1st week of 5th cycle Monday

I had the first week treatment of the 5th cycle out of 6 last Monday. Today I am home from work with a cold that I picked up traveling to my niece's wedding in Rhode Island last week end. Well worth the inconvenience of the cold! Only 5 more weeks of chemotherapy to go. Looking forward to finishing and moving into recovery. Balsam also came home from boarding with what appears to be a doggie cold, so we are both drooping about the house in our PJs today. Ok well truthfully, Balsam is wearing his usual collar, I am the one in PJs drinking mint tea and watching TV.

ending third week of cycle 4

And all is relatively well. Heading to a wedding in Rhode Island tomorrow. Hope my hemoglobin is high enough to tolerate the cold. But would not miss it for the world.

Cycle 4 week 3

Last chemo of cycle 4 today. Taxol only so it went well. 2 3-week cycles left to go. But my Hbg was 8.8 last Thursday - 2 full ppoints lower than a week earlier and 0.8 points above the point that usually mandates a transfusion. No wonder I am exhausted and sleeping a lot. Getting labs early this week on Wed afternoon so if it is low enough to merit transfusion I can get it arranged Thursday night before i depart Friday morning for my niece's wedding IN Rhode Island. a little more oxygen carrying capacity might improve my stamina for the wedding. other wise things are well. I could not get going Friday and took a sick day from work. This is close to the time when I had to begin dropping work days off last time (currently trying to do 3 days in the office each week missing only the days I have medical appointments, but dropped Friday as well last week and spent the whole day napping. I hope a transfusion will reverse that. But I know the time when I have to drop to 2 days in the office, then 1 day in the office per week and eventually just go on full time sick leave is approaching. But that also means the end of this round of treatment is also approaching, so the glass if half full.

Cycle 4 week 2 chemo starting tomorrow

Last Monday I had my first chemo since January - with Week 1 of cycle 4 starting with carboplatin and taxol. I had forgotten how it felt to take poison weekly - radiation is so much easier. But the nurses ran the chemo really slowly and i did not have a reaction as I had before. As long as I take my antinausea meds regularly things go smoothly on that account. I can tell the time is coming when I will have to start dropping days off work starting with Fridays (I am getting chemo on Mondays and labs and follow up on Thursdays but in the office the other 3 days) but for now I can still manage 3 days in the office and am still getting some things done. So all is good. I am trying to fend off the point where I give up and stay home as long as possible. Tomorrow is week 2 of cycle 4- i will get Taxol only. That will be an easier week than the first one out of three when Taxol is accompanied by Carboplatin. But I think it all may be a bit easier than the last time with Avastin. Or maybe it is just that I know what to expect and manage my life better.