Well finished the last full week of my third cycle on Friday.
Acid reflux and fatigue seem to be the main side effects I am wrestling with right now. Acid reflux apparently is brought on by the chemo. Hopefully it will not last as the chemo is nearly complete. They have prescribed proton pump inhibitors which is working but not as good as I would have hoped. It makes eating somewhat uncomfortable.
The fatigue is keeping me close to home as I cannot go very far without napping every couple of hours.
Learned to inject myself with Neupogen on the weekend. This will increase my white blood cell count and help ward off infection for the next week, which is when my blood cell count may be lower.
Not much left to say, nearing the end of this journey.
19 down 2 to go.
Livestrong!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Third and Final Round....
Began the third and final round of chemo this morning. All went well despite the frigid temperatures outside. I will definitely be keeping a low profile for this last three weeks as I would rather not have another stay at the hospitality of PMH. Great care just not interested in feeling awful to get there.
So with the Beta HCG markers undetectable and another 8 treatments on top of that lets hope we have this under control. Just need the lymph nodes to reduce in size and all will be well with the world.
Thanks again to everyone for their support and well wishes.
15 down 6 more to go.
Livestrong!
So with the Beta HCG markers undetectable and another 8 treatments on top of that lets hope we have this under control. Just need the lymph nodes to reduce in size and all will be well with the world.
Thanks again to everyone for their support and well wishes.
15 down 6 more to go.
Livestrong!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Back At Home With Some Good News
So arrived home yesterday afternoon at around 5p.m. after just short of a 9 day stay at PMH. Due to the fever, the first 3 days or so is pretty much of a blur and I just remember sleeping most of the day. By the time Thursday rolled around I was beginning to get back on my feet. Over the weekend I did begin to get my strength back somewhat and as of Monday I was ready to go home. My white blood cell count is up, infection has been taken care of as has the flux.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff of the 17th Floor at PMH. Whether support, volunteer or a health care professional the level of care was outstanding. After speaking with a few of the nurses and enquiring as to why they chose oncology as their field to specialize in, they all said the same thing; fulfillment. They work they do fills them with a sense of achievement and accomplishment they never felt in any other area. This speaks volumes to the level of care that is available at this facility.
Oh, and the good news? Received blood work results regarding my Beta HCG markers. Now if you remember before chemo the markers were at 293 and after 6 treatments they had been reduced to 45. Well as of yesterday and only 13 treatments the Beta HCG markers were undetectable!! Not out of the woods but we can see the clearing.
14 down 7 more to go.
Livestrong!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff of the 17th Floor at PMH. Whether support, volunteer or a health care professional the level of care was outstanding. After speaking with a few of the nurses and enquiring as to why they chose oncology as their field to specialize in, they all said the same thing; fulfillment. They work they do fills them with a sense of achievement and accomplishment they never felt in any other area. This speaks volumes to the level of care that is available at this facility.
Oh, and the good news? Received blood work results regarding my Beta HCG markers. Now if you remember before chemo the markers were at 293 and after 6 treatments they had been reduced to 45. Well as of yesterday and only 13 treatments the Beta HCG markers were undetectable!! Not out of the woods but we can see the clearing.
14 down 7 more to go.
Livestrong!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Hospitalization
In case you did not get the Facebook status that I sent out on Thursday, I have been hospitalized since late Sunday night suffering since the previous week with severe diarrhea. On that night the fever hit 39.5C and I have been here ever since.
The fever caused by an infection, the infection caused by any number of things not the least of which being my extremely low white blood cell count, which, if I were healthy would be ideal. However, in someone fighting the debilitating effects of chemo, I need them high to begin with in order to counteract as quickly as possible any virus that comes into play.
When I was first diagnosed with cancer and subsequently chemo as the treatment option, I dont think I really took it seriously. Okay yes I believed my healthcare professional but what did "it" mean? It was like having my lunch ordered for me at restaurant that I would never have visited in the first place;
"Welcome to Maison Cancer Monsieur, I take it you will be aving the chemo today non?"
Of course I was given more than enough information to digest prior to the meal being delivered but no one knows how it will affect the other.
As our DNA is unique so is every single persons body. They will all fight infection, that's their job but they will all do it in a different way. No two people undergoing chemo will experience the exact same side effects. If their immune systems are compromised they will defend them in the best way for their makeup.
Well I guess now I know what it means. I understand more than ever the fragility of my body and what I am going to have to do to get through these next 4 weeks.
Thank you to my colleagues who took time out of their busy schedule to come visit me two weeks ago while I was undergoing treatment and a special thank you to Deborah for knitting me not one but three woolly hats to keep my bald head toasty warm.
I would also like to thank my loving wife Janice who has helped me immensely through this last couple of weeks and without whom I couldn't imagine the road ahead.
13 Down 8 to go
Livestrong!
The fever caused by an infection, the infection caused by any number of things not the least of which being my extremely low white blood cell count, which, if I were healthy would be ideal. However, in someone fighting the debilitating effects of chemo, I need them high to begin with in order to counteract as quickly as possible any virus that comes into play.
When I was first diagnosed with cancer and subsequently chemo as the treatment option, I dont think I really took it seriously. Okay yes I believed my healthcare professional but what did "it" mean? It was like having my lunch ordered for me at restaurant that I would never have visited in the first place;
"Welcome to Maison Cancer Monsieur, I take it you will be aving the chemo today non?"
Of course I was given more than enough information to digest prior to the meal being delivered but no one knows how it will affect the other.
As our DNA is unique so is every single persons body. They will all fight infection, that's their job but they will all do it in a different way. No two people undergoing chemo will experience the exact same side effects. If their immune systems are compromised they will defend them in the best way for their makeup.
Well I guess now I know what it means. I understand more than ever the fragility of my body and what I am going to have to do to get through these next 4 weeks.
Thank you to my colleagues who took time out of their busy schedule to come visit me two weeks ago while I was undergoing treatment and a special thank you to Deborah for knitting me not one but three woolly hats to keep my bald head toasty warm.
I would also like to thank my loving wife Janice who has helped me immensely through this last couple of weeks and without whom I couldn't imagine the road ahead.
13 Down 8 to go
Livestrong!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Happy New Year - Welcome 2011
Well Happy New Year and heres to my first blog of 2011.
Hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season. Mine was very quiet. Did a lot of running around on Thursday which completely done me in for Hogmanay and the rest of the weekend. Must have caught a bit of a bug. Just felt aches and pains as you generally do with a flu, nevertheless I have to be careful as my immune system is already compromised with the chemo. Spent the majority of it in bed except for the 4 hours I spent at Toronto General on Saturday evening as my temperature broke 38 degrees Celsius. All was well though, my white blood cell count (also known as Neutrophils) was good. I was sent home with a script for antibiotics.
Woke up feeling much better yesterday and ready to start my second cycle of chemo. One third down!! Met with my oncologist who advised to push forward with the chemo despite the weekends setback as sticking to the schedule is key. I certainly don't want to lose any ground gained in my fight over a 3 day flu. He did however write another script for Neupogen which is a white cell booster shot to be taken every two days after my 5 day week. This will stimulate the growth of new white blood cells after my chemo which should help to ward off infections. It does not come cheap though and I am very grateful of my drug plan provided by my employer. If I was self employed or my employer had no drug benefits and I had to pay the full cost of the medications, I would be out close to $1800 and thats with 6 six weeks left to go!
So daily chemo has started again. I realise this because I went to bed last night at 11p.m. and have been wide awake since 3:30a.m. T.V. programming is pretty bad at the best of times but its really awful in the middle of the night. As I scroll through the channels I am hypnotized by The Shopping Network and wonder how on earth I have managed to survive all this time without a Magic Bullet Blender.
9 down 12 to go.
Livestrong!
Hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season. Mine was very quiet. Did a lot of running around on Thursday which completely done me in for Hogmanay and the rest of the weekend. Must have caught a bit of a bug. Just felt aches and pains as you generally do with a flu, nevertheless I have to be careful as my immune system is already compromised with the chemo. Spent the majority of it in bed except for the 4 hours I spent at Toronto General on Saturday evening as my temperature broke 38 degrees Celsius. All was well though, my white blood cell count (also known as Neutrophils) was good. I was sent home with a script for antibiotics.
Woke up feeling much better yesterday and ready to start my second cycle of chemo. One third down!! Met with my oncologist who advised to push forward with the chemo despite the weekends setback as sticking to the schedule is key. I certainly don't want to lose any ground gained in my fight over a 3 day flu. He did however write another script for Neupogen which is a white cell booster shot to be taken every two days after my 5 day week. This will stimulate the growth of new white blood cells after my chemo which should help to ward off infections. It does not come cheap though and I am very grateful of my drug plan provided by my employer. If I was self employed or my employer had no drug benefits and I had to pay the full cost of the medications, I would be out close to $1800 and thats with 6 six weeks left to go!
So daily chemo has started again. I realise this because I went to bed last night at 11p.m. and have been wide awake since 3:30a.m. T.V. programming is pretty bad at the best of times but its really awful in the middle of the night. As I scroll through the channels I am hypnotized by The Shopping Network and wonder how on earth I have managed to survive all this time without a Magic Bullet Blender.
9 down 12 to go.
Livestrong!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Good News
I had my appointment with my oncologist yesterday to go over my blood work ahead of beginning the second cycle on Monday. Now before I began chemotherapy my Beta Protein Marker was at 293. After 6 treatments is has been reduced to 45. Closer to the target of 0.
New Year is looking good.
Livestrong!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Chemo - Day 7 and What I really got for Christmas
When Santa Clause visited our place on Saturday morning I wasn't quite sure what he had left for me. Now throughout the duration of the year I have been good, relatively speaking of course, so I was hoping that he would surprise me with some gadget or another. After undergoing surgery to have my testicle removed, learning that I have cancer, becoming sterile and enduring chemo and the side effects; weight gain, insomnia and lethargy notwithstanding, an electronic tech toy would surely cheer me up. An iPad, MacBook or come to think of it anything Apple would suffice. So you can imagine my impatience when i awoke on Christmas morning and furiously ran down the stairs to see what the big man had left under the tree for me. Well I looked under that tree and I couldn't find anything with my name on it. There were gifts for Marcus, Aidan, Janice, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunts and Uncles. But absolutely nothing for Tom. I was confused, perplexed even. Surely there must have been a mistake. A mix up at the sorting office. May be it fell off the sleigh. What to do?I continued on with the morning, making a huge fried breakfast and large pot of coffee. Not necessarily good for the cancer but great for the Scottish soul. It is hard to be sad when there is square sausage on the go. I watched everyone else open their presents and lived vicariously through them for a while, breathing in their excitement and enthusiasm for Christmas morning. After a while nature was calling so I made the move upstairs. Once in the washroom I looked into the mirror. There it was. There was my Christmas present. Everyone else had seen it and now I was the last. Hair loss. The fat bastard brought hair loss to my Christmas party.
I have had a sort of Samson-esque relationship with my hair throughout my life and has been around shoulder length for the better part of the last 20 years although it has been diminishing in thickness and volume for the last couple of years. Now as you can see I am not exactly bald but it was coming out in clumps and has been thinning increasingly for the last few days but I fear the time has come to take control of the situation. I am going to shave my head. Never done it before and quite frankly I am a bit scared. Scared of the unknown. Scared of change. Scared of my head resembling my ass and people not being able to tell the difference. However it has to be done.
Well here it is. Here is my bald head and you know what, it's not so bad.
While looking into the mirror tonight I discovered a present that Father Christmas left that I hadn't seen on Saturday. Courage. He left me the courage to face my fears head on and deal with them. Strength and courage are the two ever present qualities that I have had to depend upon to deal with my illness. I never knew I had either in such quantities. Strength, unlike Samson, I can draw from others. From the support and well wishes from my family, friends and colleagues. Courage actually requires me to execute an act that ultimately if it were not for the former I'd be unable to pull off.
That is probably the best present I have ever received.
For the record though, next year instead of milk and cookies I think I'll leave out some single malt. St Nick has a twisted sense of humor and can be a total prick.
7 down 14 to go
Livestrong!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)