November 1st and 2/3 through chemo !

It's been a long journey since my colonoscopy last May, 2008, but I can now see a light at the end of the tunnel.

There were a few bumps when I started my chemotherapy that involved having to have my implanted catheter port re-worked and a setback due to low white blood and platelet counts, but this past week, cycle 8 of 12, went about as well as can be expected.

The Oxaliplatin is the main contributor to the most significant side effects, the other chemo meds don't really give me much problems other than some mouth sores, body/skin rashes, headaches and general fatigue, along with the chemobrain or chemofog, which I'm told is similiar to the likes of a mild form of the symptoms of early Alzheimer's. The main thing is that these will all go away when my treatments end after the last week in December.

In life, you take a lot of things for granted until you find yourself not being able to do such everyday things as move around without a pump attached to you, drink a cold glass of water or soda, reach into a fridge without gloves, play a guitar without really "feeling" the strings and even typing on a keyboard can be more time consuming as the neuropathy gives you a numbness in your fingertips and you can't "feel" the bumps on the "F" and "J" keys, so you have to watch as you type and correct manually afterwards.

So, with only 4 cycles left to go of treatments, I do see the light getting a little brighter each day at the end of the tunnel and I look forward to the follow up CEA blood tests, the CT scans and PET scans, having this catheter-port removed and the final follow-up colonoscopy which will be an annual check for the rest of my life.

Again, thanks to all for your continued support and best wishes for the upcoming holidays!!!

Chemo Side Effects

This is my off week to let the body 'recycle' and I'm finding that the side effects from last week's 4th cycle treatments are a bit more nastier and sticking around for a longer period.

The side effects that I'm experiencing are Neuropathy (cold sensitivity and tingling/numbness in fingertips), Constipation (laxatives aren't even helping much), Fatigue, Mouth Sores, Headaches, Bloody Noses, Skin Welts and an aching feeling all over. I have no fever or nausea though. I picked up some Vitamin B-Complex w/Folic Acid to try and help heal the immune system and I'm upping my fiber intake.

In the past, I've been able to tolerate cold drinks with ice and/or ice cream after about the fourth day when the treatments ended. This time, it's been four days and I'm having problems just reaching into the fridge.

I haven't had to take any of the zofran or comparazine (for nausea), so I think it's just the chemo meds coupled with the anti-nausea IV that I get? At any rate, I'll discuss with my oncologist when I go in next week.