Hey everyone
It's Tuesday the 29th of April, one day before I go in for my next session so I thought I'd give you all an update on the previous session as well as events going on around the Cuthill household.
First off, it's less than two weeks before Baby G arrives. He has been making his presence known by plenty of rapid-fire kicking in Karla's belly - I think the boy will take after his Dad and be a soccer player!! Karla goes in for weekly checkups at this point and everything is good. We did have a bit of a scare last week when she went in for an ultrasound and they sent her for additional tests - we suddenly realized how unprepared we were if the baby came early. So a bag is now packed and ready to take to the hospital, the co-sleeper is set up beside the bed, and all baby clothes are washed and sorted. I'm ready as I'll ever be (which means I'm hopelessly unprepared). But I felt the same way with Isla and she turned out OK, right?
We have also done some house hunting in recent weeks and have attended a number of open houses in the south west area of Greater Boston. While we like Reading, where we currently live, you can just get so much more house for your money further south, and without scrimping on good schools. Nothing has jumped out yet, but we have a pretty good idea what we need (and want) in a home.
Karla and I attended another conference at the Dana-Farber clinic. This one was more medical in nature, and despite feeling a bit under the weather on the day of the event, I am glad I attended this event. It was much more hands on than the previous conference, giving very specific direction on things like diet, services available at the clinic including health and fitness, and explaining what current trends were out there in the medical community. There was also an inspiring talk from a man named Jim who has been fighting Stage IV colon cancer like myself for two years now. While he is not completely cured, he has had very positive results from both surgery and chemo, and looked really healthy. While his talk brought the obvious tears as he talked about discussing his cancer for the first time with his children, I did not take negative thoughts from the speech and instead found it inspiring to see someone a few years ahead of me in the "process" and handling it well.
As for my chemotherapy, this was a tougher two weeks. Each session has been a bit better than the last until this session. I caught a cold and it really hit me hard last week. The fatigue side effects were "enhanced" by the cold, making me more tired and lethargic than normal. I could fit in 6-8 hours of work each day, but then essentially had to go to bed and sleep after that. It was quite frustrating as I felt I was ready to move forward with getting fit again. I seem to have come out of the cold and am feeling quite good today, but tomorrow's session will knock me back down again. What I have done is scheduled a health and fitness appointment with the clinic next Monday. Hopefully, I will get some idea of how to proceed without overly stressing my body.
One other quick story. I had taken off my wedding ring a few months ago, as my weight loss from surgery and initial chemo had impacted the size of my ring finger. Rather than lose a second wedding ring, I put the ring away. A few weeks ago, I thought I had recovered enough to wear the ring again but unfortunately it came flying off while I was washing my hair. I can't risk losing another so the ring will go away again. I guess I have to build up muscle strength in my fingers too (or maybe I was just a bit fat before). For those of you who attended my wedding, you may remember that I lost my first wedding ring snorkeling in the waters off the hotel beach the DAY AFTER I got married. Not my most shining moment!
Thanks for reading.
Andrew
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Sixth Chemo
Tuesday, April 15
So this is the first time I'm actually writing on the blog real-time. Rather than send out multiple emails, and because the donation website is wrapping up today, I have tried to get everything in one place.
So what has happened over the past two weeks, as it is now Day 14 of my sixth chemo session? A lot. Perhaps the most significant thing is that our au pair, Amarilis, arrived in Boston last Thursday, April 10, and has integrated extremely well with our family. She flew in from Panama on Monday, April 7 and had three intense days of orientation in New York with other au pairs, through the Au Pair in America organization. On Thursday, she hopped on a train from New York to Boston and was met by the three of us at South Station at 8PM. Isla was somewhat shy at first but over the last few days, she has really taken to her. It may be hard to believe, but as a three-year-old, I think she gets it that Amarilis is primarily here for her. And she has not hesitated to take advantage of that: "Amarilis, come play with me", "Amaralis, come sit with me", etc. Her English needs a lot of work but that's part of why she's here in the US. She has already helped out tremendously, and that's in the first 5 days. I think we will be in good shape when Baby G is born.
Baby G - it's only four weeks away now, actually one day less than 4 weeks. I don't think you can fully prepare for the birth of a child. It just happens and you adapt. Don't get me wrong, you do all the right things like buying the changing table, clothes, toys, bouncer, swing etc. so materially you are prepared. It's more mental. While we now have the benefit of knowing what to expect based on our first child, we have no idea what dynamic the second child will bring. Friends tell you this and that but in reality, you learn as you go. Personally, I'm looking forward to having a little guy walking around. I haven't had this experience since I was two years old and my brother Jamie turned up, pretty much quoting lines from local comedians as soon as he came out of the womb.
Baby G is making it tough on Karla. A good night's sleep is hard to come by for her, what with him resting on her bladder or shooting an elbow or knee into some uncomfortable spot without warning. He's bigger than Isla was at this stage, although we think both of them were equally as active. Karla sees a doctor pretty much every week now, just to make sure all is OK as we head into the homestretch. Everything is fine and normal.
I celebrated my 48th birthday on April 7th. My parents were in town and so Karla and I got a night out to celebrate. As it was only Day 6 after the chemo, we weren't sure how I'd react, but everything worked out great. We had a nice dinner at a sushi restaurant in Brookline downtown and then went to the Shubert Theatre to see my favorite artist, Neil Finn, in concert. It was a great show as he played songs from all parts of his musical career, including a bunch of Split Enz classics from the 70's and 80's, many Crowded House songs from the 80's and 90's, mixed in with some solo songs he'd released over the years. For those of you who don't know him, look up "Don't Dream It's Over" or "I Got You" on the internet and you may recall him. I did not get too tired and overall, felt quite good after my first long night out (till 11PM - that counts as a long night, right?) since I got sick.
Overall, the sixth chemo session has gone quite well. In terms of side effects, I did experience some jaw pain on Day 2, but not for as long, and I seemed to come off the steroid on Day 8 without experiencing the major lethargy of previous sessions. I still have constant sore throat, morning nosebleeds, occasional blurred vision and tingling in my fingers and toes. Strangely, even though I am still about 15 pounds under my weight in December, I feel like I actually look a bit chubbier in the face. I am still eating well, and with the weather turning, I'm starting to do some walking again, but all of my weight gain is probably around the belly rather than muscle. This will be a topic of discussion with Dr. Wolpin tomorrow - I do want to start pushing myself harder, within reason and I am hoping he can help.
I dread tomorrow. You spend two weeks getting yourself back to some place normal, when you know that you are going to get knocked down over the next three days. When I'm walking around with the infuser pumping chemicals into me, I feel slightly less than human. But I haven't lost sight of the target: Knock the cancer backwards to a point where it no longer is growing. Two more sessions and they will do another CT scan - I do feel like we are continuing to progress.
All the best.
So this is the first time I'm actually writing on the blog real-time. Rather than send out multiple emails, and because the donation website is wrapping up today, I have tried to get everything in one place.
So what has happened over the past two weeks, as it is now Day 14 of my sixth chemo session? A lot. Perhaps the most significant thing is that our au pair, Amarilis, arrived in Boston last Thursday, April 10, and has integrated extremely well with our family. She flew in from Panama on Monday, April 7 and had three intense days of orientation in New York with other au pairs, through the Au Pair in America organization. On Thursday, she hopped on a train from New York to Boston and was met by the three of us at South Station at 8PM. Isla was somewhat shy at first but over the last few days, she has really taken to her. It may be hard to believe, but as a three-year-old, I think she gets it that Amarilis is primarily here for her. And she has not hesitated to take advantage of that: "Amarilis, come play with me", "Amaralis, come sit with me", etc. Her English needs a lot of work but that's part of why she's here in the US. She has already helped out tremendously, and that's in the first 5 days. I think we will be in good shape when Baby G is born.
Baby G - it's only four weeks away now, actually one day less than 4 weeks. I don't think you can fully prepare for the birth of a child. It just happens and you adapt. Don't get me wrong, you do all the right things like buying the changing table, clothes, toys, bouncer, swing etc. so materially you are prepared. It's more mental. While we now have the benefit of knowing what to expect based on our first child, we have no idea what dynamic the second child will bring. Friends tell you this and that but in reality, you learn as you go. Personally, I'm looking forward to having a little guy walking around. I haven't had this experience since I was two years old and my brother Jamie turned up, pretty much quoting lines from local comedians as soon as he came out of the womb.
Baby G is making it tough on Karla. A good night's sleep is hard to come by for her, what with him resting on her bladder or shooting an elbow or knee into some uncomfortable spot without warning. He's bigger than Isla was at this stage, although we think both of them were equally as active. Karla sees a doctor pretty much every week now, just to make sure all is OK as we head into the homestretch. Everything is fine and normal.
I celebrated my 48th birthday on April 7th. My parents were in town and so Karla and I got a night out to celebrate. As it was only Day 6 after the chemo, we weren't sure how I'd react, but everything worked out great. We had a nice dinner at a sushi restaurant in Brookline downtown and then went to the Shubert Theatre to see my favorite artist, Neil Finn, in concert. It was a great show as he played songs from all parts of his musical career, including a bunch of Split Enz classics from the 70's and 80's, many Crowded House songs from the 80's and 90's, mixed in with some solo songs he'd released over the years. For those of you who don't know him, look up "Don't Dream It's Over" or "I Got You" on the internet and you may recall him. I did not get too tired and overall, felt quite good after my first long night out (till 11PM - that counts as a long night, right?) since I got sick.
Overall, the sixth chemo session has gone quite well. In terms of side effects, I did experience some jaw pain on Day 2, but not for as long, and I seemed to come off the steroid on Day 8 without experiencing the major lethargy of previous sessions. I still have constant sore throat, morning nosebleeds, occasional blurred vision and tingling in my fingers and toes. Strangely, even though I am still about 15 pounds under my weight in December, I feel like I actually look a bit chubbier in the face. I am still eating well, and with the weather turning, I'm starting to do some walking again, but all of my weight gain is probably around the belly rather than muscle. This will be a topic of discussion with Dr. Wolpin tomorrow - I do want to start pushing myself harder, within reason and I am hoping he can help.
I dread tomorrow. You spend two weeks getting yourself back to some place normal, when you know that you are going to get knocked down over the next three days. When I'm walking around with the infuser pumping chemicals into me, I feel slightly less than human. But I haven't lost sight of the target: Knock the cancer backwards to a point where it no longer is growing. Two more sessions and they will do another CT scan - I do feel like we are continuing to progress.
All the best.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Fifth Chemo
Originally sent in an email on March 31, 2014:
Hi everyone
Just wanted to give you some updates as I head into my sixth session this Wednesday. No major issues for me through Days 5-12 except for some weird leg pain and lethargy as I came off the steroid. So it seems that, at least for now, we have some form of normalcy in how the sessions progress. This could change at any time, but hopefully, nothing too severe. I have sessions scheduled this week, on April 2, as well as on April 16 and April 30, and then I will take a three week break so I can be as active as possible when Baby G arrives on May 12.
Our au pair, Amarilis from Panama, arrives on Thursday, the 10th, so we have been preparing for her arrival. On some levels, I feel somewhat unprepared - we have this 25 year old woman who is going to live with us for the next year, who we have never met in person, who speaks some English but needs work, and who will be driving our cars (at some point) and taking care of Isla. But we sooo need the help - Karla is definitely slowing down as she is well into her 8th month and I just don't have the energy to take on too many additional responsibilities.
I did want to share some thoughts from the past weekend too. As part of the chemo process, we get regular visits at the clinic from a social worker and a nutritionist. The social worker had been pushing Karla and I to attend a conference on Saturday for young adults with cancer. I can hear some of you snorting (Casey, probably) at the thought that I am classified as a "young adult" but I think it is more a reflection of where Karla and I are in our lives, with a young family. And I am truly a young adult when it comes to colon cancer, judging by the people I see at the clinic every second week. In any case, we attended the conference and to be honest, I have to say that it punched me in the gut to some extent. I think I have approached this whole cancer thing with an optimistic attitude that it's something I will overcome and that there is no doubt we will get through this. I will admit that I am wearing rose-colored glasses to some extent, but why dwell on the negatives? In any case, rather than inspiring me, the conference made me to think about mortality, about how isolated we have become, and exactly what the future may hold for me. We met other cancer patients who had seen recurrences of their cancer, and one woman who was seriously considering giving up on treatments. While their situations are different than mine, it was tough to hear what they went through and impossible not to put myself in their position as I listened to their struggles. I was hoping that the conference would provide me with some insight into my disease, maybe some ideas on managing side effects, and some other therapies or homeopathic remedies that people have discovered. Instead, I left with a feeling of melancholy - maybe a dose of reality is good in some cases, but ignorance can be bliss too.
On the flip side, on Saturday night, Karla, Isla and I ventured out for the first evening since I got sick to see the Harlem Globetrotters at TD Garden. Karla has a friend of a friend who does PR for the 'Trotters and got us court side seats to see the game/performance. Isla was amazing with all the crowds, and we got to watch the fun from very close. The 'Trotters have a mascot named Globie, essentially a guy dressed up with a huge smiling face globe for a head. Isla was terrified! Every time Globie came close (which, court side was somewhat often) she would scream and bury her head into Karla. We were finally able to convince her that he was a friend, and I think after she watched him dance a few times, she started to think the same. We lasted only one period, as Isla was starting to really pass out, but it was really great to get out as a family and experience some "normalcy".
My parents just arrived from Canada so I'll sign off. They will be helping this week especially on Wednesday through Friday as I do the chemo.
Andrew
Hi everyone
Just wanted to give you some updates as I head into my sixth session this Wednesday. No major issues for me through Days 5-12 except for some weird leg pain and lethargy as I came off the steroid. So it seems that, at least for now, we have some form of normalcy in how the sessions progress. This could change at any time, but hopefully, nothing too severe. I have sessions scheduled this week, on April 2, as well as on April 16 and April 30, and then I will take a three week break so I can be as active as possible when Baby G arrives on May 12.
Our au pair, Amarilis from Panama, arrives on Thursday, the 10th, so we have been preparing for her arrival. On some levels, I feel somewhat unprepared - we have this 25 year old woman who is going to live with us for the next year, who we have never met in person, who speaks some English but needs work, and who will be driving our cars (at some point) and taking care of Isla. But we sooo need the help - Karla is definitely slowing down as she is well into her 8th month and I just don't have the energy to take on too many additional responsibilities.
I did want to share some thoughts from the past weekend too. As part of the chemo process, we get regular visits at the clinic from a social worker and a nutritionist. The social worker had been pushing Karla and I to attend a conference on Saturday for young adults with cancer. I can hear some of you snorting (Casey, probably) at the thought that I am classified as a "young adult" but I think it is more a reflection of where Karla and I are in our lives, with a young family. And I am truly a young adult when it comes to colon cancer, judging by the people I see at the clinic every second week. In any case, we attended the conference and to be honest, I have to say that it punched me in the gut to some extent. I think I have approached this whole cancer thing with an optimistic attitude that it's something I will overcome and that there is no doubt we will get through this. I will admit that I am wearing rose-colored glasses to some extent, but why dwell on the negatives? In any case, rather than inspiring me, the conference made me to think about mortality, about how isolated we have become, and exactly what the future may hold for me. We met other cancer patients who had seen recurrences of their cancer, and one woman who was seriously considering giving up on treatments. While their situations are different than mine, it was tough to hear what they went through and impossible not to put myself in their position as I listened to their struggles. I was hoping that the conference would provide me with some insight into my disease, maybe some ideas on managing side effects, and some other therapies or homeopathic remedies that people have discovered. Instead, I left with a feeling of melancholy - maybe a dose of reality is good in some cases, but ignorance can be bliss too.
On the flip side, on Saturday night, Karla, Isla and I ventured out for the first evening since I got sick to see the Harlem Globetrotters at TD Garden. Karla has a friend of a friend who does PR for the 'Trotters and got us court side seats to see the game/performance. Isla was amazing with all the crowds, and we got to watch the fun from very close. The 'Trotters have a mascot named Globie, essentially a guy dressed up with a huge smiling face globe for a head. Isla was terrified! Every time Globie came close (which, court side was somewhat often) she would scream and bury her head into Karla. We were finally able to convince her that he was a friend, and I think after she watched him dance a few times, she started to think the same. We lasted only one period, as Isla was starting to really pass out, but it was really great to get out as a family and experience some "normalcy".
My parents just arrived from Canada so I'll sign off. They will be helping this week especially on Wednesday through Friday as I do the chemo.
Andrew
First CT Scan Results - Good News
Originally sent in an email on March 22, 2014
Hey
So we received really good news from the first CT scan results. The tumors in my liver and lung are both less dense and smaller. This means that, so far, the chemo is working! Now it's early, so we are not jumping through hoops yet, but this really great news and confirms what I have been feeling inside. Honestly, I went into the meeting with the oncologist without feeling nervous at all. It was actually a funny session, as we immediately jumped into discussing issues with the fourth session and how we could mitigate them in the fifth session. Just the fact that we were talking a fifth session meant the CT results had to have been positive, but Dr. Wolpin did not come right out and say it. So I brought it up as sort of the..."so, I take it with these discussions that we had a good CT scan...?" He looked a bit embarrassed, and said yes quite good. We had a few laughs and he walked us through what we described above. Karla and I hugged and had some tears in our eyes (tears of happiness for a change). So the plan is continue onwards - no change to the chemo schedule. It's working so let's hope it continues to work.
There was a small caveat. I have been getting this really bad jaw and upper body pain, generally on the second day. Dr. Wolpin wanted to fully eliminate heart issues from the equation. Apparently, this pain manifests itself in two ways based on two of the different drugs I am taking. In one case, it's just a side effect that has to be managed (through Tylenol), but in the more rarer cases, it may be a strain on the heart, and the chemo regimen may have to be changed. So we were scheduled to come back in the next day for an EKG on my heart (just a bunch of wires attached to the body) to make sure it wasn't the latter. Unfortunately,the pain did not really hit me until late in the day so we did not get in until Day 3. But the results came back negative - regular heartbeat. I finished the chemo session around 2:30 yesterday and Karla hooked me up to some fluids. We detached everything around 6PM and now we go through the regular two week routine before the next session. I was a bit more lethargic over the past two days as we dialed back on the steroid.
Karla's folks have been helpful this week, and will be heading back to Myrtle Beach later today. This morning, Karla and I will be visiting a realtor in the area to start the process of looking for a new home this summer (I won't be in temporary housing forever). We are also getting closer to the au pair's arrival in April and hope to Skype with her this weekend to see how things are going.
Very happy to pass on good news. All the best.
Andrew
Hey
So we received really good news from the first CT scan results. The tumors in my liver and lung are both less dense and smaller. This means that, so far, the chemo is working! Now it's early, so we are not jumping through hoops yet, but this really great news and confirms what I have been feeling inside. Honestly, I went into the meeting with the oncologist without feeling nervous at all. It was actually a funny session, as we immediately jumped into discussing issues with the fourth session and how we could mitigate them in the fifth session. Just the fact that we were talking a fifth session meant the CT results had to have been positive, but Dr. Wolpin did not come right out and say it. So I brought it up as sort of the..."so, I take it with these discussions that we had a good CT scan...?" He looked a bit embarrassed, and said yes quite good. We had a few laughs and he walked us through what we described above. Karla and I hugged and had some tears in our eyes (tears of happiness for a change). So the plan is continue onwards - no change to the chemo schedule. It's working so let's hope it continues to work.
There was a small caveat. I have been getting this really bad jaw and upper body pain, generally on the second day. Dr. Wolpin wanted to fully eliminate heart issues from the equation. Apparently, this pain manifests itself in two ways based on two of the different drugs I am taking. In one case, it's just a side effect that has to be managed (through Tylenol), but in the more rarer cases, it may be a strain on the heart, and the chemo regimen may have to be changed. So we were scheduled to come back in the next day for an EKG on my heart (just a bunch of wires attached to the body) to make sure it wasn't the latter. Unfortunately,the pain did not really hit me until late in the day so we did not get in until Day 3. But the results came back negative - regular heartbeat. I finished the chemo session around 2:30 yesterday and Karla hooked me up to some fluids. We detached everything around 6PM and now we go through the regular two week routine before the next session. I was a bit more lethargic over the past two days as we dialed back on the steroid.
Karla's folks have been helpful this week, and will be heading back to Myrtle Beach later today. This morning, Karla and I will be visiting a realtor in the area to start the process of looking for a new home this summer (I won't be in temporary housing forever). We are also getting closer to the au pair's arrival in April and hope to Skype with her this weekend to see how things are going.
Very happy to pass on good news. All the best.
Andrew
Fourth Chemo
Originally sent in an email on March 18, 2014:
Hi everyone
I head into chemo tomorrow, so I thought I'd give everyone an update on the past session. Once again, it was definitely better this time around than the third session. My parents came down from Ottawa to help out over the chemo week. They are just so good with Isla - giving her arts and crafts to do, playing with her and building elaborate Duplo structures, and taking her on long walks outside.
We had a really good meeting with the oncologist and basically we did not change much from the previous session, other than to reduce the steroid I was taking. The steroid is used to help manage the pain and essentially produces a hormone similar to what is produced by your adrenal glands. We had a really good nurse, Heather, who administered the chemo at the clinic, and had everything working like clockwork, so we were home much faster than other weeks.
I had the same reaction to the chemo on Day 2, with very severe jaw and upper body pain that I managed for the most part with Tylenol and Ibuprofen. In terms of overall side effects, I have not suffered some of the more severe ones that other cancer patients have faced as yet. I still have my hair (well, what's left of my hair as a 47-year old!!), I still enjoy food and my taste buds have not been impacted, I have not experienced sores inside my mouth (thank Christine Doherty for that - spoonful of honey in the morning and evening) and while I have experienced some slight numbness at times in my toes and fingertips, it has not been severe and has actually been less noticeable after the fourth session. I am extremely averse to the cold however - my hands start stinging and going numb almost immediately if I go out in sub-freezing temperatures. I also can't drink anything cold, and especially any iced drinks as it almost burns my throat. And of course, I get tired very easily.
Karla hooked me up to an IV of saline on Day 3, and we also did it on Day 5, but I am finding that it really is unnecessary after Day 3 - I am getting very good at drinking 2 full litres of Smart Water each day, and the drip really just messes up that process. We will continue to do an IV on Day 3 going forward, though, as the chemo does seem to drain me more.
Was able to do more on Day 4 through Day 7 but experienced the same power drain when going off the steroid and was wiped out for much of Day 8. We'll talk to the oncologist about that and see what we can do. I have been fighting a sore throat for much of the second week but I think it's pretty much due to the excessive dryness in our house.
I did go in for a CT scan on Friday (Day 9). They lay you flat on a table and pass you through this giant ring (I can see Bruce referring to it as a Stargate) several times. You drink a special barium solution over several hours prior to the scan that helps with the computer "tomography" of the gastrointestinal tract (I think that means things show up clearer on the scan). In any case, it proceeded without incident. Note that this is very different from an MRI (which I've also had) where you essentially are slid into this massive machine, and feelings of claustrophobia are very common. We won't know the results until we see the oncologist at tomorrow's session. I may be slow in sharing the results, either way, as I think Karla and I will take the time to process whatever is discussed. I feel the chemo is working, so the hope is that we can continue full steam ahead if the results are positive.
Karla and Isla are both well. Baby G (as we refer to the wee one) is getting more and more active and is apparently the size of a pineapple now. Karla is having to dial back on things a bit, even though she wants to take on a lot. The au pair starts in three weeks and we need to start preparing for the additional resident in the house. We also had a nice visit from my brother and his family last weekend - it is so amazing to see Isla and her cousins interact.
So, think good thoughts and all the best to everyone.
Andrew
Hi everyone
I head into chemo tomorrow, so I thought I'd give everyone an update on the past session. Once again, it was definitely better this time around than the third session. My parents came down from Ottawa to help out over the chemo week. They are just so good with Isla - giving her arts and crafts to do, playing with her and building elaborate Duplo structures, and taking her on long walks outside.
We had a really good meeting with the oncologist and basically we did not change much from the previous session, other than to reduce the steroid I was taking. The steroid is used to help manage the pain and essentially produces a hormone similar to what is produced by your adrenal glands. We had a really good nurse, Heather, who administered the chemo at the clinic, and had everything working like clockwork, so we were home much faster than other weeks.
I had the same reaction to the chemo on Day 2, with very severe jaw and upper body pain that I managed for the most part with Tylenol and Ibuprofen. In terms of overall side effects, I have not suffered some of the more severe ones that other cancer patients have faced as yet. I still have my hair (well, what's left of my hair as a 47-year old!!), I still enjoy food and my taste buds have not been impacted, I have not experienced sores inside my mouth (thank Christine Doherty for that - spoonful of honey in the morning and evening) and while I have experienced some slight numbness at times in my toes and fingertips, it has not been severe and has actually been less noticeable after the fourth session. I am extremely averse to the cold however - my hands start stinging and going numb almost immediately if I go out in sub-freezing temperatures. I also can't drink anything cold, and especially any iced drinks as it almost burns my throat. And of course, I get tired very easily.
Karla hooked me up to an IV of saline on Day 3, and we also did it on Day 5, but I am finding that it really is unnecessary after Day 3 - I am getting very good at drinking 2 full litres of Smart Water each day, and the drip really just messes up that process. We will continue to do an IV on Day 3 going forward, though, as the chemo does seem to drain me more.
Was able to do more on Day 4 through Day 7 but experienced the same power drain when going off the steroid and was wiped out for much of Day 8. We'll talk to the oncologist about that and see what we can do. I have been fighting a sore throat for much of the second week but I think it's pretty much due to the excessive dryness in our house.
I did go in for a CT scan on Friday (Day 9). They lay you flat on a table and pass you through this giant ring (I can see Bruce referring to it as a Stargate) several times. You drink a special barium solution over several hours prior to the scan that helps with the computer "tomography" of the gastrointestinal tract (I think that means things show up clearer on the scan). In any case, it proceeded without incident. Note that this is very different from an MRI (which I've also had) where you essentially are slid into this massive machine, and feelings of claustrophobia are very common. We won't know the results until we see the oncologist at tomorrow's session. I may be slow in sharing the results, either way, as I think Karla and I will take the time to process whatever is discussed. I feel the chemo is working, so the hope is that we can continue full steam ahead if the results are positive.
Karla and Isla are both well. Baby G (as we refer to the wee one) is getting more and more active and is apparently the size of a pineapple now. Karla is having to dial back on things a bit, even though she wants to take on a lot. The au pair starts in three weeks and we need to start preparing for the additional resident in the house. We also had a nice visit from my brother and his family last weekend - it is so amazing to see Isla and her cousins interact.
So, think good thoughts and all the best to everyone.
Andrew
Third Chemo
Originally sent in an email on March 4, 2014
Hello from the endless winter of the Northeast
I am heading in for my fourth chemo session tomorrow and if it goes as well as the third session, I'll be a very happy man.
On the day of the third chemo session, February 19, we had our old babysitter from Vermont, Abby, in place to take care of Isla (she now lives south of Boston in New Bedford). Meanwhile, my friend Scott was driving up from Jersey, arriving in the evening, and would stay six days to support us in case any issues arose. Don't know if we were more excited to see Scott himself, or to have some of his cooking while he was here. Thanks to Pam and Jack for making him available, and Scott for being...Scott.
No major issues at the clinic, except that the Canada game against Latvia, being played while I was getting infused, was not available on the hospital TV, much to my chagrin. I was able to see the last few minutes streamed on my computer after setting up a portable wi-fi. So Karla and I came home with me hooked up to the portable infuser and we had a great dinner with Scott and Abby (who stayed around a bit longer because Isla was initially not too sure about that strange man with a goatee).
Day 2 and Day 3 went relatively smoothly. I did get some quite intense lower jaw pain that I was able to manage for the most part with tylenol and ibuprofen. Unfortunately, the pain struck just as the Canadian women were mounting that incredible comeback against the US in the gold medal game. I actually had to bury my head as I waited for the ibuprofen to take effect, but the true friend that Scott is, he gave me the play-by-play and his voice held such excitement (sarcasm intended) when Canada scored the winner.
We also had a visit from a second infusion company. As I had issues with dehydration in previous sessions, they provided us with an infuser that Karla and I could hook up ourselves, as well as three bags of saline. So Karla was able to hook up and unhook the saline, as well as remove the original infuser when my 48 hours of chemo were up. We'd use the saline three times on Day 3, 5 and 7. This saves us having to drive into the clinic, and apart from some heperin spraying on the ceiling, Karla handled the infusers very well.
So really, other than being a bit run down on Day 9, everything has gone pretty smoothly. I maybe overdid it a few days in terms of physical activity and or work, and I need to force myself to rest before I get too tired, and not after. The push over the past two weeks has been to gain weight back and I have been moderately successful, getting over 160 pounds for the first time since the start of the second chemo session. Lots of protein.
My parents are here and will provide support over the next week. Not quite ready to say we are in a "steady" state yet, but things have been encouraging. A week on Friday, I get my first CT scan since the chemo started - that will tell us if the chemo has had an effect.
In other news, Karla is doing very well with the baby. Just over two months to go and the baby boy is very active. We have also identified our au pair, and she will be moving into our house on April 10, giving her some time to adjust, as well as Isla getting used to her. She is from Panama, so we are hoping Isla will learn a second language while she is here.
Not looking forward to tomorrow but this email comes from a good place.
Andrew
Hello from the endless winter of the Northeast
I am heading in for my fourth chemo session tomorrow and if it goes as well as the third session, I'll be a very happy man.
On the day of the third chemo session, February 19, we had our old babysitter from Vermont, Abby, in place to take care of Isla (she now lives south of Boston in New Bedford). Meanwhile, my friend Scott was driving up from Jersey, arriving in the evening, and would stay six days to support us in case any issues arose. Don't know if we were more excited to see Scott himself, or to have some of his cooking while he was here. Thanks to Pam and Jack for making him available, and Scott for being...Scott.
No major issues at the clinic, except that the Canada game against Latvia, being played while I was getting infused, was not available on the hospital TV, much to my chagrin. I was able to see the last few minutes streamed on my computer after setting up a portable wi-fi. So Karla and I came home with me hooked up to the portable infuser and we had a great dinner with Scott and Abby (who stayed around a bit longer because Isla was initially not too sure about that strange man with a goatee).
Day 2 and Day 3 went relatively smoothly. I did get some quite intense lower jaw pain that I was able to manage for the most part with tylenol and ibuprofen. Unfortunately, the pain struck just as the Canadian women were mounting that incredible comeback against the US in the gold medal game. I actually had to bury my head as I waited for the ibuprofen to take effect, but the true friend that Scott is, he gave me the play-by-play and his voice held such excitement (sarcasm intended) when Canada scored the winner.
We also had a visit from a second infusion company. As I had issues with dehydration in previous sessions, they provided us with an infuser that Karla and I could hook up ourselves, as well as three bags of saline. So Karla was able to hook up and unhook the saline, as well as remove the original infuser when my 48 hours of chemo were up. We'd use the saline three times on Day 3, 5 and 7. This saves us having to drive into the clinic, and apart from some heperin spraying on the ceiling, Karla handled the infusers very well.
So really, other than being a bit run down on Day 9, everything has gone pretty smoothly. I maybe overdid it a few days in terms of physical activity and or work, and I need to force myself to rest before I get too tired, and not after. The push over the past two weeks has been to gain weight back and I have been moderately successful, getting over 160 pounds for the first time since the start of the second chemo session. Lots of protein.
My parents are here and will provide support over the next week. Not quite ready to say we are in a "steady" state yet, but things have been encouraging. A week on Friday, I get my first CT scan since the chemo started - that will tell us if the chemo has had an effect.
In other news, Karla is doing very well with the baby. Just over two months to go and the baby boy is very active. We have also identified our au pair, and she will be moving into our house on April 10, giving her some time to adjust, as well as Isla getting used to her. She is from Panama, so we are hoping Isla will learn a second language while she is here.
Not looking forward to tomorrow but this email comes from a good place.
Andrew
Thoughts on the Donation Website
Many of you have been to the donation website for my family and I at the YouCaring.Com website. I thought it was important that you know where this website came from, and for what purpose it will serve.
After the surgery, I received a tremendous outpouring of support from friends and family. In many cases, people were asking what they could do to help. I had many people offer to come out and visit, and provide Karla with assistance. My friend Bruce took it one step further, suggesting that he and his wife Karen would offer to purchase meals for us on a regular basis from a place like GrubHub or some other internet company that provided dinner to its customers. Karla felt that she could handle the meals portion at her end, so Bruce asked if there were other areas that we would need help. We really had no idea what medical bills we would face, what additional costs may arise, what my state of recovery would be once the baby was born and what sort of child support would be needed in order to keep our family moving forward.
So Bruce set up the Donation website so that people could send support if they wished, without having to ask "What can we do?" The website would be up for 60 days, and people could log in, read updates from Karla and I, and if they so chose, donate some money. We never anticipated it would end up raising what it did. First off, social media is incredible. Some friends posted the site on their Facebook pages, it got on certain timelines, and donations came in, some from people we did not even know (some of our friends have very generous friends and family of their own). Second, I never realized just how many people had been part of my life - friends I had lost touch with over the years were suddenly giving us money and I was very touched. Even now, as I write this, it is very emotional.
We immediately decided that all money raised from this site would go towards hiring an au pair who would assist Karla in raising Isla and the new baby, and give Karla some time to also help me. The au pair is scheduled to start on April 10 and will be with us for a year. I'll speak more on the au pair process in a later blog if any of you want further details on what it entails.
Two things: First, we did not ask for handouts. The website provided a method for people to lend their support to us in a meaningful way. It's not something to enhance our financial position, and we never thought it would raise as much money as it did. We really have no idea what additional costs we may face. Second, you can all rest assured that we will pay this generosity forward when we can. I don't think I can express this any more eloquently than something my friend Mike wrote a few weeks ago:
"Here’s how you “pay back” (although I’m certain you know this already). You will have an opportunity to be compassionate/selfless/generous to someone in need – just like you’ve been all your adult life. They will cross your path. Give of yourself as best you can. Do that when you can. Teach your children to do that (well on track already, I know) – teach by example. We come together, each with dire needs and each with gifts to share. The divine beauty in this plan is that in our need we find others who have a gift to share which happens to fit our need perfectly – just when we need it most, and at the same time we find others whose needs are an exact match for the gifts we have to share. This is what the universe had in mind for “community” here. The only trick is to keep our hearts & minds open to the connection when it’s in the moment, and to let the connection happen."
After the surgery, I received a tremendous outpouring of support from friends and family. In many cases, people were asking what they could do to help. I had many people offer to come out and visit, and provide Karla with assistance. My friend Bruce took it one step further, suggesting that he and his wife Karen would offer to purchase meals for us on a regular basis from a place like GrubHub or some other internet company that provided dinner to its customers. Karla felt that she could handle the meals portion at her end, so Bruce asked if there were other areas that we would need help. We really had no idea what medical bills we would face, what additional costs may arise, what my state of recovery would be once the baby was born and what sort of child support would be needed in order to keep our family moving forward.
So Bruce set up the Donation website so that people could send support if they wished, without having to ask "What can we do?" The website would be up for 60 days, and people could log in, read updates from Karla and I, and if they so chose, donate some money. We never anticipated it would end up raising what it did. First off, social media is incredible. Some friends posted the site on their Facebook pages, it got on certain timelines, and donations came in, some from people we did not even know (some of our friends have very generous friends and family of their own). Second, I never realized just how many people had been part of my life - friends I had lost touch with over the years were suddenly giving us money and I was very touched. Even now, as I write this, it is very emotional.
We immediately decided that all money raised from this site would go towards hiring an au pair who would assist Karla in raising Isla and the new baby, and give Karla some time to also help me. The au pair is scheduled to start on April 10 and will be with us for a year. I'll speak more on the au pair process in a later blog if any of you want further details on what it entails.
Two things: First, we did not ask for handouts. The website provided a method for people to lend their support to us in a meaningful way. It's not something to enhance our financial position, and we never thought it would raise as much money as it did. We really have no idea what additional costs we may face. Second, you can all rest assured that we will pay this generosity forward when we can. I don't think I can express this any more eloquently than something my friend Mike wrote a few weeks ago:
"Here’s how you “pay back” (although I’m certain you know this already). You will have an opportunity to be compassionate/selfless/generous to someone in need – just like you’ve been all your adult life. They will cross your path. Give of yourself as best you can. Do that when you can. Teach your children to do that (well on track already, I know) – teach by example. We come together, each with dire needs and each with gifts to share. The divine beauty in this plan is that in our need we find others who have a gift to share which happens to fit our need perfectly – just when we need it most, and at the same time we find others whose needs are an exact match for the gifts we have to share. This is what the universe had in mind for “community” here. The only trick is to keep our hearts & minds open to the connection when it’s in the moment, and to let the connection happen."
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