Pausing Chemo Again
Chemotherapy June 15th, 2008
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Happy Father’s Day to all of the father’s out there. I will be picking up the phone to talk to my dad a bit later but am not feeling so well today unfortunately. I have ended up with a nasty cold again – nonstop cough, congestion, heavy fatigue and it came on just as I was starting round 9 of chemo on Wednesday night. I continued chemo until yesterday and each day the cold got progressively worse so I made the decision to pull the plug until Monday so I can speak to my neuro-oncologist. I have more than enough experience with this to know that if I keep going, I can’t ward it off. Chemo drops your white cell count – a harsh cold just won’t improve – your body can’t fight it off most times.
Of course the major concern whenever this happens is developing an infection, mainly Pneumocystis carinii which is why I take an antibiotic M, T, F indefinitely. I am nowhere near having this condition but it’s something that anyone who takes Temodar should be aware of.
So, I decided to skip church this morning and get some rest so I can go to my in-laws with my wife and kids to enjoy father’s day which is always a lot of fun. My son Aidan made some homemade cards which are always nice! So, I want to be there for that and that will be great! Tonight the LA Lakers, my team from the age of 7 are playing the dreaded Celtics, albeit down 3-1 so I will take that in and of course Tiger is on an amazing run at the US Open – who doesn’t love this stuff!!
I will talk to my neuro-oncologist tomorrow and regroup.
Happy Father’s day to all of you father’s out there. Every day is a blessing!
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My son, Mike, wrote you sometime back when he too was diagnosed with a grade 3 mixed Oli-Astrocytoma. He had his surgery in January and they were able to de-bulk his tumor slightly. Chromosomes 1 & 19 are not present so we are in hope that the tumor will respond better to treatment.
Mark, we are very grateful for your wonderful website and especially thankful to you for sharing your experience and insite as you go through this. You are ahead of us in this adventure into the unknown but give us much comfort in your words.
Mike had his first MRI after radiation and the tumor appears to be stable. We will know better on the next MRI so they can compare. He will start his cycle 1 for 5 days with 23 days off for 6 cycles tonight but unlike you he will be taking 420mg Temodar daily. While he was under going radiation and chemotherapy at the same time, he followed your advise and took his Temodar at bedtime and had very little problems so we are hoping for the same outcome this time.
Stay well! Our prayers are with you and you are right: Everyday is a Blessing!
Sharon
Sharon,
Thanks for your comment. I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I’m happy that my experiences translate into comfort. I think in the survivor community this is important, the bond that survivors, friends, family members and everyone touched by a brain tumor diagnosis make. We can all relate to one another in a unique way and as a result, we don’t feel so alone – and we learn from each other. Things don’t seem as difficult and our collective experiences can ensure that they aren’t in many cases so I’m happy this has helped you.
I’m glad Mike is moving forward with his treatment and his studies are showing stability. That is great news! Let him know that I’m praying for him. I do remember receiving an email and comment on the site from him. He’s very positive and that is so important. I truly believe that you cannot let something like this pull you down.
Mark