Starting chemo on April 26th.
This Thursday I had an appointment to see my oncologist. Last time I was there, I weighed about 150 pounds. I had lost about 15 pounds since my surgery and was having a hard time gaining it back. During the last visit, the doctor said he wanted me to gain about 10 lbs before starting chemo up again, and to come back three weeks later. Well, Thursday was three weeks later.
I had my blood tested, which I do every time. They jab my finger with a needle, take a small sample and test mainly for red blood cell, white blood cell and platelets count. This time they were all fine. My platelets were extremely high when I first came back from the hospital (over 900, and the sage range is 150-450). This time everything was normal. Even the platelet count was well within range (205).
After the blood test, I was led to the examining room and waited for the doctor. He came in and said that I was looking pretty good, and with the weight I gained (I am back up to about 160), I could go ahead and start my chemo treatments again. Now, I know what you are thinking, "Boy, I bet you weren't glad to hear that". Well, I was. I don't like the chemo, but the sooner I get it started, the sooner I get it over with. And instead of the 4 treatments that were left after my initial two done in Dec and Jan, the doctor said I should probably only do 3. Sounds good to me. that means my last day would be Jun 20. I then went ahead and scheduled a time with the nurser. I start again on Monday, April 26th. That day I will start taking the oral Xeloda, which I will take twice a day for two weeks, then have a week off. That day I will also have an IV infusion of Oxaliplatin. That is the chemo that really wipes me out for about a week. I only get that once every three weeks.
Since I knew when my chemo was starting, I knew when I would be finished with it. So I called Dr. Sugarbaker's office to see if I could schedule my next and final surgery. This one would be a combine exploratory and ileostomy reversal. At first the doctor said he could do it on Aug 3rd. Why so late, you ask. First of all, he requires that surgery take place at least 4 weeks after finishing chemo. Second, he is a very busy man and does a lot of surgeries. That was the only time after July 20th he had available.
I asked if they were sure they couldn't do it sooner. Then they suggested instead of 3 rounds of chemo, I only do two (which means I would finish on May 30th and the surgery would take place on July 6th. That sounded great to me, so I told them yes, as long as my oncologist agrees. I will ask him on Monday when I go in to start chemo.
I am excited about this next surgery, because they will finally reverse this ileostomy, and I can begin to get back to normal. This surgery should also be easier (as long as they don't need to use chemo) and the recovery period shorter that the last two. It still won't be easy, as it will be the third major abdominal surgery in 9 months, but it'll be easier than the last one.
So, if you are reading this and you are a praying person, please pray that my oncologist agrees to the two rounds of chemo and that I can get the surgery in July.
Thank you.
Saturday, April 24, 2004
A Week of Firsts
This week has been a week of firsts for me and Roni.
Last Wed I was watching the weather and saw that Sunday was supposed to be in the mid 70s and sunny. I had been feeling pretty good and was beginning to think about getting my motorcycle and go riding on Sunday. It had been about 6 months since I had ridden, and I was a little nervous about getting on the bike again. Physically I thought I was up for it. Still a little weak, but strong enough.
So on Thur, I called the guy who I left my bike with. He was not home, but his mother-in-law (probably watching the kids) said he was in CT for some HOG training. "Great." I thought, "I won't be able to get my bike now." I was told to call later to speak to his wife. I called about 9:30PM and his wife said that I could stop by Friday after work and get it. That would work out, as I had to get to the dealer before they closed and get it inspected. As it had been off the road for over 6 months, it did not have the registration sticker (I did bring that with me to put on) or current inspection sticker. I wanted to make sure I got to the dealer because I did not want to risk getting a ticket. Anyway, we get to the house, later than I expected, and after a few mins, the bike fired up. I let it warm up as Roni and I put our gear on, then getting directions to the dealer, we sped off.
As we were riding to the dealer, I kept looking at my watch, realizing that we weren't going to make it. About 6 PM (when the dealership closes) we were still about 40 blocks away and I told Roni we were too late. She says a quick prayer, "G-d, please let someone still be there, and let them have compassion on us." Well, we got there about 6:10 and pulled up outside the service entrance. I saw that there were still people there and figured they were getting ready for an open house the next day. I then asked the service manager if it would be possible to get my bike inspected real quick. I knew it would be quick because last year, it took all of 5 mins. This year they broke that record and did it in about 3 mins. OK, they really didn't "inspect" the bike. They basically pulled the old sticker off and put the new one on. Good enough for me, as least I was legal.
It was now about 6:20 PM and we headed home. Roni suggested we stop by the Cohen's (our Rabbi and his family) to show them that we had the bike. You should also know that when we first got the bike in Apr of 2002, the first place we rode to was the Cohen's. That time they were happy for us. This time they were ecstatic to see us on the bike again. That was a sign to them that my recovery was really moving along. They then invited us to stay for Shabbat dinner which we readily accepted. We had a great time and rode home afterwards happy and content.
So, I told you that, to tell you this. Because Sun was going to be beautiful, I wanted to go on a decent ride and I wanted Roni to come along. On Sunday, I got my haircut (first haircut since my surgery - whoo hoo) and cleaned some of the dust and grime off the bike. Then Roni and I went on our first ride since sometime last summer. It was my first real ride since all my medical problems began on Oct 8, 2003.
Also, since I had been feeling so good, I also decided to try going back to the gym. On Wed about 5:30 PM, I went to the gym for the first time since my surgery. I spent about 40 mins there and came back tired, but feeling like I accomplished something.
So this really was a week of firsts. Not a lot, but a couple of major ones. And for me, that's pretty darn good.
Last Wed I was watching the weather and saw that Sunday was supposed to be in the mid 70s and sunny. I had been feeling pretty good and was beginning to think about getting my motorcycle and go riding on Sunday. It had been about 6 months since I had ridden, and I was a little nervous about getting on the bike again. Physically I thought I was up for it. Still a little weak, but strong enough.
So on Thur, I called the guy who I left my bike with. He was not home, but his mother-in-law (probably watching the kids) said he was in CT for some HOG training. "Great." I thought, "I won't be able to get my bike now." I was told to call later to speak to his wife. I called about 9:30PM and his wife said that I could stop by Friday after work and get it. That would work out, as I had to get to the dealer before they closed and get it inspected. As it had been off the road for over 6 months, it did not have the registration sticker (I did bring that with me to put on) or current inspection sticker. I wanted to make sure I got to the dealer because I did not want to risk getting a ticket. Anyway, we get to the house, later than I expected, and after a few mins, the bike fired up. I let it warm up as Roni and I put our gear on, then getting directions to the dealer, we sped off.
As we were riding to the dealer, I kept looking at my watch, realizing that we weren't going to make it. About 6 PM (when the dealership closes) we were still about 40 blocks away and I told Roni we were too late. She says a quick prayer, "G-d, please let someone still be there, and let them have compassion on us." Well, we got there about 6:10 and pulled up outside the service entrance. I saw that there were still people there and figured they were getting ready for an open house the next day. I then asked the service manager if it would be possible to get my bike inspected real quick. I knew it would be quick because last year, it took all of 5 mins. This year they broke that record and did it in about 3 mins. OK, they really didn't "inspect" the bike. They basically pulled the old sticker off and put the new one on. Good enough for me, as least I was legal.
It was now about 6:20 PM and we headed home. Roni suggested we stop by the Cohen's (our Rabbi and his family) to show them that we had the bike. You should also know that when we first got the bike in Apr of 2002, the first place we rode to was the Cohen's. That time they were happy for us. This time they were ecstatic to see us on the bike again. That was a sign to them that my recovery was really moving along. They then invited us to stay for Shabbat dinner which we readily accepted. We had a great time and rode home afterwards happy and content.
So, I told you that, to tell you this. Because Sun was going to be beautiful, I wanted to go on a decent ride and I wanted Roni to come along. On Sunday, I got my haircut (first haircut since my surgery - whoo hoo) and cleaned some of the dust and grime off the bike. Then Roni and I went on our first ride since sometime last summer. It was my first real ride since all my medical problems began on Oct 8, 2003.
Also, since I had been feeling so good, I also decided to try going back to the gym. On Wed about 5:30 PM, I went to the gym for the first time since my surgery. I spent about 40 mins there and came back tired, but feeling like I accomplished something.
So this really was a week of firsts. Not a lot, but a couple of major ones. And for me, that's pretty darn good.
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