Cashmere beanie by Cornelia.
It's the only thing I can stand to have on my head.
I'm feeling better today.
When I reported my side effects to my oncologist on Monday, he sent me to the infusion center on Tuesday for an IV infusion for hydration, and they sent me on to the ER for a CT scan to check for blood clots. Six hours later, I was discharged after they found no evidence of clots in my lungs. My BP was 100/50, which is a sign of dehydration. There was some disagreement between the ER staff and my oncologist over the interpretation of the CT scan. The ER staff consulted with an on call oncologist in Grand Rapids who suggested that there was evidence of disease progression:
Irregular spiculated mass within the right lower lobe is again noted. The dominant aspect measures approximately 42 x 28 x 32 mm, probably not significantly changed, however, there is progressive consolidative and/or soft tissue opacity seen extending inferiorly and laterally, possibly reflecting superimposed developing postobstructive pneumonia versus disease progression. Additionally, there are new centrilobular bubbly lucencies, suspicious for interval cavitation versus superimposed infection.
They didn't mention any of this at the ER; just it indicated in my chart and uploaded to the MyChart app. I wasn't able to interpret what exactly they were saying, even after consulting with Google. So I wasn't particularly worried about it. But my own oncologist was quite annoyed by their claim that this seems to be evidence of disease progression and said that based on what he sees regularly, it's responding exactly how it's supposed to respond at this stage and the agitated lymph nodes and cavitations in the tumor are indicative that the chemotherapy is working rather than disease progression. But there does seem to be a bit of pneumonia which requires antibiotics. We'll know more about the impact of the therapies on the tumor and lymph nodes when we do another CT scan in a few weeks.
So now I get antibiotics plus twice a week infusions to keep from dehydrating. I feel much less week and dizzy. That seems to be helpful so far. They're also going to reduce the chemo loads by 20% and cut out one of the less effective immunotherapy drugs to help try to reduce side effects. So far I've had two IV infusions for hydration and some anti-nausea meds and antihistamines that have helped with the dizziness and fatigue and shortness of breath.
On Wednesday, this happened:
By the end of the day, Corrine buzzed the rest of it off. Not sure whether to use the electric razor to get rid of the stubble and keep it shaved through chemo or to let it start growing out now.
On a brighter note, Greg was able to change his train ticket to Grand Rapids, and John is going to come up on Monday and pick him up at the train station at midnight. Corrine is headed to Madison for a couple days to see Mikki defend her dissertation, so it will just be me and John and Greg on our own, which sounds like trouble if I had the energy to get in trouble. Instead, we'll probably just listen to some jazz and watch South Park while Corrine is gone. At least until the side effects kick in and I'm back to sleeping 22 hours a day.
Obituary for a Quiet LifeEssay by Jeremy B. Jones
From The Bitter Southerner
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