Chemo Cycle One - DONE!

"ONE! ONE chemo done! Ah ah ah!" On Friday - after a full week of chemo - we went back to the Cancer Center to have the chemo pump removed. (Hooray!) Tony did extremely well this whole week - I am amazed at what a trooper he is (keep in mind he is receiving three different types of chemo). Luckily, he didn't have much in the way of nausea that couldn't be controlled with medicine. He didn't get sick at all (thank the Lord). The most noticeable effect was fatigue. He could generally get up and do what he needed to do, but by early afternoon, he started to crash a bit and would have to rest. For a guy that usually goes 90 miles per hour in every direction, this is a bit of an adjustment. He also has some residual "chemo-brain," (yes, they actually call it that!) which he says is hard to describe. He feels a wee bit detached and fuzzy-headed sometimes; I think this is usually just when he is tired. He says his sense of smell is heightened also - he can pick up things the rest of us don't notice. But all in all, if you didn't know better, you probably couldn't even tell he is having chemo - he's pretty amazing. I attribute this to his strength and also to a lot of prayers. You can't convince me the prayers aren't helping, because even the nurse that gave him the chemo said she was worried about him this week because she was "giving him some pretty nasty stuff." So I'm not trying to minimize what he's dealing with, but to have so few side effects at this point is really a blessing.

Now that he has been detached from his "leash" (the chemo pump), we have two weeks until his next treatment. We are 1/3 done with this part! We go back next week for lab work, the week after that to see the oncologist, and then we start Cycle 2. But we're not concerned with that right now - we're just enjoying being done with the first cycle. :)

Chemo - Days 1 and 2

Well, our very long first day of chemo at the Cancer Center has come and gone. All in all, it was pretty uneventful - not what you'd expect. For some reason, we both had this mental image that as soon as they got the chemo bag near you, projectile vomiting would commence. But there was no vomiting - on the contrary, Tony either slept or ate snacks through most of the ordeal (BBQ potato chips and cinnamon rolls were the favorites). The cinnamon rolls were brought around by one of the volunteers, and they were yummy! Another volunteer brought around a basket of handmade bead jewelry and offered us whatever we wanted: key chains or bracelets that said "Hope" on them; everyone was very nice.

As expected, Tony cracked the nurses up with his newly-acquired "Chemosabe" T-shirt, which has a picture of a cowboy holding a chemo bag. Priceless.

Towards the end of the day, they hooked up the chemo pump that Tony has to wear until Friday. (He's quite surly about having to wear a "fanny pack," so no snide comments, or he is likely to beat you with it.) Last night, we learned the joys of sleeping with said chemo pump, as it makes a delightful "SWISH" noise every few minutes. After several hours, Tony figured out that putting the pump on the floor and covering it with a pillow did the trick.

All in all, it's going pretty well. He's a bit tired, and was a bit nauseous this morning, but the meds seem to be doing their job to help this. Only three more days until the pump comes off! It gives T.G.I.F. a whole new meaning...

We appreciate the prayers and comments more than you know, so thank you to everyone :)

The Port Authority

On Tuesday, Tony had a "Power Port" inserted in his chest, which I explained in an earlier entry. The procedure went smoothly, and Tony said it was a piece of cake compared to the tonsillectomy. The incision (below his collarbone) looks very good, and there's not much to speak of when you look at it - just a tiny little lump where the port was inserted under the skin.

They gave him an informational packet that included one of those nifty rubber bracelets to remind people that he now has a port. It's pretty snazzy looking, and I joked that all we had to do to get it was consent to a surgical procedure.

This weekend we're trying to rest up, as Monday is the big first day of chemo. However, there is family-visiting and house-cleaning to be done, so I'm not sure how much actual rest we'll get! We appreciate everyone's concern, positive comments, and prayers, and we'll do our best to keep you updated. Thank you! :)

Mediport surgery day......yay.

Well today is my Mediport surgery day. I had a great idea this morning! I am going to shave my chest in a few places to see if I can make a Man-O-Lantern like Steve Carell in the 40 Year Old Virgin! It should give them a laugh.

It's All a Blur

*WARNING* - This will be a long one!

A lot happened yesterday...a whole lot. We had our appointment at the Cancer Center to meet with the medical oncologist (chemo doctor). He shared with us a "change of plans" - well, not really a change of plans but addition to the plan. First, he wants Tony to have a Mediport placed. For those who aren't familiar, this is a surgical procedure to implant a port in his chest, a little under the collarbone. It's kind of a "ready made" IV, meaning they won't have to poke all over his arms and God-knows-where-else every time he goes for chemo, lab work, or fluids. They can just access the port. The picture on the left is one of the better ones I could find. The top image shows the little "button" that will be under the skin; the center is kind of cork-like in consistency. That's what they'll be accessing whenever they need to draw blood or give medications/fluids/etc. My poor guy has already had more surgeries in the last month than I have in my life, but this should be nicer in the long run than having to get stuck a billion times.

Also, the doctor says he wants to do what's called "induction chemotherapy" with Tony. Basically, this is "extra" chemo before the main treatment of radiation and low-dose chemo. It's kind of like throwing everything at the cancer at once. There are three cycles of this, and each cycle is one week on and two weeks off. The cycle starts on a Monday, and it's an all-day affair. We go in the morning, and start off with a bag (one liter!) of saline for hydration. Then there are a bunch of "pre-medications" (stuff to lessen the side effects of chemo): Zantac (to help nausea), Benadryl (to prevent allergic side effects), Decadron (for nausea), and assorted other steroids. Then he'll get three, that's right - THREE - different kinds of chemo: Taxotere (docetaxel), Cisplatin/Cis-platinum, and 5-FU/fluorouracil. (Lovely cocktail, right? I think the "FU" part of "5-FU" is an appropriate name for a cancer drug.) The 5-FU will actually be placed in a pre-programmed pump, which will go home with him and continue infusing Mon-Fri. Then on Friday we go back to have it all disconnected. So that's the week of chemo, then he'll get two weeks of no chemo, and that is one cycle. We do this three times, then radiation starts. When that begins, he will still have chemo, but it will only be once a week, and it will only be one drug (low-dose 5-FU).

So this week will be a very busy one. We have an appointment on Monday to meet with the doctor that will be doing the Mediport surgery. Then the surgery will be scheduled sometime this week (not sure when until the consultation). Then next week, the chemo starts. Can't say I'm looking forward to that, but it's got to be done!

Here are some more random notes:

• One of the churches near the Cancer Center makes neck support pillows for the chemo patients because they have to sit in those chairs so much during their treatments. Tony got to pick one out for free - he chose a very manly print. ;) I thought that was so very thoughtful of this church: it may seem like a small thing, but to know someone was thinking of these patients was very comforting to me. "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" - Matthew 25:40

• We love, love, love the people at the Cancer Center. I really couldn't ask for better folks to sit there and answer our questions, and even answer those we didn't think to ask.

• I'll be getting my hair chopped off in the near future. Ironically enough, I had been growing it out to donate it to Locks of Love. I did this once before, and figured it was an easy enough way for me to help. I've finally got enough length, and it seems the timing is appropriate since Tony will be starting his chemo soon. I offered (very sincerely) to shave my head completely to show my support, but my loving husband said, "Ummm....you can find some other way to support me, dear." I got the point! :P

• Feel free to become a follower of our blog and make us feel loved! Also, I changed the setup so that anyone can post comments on any of the blogs now - you don't have to do all that "set up an account" stuff anymore. So comment away! :)

The Tooth Fairy and Other Matters of Consequence

Tony had his #18 tooth pulled today, which is the next to the last one on the back, left-hand side. My sister accompanied him, and in true Tony fashion, he took it like a champ. Thoughtful as he is, he asked the dentist to keep his tooth so he could bring it home to show his wife who is in nursing school. He really shouldn't have. It was huge and...well, rather disgusting.

They had to get this tooth out of the way before he can start radiation treatments. He'll need about two weeks to heal up from this before radiation gets underway. He got more drugs today, so hopefully he won't be in too much pain.

In related news, we had a bit of a cancer discussion with the little dude last night over dinner. I have to share one of the more memorable moments from the conversation.

Me: "Have you heard of radiation before? Tell me what you know about it."

Little Guy: "Ummm....I know radiation turned the Hulk into the Hulk."

Me: "I walked right into that one."

So, yeah...we had to break the news that Dad would NOT be turning into a superhero. Although that would be pretty cool.

Doctors, Radiation, and Chemo...Oh My!

Today we trekked to the Cancer Center for our first meeting with the radiation oncologist. She shared that Tony will NOT be having the radical neck dissection surgery at this time (hooray!) but WILL be getting a fantabulous cocktail of radiation and chemo (boo!). Her proposal is to do 7 and 1/2 weeks of treatment: radiation 5 days a week and low-dose chemo once a week.

He'll be going to see the dentist tomorrow (to rule out the possibility of any dental excavation before radiation starts). After that, we see the medical oncologist (chemo Dr.) on Friday, and after we get the green light from the dentist, we'll set up the planning session for the radiation.

Everyone we met today was very nice and very helpful; alas, both of us are a little...surly, shall we say? It seems that going to the Cancer Center made it all a little more concrete in our minds...after all, it is called the CANCER Center, and not the Happy House or Sunshine Station. And for a dude (and a wife) who have never had more than minor illnesses, this is a lot to process, ya know?

At any rate, we appreciate the prayers...keep 'em coming - we need all the encouragement we can get! ;)