Update after last round of Chemo

Everyone,
 It has been two weeks since my last round of chemo. I wanted to provide some updates. For round 7 and 8 they took out the Oxiplatin drug as I was getting some nuropathy (numbness)in my left hand. It seems to be steady and or getting better. My feet are pretty numb. I was told that it could take a year for this to go away. I'm still experience the cloudiness of thought called chemo-brain. This gets more pronounced when I have low blood sugar or I'm tired. It seems to be getting better. I was told that it could take three months for recovery of this.  The best way to explain it is that the chemo drugs act as a neural inhibitor and this causes the nuropathy and also affects me cognitively.

It seems that the steroid they gave me really bothered my stomach. I get hiccups because it irritates  a ulcer in my stomach. On my 7th round it was bad enough that I was throwing up blood and was admitted to the hospital. My red blood cell counts were not low enough to get an infusion. On round 8 (the one two weeks ago), I was so nauseated I was admitted again as I was low on fluids. I had lost 8 pounds of liquid.

The good news is that they scoped me and all of the areas in my stomach looked pink and healthy. My last scope on 10/26 had large sections of black cancerous areas and a much more active ulceration area. 

Before (10/26):


After (2/8):


Also when they admitted me after round 8, they did a CAT scan to rule out appendicitis and in the CAT scan they noted that they did not see a tumor. I did not have appendicitis.


I have about 3 weeks until surgery.  The timeline for recovery is more than I expected. Here are some notes on how this may occur if the surgery goes according to plan.

  • Most patients take 3 months off from work for recovery. You don’t need to stay local.
  • The doctor wants me to walk most days. In the hospital they will have me walking on day 2-3. I'm supposed to be active, empty dishwasher ect.
  • In the hospital for 2-3 days I will have a PCA pump (I control the pain medication). I should expect  expect right side chest pain during this time.
  • 3 days after surgery I can drink clear liquid
  • 6-7 days after surgery I can drink light liquids
  • I will spend 7-10 days in hospital
  • 12 days afterwords I will be on a full liquid diet
  • I can drive after a week as long as I am not on pain medication
  • I will only be able to eat soft food for 1 month
  • I can not lift over 10 pounds for 6 weeks
  • I will have a feeding tube for 4-7 weeks. This is to make sure that I have enough calories.
  • It is expected that I can have a steak dinner in about 2-3 months

I should expect one step forward and one step back. I was told that I may have a great week and then the next may be low energy. Some patients state it is like being hit by a truck and recovering. The time frame was worrying me a bit but I have to remember it is not like three months of chemo where I repeat the same damage every two weeks. I will have three months to recover and get stronger. I should also expect that once I'm off the painkillers I will have a clearer mind and be able to read and think more clearly.






Comments

  1. Rose MartiniMarch 9, 2019 at 4:15 PM

    I am so happy. Keep on, you will be at the finish line. I am at your side.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aunt RobertaMarch 10, 2019 at 3:24 PM

    Sending strength, prayers and Love. Hopefully the road ahead will be a smooth transition.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aunt AliceMarch 12, 2019 at 7:49 PM

    Thanks for the update, dear Stephen. You could not have a better cheering section! This all sounds very hopeful. We will continue to walk with you. You have our love forever, and our help as needed, just a click away. You are the best!

    ReplyDelete

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