Treatment 3

Made  my third treatment this morning starting at 7:15 and leaving at 10:15.  My blood counts are still good and I am still not having any terrible side effects.

Then this afternoon I went to a new dentist (referral by my oncologist) to take on some dental work that I have been delaying with everything else that is going on.  In July I'll have 2 crowns and an extraction.  Think I'll go for the nitrous oxide.

Sebastian Alexander - 11 months



Number Two

Today was treatment number two and so far everything is good.  I saw the Dr. (handsome and compassionate--what a combo) before the treatment and my anemia is improving also.  My port is great and got through everything with no pain.  That is such a winner in my book.

Unless I have problems tonight, we are going to head out to Arkansas in the morning for a short visit with Gary's mother and then on to Texas to see our three little babies.  But I will be back on Tuesday for a 7:00 a.m.  Wednesday treatment.

I feel so blessed that things are going so well.

One Down

So far so good.  It has been two days now since my first 5 FU treatment, and I still feel wonderful.  No side effects at all.  I am still holding my breath and praying hard.

We had a visit with the surgeon yesterday and had a few last stitches removed.  Everything looks good and I don't go back for four months.  I am off all restrictions, but I am still going to try to be careful about what I eat ( no fresh, raw, or leafy foods).  But I think it is about time for lobster again!

First Treatment

This morning was my first treatment of 5 FU and leucovorin with kitril and steroid.  My appointment was 7 a.m. and I thought it was for 30 minutes only.  But it ended up being almost 3 hours and will be almost that long every week.  So far I haven't had any side effects (8 p.m.).

More tomorrow. 

New Plan

On Thursday, we met with the medical oncologist and agreed with a plan for adjuvant therapy.  I will take IV injections of 5 FU weekly for around 6 months.  I start next Wednesday, June 15.  I must say that I dread this.  My new digestive system won't let me take anti-nausea medication so I am expecting the worst. 

Unbelievable

I haven't written much about the results of my neck resection.  They removed 67 lymph nodes and the surrounding tissue from the left side of my neck, around my left ear, and into my shoulder.  Five days after this surgery, I started chemo/radiation.  Therefore, I didn't have much time to deal with the after-effects of this surgery.  It was just on to something else horrible.

My ear was completely numb along with the surrounding area.  Now the "feeling" has come back completely.  One of the most disturbing things was that I couldn't lift my left arm at all.  It was very painful and impossible to raise above shoulder height.  I did try some exercises on it but was not very consistent with it because of all the other issues that were overwhelming me.

This week I realized that I was raising my arm!  It is completely restored and feels great!  Praise the Lord!  I felt very handicapped before and now it is great.
My neck still bothers me a good deal.  It is very sunken and gets stiff and tight.  Hope it will improve also.  God is good.

No Appointment

I was supposed to meet with the oncologist on Wednesday to decide on a plan of action for further treatment.  But somehow the appointment time was deleted or something and my appointment disappeared.  Now I'm scheduled (I hope) for June 9 for the same routine.

I am feeling very good these days, in spite of the heat wave.  My energy is improving and so is my appetite.  Life is good.

Lobster

Finally, that lobster I've been so hungry for.  I didn't find a restaurant; so we decided to cook our own.  We bought two beautiful tails and baked them to perfection.  It was wonderful and now we are planning a repeat performance.