Chemo Education

[kimbottles]

https://youtu.be/DxGyRzbW89Y

Whenever I feel down I just put on a Piping CD and then I feel much better.

[BeauV]

https://youtu.be/DxGyRzbW89Y

Whenever I feel down I just put on a Piping CD and then I feel much better.

Bagpipes will scare your cancer to death!!

[H B]

https://youtu.be/DxGyRzbW89Y

WOW!

[SemiSalt]

I'm borrowing Kim's thread for a bit. I'm about to fall back into the orbit of Big Medicine.

I forget how much of the back story I've already given here, but the short version is that I have CLL (https://www.cancer.org/cancer/chronic-l ... s-cll.html) and it's time to treat it. We had it all scheduled earlier in the year, but when the time came, COVID-19 was at it's peak and looked like a bad idea to start a program that required my presence at the hospital a half dozen times in a month. Now, hospitalizaions in Fairfield County are down 3/4 from the peak, and the hospital is running pretty normally, though still with full-bore anti-COVID protocols. We're worried that if we wait, we might get into a situation where the hospital is busy with a second wave and the doctor says "we've got to do it NOW."

The protocol (https://www.targetedonc.com/view/veneto ... ntline-cll) involves infusions of monoclonal antibodies followd by an oral treatment that blocks a key protein. In some places, the infusions are referred to as chemotherapy and in others it's advertised as having the benefit of not being chemotherapy. At any rate, it's not anything like what Kim had. I'm not expecting to be fun, though.

On the bright side, the yeast I ordered from Amazon on May 5 was delivered yesterday and we having pizza for dinner.

[kimbottles]

Sorry to hear Salty, please stay safe at the clinic!

[LarryHoward]

Semi,

Take care of yourself and I agree that the decision to do it now is wise. Better outcomes and avoid a potentially worse time to have to receive the treatment.

Please let us know how it goes.

[BeauV]

Good luck with this, Semi!

[JoeP]

Sorry to hear of this Semi. I think my BIL has the same thing. He seems to go a few years between treatments.

[Charlie]

Best wishes for an effective treatment, Semi.

[Benno von Humpback]

Echo all of the above! Keep us posted.

[Slick470]

Best wishes Semi!

[kimbottles]

Getting Taxol today, what fun! All new side effects too manage!

[JoeP]

Hang in there Kim. What would life be like without a little variety?

[kimbottles]

Hang in there Kim. What would life be like without a little variety?

Boring?

[SemiSalt]

I had my first infusion today. There was a computer in the room that flashed a series of pages for lock screen. One page supplied some data that I can't get from my internet sources.

21 Covid-19 patients in the hospital
5 rule-out patients
In the last 24 hrs discharged 3 Covid-19 patients and admiited 2.
Total number of discharges = 431

The hospital has either 18 or 20 ICU beds.

[kimbottles]

I had my first infusion today. There was a computer in the room that flashed a series of pages for lock screen. One page supplied some data that I can't get from my internet sources.

21 Covid-19 patients in the hospital
5 rule-out patients
In the last 24 hrs discharged 3 Covid-19 patients and admiited 2.
Total number of discharges = 431

The hospital has either 18 or 20 ICU beds.

Aren’t cell phones handy? Good picture!

How do you feel now Salty?

[SemiSalt]

Tired, slightly headachy. The big issue is that, toward the end of the day, my heart rate started to rise. It went up to about 120 but now 5 hrs later, its down the usual 63. I'm supposed to have do it all again tomorrow but there may be some hubbub before hand.

These two infusions are low dose tests for allergies. First "real" infusion scheduled for next week.

[kimbottles]

Tired, slightly headachy. The big issue is that, toward the end of the day, my heart rate started to rise. It went up to about 120 but now 5 hrs later, its down the usual 63. I'm supposed to have do it all again tomorrow but there may be some hubbub before hand.

These two infusions are low dose tests for allergies. First "real" infusion scheduled for next week.

How interesting!!

I had the full on allergy test today with the full first dose: there was a small team of specialists in the room for 15 minutes watching my every move, ready to spring into action if I did react badly to the actual chemo. I kid you not. It was weird until one of them mentioned he was a cyclist. Then he and I had a fun discussion about riding, Lance, racing at a high level, etc.

I am not sure the others in the room were impressed (maybe just bored by the conversation.)

I never reacted to the chemo. The chemo nurse who infused it said: You were PERFECT! ( I hardly EVER get called “perfect” and surely never with such enthusiasm!)

So now I am cleared to have another dose at full strength for each of the next 11 Mondays. Susan and I are in full side effect management mode. But so far nothing beyond mild. Hoping the other shoe does not drop tonight or tomorrow.

[BeauV]

Kim and Salty,

I'm glad you're being carefully tested for an allergic reaction. Those are no joke! My Mom had it bad and the reaction nearly killed her. We know a lot more about it now.

[Ajax]

Geeze. Hang in there, both of you.

Mother has finished her chemo. Now onward to 5 weeks of radiation treatment, 5 days/week.

[kimbottles]

Geeze. Hang in there, both of you.

Mother has finished her chemo. Now onward to 5 weeks of radiation treatment, 5 days/week.

Yeah on that every weekday radiation thing, I get 6 weeks of it when I am done with this chemo thing, the hits just keep on coming.
I feel kind of normal this morning, no second shoe drop yet.

[Ajax]

Good. Every day that you feel "normal" will help you fortify yourself against the next downturn.

[SemiSalt]

Geeze. Hang in there, both of you.

Mother has finished her chemo. Now onward to 5 weeks of radiation treatment, 5 days/week.

Yeah on that every weekday radiation thing, I get 6 weeks of it when I am done with this chemo thing, the hits just keep on coming.
I feel kind of normal this morning, no second shoe drop yet.

I had about 34 radiation treatments for prostate cancer at the rate of four or five a week. Fortunately, the hospital was very close to the office I was working at at the time, and scheduling was convenient. Side effects were minimal.

And it dropped my PSA below the test threshold of detection, so I've neither had any further treatment for PC, nor died of it. Nineteen years as of the spring.

[Ajax]

I hope my mother is as fortunate.

[LarryHoward]

I have it on good authority that this is Kim as a younger man.

KIMB.jpg

[BeauV]

Larry - that is Total Cuteness Overload (TCO). Are Kim's cheeks cute in this pic??

[kimbottles]

Just resting from yesterday’s chemo infusion.
Nice low key day here.
Actual photo of young Kim.
Frank started me early

[SemiSalt]

Naturally, my treatment for CLL (which is characterized by very high white blood cell counts) caused my WBC to fall below the normal range. My doctor prescribed Neulasta (https://www.neulasta.com/onpro/) which is supposed to raise the WBC. It's given by injection about 24 hours after the cancer treatment. Instead of making you come back for the injection, they stick a little dohicky to your arm, and the the dohicky gives you the shot at the appropriate time. This is supposed to be cheaper.

Everyone likes a good dohicky, don't they.

I'm over the first part of the protocol where 5 infusions were (scheduled to be) given in a month. Mostly I'm just on a one pill, daily regimen. Much easier.

[kimbottles]

Seven chemo infusions to go over the next seven Mondays, then we start radiation. Is there a light at the end of this tunnel? I hope so. Cheers!

[LarryHoward]

Naturally, my treatment for CLL (which is characterized by very high white blood cell counts) caused my WBC to fall below the normal range. My doctor prescribed Neulasta (https://www.neulasta.com/onpro/) which is supposed to raise the WBC. It's given by injection about 24 hours after the cancer treatment. Instead of making you come back for the injection, they stick a little dohicky to your arm, and the the dohicky gives you the shot at the appropriate time. This is supposed to be cheaper.

Everyone likes a good dohicky, don't they.

I'm over the first part of the protocol where 5 infusions were (scheduled to be) given in a month. Mostly I'm just on a one pill, daily regimen. Much easier.

Interesting. I had to go in and get the injection (12 times). My doc explained it to me that if they applied the delayed injection pack while I was in the hospital (my treatments were 4-5 day inpatient visits) then the insurance (Military retired) would not cover it since all “routine meds” were included in the negotiated daily rate that they were reimbursed. At $5k (first shot) up to $7K (last one 14 months later) they were covered if administered on an outpatient skilled nursing visit. Actually one of the only treatments I received where the insurance reimbursement was 100% of the billed amount.

Kim. Always a light. Just remember, the effects are cumulative so it’s normal for the last treatments to hit you harder than the early ones when your reserves were up. Roll with it. I required transfusions before my last 2 treatments because my RBC got down into the “bleed out from a paper cut” range, exactly as my oncologist warned me it would. Follow the doctor’s orders and keep the faith. This too will pass.