Month: March 2008

carboplatin, chlorpromazine, cisplatin, hiccups, thick salivaLeave a comment

Third day in…

rbspecht

Hey, this carboplatin is a breeze! Whoo hoo! I am eating, only using half of the nausea drugs, and keeping everything down… yes, everything. I have yet to vomit since the introduction of the carboplatin into my system on Tuesday. There have been ‘hiccups’. But with the judicious application of that anti-psychotic novo–chlorpromazine, we seemed to have nipped that particularly ugly side effect in the bud. One of the questions that immediately jumps to mind is ‘why didn’t they use this drug before?’ Well, apparently it takes between 3 and 6 doses of carboplatin to have the same butt-kicking effect … Continue reading Third day in…

UncategorizedLeave a comment
rbspecht

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, “I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” … You must do the thing that you think you cannot do.”Eleanor Roosevelt Continue reading

carboplatin, cisplatinLeave a comment

Good news and so-so news…

rbspecht

The good news is that the blood tests conducted this morning show that the key indicator looked for has jumped from 0.9 to 2.9 in the last week!The so-so news is that, based on careful consideration and discussion with the appropriate doctor, we have decided to go ahead with the last chemo therapy session. We gotta do everything we can that may make a positive difference. We will not be using the cisplatin, but a derivative that will not have nearly the negative effects on my digestive tract or hearing. Its called ‘Carboplatin‘. The documentation on the drug shows that … Continue reading Good news and so-so news…

cisplatinLeave a comment

Chemo; Delayed again!

rbspecht

Yes, my final chemo treatment has been delayed again. The doctor assures me its from no fault of mine, but is directly attributable to the cisplatin, the chemo drug. We talked last time about the blood count numbers, and how we went from a 2.2 to 2.0 to 1.5 and then 1.2 last week that forced the initial delay. Well, this week the count was down to 0.9! The good doctor did say that its not dangerous until 0.5. Ya, but the delay is a bit depressing. My timelines are completely shot. I have no real idea what to expect … Continue reading Chemo; Delayed again!

chemo therapy, cisplatin, Cross Cancer Institute, gag reflex, radiation therapy, thick saliva, tonic waterLeave a comment

Update: Radiation; DONE: Chemo; DELAYED

rbspecht

Today should have been the day that the final Cisplatin chemo dose was administered. Well, it didn’t happen. Yesterday, when they did the pre-treatment blood work, it was discovered that I have not come back far enough in my blood counts: I’m sitting at 1.2 and they really want me much closer to 2.0 (2.2 being where we were at the first chemo, but admittedly at only 1.5 when they did the second chemo treatment). It will come back… we just need time and some dietary help. When they normally give chemo, they work to a 21 day cycle that … Continue reading Update: Radiation; DONE: Chemo; DELAYED

Akabutu's Mouthwash, Ensure, saliva gland transplantLeave a comment

Nearly there…

rbspecht

I really do have to say that the last few weeks feels like running a marathon unprepared. I am tired, weak, sloughing off the pounds and, as of Monday of this week, was pronounced ‘dehydrated’.Eating is not the first thing on my personal agenda, but it would appear that weight gain is at the top of my caregivers’ list. Now, to be fair, I haven’t tried any proper food in over a week, but have restricted my intake to Ensure, Boost and variations on a theme. There may actually be some taste sensation coming back but I wouldn’t really know, … Continue reading Nearly there…