Day 86, Year 9: Last Chemo Treatment for This Round
Date: Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Weather: Overcast with Rain, Temp in the 40’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
Talking about the ‘last chemo treatment for this round’ sounds a bit like a boxing match and I guess it is actually like that with the chemicals battling cancer. And just as in a boxing match, you are always hoping for a knockout. After Mark’s surgery to remove the cancerous tumor from his colon in January of 2012, he had twelve chemo treatments that we think of as Round 1. We didn’t get a knockout, so today he completed Round 2 of six treatments which will be followed by surgery and then Round 3 of six more treatments. And this time we are hoping for the Big KO. The drugs in the infusions he has received in Round 2 are different from the ones in Round 1 and he reacts differently. During Round 1 he always felt fine on the day of the infusion and on the two days following when he was wearing a portable infusion pack. Once that was removed, he crashed and spent about four days feeling really lousy. This time around, he crashes on the day of the infusion and has almost no energy for the next few days. But after a week, he revives and feels great. The crashes have gotten progressively worse over the six treatment cycles, but other than being totally zapped of energy, he has had few other side effects. He has lost a bit hair on his chin so he has a new type of beard, his stomach is a bit upset for the first 24 hours after the infusion, and his mouth gets a bit sore for a few days. But it could have been a lot worse. So we are thankful that Round 2 is almost over and that he was spared more devastating side effects.
Mark took me to Heather and Jed’s this morning and he went on the oncology center. Ollie and I played outside for the morning until the rain started. Forty degrees feels mighty warm after the cold temps we have had recently, so we really enjoyed our morning outside with Ollie riding his little trike, digging in the dirt, and listening to the birds. It sounded like spring, but I know that is just a deception. We have lots of winter still to go. About the time Ollie went down for a nap, Mark came back from getting his last infusion, and then Heather came home early to pick up Sam as it was an early release day at school. Heather had a 5:30 meeting and a bee keeping class tonight, so Mark and I stayed to help Jed with the boys through dinner and bath time. Then we abandoned him with three little energetic boys and came home so Mark could rest. Things are never dull around here. It seems that we find lots of ways to keep busy!
My sister Patsy was released from the hospital today and is at home and feeling great. She has eaten almost nothing since last Monday evening but whatever they gave her in those IV’s kept her energy level even and she didn’t lose any weight. We are just so very thankful that things resolved themselves and that she is fine. So one is home from the hospital and another goes in. Our friend Steve Macek has surgery at Mass General tomorrow for his colorectal cancer. Mark’s surgeon, Dr. Sylla, is doing the operation, so we feel like Steve is in good hands. We just hope his recovery is as swift as Mark’s was after his operation. Good luck, Steve!
