Round 1 of Chemo Done!

I am happy to report that today was my last day of round 1 of chemo. 6 weeks of popping pills 5 days a week has come to an end. I am very happy to have made it to this point and look forward to starting the recovery process. I still have 8 radiation treatments left to go, but I was informed last week that the last 5 treatments would be at a significantly reduced amount of radiation, so I feel like I really only have 3 treatments of radiation left before I am able to start the complete recovery process.

I have been very grateful to tolerate the chemotherapy the way that I have. I was lucky enough to have absolutely no nausea and vomiting (the most common side effect), but I did end up losing all my hair (even though the doctor said I wouldn't). Once radiation is complete I will look to meet back up with neurology to get my seizure medication under better control (I am taking too much medication in my opinion). I want to wait until the radiation is complete, however, because I feel that the seizure activity has been significantly increased due to the radiation directed at my brain. I will meet with the hema oncologist on the 9th of December to discuss what the next step will be. I suspect, I will have a rest period, followed by a repeat MRI sometime next month to ensure things are still looking good. They want me to wait approximately 4 weeks before the next MRI because the chemotherapy and radiation cause increased signal intensity on the MRI report and don't provide an accurate assessment. The past two MRI's that I have received, have looked "beautiful" according to the neurosurgeon, but I will require MRIs every 3 months for the next 2 years to ensure that I remain in remission, with no tumor progression. I am confident that I will have another beautiful MRI come December.

The radiation hadn't been too bad until the seizure activity started, the only major side effect that I have noticed is extreme fatigue. I was not prepared for how tired I would feel with radiation. It makes it challenging for me to be able to go to work for more than an hour to an hour and a half, without having the desperate need for a nap. The past two weeks, I have switched my routine so that I work for an hour or so in the morning and then go home and take a nap prior to radiation and then come home, eat lunch and take another nap after radiation. This next week will present a challenge for me because I am scheduled to see Dr. Baronia on Monday afternoon, and we have a work inservice on Tuesday afternoon. I am praying that I will have the strength to be able to attend both of these without severe exhaustion after.

My next progression is to attempt to go to the movie theater, but my first couple of attempts have fallen through because I've been so tired I couldn't manage it. We will see how I feel in the morning (and if the alamo theater isn't too crazy crowded) and I hope to be able to go see Mockingjay part 1. You would think going to a movie theater wouldn't be too exhausting, but even sitting in front of my computer or watching television mentally and physically wears me out to the extreme. I will likely have to take a nap after I finish writing this blog post, although it is close to lunch time and I am always willing to make an exception for food :).

Today temperatures are expected to be in the 70s and I hope that I might be able to make it out into the backyard and sit on the patio for a few minutes to get some sunlight and vitamin D. I have to be careful with the radiation treatments though because my skin is ultra sensitive and is not supposed to be exposed to direct sunlight.

Monday I will ask Dr. Torrez, how long I must follow my restrictions for radiation after I am complete with treatment and I will speak to Dr. Baronia about getting my dilantin prescription extended (the Texas Tech Neurology department is completely dropping the ball, which is no surprise considering I have just as much difficulty dealing with them from a professional stand point as well).

Thanksgiving was good. I ate my plate of food very quickly before I retreated to a very long awaited nap. We didn't even put a dent in the amount of food we have, so there are plenty of left overs for today. I am excited, even though I find that I cannot eat the amount of food that I did prior to starting treatment. I have lost 5 pounds since the treatments started and I suspect it is because my appetite has been significantly reduced. Either way, I was very happy to spend time with family and give thanks for all the blessings in my life. I can see why people would think it would be hard for me to be thankful this year, but I have been so blessed in so many ways since this process started that it is impossible to ignore the positives that have come out of this situation. Funny how something so awful, can bring about so much joy and love.