Chemotherapy: 11 of 9
19 January 2015 | Providence Cancer Center - Portland Eastside
Mark / Sunny, but cold
Chemotherapy: 11 of 9 (Bonus 2 of 3)
Monday, 19 January was the date of my 11th Chemo infusion, and it's now Monday, 2 February, as I write this post - or TWO WEEKS LATER! At the moment, I'm feeling pretty near "Tip-Top" - Chemo-wise, and Otherwise. But recently, that wasn't the case:
First, two days after the Chemo (Wednesday, 21 Jan.), I began feeling post-Chemo pain. It continued through Sunday, the 25th, at a level significant enough to keep me home. As it passed on that Sunday, it was replaced with a quite impressive chest cold. I was coughing a lot through Thursday, the 29th, and generally exhausted. It then occurred to me that as pneumonia is a rare but possible Chemo side-effect, perhaps I should tell the Drs. They called me in for a chest x-ray. The x-ray was negative, but I'm still coughing quite a lot, even now.
In the recent posts, I stated that as long as the PSA tests remain promising, and that my body can withstand the harshness of the Chemotherapy, it would continue beyond the scheduled 9 infusions. With the previous cycle, the test results were very favorable, scoring 16.95, a 33% reduction. The current number is 17.14, an increase of about 1%, what they call "stable" at the doctor place. While I was hoping we'd be knocking about a third off the previous score, "stable" is not so bad. And, although the side effects were probably about as bad as they've been, it still wasn't all that bad. So, there'll probably be another (and final) infusion, #12 or "Bonus 3 of 3" next week, on the 9th of February.
BETWEEN THE NEEDLES
The three weeks following the tenth infusion, included more severe and longer side-effects than I'd had in the past. I can thankfully say that I continue to handle it well, but its negative impact is beginning to build a bit. More specifically, I'm experiencing more days of pain/discomfort that before. I also find myself out of breath after WALKING up one flight of stairs. In addition, I'm quite easily fatigued, requiring a chair after only about 5 minutes of standing. I've also reached a new "all-time fat". That said, Debbie and I had a pretty busy social schedule during this period. In addition to attending 3 "Beer Fridays", we also found ourselves in bars to watch the Ducks in both the Rose Bowl and the "Natty". And, we "worked" Portland Yacht Club's booth at the Portland Boat Show, for four hours. We also put on our "best bib & tucker" to attend the PYC Commodore's Ball.
NOW & THEN
I found myself more debilitated by a common-cold, than by Chemotherapy! How can I possibly complain about that! I'm looking forward to next week's infusion...