Greetings All,
So yesterday I had my second round of Chemo. It almost didn't happen and the results are leaving me wondering if I'm going to have some problems staying on my 2 week schedule in the future. Before each round of Chemo they take a blood sample to check my blood counts. All my counts came back to normal ranges except for my White Blood Cell count. The normal range for WBCs is 4.0 - 10.0 thousands per mcL. My WBCs were 1.5. That's low but they said they can still do treatment at that level. The problem came in a subclass of the WBCs called nuetrophils, I guess those are the guys that help to fight off infection. Normal nuetrophil levels are 1.7-7.6 (thousands). My nuetrophil level was 300. Yeah, 300.
When the nurse came in she said with those kind of levels they would probably postpone treatment. At these levels I am extremely susceptible to infection, and may possibly explain why things with going to the bathroom have not cleared up like they should. I am still having some pain and a few drops of blood reappeared yesterday. I am also having some discomfort in the area of my left kidney. I have no idea whether these symptoms are related to treatment or if I am just displaying another talent of my of compounding existing problems and working on a kidney stone. I guess given the choice between kidney stone and kidney damage from the Chemo I choose stone but I'm hoping it's neither.
Anyway, back to the dangerously low WBC. Kim and I had started to think this wasn't going to happen and I might catch a break and feel good for Christmas after all. I was a little disappointed because you prepare yourself for these things and I don't want to keep dragging things out but I wouldn't have minded being 100% for Christmas. However, after talking to 2 doctors they determined that I wasn't showing any signs of fever, I was young, and feeling relatively good so they decided to go on with the treatment. Because of the low WBC levels I have to go back today and get a shot to boost my bone marrow to produce more white blood cells. Of course with everything there's some study that shows that it reacts with one of the drugs in my Chemo cocktail and that it can cause damage to the lungs, which is not cool I'm still kind of using those. But from what I've read online lots of people get this shot so it's just one more trip to the hospital.
I'm definitely more tired than last time already. I was looking pretty pale with dark circles under my eyes yesterday but after a long nights sleep I'm looking better (for me anyway). Still no sign of any hair starting to fall out which is a problem in a way because I haven't had a hair cut in weeks and I was hoping to save on a trip to the barber shop. My scalp is sensitive and we just took poisoning number two so it shouldn't take long.
On this Christmas Eve I again want to thank you for all your support, love, and prayers you've sent our way. I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. It's times like this that make me cherish the excitement on my son's face, the inexplicable joy of my daughter's smile, the warmth of people's concern for me, the unending support of my parents and family, the undying devotion of my wife, and the gift of a small child born in a manger that can save us all.
Merry Christmas Everyone,
Ben
"Earth has no sorrow heaven can't heal"
-Vigilantes of Love
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Shine is Off
Greetings All,
I apologize for not being in contact the last couple days. I have been remiss in documenting parts of the journey. Unfortunately it is not because I've been lazy, which is usually the case. Lately I have had an acute case of the "I can't keep my eyes open".
As I mentioned in my last post, the actual treatment went very well and I felt good the rest of that day and mostly into the next. Friday I was tired but for the most part felt OK. Saturday through today proved to be a struggle. They were right about the fatigue, it is omnipresent. It' kind of like having Mono only you sometimes have the aches more associated with the flu. That is slowly getting better, I feel a little more energetic each day now. According to the treatments my blood platelets, white cell, and red cell counts should all be the lowest tomorrow so to have a little more energy now is a good sign.
So three things started to happen on Saturday, and I apologize if I make anyone uncomfortable here. The first thing is I started to exhibit signs of a urinary tract infection, that's as much detail as I'll offer on that. So it's been rather uncomfortable but the antibiotics are finally doing their job. The second is my arm where they put the IV in started to get very sore and swollen around the wrist. This led me to the decision to get a port put in before the next treatment. A port is a device that is installed either in your arm or chest and it stays just under the skin for the duration of treatment. It has a tube that stays in your vein and they can hook up the IV to the access part near the skin. It is much easier on the veins, and I'd kind of like to keep mine healthy for the rest of my life. The last thing that developed was my mouth and tongue became extremely raw and sensitive. It was almost like I was going to develop sores but they never came. This made it very difficult to chew and made eating, well, not very appetizing. I was told to swish with warm water with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and baking soda to get rid of the food particles that were agitating my mouth after every time I ate. It actually wasn't as bad as it sounds and it did make my mouth feel better. All of these, except for the infection, are common side effects and I'm happy to report that they all are getting better.
I've been able to go to work every day this week, which is good. I had let people at work know of my condition at one of our sales meetings last week and asked that, while I appreciate their concern, it would really help me if they didn't ask how I was doing all the time. For the most part it helps to do work while I'm at work, it keeps my mind off things and makes the day go by faster. With the fatigue it makes me pretty worthless by the time I get home. My wife has been amazing and we have good help from family near us.
One thing the nurse told me definitely is becoming more clear. She told us at our first session that I'll come to dread my next appointment. It's true. It's right about the time that I will probably feel normal again that I'll have to go back. That makes the next 4 months seem like a long time. On the other hand, I'm already a week away from my next treatment and the holidays will fly by. Now that I've gotten a taste of what we are in for I ask that you continue to pray not just for me but for my wife and kids. I need to have the strength to be there for them as much as I can and my wife is so amazing taking care of everything right now.
Peace to all of you,
Ben
I apologize for not being in contact the last couple days. I have been remiss in documenting parts of the journey. Unfortunately it is not because I've been lazy, which is usually the case. Lately I have had an acute case of the "I can't keep my eyes open".
As I mentioned in my last post, the actual treatment went very well and I felt good the rest of that day and mostly into the next. Friday I was tired but for the most part felt OK. Saturday through today proved to be a struggle. They were right about the fatigue, it is omnipresent. It' kind of like having Mono only you sometimes have the aches more associated with the flu. That is slowly getting better, I feel a little more energetic each day now. According to the treatments my blood platelets, white cell, and red cell counts should all be the lowest tomorrow so to have a little more energy now is a good sign.
So three things started to happen on Saturday, and I apologize if I make anyone uncomfortable here. The first thing is I started to exhibit signs of a urinary tract infection, that's as much detail as I'll offer on that. So it's been rather uncomfortable but the antibiotics are finally doing their job. The second is my arm where they put the IV in started to get very sore and swollen around the wrist. This led me to the decision to get a port put in before the next treatment. A port is a device that is installed either in your arm or chest and it stays just under the skin for the duration of treatment. It has a tube that stays in your vein and they can hook up the IV to the access part near the skin. It is much easier on the veins, and I'd kind of like to keep mine healthy for the rest of my life. The last thing that developed was my mouth and tongue became extremely raw and sensitive. It was almost like I was going to develop sores but they never came. This made it very difficult to chew and made eating, well, not very appetizing. I was told to swish with warm water with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and baking soda to get rid of the food particles that were agitating my mouth after every time I ate. It actually wasn't as bad as it sounds and it did make my mouth feel better. All of these, except for the infection, are common side effects and I'm happy to report that they all are getting better.
I've been able to go to work every day this week, which is good. I had let people at work know of my condition at one of our sales meetings last week and asked that, while I appreciate their concern, it would really help me if they didn't ask how I was doing all the time. For the most part it helps to do work while I'm at work, it keeps my mind off things and makes the day go by faster. With the fatigue it makes me pretty worthless by the time I get home. My wife has been amazing and we have good help from family near us.
One thing the nurse told me definitely is becoming more clear. She told us at our first session that I'll come to dread my next appointment. It's true. It's right about the time that I will probably feel normal again that I'll have to go back. That makes the next 4 months seem like a long time. On the other hand, I'm already a week away from my next treatment and the holidays will fly by. Now that I've gotten a taste of what we are in for I ask that you continue to pray not just for me but for my wife and kids. I need to have the strength to be there for them as much as I can and my wife is so amazing taking care of everything right now.
Peace to all of you,
Ben
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Chemo Virgin
Greetings All,
First of all, let me say right of the bat that I am feeling good after my first treatment. As of now, no nausea or any other bad side effect.
With that said, today I had my first Chemotherapy treatment. We arrived about 10 minutes early for my 1:30 appointment but didn't get called back to the treatment area unit about 2pm. The weather here the last 2 days has been challenging with crazy high winds and snow so apparently a lot of the early appointments showed up late. So that gave me more time to be nervous!! Once I was called back, though, I really wasn't nervous at all. The treatment clinic is just down the hall from my Oncologist in the hospital. They have a huge area with some private rooms, some curtained off rooms, and then a large common area with recliners that probably seats about 20 (so hurry up, and bring your juke box money). Sorry, it just popped into my head when I wrote that and thought I'd get it stuck in yours. There's also a few restrooms and a small kitchen in which they have coffee, soda, water, and some snacks and treats other patients bring in. It's actually a very cool, pretty calm, and upbeat atmosphere.
The first half hour they put my IV in, and then gave me an anti-nausea drug and a steroid through the IV. Then they started on the actual Chemo drugs. I have a 4 drug cocktail and they are given 1 at a time. 2 of the drugs take about 15 minutes each, 1 drug takes about a half hour, and the last takes about an hour. So all in all treatments can take about 2-3 hours for me. This one was a little bit longer than 3 hours because of it being my first time there was more prep and what not. All the nurses I met, and especially the one that attended to me today, are fantastic. She gave me just a ton of information about everything she was doing, the drugs, some hints and tips, and besides all that she just was very warm, friendly, and caring. I would think you have to have a certain disposition anyway to work in Oncology and treat cancer patients all day. I know there are a lot of jobs like that and they deserve a lot more recognition than they get.
3 of the drugs are just like having an IV drip. You don't feel anything different at all. One of the things the nurses keep checking is that the IV stays firmly in the vein and that the vein stays open because almost all these Chemo drugs could cause serious permanent tissue damage if they get outside the vein into the surrounding tissue. Unfortunately, the drug that takes an hour does not feel like a normal IV. It causes vein irritation and soreness. When it goes in it burns a little but it also makes my whole forearm feel like the muscles are about to cramp up, but they never do. It's dull and constant pain until it's done. It's not overwhelming and definitely bearable but uncomfortable.
The only real side effects I'm having at the moment are a little bit of tiredness and I feel just a little shaky all over. The shakiness is most likely from the steroid, I can still feel that my heart rate is up a little. The steroid should keep me feeling pretty normal for the first 48 hours then I just have to watch for fatigue and if I start to feel nauseous. If I don't have any sort of set backs, I'd say today was a very positive day. I'm sure I'll have my rough times but everyone at the clinic strives to make sure the nausea stays away, and that was my biggest concern.
So, one down, seven more to go. Thanks everyone for the prayers and positive thoughts, I really appreciate all of you. I will of course continue to post how I'm feeling until my next treatment in 2 weeks.
Peace,
Ben
First of all, let me say right of the bat that I am feeling good after my first treatment. As of now, no nausea or any other bad side effect.
With that said, today I had my first Chemotherapy treatment. We arrived about 10 minutes early for my 1:30 appointment but didn't get called back to the treatment area unit about 2pm. The weather here the last 2 days has been challenging with crazy high winds and snow so apparently a lot of the early appointments showed up late. So that gave me more time to be nervous!! Once I was called back, though, I really wasn't nervous at all. The treatment clinic is just down the hall from my Oncologist in the hospital. They have a huge area with some private rooms, some curtained off rooms, and then a large common area with recliners that probably seats about 20 (so hurry up, and bring your juke box money). Sorry, it just popped into my head when I wrote that and thought I'd get it stuck in yours. There's also a few restrooms and a small kitchen in which they have coffee, soda, water, and some snacks and treats other patients bring in. It's actually a very cool, pretty calm, and upbeat atmosphere.
The first half hour they put my IV in, and then gave me an anti-nausea drug and a steroid through the IV. Then they started on the actual Chemo drugs. I have a 4 drug cocktail and they are given 1 at a time. 2 of the drugs take about 15 minutes each, 1 drug takes about a half hour, and the last takes about an hour. So all in all treatments can take about 2-3 hours for me. This one was a little bit longer than 3 hours because of it being my first time there was more prep and what not. All the nurses I met, and especially the one that attended to me today, are fantastic. She gave me just a ton of information about everything she was doing, the drugs, some hints and tips, and besides all that she just was very warm, friendly, and caring. I would think you have to have a certain disposition anyway to work in Oncology and treat cancer patients all day. I know there are a lot of jobs like that and they deserve a lot more recognition than they get.
3 of the drugs are just like having an IV drip. You don't feel anything different at all. One of the things the nurses keep checking is that the IV stays firmly in the vein and that the vein stays open because almost all these Chemo drugs could cause serious permanent tissue damage if they get outside the vein into the surrounding tissue. Unfortunately, the drug that takes an hour does not feel like a normal IV. It causes vein irritation and soreness. When it goes in it burns a little but it also makes my whole forearm feel like the muscles are about to cramp up, but they never do. It's dull and constant pain until it's done. It's not overwhelming and definitely bearable but uncomfortable.
The only real side effects I'm having at the moment are a little bit of tiredness and I feel just a little shaky all over. The shakiness is most likely from the steroid, I can still feel that my heart rate is up a little. The steroid should keep me feeling pretty normal for the first 48 hours then I just have to watch for fatigue and if I start to feel nauseous. If I don't have any sort of set backs, I'd say today was a very positive day. I'm sure I'll have my rough times but everyone at the clinic strives to make sure the nausea stays away, and that was my biggest concern.
So, one down, seven more to go. Thanks everyone for the prayers and positive thoughts, I really appreciate all of you. I will of course continue to post how I'm feeling until my next treatment in 2 weeks.
Peace,
Ben
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Way Forward
(Please Ford don't sue me I stole your slogan)
Greetings All,
Today I had my follow up visit with the Oncologist to get the results of my bone marrow biopsy and my PET scan. I am happy to report that the biopsy came back normal and the PET scan showed no further cancerous areas. This means that I am officially in Stage 1A. Stage 1A is basically that I have a cancerous tumor and nothing else and that I exhibit no other symptoms like night sweats, rapid weight loss, etc. The bottom line is that we caught it early. Thank God for Mono, and I mean that literally. With all the tests behind me I can finally start treatment.
I had a chance to go to a Chemo informational class at the hospital but it only meets on Thursday and they couldn't fit me in to tomorrow's class. If I waited until next Thursday then I'm losing another week before I start. I decided to forego the class, at this point I just want to get started.
My first Chemo treatment will start next Thursday the 10th. It was originally scheduled for the 9th but the office called and said they were booked. After that I will go every other Wednesday for Chemo for 4 months, 8 treatments in all. After that I'll go through another PET scan, if that is clean then I'll do a round of radiation to make sure the tumor is completely eliminated. If the PET scan is not clean I'll do another 2 months of Chemo and then radiation. The Oncologist says that with this course of treatment there's about a 90% cure rate. It's amazing to me that I have a 90% chance of getting rid of this and it never coming back again. That's the kind of stuff that makes you want so badly to find the trick for all these other types of cancer.
I was also given 3 prescriptions, 2 for nausea I can take at home once treatment starts and 1 that apparently helps to prevent Gout. I was told that once Chemo starts cancer cells can die rapidly and when they do they release acid into the body that can cause Gout. So I take this drug for the first 2 weeks of treatment to prevent it, which sounds like an entirely good idea to me. The doc says that side effects for the most part will be nausea and fatigue. The fatigue thing I'm not worried about, we have 2 kids, I have chronic fatigue. It's a way of life. The nausea he says is pretty manageable for the most part and I plan right now on only missing work for the day of Chemo. I'm feeling a little nervous about actually starting treatment but I'm very relieved that we can start moving forward.
Thanks again all of you who read and have been encouraging me with comments, emails, prayers, positive thoughts, and all the above. Now the real fun can finally begin.
Peace,
Ben
Greetings All,
Today I had my follow up visit with the Oncologist to get the results of my bone marrow biopsy and my PET scan. I am happy to report that the biopsy came back normal and the PET scan showed no further cancerous areas. This means that I am officially in Stage 1A. Stage 1A is basically that I have a cancerous tumor and nothing else and that I exhibit no other symptoms like night sweats, rapid weight loss, etc. The bottom line is that we caught it early. Thank God for Mono, and I mean that literally. With all the tests behind me I can finally start treatment.
I had a chance to go to a Chemo informational class at the hospital but it only meets on Thursday and they couldn't fit me in to tomorrow's class. If I waited until next Thursday then I'm losing another week before I start. I decided to forego the class, at this point I just want to get started.
My first Chemo treatment will start next Thursday the 10th. It was originally scheduled for the 9th but the office called and said they were booked. After that I will go every other Wednesday for Chemo for 4 months, 8 treatments in all. After that I'll go through another PET scan, if that is clean then I'll do a round of radiation to make sure the tumor is completely eliminated. If the PET scan is not clean I'll do another 2 months of Chemo and then radiation. The Oncologist says that with this course of treatment there's about a 90% cure rate. It's amazing to me that I have a 90% chance of getting rid of this and it never coming back again. That's the kind of stuff that makes you want so badly to find the trick for all these other types of cancer.
I was also given 3 prescriptions, 2 for nausea I can take at home once treatment starts and 1 that apparently helps to prevent Gout. I was told that once Chemo starts cancer cells can die rapidly and when they do they release acid into the body that can cause Gout. So I take this drug for the first 2 weeks of treatment to prevent it, which sounds like an entirely good idea to me. The doc says that side effects for the most part will be nausea and fatigue. The fatigue thing I'm not worried about, we have 2 kids, I have chronic fatigue. It's a way of life. The nausea he says is pretty manageable for the most part and I plan right now on only missing work for the day of Chemo. I'm feeling a little nervous about actually starting treatment but I'm very relieved that we can start moving forward.
Thanks again all of you who read and have been encouraging me with comments, emails, prayers, positive thoughts, and all the above. Now the real fun can finally begin.
Peace,
Ben
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