Starting new chemo on Tuesday

Well, last week was a little draining. A trip to the ER on Sunday, a day surgery on Thursday, and in between, the election.

But wait, there’s more! I start a new chemo on Tuesday (FOLFOX, for those familiar). Not my favorite chemo cocktail but here’s hoping that it works. I’ve had four weeks off chemo, which usually would be refreshing but this time was filled with hospital visits, so didn’t feel so much like a holiday. We begin again!

Thank you so much for your prayers and positive thoughts last week. I know it pulled me through. And thank you for your continued support.

Love and blessings,
Marie

This week’s adventure

Today, the day after the presidential election, the mood here in Boston and Cambridge feels a bit somber and quiet. The nice thing is that we are all shoring each other up. That feels good.

In the meantime…

I was hoping that this week, I wouldn’t need to be at Dana Farber or the Brigham, but that was not to be.

On Sunday, I landed in the Emergency Department. When I realized that something in my body was awry, I called my husband, who was in the middle of a Cub Scout adventure. He figured that something must be horribly wrong, as I never ask to go to the ED. Our son wasn’t thrilled to leave Scouts, or to be in the ED with me. Watching the nurses work on me was pretty scary. After a few minutes, he yelled out that he had a tick (he did not) so that someone would take him out of there. Thankfully, they fixed my problem and I headed home the same night.

As a follow-up to that visit, I need to have one of the stents replaced ASAP. Thursday (tomorrow) is the soonest they can do it, and it is with a doctor I haven’t yet met, though he comes recommended by the urologist I trust (who is too booked to do it himself).

Until that procedure, I am supposed to take antibiotics to ward off infection. They prescribed the gentlest one that they felt would work, but my nausea was out of control. After not eating for a few days, I had to stop them and rely on hope that there is no infection.

So I would deeply appreciate prayers and positive vibes for no infection and a smooth procedure. Thank you so very much!

I hope you are doing well today.

Love,
Marie

 

Onto the next big thing…

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.
James 1:2

This timely sentence popped up on my Facebook feed this morning. I so appreciate your support, especially through this most recent stretch of medical appointments, so wanted to share the news from last week.

On Tuesday, we saw my oncologist to get the results of my CT scan. Basically, all of the tumors have grown, so this chemo apparently isn’t working. Bummer for that, and also because my quality of life was so much better on this chemo than on anything else I’ve done!

I need to add that, before this most recent chemo (Erbitux), I was doing FOLFIRI and I recognize that I was super lucky with that. For most people, FOLFIRI tends to work for months, but I, somehow, got SEVEN YEARS out of it. I remain grateful for that. I guess I expected the same for this new one.

Thankfully, I have a few other chemo options, and we are looking into immunotherapy options as well.

So no chemo this week. The anxiety is enough – ha ha. We will use the time to make a decision and then move forward with the chosen chemo after that.

The other good news is that I was able to attend our son’s fourth grade school play. Before the play started, I talked with a mom who was sitting nearby. Making conversation, I asked if she worked in the city. AND, not only does she work in the city, but she heads a research lab for immunotherapy drug development and trials, at the hospital affiliated with Dana Farber! Wow. On top of all that, the play itself was actually enjoyable and fun, and he did a great job.

(Next part is a little explicit – skip the rest if you are easily queasy.)

This weekend is a little challenging so far, as I am having trouble, again, urinating. I thought that the stents would fix this, but there is a tumor in my bladder which can throw off blood clots, and that can…block the path out. I’m drinking water to try and increase the pressure and push that blockage out of the way – I want to avoid another visit to the ER. Again, it is the simple things! Next time you run to the bathroom and feel like it is a bother, recognize that it is a good thing!

Not sure that I would say that my current trials are pure joy, but I will try to see them that way. Thanks again for all your prayers and support. I’m tired, so will wrap up here.

Love and blessings,
Marie