Round 4, Day 4

It is 10:30 Thursday morning and I m nearly half way through my first bag of chemo for the day. This has been a good week. My port is working well and they have been able to speed up the drip of the chemo a little bit to get me out of here quicker. I feel better this round than I did last round. I am tired, but not as tired as the last round. The hiccups are back, of course, but I have learned to deal with that minor annoyance. All in all I am doing great. I was able to get some swimming in on Sunday before I started this round, and I look forward to continuing that after I finish this week of chemo. There is a nice new community center in a nearby city with a pool and indoor track so that I can get back to exercising again.

I have received some questions regarding why some of my chemo days are longer than others and also regarding my chemo schedule. I guess a brief explanation would be a good update. I receive 3 different chemo drugs; Etoposide, Cisplatin, and Bleomycin. Bleomycin is a dug that I receive once a week, every week. It is a strong drug that can cause pulmonary toxicity, which basically means it can cause hardening of the lungs. So far my lungs show no signs of any reaction. This drug is given in smaller doses at shorter intervals, so the days that I just get Bleomycin, (usually on Tuesdays) are my short appointments. The other two drugs are given in large amounts over the course of one week (currently this week), and they are the ones that cause the drop in the immune system and carry the risk of nausea. Each of them are given separately over the course of 1.5 - 2 hours each, with fluids given before, between, and afterwards. Therefore, this week's appointments are my long appointments. They monitor my blood counts between the weeks these drugs are given to watch the loss of white blood cells and then the build up of those same cells before the start of the next round. They also give me 6 different drugs to counteract the nausea, and boy do they work. I thankfully have not had to deal with this side effect as of yet.

I hope this helps answer some questions and clears up the details of my treatment for some of you.

I also heard from one of my staff this morning that her niece's close friend was just diagnosed with cancer, and she passed along this website to her. She is a few years younger than me. I would like to take this opportunity to ask all of you to pray for her as well. I would also like to tell her to ignore the statistics. Statistics are only an indication of what has happened in the past to other people. They do not take into account the specifics of your situation. They are based on other people whom may have other health problems that make them less likely to heal. Most importantly, they cannot measure your determination, your faith, your support system, and your will to fight this disease to the ends of the earth. I know that this is not something that you expect to face at our age. It is scary, but keep looking to the future. That is where you will find the cure, and you can change the 'statistics'. Be positive, and keep your focus on the fight ahead of you. You can do it!