We saw Dr. Stephenson, the oncologist, today. He was very pleased with the surgical result and said Steve is currently disease free. He wants to do what he called "cleanup" which means 16 weeks of chemo. This will be different from the last round in that he will not carry an infusion pump.
He'll go once a week for six weeks on and two weeks off for two cycles. He'll get pumped up and that will be it for the week. This will be slightly higher dosage than what he had before but Stephenson said Steve did so well with the chemo he had before, that he was not anticipating any increased effects like nausea, hair loss, etc.
Come February, he said, this will be behind us. And then i think we're off to Hawaii
For the loyal reader, sorry about the lack of updates over the weekend. Steve's been up and down and it's a day to day thing.
He felt pretty good upon coming home and, of course, immediately over-did things. This mean't on Saturday he was in terrible shape. He was in pain, he was tired, he was depressed. Sunday he was feeling a little better, but he's definitely more tired and less mobile than he seemed day one. He's also got a lot of discomfort and some continued bleeding that is worrisome. We tried to reach the surgeon today to see if this was normal (who knows what's normal in these situations?) but didn't get a call back. I let steve make the call and I suspect he did not instill a sense of urgency - whereas if I had called I would have told them he was gushing blood and whatever else might be necessary to get a quick response. I guess that comes from my newsroom days: you know how to get someone to call you back!
He has started having bowel activity (how's that for a euphemism) and we now know that everything is working as expected. That was a big step because we were starting to be a little concerned when there hadn't been any activity in that department by Friday....
A big issue right now is managing Steve's expectations. He is depressed because he doesn't feel better and he's not a good one for letting things take their course. So keeping him encouraged and positive, while accepting the fact that this is going to take some time, is a bit of a balancing act. I hope I am up to it.
Our friend Peg came from Cincinnati to help us out over the weekend and it was wonderful to see her. Not only is she always fun to have around, interesting to talk to, etc.,,.. but she cooks! And she bakes. We got pretty used to having home baked bread over the past few days and I think we got spoiled pretty fast! This photo, BTW, is not the most flattering, so my apologies to Peg. Thank you thank you thank you for coming. It means so much to both of us. 
1 comment:
Great news from the oncologist! Now it's all downhill. I'm so proud of you both how well you're dealing with this.
I'd like to reiterate the comment of someone earlier that the caregiver must also care for themselves. I know it's easier said than done, but I hope that soon some of those noises in the night will become routine, like crickets, and you will know if you hear something out of place. It will wake you up. So please try to rest, Laura, and that may mean at odd times of day.
My "spam" is on its way to you, Steve, and if you enjoy it, I've got plenty more!
Keep up the good work, guys! We love you and support you as always. Let me know if there is anything I can do from afar....
-Michele
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