New Chemotherapy Regime . . .

A happy Friday to everyone!

I went out this morning a few minutes after I got up (had to take the dog out for a watering) and noticed immediately a change in the feel of the air. That hard, sharp feeling is gone so the air feels much softer and milder. I sure hope this sticks around for a while. I know the forecast is for colder temperatures Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, but hopefully the worst of the bitter cold is over.

Yesterday's visit with Dr. Cutie was interesting. We discussed the new chemotherapy regime we will be using. It's much more complicated than the last drug I was taking because I will actually be taking two drugs by two different methods.

Lemme 'splain it to ya. The chemotherapy will be done in six week cycles of four weeks of treatment, then two weeks vacation. For the first and third weeks of chemo, I will be getting a drug called Fluorouracil that will be delivered to my body over 24 hours by a pump I will wear strapped to my body. Every second and fourth week, I get the Fluorouracil pump PLUS an infusion over two hours of a drug called Oxaliplatin. This will mean that instead of one trip to CancerCare every week I will have to make two, one to get the pump put on and one to get the pump taken off.

As well, the side effects of both of these drugs are a bit more serious than the Gemcitibine I was on, although they are not as bad as some chemo drug side effects you hear about. The Fluorouracil is pretty tame with the main side effect being an increased skin sensitivity to sunburn and possible sores in the mouth, skin rash, loss of appetite, and some hair loss. Nausea doesn't usually occur, but diarrhea does, as does a decrease in white blood cell and platelet counts.

The Oxaliplatin, on the other hand, is a more serious proposition. Side effects include nausea and vomiting for one or two days after treatment (although some people have little or no nausea), fever, diarrhea, white blood and platelet cell depletion, tingling or loss of feeling in hands, feet, nose, or throat that is made worse by exposure to cold, tiredness, and hair loss.

Don't these two drugs sound like fun????? Treatment starts Monday. I am interested to see if the black dog starts coming around again. My last two weeks without chemotherapy have been completely free from his unwelcome visits.

We also talked about the fluid that has built up around my organs. I feel like I'm pregnant. For those of you who have been there, remember in the last month or so when the baby presses up against your diaphragm, sometimes making it hard to breathe because of the pressure? That's sort of what it feels like, and I almost look like I'm pregnant because my abdomen is swollen and hard in that exact area. At least the fluid doesn't kick! Dr. Cutie doesn't want to drain the fluid off just yet. Since I am the first person he will be treating with this drug regimen, he wants to see if it will cause the fluid build up to go away. If I get really uncomfortable and have difficulty breathing, then he'll drain it.

I was curious, so I asked what caused the fluid to build up in the first place. I thought it might be caused by the medications I am on. Unfortunately, it's one of the effects of the cancer, part of the disease process. Also, there really isn't anything I can do about it; I just have to live with it until it goes away on its own or we drain it off. If it gets really bad, it can be treated - not very effectively - with diuretics, but we don't want to go there if we don't have to.

So that's the news up to the present time. For those of you who have met my folks and know they were here helping out until December, they will be coming up again next week to look after me. It's kind of tough facing a new chemotherapy regime because I really don't know what to expect until I've experienced the drugs. I don't know how much energy I'll have or whether I'll feel up to, well, anything, really.

I hope you all get a chance to get out there and enjoy this warmer weather today and tomorrow. I plan to go out to visit my sister and brother-in-law and the animals tomorrow since the weather should be so warm. I just hope it stays below freezing so we don't have to deal with rain! More ice we don't need!

Have a great weekend, folks!

-- Lori