Day 29 and Magic Number 13. Two weeks to go, y’all! Word for the day: “Robust”. Believe it or not, that was the word used by Peter’s medical oncologist (the Chemo Guy), a somewhat crusty gentleman of few words and not one to issue warm and fuzzy praise and comfort when none is due. “You are robust, you look good!” he said with a smile and a pat on the back. He’s looked at countless cancer patients for years and years and no doubt his idea of the word by now isn’t the same as yours or mine, but still…
While there, Peter had a 30-minute infusion of Avastin, the drug that keeps the cancer from making blood vessels, that, in fact, starves the tumor. Talk about a war being fought on many fronts, this one is.
Then it was over to the dialysis center for a shot of Epogen, when we were smacked by another lovely bit of good news: no Epogen today because Peter’s hemoglobin has moved into the “high normal” range, thanks to the Epogen and iron he’s been receiving.
Some other blood levels were not so good, so Peter’s dialysis nurse, Elaine, added some time to his dialysis program so that he will get more dialysis and, hopefully, better results. He will be connected to the cycler for 9.5 hours now, instead of 8.5, and next week he’ll have a test that determines how well the dialysis is working.
Peter has been paying better attention to eating and drinking the last few days; he gained a pound and has been ordered to eat ice cream! The dialysis center gives him these cute little Dixie cups of ice cream that are high in protein, so if only he could remember to eat them…I’m still waiting for a doctor to tell me to eat more chocolate, fat chance.
Some of the faces at the radiation clinic are becoming familiar, as we become part of the “regular” crowd. There is a group of three daughters and their father who are there every day. They occupy the same chairs, surrounding their father and telling stories back and forth, sometimes breaking out into gales of laughter, as they did today. The old guy has a loving, captive audience, and yesterday he was talking about receiving his first gun, a .22 rifle, at the age of seven, and how much damage he was able to do with it. The girls always come equipped with tote bags full of food and knitting projects, and they smile and nod at us when we leave.
Lots to keep us busy as we count down the days!
While there, Peter had a 30-minute infusion of Avastin, the drug that keeps the cancer from making blood vessels, that, in fact, starves the tumor. Talk about a war being fought on many fronts, this one is.
Then it was over to the dialysis center for a shot of Epogen, when we were smacked by another lovely bit of good news: no Epogen today because Peter’s hemoglobin has moved into the “high normal” range, thanks to the Epogen and iron he’s been receiving.
Some other blood levels were not so good, so Peter’s dialysis nurse, Elaine, added some time to his dialysis program so that he will get more dialysis and, hopefully, better results. He will be connected to the cycler for 9.5 hours now, instead of 8.5, and next week he’ll have a test that determines how well the dialysis is working.
Peter has been paying better attention to eating and drinking the last few days; he gained a pound and has been ordered to eat ice cream! The dialysis center gives him these cute little Dixie cups of ice cream that are high in protein, so if only he could remember to eat them…I’m still waiting for a doctor to tell me to eat more chocolate, fat chance.
Some of the faces at the radiation clinic are becoming familiar, as we become part of the “regular” crowd. There is a group of three daughters and their father who are there every day. They occupy the same chairs, surrounding their father and telling stories back and forth, sometimes breaking out into gales of laughter, as they did today. The old guy has a loving, captive audience, and yesterday he was talking about receiving his first gun, a .22 rifle, at the age of seven, and how much damage he was able to do with it. The girls always come equipped with tote bags full of food and knitting projects, and they smile and nod at us when we leave.
Lots to keep us busy as we count down the days!
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