Before:
After:
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Got a Haircut
Hey All - feeling pretty good. Haven't slept well over the last couple of nights but I don't think it's chemo related and I have a feeling I will sleep well tonight. Been feeling a little nauseous but nothing I can't handle. Kind of strange, I felt so good over the weekend that I have a much better feeling of how the chemo is affecting me now because I am much more aware of the contrast; this actually gives me much better insight on how to deal w/the issues.
Still losing hair so I went and got my haircut yesterday (Tues) at a barbershop near work where a number of my co-workers go. My first time there. I arrived a few minutes early so the master barber asked me if I wanted to wait or to have his assistant cut my hair - a nice looking Italian woman - so I said 'why not'. I told her that I was going through chemotherapy which was causing me to lose my hair and I needed a really short cut. She didn't seem to understand anything other that 'short cut' but that was sufficient. After cutting for a while she said 'you have a lot of hair, you're not losing you're hair' so I explained to her again that I have cancer and that the treatment is causing me to lose my hair. She understood that time and stopped, asked me my name, introduced herself, and we talked for a while along w/the master barber who came over as well. Yet more nice people in the world. I felt kinda bad, tho, like I was exploiting my cancer situation for sympathy or something but I'd brought it up just so she would know what she was dealing with - particularly if large amounts of hair started coming out while she was cutting. She cut my hair the most meticulously it has ever been cut and it is by far the shortest I've ever had it cut (except that time I was 5 and Dad took me to the barber shop for both the first and last time) and it actually looks pretty cool. I also asked her to clean up my beard and trim it down into a goatee, something I was planning to do myself, but she did such an awesome job on my hair that I trusted she'd do a good job there too - and she did - much better than I would have done on my own. The best part was when she cleaned up the hair on my neck - hot foam and a straight razor. My co-workers tell me that having the master barber give you a hot shave followed by a hot towel is the ultimate barber shop experience; I may just have to give it a try next time.
I am now starting to play around w/posting pictures. I'll try to post a picture of my new haircut sometime soon but, for now, here's a picture of my friends Dave (far left) and Jerry (far right) when they came to visit me at my apartment on the Thursday before my hospital visit - enjoy :)
Still losing hair so I went and got my haircut yesterday (Tues) at a barbershop near work where a number of my co-workers go. My first time there. I arrived a few minutes early so the master barber asked me if I wanted to wait or to have his assistant cut my hair - a nice looking Italian woman - so I said 'why not'. I told her that I was going through chemotherapy which was causing me to lose my hair and I needed a really short cut. She didn't seem to understand anything other that 'short cut' but that was sufficient. After cutting for a while she said 'you have a lot of hair, you're not losing you're hair' so I explained to her again that I have cancer and that the treatment is causing me to lose my hair. She understood that time and stopped, asked me my name, introduced herself, and we talked for a while along w/the master barber who came over as well. Yet more nice people in the world. I felt kinda bad, tho, like I was exploiting my cancer situation for sympathy or something but I'd brought it up just so she would know what she was dealing with - particularly if large amounts of hair started coming out while she was cutting. She cut my hair the most meticulously it has ever been cut and it is by far the shortest I've ever had it cut (except that time I was 5 and Dad took me to the barber shop for both the first and last time) and it actually looks pretty cool. I also asked her to clean up my beard and trim it down into a goatee, something I was planning to do myself, but she did such an awesome job on my hair that I trusted she'd do a good job there too - and she did - much better than I would have done on my own. The best part was when she cleaned up the hair on my neck - hot foam and a straight razor. My co-workers tell me that having the master barber give you a hot shave followed by a hot towel is the ultimate barber shop experience; I may just have to give it a try next time.
I am now starting to play around w/posting pictures. I'll try to post a picture of my new haircut sometime soon but, for now, here's a picture of my friends Dave (far left) and Jerry (far right) when they came to visit me at my apartment on the Thursday before my hospital visit - enjoy :)
Monday, October 09, 2006
Another One Down
Got home about an hour ago. As I mentioned, I got all 3 meds today and they take a while. At the end, the nurse came in and said "That's a long day for you" to which I responded "Yeah ... but it beats the alternative" to which she said, quizzically, "What's that" to which I responded "Dying" to which she laughed and said "At least you have a sense of humor about it" to which I said "I'm serious, this is much better than dying" and we both started laughing. Always good to have a nurse w/a good sense of humor. I told her this was going up on the blog. So here it is :)
Met w/Dr I. before treatment, as per usual. He explained that, given the reaction I had vis-a-vis the white blood cells as well as some other minor problems I've had, the culprit was most likely the Irinotecan (one of the two chemo meds) and that he would decrease the dosage slightly which should 1) prevent me from having a recurrence of the white blood cell count problem and 2) generally improve my day-to-day experience w/chemo. I'm all for that.
I also talked to him today about travel/vacation during the 6 week period between the end of the chemo/radiation treatments and the operation. He thought it was a great idea to take vacation then and that they would coordinate w/my plans. He recommended I wait 2 weeks after finishing treatment before vacation as it would take that period of time to fully recover from the side-effects of the radiation and I would probably prefer to have vacation when I was feeling my best. So my plan is to take about 3 weeks off from work and go home for the holidays (Christmas and New Years). While I'm there, I'll not only be able to spend time w/my family and friends but also be able to spend time outside getting some exercise (biking, kayaking, swimming, hiking, camping, and, of course, bowling) all of which will help prepare me physically and mentally for the operation.
Well, that's enough for today. I'm getting a bit of cabin fever so if anyone is up for a visit sometime in the near future, give me a holler.
regards,
--Dr. D
P.S. - bought a 'Livestrong' wrist band today at the hospital gift shop. Apparently they are no longer trendy/fashionable but it seems to suit me just fine.
P.P.S - finished rereading another Murakami novel in chemo today. Haruki's been a fine companion getting me through these sessions.
Met w/Dr I. before treatment, as per usual. He explained that, given the reaction I had vis-a-vis the white blood cells as well as some other minor problems I've had, the culprit was most likely the Irinotecan (one of the two chemo meds) and that he would decrease the dosage slightly which should 1) prevent me from having a recurrence of the white blood cell count problem and 2) generally improve my day-to-day experience w/chemo. I'm all for that.
I also talked to him today about travel/vacation during the 6 week period between the end of the chemo/radiation treatments and the operation. He thought it was a great idea to take vacation then and that they would coordinate w/my plans. He recommended I wait 2 weeks after finishing treatment before vacation as it would take that period of time to fully recover from the side-effects of the radiation and I would probably prefer to have vacation when I was feeling my best. So my plan is to take about 3 weeks off from work and go home for the holidays (Christmas and New Years). While I'm there, I'll not only be able to spend time w/my family and friends but also be able to spend time outside getting some exercise (biking, kayaking, swimming, hiking, camping, and, of course, bowling) all of which will help prepare me physically and mentally for the operation.
Well, that's enough for today. I'm getting a bit of cabin fever so if anyone is up for a visit sometime in the near future, give me a holler.
regards,
--Dr. D
P.S. - bought a 'Livestrong' wrist band today at the hospital gift shop. Apparently they are no longer trendy/fashionable but it seems to suit me just fine.
P.P.S - finished rereading another Murakami novel in chemo today. Haruki's been a fine companion getting me through these sessions.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Round 2
starts tomorrow. I'm getting all 3 meds so it's going to be a long day. yin and yang, man.
Had a good weekend, been feeling really good since I got home on Thursday. Took Friday off from work to take care of some things what needed taking care of (including a bunch of food shopping). Friday night I went out to dinner at a place I've gone to quite a few times. Last time I went there was just before I started chemo and I was really struggling to eat that night because swallowing had become so difficult; Friday I ordered the same thing I had that previous time and was able to eat it w/o any difficulty - it was awesome and clearly shows that the tumor is shrinking. Saturday I just took it easy and laid around the apartment all day reading, watching movies, and eating. Kinda felt I should have taken more advantage of feeling well but it was a good day all the same. Today I took care of a bunch of paperwork and such in the morning and went to central park in the afternoon. Walked around the park for a while and then sat down and read for a couple of hours. Awesome day, lots of people outside having fun, it was just nice being part of it all for a while. My goal this weekend had been to gain a bit of weight and I seem to have been sucessful - will get the official word tomorrow when they weigh me at the Dr's office but my scale shows I've gone up 2 lbs (really weird experience to want to gain weight).
I'm starting to lose my hair. It doesn't seem to be coming out in clumps but rather evenly all over but there's sure a lot of it. Losing my hair doesn't bother me except that it's getting all over the place (you should see my hair brush), particularly since it is so long. I plan to get it cut short sometime this week, probably on Tuesday which should address the problem. If it gets too thin, I'll eventually just shave it all. Planning to buy a beret this week as well ;)
That's pretty much it for now, I'll try to post tomorrow and let you know how chemo went. Until then,
--Dr. D
Had a good weekend, been feeling really good since I got home on Thursday. Took Friday off from work to take care of some things what needed taking care of (including a bunch of food shopping). Friday night I went out to dinner at a place I've gone to quite a few times. Last time I went there was just before I started chemo and I was really struggling to eat that night because swallowing had become so difficult; Friday I ordered the same thing I had that previous time and was able to eat it w/o any difficulty - it was awesome and clearly shows that the tumor is shrinking. Saturday I just took it easy and laid around the apartment all day reading, watching movies, and eating. Kinda felt I should have taken more advantage of feeling well but it was a good day all the same. Today I took care of a bunch of paperwork and such in the morning and went to central park in the afternoon. Walked around the park for a while and then sat down and read for a couple of hours. Awesome day, lots of people outside having fun, it was just nice being part of it all for a while. My goal this weekend had been to gain a bit of weight and I seem to have been sucessful - will get the official word tomorrow when they weigh me at the Dr's office but my scale shows I've gone up 2 lbs (really weird experience to want to gain weight).
I'm starting to lose my hair. It doesn't seem to be coming out in clumps but rather evenly all over but there's sure a lot of it. Losing my hair doesn't bother me except that it's getting all over the place (you should see my hair brush), particularly since it is so long. I plan to get it cut short sometime this week, probably on Tuesday which should address the problem. If it gets too thin, I'll eventually just shave it all. Planning to buy a beret this week as well ;)
That's pretty much it for now, I'll try to post tomorrow and let you know how chemo went. Until then,
--Dr. D
Thursday, October 05, 2006
I'm Getting Out
My white blood cell count came in at 5400 so they are going to let me go home today. Just a matter of paperwork at this point. Can't wait for them to take this IV out of me so I can walk around w/o dragging it around w/me.
I'd like to thank the various people who helped me get through this one. My mother, who was visiting at the time, who stayed here w/me through my first couple of days. Min, who helped me get in here on Saturday and has visited every day since. Lorraine, who put my mother up and ferried her back and forth. My sisters and father, who called frequently (multiple times per day, in some cases) to keep my spirits up. Thanks everyone.
I'm feeling good today and looking forward to a weekend of feeling good before going the next round on Monday. They weighed me the other day and the good news is that I haven't lost any weight this week - gonna try to gain some this weekend ;)
Looks like it's time to go,
--Dr. D
I'd like to thank the various people who helped me get through this one. My mother, who was visiting at the time, who stayed here w/me through my first couple of days. Min, who helped me get in here on Saturday and has visited every day since. Lorraine, who put my mother up and ferried her back and forth. My sisters and father, who called frequently (multiple times per day, in some cases) to keep my spirits up. Thanks everyone.
I'm feeling good today and looking forward to a weekend of feeling good before going the next round on Monday. They weighed me the other day and the good news is that I haven't lost any weight this week - gonna try to gain some this weekend ;)
Looks like it's time to go,
--Dr. D
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Still in the Hospital, but Feeling Much Improved
And I now have my laptop and internet access.
So a quick recap of what's happened over the last week or so.
As I've mentioned, my chemo treatment is 2 weeks on/1 week off. The reason for this is because chemo reduces your blood cell counts and it's cumulative such that the second week is worse than first in that respect; you get the third week off so that your body can recover and build up blood cells. One thing that can happen, particularly in the second week, is that your white blood cell counts can get dangerously low, the main symptom of which is a fever. This is not so much dangerous in-and-of-itself but rather because you now effectively have no immune system so you can get sick very easily.
Last week, my second week of chemo was going pretty well. Thursday I was a little tired and Friday a little queasy but, all in all, nothing too bad. The only thing was that on Friday I felt a bit chilly all day at work. After work, I ran a few errands then went home and went to bed early. That night, I had chills and some really weird dreams, both of which were probably caused by fever. Saturday, I felt pretty decent in the morning but in the afternoon the fever returned so I called MSKCC where the doctor told me to go to the Urgent Care Center and get checked out. Luckily the Urgent Care Center is only a block from where I live so I was able to get there pretty quickly/easily. There they determined that 1) my temperature was now 103, 2) my white blood cell count was dangerously low, and 3) I was going to be staying for a while. They put me in isolation to keep me from being exposed to any illnesses, started pumping me full of antibiotics, and gave me an injection of something which stimulates white blood cell production. My temperature stayed around 103 most of the night but started falling eventually early Sunday morning and was eventually back to normal around Sunday afternoon and I was feeling pretty decent (though still tired).
Since then, it's pretty much been a waiting game. I haven't had a fever and the blood tests have been negative for any evidence of infection. My white cell count has to get above 1000 before they will release me (and 1500 before they will do chemo). On Saturday, my white cell count was down to 300, Sunday it went up to 400, Monday to 500, but yesterday it went back down to 400. Today, my white cell count was measured at 1300 - so it came back pretty strongly. They plan to keep me for another day or so to make sure that it doesn't dip again but everything's looking good.
I talked to my oncologists office yesterday. Dr. I has been monitoring my progress and plans to continue w/my second round of chemo this Monday. He will adjust the treatment somewhat so that it does not have the same impact on my white cell count - I'll be talking to him more about that on Monday. I was relieved by this because, despite the problems, each day of treatment gets me one day closer to being cured and that's the important thing.
So a quick recap of what's happened over the last week or so.
As I've mentioned, my chemo treatment is 2 weeks on/1 week off. The reason for this is because chemo reduces your blood cell counts and it's cumulative such that the second week is worse than first in that respect; you get the third week off so that your body can recover and build up blood cells. One thing that can happen, particularly in the second week, is that your white blood cell counts can get dangerously low, the main symptom of which is a fever. This is not so much dangerous in-and-of-itself but rather because you now effectively have no immune system so you can get sick very easily.
Last week, my second week of chemo was going pretty well. Thursday I was a little tired and Friday a little queasy but, all in all, nothing too bad. The only thing was that on Friday I felt a bit chilly all day at work. After work, I ran a few errands then went home and went to bed early. That night, I had chills and some really weird dreams, both of which were probably caused by fever. Saturday, I felt pretty decent in the morning but in the afternoon the fever returned so I called MSKCC where the doctor told me to go to the Urgent Care Center and get checked out. Luckily the Urgent Care Center is only a block from where I live so I was able to get there pretty quickly/easily. There they determined that 1) my temperature was now 103, 2) my white blood cell count was dangerously low, and 3) I was going to be staying for a while. They put me in isolation to keep me from being exposed to any illnesses, started pumping me full of antibiotics, and gave me an injection of something which stimulates white blood cell production. My temperature stayed around 103 most of the night but started falling eventually early Sunday morning and was eventually back to normal around Sunday afternoon and I was feeling pretty decent (though still tired).
Since then, it's pretty much been a waiting game. I haven't had a fever and the blood tests have been negative for any evidence of infection. My white cell count has to get above 1000 before they will release me (and 1500 before they will do chemo). On Saturday, my white cell count was down to 300, Sunday it went up to 400, Monday to 500, but yesterday it went back down to 400. Today, my white cell count was measured at 1300 - so it came back pretty strongly. They plan to keep me for another day or so to make sure that it doesn't dip again but everything's looking good.
I talked to my oncologists office yesterday. Dr. I has been monitoring my progress and plans to continue w/my second round of chemo this Monday. He will adjust the treatment somewhat so that it does not have the same impact on my white cell count - I'll be talking to him more about that on Monday. I was relieved by this because, despite the problems, each day of treatment gets me one day closer to being cured and that's the important thing.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Quick Update
All This is Dr. D's sister. Just wanted to let you know we had a slight set back this weekend. Dr.D's white blood cell count got low (a common side effect of Chemo) He needed to be hospitalized to bring down a fever and help avoid any additional infection. His fever is back to normal today, but they are going to keep him in the hospital a few more days to make sure his white blood count gets back to were it should be to fight infections. Please keep your good thoughts and prayers coming. Dr. D's family appreciate all the love and support you provide to him.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
No News is Good News
This time anyway. Yesterday went well overall. Had a slight bit of nausea but a bit of ginger ale helped alleviate it (thanks for the suggestion Min). Worked all day then came home and rested. Getting a little bored actually. I've been eating and my weight has started to come back up already and I'm feeling good this morning after a nice sleep.
Dave & Jerry, some good friends of mine from Maplewood/South Orange (M/SO), are coming out on thursday night for a visit. There is an Italian restaurant/bar where we all used to hang out quite a bit (they still do), the owners of the bar have been very supportive since they heard the news and will be supplying food for them to bring to me. A lot of good people in this world.
Got to head to work,
--Dr. D
Dave & Jerry, some good friends of mine from Maplewood/South Orange (M/SO), are coming out on thursday night for a visit. There is an Italian restaurant/bar where we all used to hang out quite a bit (they still do), the owners of the bar have been very supportive since they heard the news and will be supplying food for them to bring to me. A lot of good people in this world.
Got to head to work,
--Dr. D
Monday, September 25, 2006
Home and Feeling Alright
Got into chemo around 1:45. The first thing they do in chemo is put in an IV to hydrate you w/a liter+ of fluid and then hit you with a lot of anti-nausea meds to make sure you tolerate taking the chemo drugs and then they administer the chemo meds one at a time. Each of the chemo meds takes about a half hour and there are two of them that I am taking, Irinotecan and Cisplatin. This week I didn't get the experimental drug, Bevacizumab (aka Avastin), as I only get that every 3 weeks. This cut 90 minutes off of the overall time and I finished up around 4. On the way home, I stopped by the grocery store and bought a whole bunch of stuff. Since I got home, I've been resting and eating like a pig. Feeling pretty good, all things considered.
I'd meant to give more of a summary of my treatment this last weekend when I had some time but that didn't work out too well this time around so I'll give a quick overview now. For the chemo, I'm 2 weeks on/1 week off over 12 weeks. This means next week, no chemo (yeah). At week 6, they will run some more tests to see how I'm responding to the treatment and then they will add in radiation treatments - radiation will be 10 minutes/day, 5 days/week over 6 weeks. I will be getting the experimental drug (Avastin) every three weeks during this time frame as well. It doesn't have the side-effects that the chemo drugs have and is pretty well tolerated overall. Dr I mentioned today that he has been trying to get it for clinical trials in the treatment of this cancer for the last 2+ years but FDA approval was slow in coming despite its positive results in similar cancers - he just got approval in August.
Swallowing has already become easier for me and I asked Dr. I if this was likely just placebo effect. He said that, based on trials w/other cancers, the chemo & Avastin had quite likely shrunk the tumor considerably already. It'll be interesting to see the results when they retest me at the end of week 6.
All the best
--Dr. D
I'd meant to give more of a summary of my treatment this last weekend when I had some time but that didn't work out too well this time around so I'll give a quick overview now. For the chemo, I'm 2 weeks on/1 week off over 12 weeks. This means next week, no chemo (yeah). At week 6, they will run some more tests to see how I'm responding to the treatment and then they will add in radiation treatments - radiation will be 10 minutes/day, 5 days/week over 6 weeks. I will be getting the experimental drug (Avastin) every three weeks during this time frame as well. It doesn't have the side-effects that the chemo drugs have and is pretty well tolerated overall. Dr I mentioned today that he has been trying to get it for clinical trials in the treatment of this cancer for the last 2+ years but FDA approval was slow in coming despite its positive results in similar cancers - he just got approval in August.
Swallowing has already become easier for me and I asked Dr. I if this was likely just placebo effect. He said that, based on trials w/other cancers, the chemo & Avastin had quite likely shrunk the tumor considerably already. It'll be interesting to see the results when they retest me at the end of week 6.
All the best
--Dr. D
Waiting for Chemo
Currently at MSKCC, just saw my oncologist, Dr. I, and will be getting my chemo treatment shortly. Dr. I and I discussed my first week - he thinks I'm responding well already and gave me some advice on how to deal w/some of the problems I was having this weekend. According to my blood tests, I seem to be tolerating the treatment well and the only negative is that my weight is down this week which pretty much happened over Frdiay and Saturday. Dr. I thinks I'll bounce back from that by making some slight adjustments to my diet and encouraged me to stop drinking just water (in such large quantities that I feel full) and instead start drinking more fluids w/calories in it - he recommended soy shakes in particular; I plan to try them and a bunch of different things as well.
More when I'm done w/my treatment.
--Dr. D
More when I'm done w/my treatment.
--Dr. D
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Better Today
So I'm feeling much better today than yesterday. Spent most of yesterday laying in bed going between sleep and watching star trek and the matrix. Min dropped by in the afternoon w/some groceries and hung out for a couple of hours, all of which was awesome of her. I wasn't that hungry or much good company but it was nice to have someone there for a while.
In the late evening I finally started feeling better and was finally able to concentrate for a while. This morning, I got up, showered and shaved which I really needed. I also went and did a bit of shopping, including stopping by a mexican place nearby where I did takeout on some tacos which didn't survive long - I was hungry. I spent most of today in bed still but feeling much better and eating throughout the day.
My next chemo session is tomorrow - not sure what time but will call in the morning to find out (should be in the afternoon). Hope to post after that depending on how I feel.
Thanks for all the calls & comments
--Dr. D
In the late evening I finally started feeling better and was finally able to concentrate for a while. This morning, I got up, showered and shaved which I really needed. I also went and did a bit of shopping, including stopping by a mexican place nearby where I did takeout on some tacos which didn't survive long - I was hungry. I spent most of today in bed still but feeling much better and eating throughout the day.
My next chemo session is tomorrow - not sure what time but will call in the morning to find out (should be in the afternoon). Hope to post after that depending on how I feel.
Thanks for all the calls & comments
--Dr. D
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Rough Day
Hi All,
Yesterday wasn't too bad, felt a bit like I was hungover most of the day but everything went pretty well.
Today was s different story; felt good this morning but shortly after I got to work started feeling horrible. Took some of the meds but they only helped so much. Went home around 4, laying down felt a lot better. Min dropped by around 7:30 w/some pizza which was awesome. Bad news - didn't feel good today; Good news - did manage to eat and drink and am doing okay. Very tired at the moment, heading back to bed. More later.
--Dr. D
Yesterday wasn't too bad, felt a bit like I was hungover most of the day but everything went pretty well.
Today was s different story; felt good this morning but shortly after I got to work started feeling horrible. Took some of the meds but they only helped so much. Went home around 4, laying down felt a lot better. Min dropped by around 7:30 w/some pizza which was awesome. Bad news - didn't feel good today; Good news - did manage to eat and drink and am doing okay. Very tired at the moment, heading back to bed. More later.
--Dr. D
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Quick Update
Appreciate all of the comments and calls - keep 'em coming.
On Monday morning I weighed 195lbs, when I got back home I weighed around 200lbs - that was all the fluid they had pumped into me (and I'd made several trips to the bathroom while they were pumping it into me). I was tired but not really sleepy so I ended up awake until about 3:30 - making plenty more trips to the bathroom (the plastic trash can started looking really tempting around 2am :p). Guess it didn't help that I drank an extra liter of water and gatorade but one of the meds can cause kidney damage if you don't drink enough fluids (i.e. 2+ liters) for the 2 days following treatment so I figured too much wouldn't be a bad idea. I had some slight cramping that evening but I think it was the gatorade rather than anything else so next week I will stick to straight water on Monday night.
Tuesday I went to work and felt pretty good most of the day. Drank over 2 liters of water while at work and, as such, got plenty of exercise walking. Dr. S called to see how I was doing after my first session. I had previously sent him this blog address and he's been reading it - like I said he's a stand up guy. He thinks the blog is a great idea, a sentiment that many of you have also expressed. When I got home, I was exhausted so I took a nap for about an hour then forced myself to get up and make some food (thankfully my sister called or I might have just skipped dinner). I was slightly nauseas but fell asleep pretty quickly; up a few times but a good, long sleep overall.
Today, despite the good sleep, I was a little foggy in the morning. Not sure what that's about but I was pretty good for the rest of the day. Drank a lot again.
While the nausea is mostly under control, I did have it slightly for most of the last two days which really cuts down on my appetite. To deal with this, I've avoided large meals and have taken to eating smaller snacks throughout the day - lots of vegetables, fruit, nuts, and oj (they provide this for free where I work so it works out pretty well) plus some kind of protein at night (had me a bubba burger tonight). I think I need to track calories a bit better just to make sure I'm getting enough to eat but I'm pretty sure that I am.
Tommorow I stop the meds I've been taking for the last two days to counteract the sideffects of the chemo meds. There's another med they've provided for me to take as needed - hopefully I won't need it but I'll have it with me just in case.
Going to try to hit the gym in the morning before work - just a bit of cardio but I think it will help me overall.
Good Night All
--Dr. D
On Monday morning I weighed 195lbs, when I got back home I weighed around 200lbs - that was all the fluid they had pumped into me (and I'd made several trips to the bathroom while they were pumping it into me). I was tired but not really sleepy so I ended up awake until about 3:30 - making plenty more trips to the bathroom (the plastic trash can started looking really tempting around 2am :p). Guess it didn't help that I drank an extra liter of water and gatorade but one of the meds can cause kidney damage if you don't drink enough fluids (i.e. 2+ liters) for the 2 days following treatment so I figured too much wouldn't be a bad idea. I had some slight cramping that evening but I think it was the gatorade rather than anything else so next week I will stick to straight water on Monday night.
Tuesday I went to work and felt pretty good most of the day. Drank over 2 liters of water while at work and, as such, got plenty of exercise walking. Dr. S called to see how I was doing after my first session. I had previously sent him this blog address and he's been reading it - like I said he's a stand up guy. He thinks the blog is a great idea, a sentiment that many of you have also expressed. When I got home, I was exhausted so I took a nap for about an hour then forced myself to get up and make some food (thankfully my sister called or I might have just skipped dinner). I was slightly nauseas but fell asleep pretty quickly; up a few times but a good, long sleep overall.
Today, despite the good sleep, I was a little foggy in the morning. Not sure what that's about but I was pretty good for the rest of the day. Drank a lot again.
While the nausea is mostly under control, I did have it slightly for most of the last two days which really cuts down on my appetite. To deal with this, I've avoided large meals and have taken to eating smaller snacks throughout the day - lots of vegetables, fruit, nuts, and oj (they provide this for free where I work so it works out pretty well) plus some kind of protein at night (had me a bubba burger tonight). I think I need to track calories a bit better just to make sure I'm getting enough to eat but I'm pretty sure that I am.
Tommorow I stop the meds I've been taking for the last two days to counteract the sideffects of the chemo meds. There's another med they've provided for me to take as needed - hopefully I won't need it but I'll have it with me just in case.
Going to try to hit the gym in the morning before work - just a bit of cardio but I think it will help me overall.
Good Night All
--Dr. D
Monday, September 18, 2006
Chemo Session I - A Long Day
Today ended up being a lot longer than I'd expected. At 8:30 I had to get an esophogram which involves drinking barium while they take xrays. The barium was much tastier than the crystal lite. After that, I met with my doctor and we went over the treatment plan and the cat/pet scan results. The good news is that the results confirms my cancer at stage II, still very localized and no evidence of it having spread to any of the local lymph nodes. I then had to have an EKG done, a urine test, talks w/various nurses/fellows on the possible side effects of the drugs I'll be taking, followed by a lot of waiting while they got the results of the various tests. Eventually around 5, I finally started the chemo - it involves my getting 3 different medications via IV. The first two take half an hour each to administer and the third takes an hour and a half. There are potential side-effects during the administration of the IVs but I didn't have any, which is a good sign. I have some drugs that I take over the next 2 days to deal with possible side-effects of the drugs - if I have any negative side effects, they are likely to show up on Thursday after I'm off those meds. Future sessions will go a lot faster as 1) I won't need to do any of the tests and 2) they'll increase the flow of the IV's so that drugs are adminstered quicker. Tomorrow I'll give a more detailed report on my treatment and it's timeline.
A number of you have expressed distress at seeing me go to chemo on my own. To me, it feels completely natural to do so and I experience no distress on discomfort at being on my own during the treatments. What I do appreciate is the support, messages, and phone calls during the in-between times. This weekend was a bit tough, due to the unknowns, but I made it through pretty well thanks to my friends that visited and my friends/family that called - I have not felt alone at all.
All the best,
--Dr. D
A number of you have expressed distress at seeing me go to chemo on my own. To me, it feels completely natural to do so and I experience no distress on discomfort at being on my own during the treatments. What I do appreciate is the support, messages, and phone calls during the in-between times. This weekend was a bit tough, due to the unknowns, but I made it through pretty well thanks to my friends that visited and my friends/family that called - I have not felt alone at all.
All the best,
--Dr. D
Sunday, September 17, 2006
A Note on Comments
At the end of each of my posts, there is a link called 'comments'. If you click on that link, you will see comments that other people have made on that particular post along with a place for you to post your own comments. You can post anonymously which simply means you don't need have to register with the website or do anything else to post (i.e. it's very simple) though you should sign you name at the end so that I know who you are.
I mention this because I want people to comment on my posts. The point of this blog is to create a community of support - not just for me but for all of us. This blog not only allows me to broadcast to you what's going on with me and how I'm feeling about it but also, by way of comments, gives you the ability to communicate your thoughts and feelings to me and everyone else who is pulling for me. It's very cathartic and I encourage you to give it a whirl.
As Red Green says "remember I'm pullin' for you; we're all in this together"
I mention this because I want people to comment on my posts. The point of this blog is to create a community of support - not just for me but for all of us. This blog not only allows me to broadcast to you what's going on with me and how I'm feeling about it but also, by way of comments, gives you the ability to communicate your thoughts and feelings to me and everyone else who is pulling for me. It's very cathartic and I encourage you to give it a whirl.
As Red Green says "remember I'm pullin' for you; we're all in this together"
Chemo Starts Tomorrow (Mon 9/18)
Chemo starts tomorrow. I have to be there at 8:30 and, according to the schedule, will see my oncologist, Dr I., at 9:45, followed by the treatment at 11:15. Not sure why the long wait but I'll post here as soon as soon as I am able. At my 9:45 meeting I should be going over the results of my pet/cat scans - I feel fine about starting the chemo but will feel a lot better after getting the results.
Speaking of the pet/cat scans, that was quite an experience. I arrived at 4:30, a bit early, and filled out the obligatory paperwork. The nurse then took me to a prep room and asked me to remove my shoes so she could get my weight and height. I told her I prefered doing my height w/my shoes on as I liked that result better but she told me that she had to take my height w/my shoes off to get a consistent reading - she had no sense of humor whatsover (but was nice all the same). Next, I got to sit in the prep room for a while where a different nurse came in to inject the solution for the pet scan into me. It's a radioactive dye and I aksed her how long I would glow in the dark and she said I shouldn't glow at all but, if I did, give them a call - she had a good sense of humor. I thought that was it been then she came back w/a liter of the vile stuff I had to drink for the cat scan. Basically a solution of water, iodine, and raspberry crystal lite - I like water, can stand iodine, but that crystal lite garbage don't not go down so easily; blech. I then had to wait for an hour for the chemicals to get to the various parts of my body before starting the scans. The scans themselves were simple - the pet scan took about a half an hour during which time I fell asleep and the cat scan only took about 10 minutes. Afterwards they gave me a card stating that I was going to be radioactive until 9/16, in case I got stopped by the police in the subway, train station, or airport; Its a great card and is going in my scrapbook. They also recommended drinking a lot of water over the next couple of days to flush the chemicals out of my system.
According to what I'd been told (and read), the pet/cat scans are not supposed to have any real side effects but, when I was done, I felt really fatigued. Could have been that I didn't get much sleep the night before but it was all I could do to eat, post a quick message here, and crawl into bed. That night I had a bunch of nightmares; after each I would wake up and have to go to the bathroom. The next day, I was still pretty exhausted and didn't get much done at work but started feeling a lot better towards the end of the day and a bunch of friends visited w/me on Friday night which made me feel even better. Saturday I just kinda lay around, watched movies, and slept. In the evening, I went out to Maplewood where I hooked up with some friends for a show followed by some dinner. It was then that I really felt myself again.
I can't say unequivocally that the pet scan was the cause of my fatigue but my first cat scan didn't give me any problems and I gotta figure that radioactive dye running through you brain has to have some effect. The card said the radioative dye would be completely broken down by Saturday and it was Saturday evening that I felt fine again. Of course, it could all just be in my mind.
Speaking of the pet/cat scans, that was quite an experience. I arrived at 4:30, a bit early, and filled out the obligatory paperwork. The nurse then took me to a prep room and asked me to remove my shoes so she could get my weight and height. I told her I prefered doing my height w/my shoes on as I liked that result better but she told me that she had to take my height w/my shoes off to get a consistent reading - she had no sense of humor whatsover (but was nice all the same). Next, I got to sit in the prep room for a while where a different nurse came in to inject the solution for the pet scan into me. It's a radioactive dye and I aksed her how long I would glow in the dark and she said I shouldn't glow at all but, if I did, give them a call - she had a good sense of humor. I thought that was it been then she came back w/a liter of the vile stuff I had to drink for the cat scan. Basically a solution of water, iodine, and raspberry crystal lite - I like water, can stand iodine, but that crystal lite garbage don't not go down so easily; blech. I then had to wait for an hour for the chemicals to get to the various parts of my body before starting the scans. The scans themselves were simple - the pet scan took about a half an hour during which time I fell asleep and the cat scan only took about 10 minutes. Afterwards they gave me a card stating that I was going to be radioactive until 9/16, in case I got stopped by the police in the subway, train station, or airport; Its a great card and is going in my scrapbook. They also recommended drinking a lot of water over the next couple of days to flush the chemicals out of my system.
According to what I'd been told (and read), the pet/cat scans are not supposed to have any real side effects but, when I was done, I felt really fatigued. Could have been that I didn't get much sleep the night before but it was all I could do to eat, post a quick message here, and crawl into bed. That night I had a bunch of nightmares; after each I would wake up and have to go to the bathroom. The next day, I was still pretty exhausted and didn't get much done at work but started feeling a lot better towards the end of the day and a bunch of friends visited w/me on Friday night which made me feel even better. Saturday I just kinda lay around, watched movies, and slept. In the evening, I went out to Maplewood where I hooked up with some friends for a show followed by some dinner. It was then that I really felt myself again.
I can't say unequivocally that the pet scan was the cause of my fatigue but my first cat scan didn't give me any problems and I gotta figure that radioactive dye running through you brain has to have some effect. The card said the radioative dye would be completely broken down by Saturday and it was Saturday evening that I felt fine again. Of course, it could all just be in my mind.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Pet Scan & Cat Scan
It strikes me that there must be a dog scan out there somewhere, probably involving a long, wet, cold, dog-nose like probe - surprised I haven't been asked to have one yet (and don't even get me started on ferret scans).
I have my dual scans tonight at 5. I am supposed to be there at 4:45 so I'll leave work around 4:15. I am not allowed to eat or drink for 6 hours before the scans so I haven't had anything since 11. While I did my best to stock up beforehand, I'm getting hungry now. And thirsty. Of course they have this really vile stuff I have to drink gallons of just before the exam so that will take care of my thirst and likely my hunger too.
I believe that the results should be immediately available, at least that was my experience with my previous cat scan. I don't believe that the scans will be too physically traumatic so I hope to post the results sometime this evening - likely after I get something to eat - so stay tuned.
I have my dual scans tonight at 5. I am supposed to be there at 4:45 so I'll leave work around 4:15. I am not allowed to eat or drink for 6 hours before the scans so I haven't had anything since 11. While I did my best to stock up beforehand, I'm getting hungry now. And thirsty. Of course they have this really vile stuff I have to drink gallons of just before the exam so that will take care of my thirst and likely my hunger too.
I believe that the results should be immediately available, at least that was my experience with my previous cat scan. I don't believe that the scans will be too physically traumatic so I hope to post the results sometime this evening - likely after I get something to eat - so stay tuned.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
The Strollers
The Strollers, the theatre group I'm a member of, had their first general meeting of the new season last night. At the end of the meeting I announced that I had been diagnosed with cancer, would be going through treatment this fall, and having surgery in early January. I'd debated, up to the moment I did it, whether this was a good idea or not but the response was tremendous. For over an hour after the meeting was over, the members, some good friends, some who've I only known in passing, talked to me and gave me their support. A number of the members are cancer survivors and had a bunch of insights to give me that I really appreciated.
My hair, which I've grown out, got mixed reviews. People either really loved it ("I never knew your hair was so curly, it's awsome") or really hated it ("it's good to see you, even with that hair"). My weight loss got overall approval - I mentioned that one of the things that sucks about the cancer is that I worked hard to change my diet and lose weight slowly and now everyone's just going to think it's the treaments. dammit. :)
Thinking about cutting my hair short so that if I do start losing it during chemo (15% chance) it won't be such a noticable change. On the other hand, part of me says to roll the dice and see what happens.
My hair, which I've grown out, got mixed reviews. People either really loved it ("I never knew your hair was so curly, it's awsome") or really hated it ("it's good to see you, even with that hair"). My weight loss got overall approval - I mentioned that one of the things that sucks about the cancer is that I worked hard to change my diet and lose weight slowly and now everyone's just going to think it's the treaments. dammit. :)
Thinking about cutting my hair short so that if I do start losing it during chemo (15% chance) it won't be such a noticable change. On the other hand, part of me says to roll the dice and see what happens.
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