Eileen had had an unusually busy day yesterday. She insisted on doing several loads of laundary (& folding mine, bringing it up & putting it away). I was working on calenders for Dad & Eileen's schedules so I wasn't watching her too closely. We had slept a bit late but once up, she was eating & doing & phoning. She was also noticing a large amount of hair loss suddenly so I did some research & we selected a short wig, styled & colored like her hair Then I made a pork roast & she couldn't wait for the Doc to get home so she could eat b /c it smelled soooo good. (Very unusual). She ate well & chatted for quite some time w/ Phil so she was tired when she went to bed. (I've never seen her so active since she arrived 11/17).
This morning, our question list made for Dr. Cross - her big one "Do you think I'm going to beat this thing?" - we were ready for the appt so when she wasn't getting up, I let her sleep in. Meanwhile, I ordered the wig & accessories & got Phil's calender posted & current on the fridge (He said he thought it was Eileen's calender) We put the wreath & elf away & all of a sudden it was 11:30 & our appt was @ 1:00! I got her up, got a shower while she downed some Boost, she got showered & dressed & we were there a fashionably 10 minutes late. She had her blood drawn, weighed in @ 93 lbs on their scale (91 last weigh-in) & we waited for Dr. Cross in the treatment room. She was uncomfortable - had awakened during the night w/ pain in her R arm, R shoulder, R scapula & across the midline of her back to the L scapula area (where Henry, Jr. had been - he's since disappeared) But she had to take 2 Vicodin which is probably why she slept in.
Anyway, Dr. Cross asked lots of questions re: her reactions to treatment, energy, pain , location, any edema, new pain sites plus appetite & eating regimen. Then it was her her turn. She asked about hair loss. He said he was surprised b/c this combo of drugs doesn't usually cause loss of hair - except in the presence of general malnutrition, especially protein deficiency. So she had to fess up re: her treatment of Boost as meals, not supplements, & promised to eat more meals - like the pork roast last nite. But. He seemed genuinely happy that her wt. had gone UP b/c he had expected a drop from post chemo nausea & diarrhea. (Of course, he had covered that w/ a new anti-nausea drug given w/ the chemo so she's had NO nausea or diarrhea.)
Then she asked (after telling him how wonderful & efficient the care was Saturday @ Va. Oncology) whether she could make that her home base & have her treatments on Tues., Wed., & Thurs. w/ Bld work on Monday. He said, "SURE! and we can draw your blood Tuesday - I get the results right away & can change your dosage if necessary." We were @ Beach Gen. from noon until 9 PM Thursday & she was there from 8:30 AM until 6:30 PM Friday.Saturday, her fluid treatment was started @ 1:15 & finished @ 3:15. Her NEW schedule for the last round of round 2 is Gemzar x 1, ie, Wednesday, and NO IV fluids b/c no Carboplatin)(platinum)(got it last wk), then )her week off
So, let's follow along: Leenie is on a 3 wk (21 day) regimen of chemo. She only gets platinum once. So wk 1, Day 1 (Tuesday) = Gemzar; Day 2 (Wednesday) = Carboplatin - platinum, which depletes fluid - and Day 3 (Thursday) IV fluids. Day 4 is the following Tuesday, when she gets only Gemzar & therefore does not need IV fluids or a "day 5". The following week is her week off. In this case, at the conclusion of cycle 2 (2 wks of chemo; 1 wk off (21 days), she will have the CT's & x-rays of the neck, thorax (lungs) and C-spine, if indicated.
This last evaluation was sparked by the persistence/exacerbation of pain in R arm, now radiating to mid-back @ scapula level and the to L scapula area. Dr. Cross said the cause of this pain pattern can be 1) the radiation treatment which damaged the R brachial plexus nerves OR 2) pathology in the Cervical spine at the neck level such that the exit holes for the nerves leaving the spinal column & going out to supply the R & L shoulders & arms are being pressured by a cancer metastatic node causing interruption/aberrant signals to the muscles of both arms & shoulder areas. If this is the case, those cancer nodes must be eradicated so that nerve supply is normal again. Dr. Cross has ordered an MRI of the C-Spine to be done this Thursday @ Beach General so that he will have the results on Monday, 02/02, her next office visit.
Her White Blood Count (WBC) went from an initial 2.1 (very low) to 5.1 (very good) this wk and her Hemoglobin was 35 and Hematocrit 10 (low, but OK red blood cell count.) Don't know today's results.
When Leenie asked him how he thought she "was doing" - a toughy -, he said, "Really well. You haven't had any ill effects from the chemo; your weight is going up; you seem less tired. I'm very pleased." Eileen responded, "That makes me feel GREAT!" to which Dr. Cross did his shy smile. Then she asked, in that she's been taking all these pills, but not THE pill, could she be pregnant, and dear Dr. Cross, blushed & finally laughed, saying, "Anything's possible!"
She was flying - & craving a corned beef sandwich. So we went to "No Frills Grill", she chowed down, came home & took a nap & is contentedly reading.
And that's the truth. . . .
Lorane
PS: These words will have to be worth 1,000 pictures b/c I'm too pooped to mess w/ it.
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