We met with the oncologist on Monday and at the time Joe was feeling pretty crappy. His pain was horrible over the weekend and his stomach was so distended from the ascites. When they took his vitals his blood pressure and heart rate were through the roof. In some ways, I think it was good that the doctor could see Joe in so much pain, as Joe has a tendency to sugar coat how he is really feeling. The original plan was to let Joe rest up for 2 or 3 weeks after the first round of chemo/radiation, but in the spirit of being as aggressive as possible they are getting him started this week. Today actually.
This next regimen will consist of Folfiri + Erbitux. The side effects are supposed to be much worse (nausea, diarrhea and stomach cramps primarily, but one of the drugs also causes a crazy acne type rash), but it is also supposed to be much more effective as well. So today we are at the infusion center and it appears that we will be here a good portion of the day. They have to run his labs first thing to ensure that nothing is out of whack, then they give him pre-meds to counter-act the nausea, finally he will get the chemo. This afternoon he will go home with his bag of chemo for the next 72 hours. He will repeat this cycle every 2 weeks for the next 6 months. This is the plan for now, but we have quickly learned that plans change.
We have come completely prepared for our long day here........2 computers, iPad, kindle, movie from RedBox. This might our only chance to watch a movie or read a book with out the interruptions of the kids fighting or the dog needing to go outside!
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