Chemo Cycle 9 – Round 1

Here’s a quick up. It was a long day today, but not nearly as long as some in the past. I met with my chemo doctor… on time! Actually, due to incredibly heavy traffic I was 15 minutes late and he was waiting for me. He typically doesn’t see Head & Neck patients on Tuesdays, but he made an exception for me today which I appreciate. We then connected with a friend on the research staff for a short holiday reunion before heading off to the chemo unit. Chemo began about an hour late, but only lasted 2 hours. Compared to some sessions which have lasted 12 hours, this felt like a day at the beach. The drug being used is Avastin and it will be delivered once every three weeks. There is a 2% incidence of serious side effects… heart attack, stroke, and death. Waning signs, if any, leading up to these side effects include fever and high blood pressure. So, I’ll have to be on the lookout for these conditions. 2% isn’t a large number; however it would suck to be in that 2%. I also began taking a daily pill, 150 mg Tarceva. My doctor plans to leave me on this treatment regimen for 6 to 12 months or for as long as I can tolerate it. It’s somewhat viewed as a maintenance program. I won’t know how the drug will affect me stamina-wise for awhile. It’s one of my concerns and time will tell. I can continue to workout as long as I feel up to it, but not with the intensity of the past month. That part I will miss.

I’ll keep you posted. Take care everyone.