Post Round Five of Chemo

I wanted to wait a few days to see how Eric did before updating on this past weekend's chemo because we're never entirely sure how he's doing until several days past the treatment. This week went better than expected, in part because he was expecting it to be bad because last month so was tough. The treatment process was fine, followed by several days of nausea, weakness, tiredness, lack of appetite.

Eric hasn't been able to eat much at all. He has slept a lot- long 5 and 6 hour "naps". Yesterday he finally felt his appetite coming back and ate a meal for the first time since Friday. Taking all that Prednisone earlier in the treatment process caused quite a weight gain which has now all been lost and then some. He's at a healthy weight and, hopefully, will continue to have enough of an appetite to keep him from losing any more.

Aside from interim blood work, next on the calendar is the pre-chemo visit with Dr. S on 5/14, followed by the sixth (and hopefully, final) round of chemo on 5/17 and 5/18.

Thanks for checking in and thanks for the prayers, cards, and good wishes!

Maureen

Dreading the Inevitable but Necessary

Everything went well at the doctor today. Blood counts look good, platelets continue to be just above 300. Eric just has to keep taking the new meds and trying to stay ahead of the nausea. It's been such a rough month with this nausea that Eric says he gags when he thinks of going for the chemo. He's really dreading this weekend. Let's face it. He sure never looks forward to going, but he doesn't usually face it with such dread.

Maybe, just maybe, it won't be so bad this time. Each time has been different and you never know what to expect. Here's to hoping for the best! Saturday's appointment is at 7:30 AM and should take about 6 hours, once they get started. It sure would be nice to start on time.  Sunday's treatment is only about an hour and a half or so and should be around that same time. It's generally about 24 hours after they start on Saturday. I'll keep you posted.

Maureen

Getting Ready for Round Five

With Eric's blood work being done every two weeks now, and the platelets finally and continually stabilized at normal levels (376 last week), the only concerns remaining are the gastrointestinal problems which have not diminished since the last chemo, nearly four weeks ago. The Zofran (anti nausea) and over the counter histamine blockers (Pepsid, Zantac, etc.) have not provided significant relief for more than an hour or so. Dr. S. changed the medications to Compazine (anti nausea) and something else for protecting the stomach, stronger than the OTC medications (forget the name), but still not much improvement.

Eric normally sees Dr. S. the Wednesday before his chemo, the only day Dr. S sees patients, and that would be today since chemo is this weekend. Eric had to be out of town for work today, so we made arrangements for him to be seen by Dr. S's associate, Dr. O,  tomorrow instead. Hopefully we can get some better understanding and control of these GI issues before the chemo this weekend or it could be a rough week or so on the horizon.

Maureen

On the schedule

Things have been fairly quiet. The last round of chemo took a greater toll than usual on Eric's stomach, resulting in over a week of battling nausea, stomach upset, and a diminished appetite. Everything else is fine, though.

Bi-weekly blood work (CBC) is this Friday. Monthly appointment with the oncologist is scheduled for 4/17. Next chemo is 4/19 and 4/20 (Easter).

We're a bit disappointed that we won't get to celebrate Easter with our family but, on the bright side, there is only one more treatment after this one, tentatively planned for May 10.

Maureen