Chemo Resumed - How Did It Go?
 
On July 14, 2004, I resumed my chemotherapy. My blood work (CBC only) results were back into a range safe to resume chemo. In fact all three major indicators, white blood cell count (WBC), hemoglobin (HGB) and platelets (PLT) were as high or higher than they had been since starting chemo. Though the platelet count should be at least 142, the oncologist will generally authorize a chemo session if the count is above 100. So, I decided to resume, with the caveat that each future session would be a go/nogo depending upon how the previous session affected me, patient and person.

Naively, I suppose, I assumed that re-starting after such a long hiatus, might evoke similar side effect levels as the first session. In other words, perhaps a few days of discomfort, then feeling better and better until the subsequent session. At some point we would plan another gap to recover from the accumulated side effects. Not so.

In fact, this was the worst chemo session I have experienced to date. From a side effect perspective, the effects were more intense, more immediate and still persist, even now, more than two weeks since receiving the chemo. Hardly what I anticipated. Everything I detest about chemo hit hard and became quite noticeable to my family, friends and co-workers.

Since resuming chemo, my blood test results have declined to some of the worst readings this year. For example, here are some of the CBC results:

rangedate of test
testlowhigh07/1407/2107/28
wbc3.510.55.203.442.91
neu3.58.03.502.041.66
rbc3.15.44.934.324.35
hgb14.218.112.310.911.0
hct37.753.738.534.334.5
plt1424241068682

These are numbers that relate to the "patient". In fact there are approximately thirty (30) additional tests performed from the blood samples drawn weekly. Many of these relate to the liver functions and other blood chemistries. The liver tests are considerably out of range. Chemotherapy seems to have exerted little influence on the liver functions.

The "person" tests obviously do not appear on any medical chart or test log. My fingers and toes are still numb and tingly. I drop things and lose my balance. Since the chemo started, I sleep almost whenever I am away from work, though I guess some folks at work might argue that I sleep there too. Many foods hurt my mouth, again. I lose concentration and some short term memory. I am short tempered and snappy. The weight gains I made while away from chemo have now been lost. No appetite, bloated feelings and a myriad of other effects take away from any daily enjoyment and satisfaction. Clearly, the "patient" results reflect little to justify the impact on the person.

Interestingly, my oncologist told me, during out last visit on July 14, that back in March, he felt there was no point to start chemotherapy. In consultation with my surgeon, they agreed that the best therapy would be to "go fishing" because the cancer was quite advanced. However, they both felt it was worth a shot to try the two new drugs, Avastin and Oxaliplatin.

My next scheduled visit with the oncologist is August 11, 2004. At that time we will re-evaluate the worth of persuing this chemotherapy regimen. Based on my experience since March, I plan to opt out of the chemo, in favor of a much improved Quality of Life. In the meantime I anticipate getting back to normal as this last batch of drugs slowly makes its way out of my system.

The next decision point is two weeks away. We'll see how things progress until then.
 

 

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