ride from the hot humid summer days of treatment to the colder fall into winter weather treatment days. I needed gloves and had to dress warm and needed two blankets during treatment today. The nurses are very helpful in that respect.

I had an early appointment this morning and decided to update this blog before laying down for awhile. I went in for bloodwork, then had my exam and then got the 'poke' in the port (for some reason it really hurt today, and a new oncology nurse, maybe a technique issue?), anyway, I'll try to avoid her for the rest of my visits if possible.

After the needle was in and the dressing applied, they started me on the usuals, aloxi and compazine and when that was done, the dreaded Eloxatin (brand name) of oxaliplatin along with leucovorin. After that was finished, they flushed the port and hooked me up to the portable pump of 5-FU (fluorouracil) and sent me on my way.

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It really knocked me down with today's treatment, more so than I can remember, but I know that the end is near and that helps a lot

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

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.

First Day of Chemotherapy

Today went pretty good. I got there at 10:00am and had bloodwork, then went up to the fourth floor and was examined by my oncologist and he looked over my bloodwork results. He thought that my right side looked a little "puffy" and decided to not take the strips off the port yet.

Then I went into one of the three infusion rooms and I'm glad that I wore long pants and a long sleeved shirt (even on this summer day). One of the oncology nurses took me aside and inserted the needle into the mediport. It pinched a little, actually a lot! She suggested I use a mixture of Lidocaine/Prilocaine 2.5% each and I picked up the presciption on my way home. I'll use the numbing mixture in 14 days when I begin the second treatment session.

Other than that, things went very well. First I was given a double drip IV of two anti-nausea meds, (Aloxi and Decadron), which took about an hour or so. After that I was given another double IV drip of chemo drugs (Oxaliplatin and Leucovorin) for about two hours. I was able to eat a little food and felt okay after this was done.

Lastly, the gave me a short injection via IV of 5-FU (Fluorouracil) and "hooked me up" to a pump of the 5-FU which will continually inject me for 22 hours. I really don't feel too bad right now aside from a little fatigue, but will have a nap and watch the MLB All-Star Game tonight. I'm picking the American League to win!

Stay tuned as things progress...day 2 starts at 10:30am tomorrow.

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.