Cycle #12: Day 1

Today I received my Day 1 regimen of CVD, which includes all three drugs. Not much to report on that other than my veins continue to be increasingly problematic to find & stick, and there did seem to be more burning upon administration, even with a heating pad and a saline mix. Other things worth sharing:

Last week I had a spinal MRI and that region continues to be stable, as in, no notable changes. The radiation oncologist showed me the image of the tumour that is interfering with my right brachial plexus (that has been doing so since October 2010, approximately 1 year ago from today). It is amazing how the combination of radiation + CVD has cleaned-out a lot of that area and there is less tumour to interfere with the plexus. Good news of course. This particular tumour, if unattended, can become immediately destructive as it is responsible for the hand, arm, shoulder, and upper chest.

Yesterday I had a cranial MRI and next week I will have a CT that will cover my knees, skull, and everything in between. As I get those results I will share them.

I will also take a moment to share to my current medication regimen:

• Labetolol, 100mg x2/day
• Doxazosin, 1mg x2/day
• Lovenox, 120mg x1/day

For the first 4 days of the chemo I also take:

• Neulasta (single injection on Day 3- 24 hrs after Day 2 chemo)
• Emend (Days 1, 2, and 3)
• Dexamethasone, 4mg x2/day (Days 1-4)
• Ondansetron 8mg x2/day (Days 1-4)

Off the top of my head I am not sure how this regimen differs, if at all, from whence I began. In the event that it is different it is worth noting (you can read earlier posts to see what I was doing in the beginning).