Cycle #11: Day 3

It has been a while since I have posted but frankly there is not much to report. So far, so good. Here is all I can think to share:

1. After Cycle #9 we did a brain + spinal MRI and the results were, for the first time (for these parts of my body), positive. And by positive I do not mean neutral, or no change. Rather, some of the lesions in my vertebrae have actually reduced in size. This is an important development as the spine in particular has been resistant to other treatments that I have done in the past. In fact, the last spinal MRI that I did, showed a couple of new, small lesions in my vertebrae, and that was after starting CVD. So actually seeing an improvement was very good. My next spinal MRIs are in early September and I will be sure to update with those results.
2. I have taken to swimming and biking on a stationary bike, and both are progressing nicely. I am getting stronger and my stamina is also increasing.
3. After Cycle #8 I did a CT that covered my pelvis, abdomen, chest, head, and neck- essentially everything from mid-femur and above. My doctor was extremely pleased as there were multiple sites that had clearly improved on the scans and no real worrisome developments elsewhere. For a tumour in bone to show improvement means the improvement has to be relatively significant as measuring size change in bones is not particularly easy or straightforward. My next CT scan is in early October, after Cycle #12, and I will be sure to update with those results.
4. My veins have become progressively more difficult for my nurses to find. I am told that this is a perfectly normal reaction to extended chemotherapy and there is very little that we, as patients, can do about it. The only real advice that I've received is to make sure that I am well hydrated before I come to the hospital, which is just good advice in general, so I try to follow that. Because veins have become an issue, I've asked that they leave the needle in my arm so that when I go for Day 2, they don't need to stick me again. It is sort of annoying leaving it in but they wrap it up and it's less of a hassle than watching a nurse try and find, and stick, a vein.
5. Surprisingly, my platelets are higher than when I started. I believe they are currently around 140K which also means that I have resumed taking Lovenox. I do not have any known blood clots but since I have had two major ones in the past, the doctors feel that resuming taking it is a good idea.

As I review this it appears that some of this is quite important and should have been shared in a more timely manner and I will be sure to keep this up more actively so that I don't miss anything important going forward.

Overall the plan is to keep going until CVD stops working or until it is compromising my health in other ways and should be ceased.

Cycle #5: Day 3

Fatigue kicked-in at around 2pm. Was still able to attend a family get-together but was definitely feeling the effects of the treatment. BP seemed to be normal. There was some nausea but it was adequately managed by the meds.

Cycle #5: Days 1 & 2

Received treatment for Cycle #5. Generally uneventful. Some slight burning when the dacarbazine was being administered but the addition of saline and a heating blanket on my arm took care of the discomfort. The CVD was ready quite quickly both days but the issue seems to have been the availability of chairs a/o nurses. Waited 2.5 hours Day 1 to be admitted and 45 minutes Day 2 to be admitted.

Cycle #4: Day 20

As I gear-up for Cycle #5 I am a little bit shocked about how well I feel. For the majority of this cycle I have felt strong, no nausea, no vomiting, huge/healthy appetite, and alert. I also still have all my hair. With the exception of the first four days, I have truly not felt like I was in the midst of a chemotherapy regimen. I think that part of this is the prednisone, but I can't imagine it accounts for all of it. Really wonderful. The cough continues to be held at bay by the steroid. The orthostatic hypotension is periodically and unpredictably troublesome, but I'm taking all the steps that I can to minimize it. It has truly been a spectacular couple of weeks. I think the last time that I felt this good was about 9-10 months ago.

Cycle #4: Day 5

As usual, fatigue and elevated blood pressure. No real nausea or vomiting. Nothing much to report.

Cycle #4: Days 1 & 2

I received chemo yesterday and today. This is, by far, the fastest their operation has even been. On both days the chemo was prepared before my arrival and as a result everything went very smoothly. Another patient brought in popsicles so we had a little popsicle party which was fun too. Nothing else to report.

Cycle #3: Day 21

A few things to report:

1. My cough has persisted in the way that I described before. It has maybe become a bit better but not overly so. When I cough something up, it is clear in colour, which is apparently good news. My doctors have put me on a small dose of prednisone to help with it. With the prednison, the cough has completely gone away. Hopefully the underlying condition will resolve shortly.
2. I had a CT of my head, chest, abdomen, and pelvis. Now I have a lot of tumours so it is not practical or meaningful for the radiologist to study every one of them, but overall the news is positive. Some nodules that appeared in my lungs 5 months ago (2 months before I even began treatment) appear smaller. Some additional bony lesions also look to have improved. A couple have also worsened but none threateningly so.
3. I had an MRI of my spine that shows no significant change from approximately 3 months ago. This result is most reassuring as even minimal worsening at the spine usually requires a major intervention and can have very serious consequences.
4. The lethargy that I have been feeling has extended a bit more into week 3 than it has in the past. I am still getting around doing things, but by the end of the day I am pretty zonked.