Chemo Update

Hi. I’ve received a lot of e-mails and a few terrific comments posted on my blog from my December 13th posting. Thank you to everyone that has checked in, provided insight into some of their own experiences, or is just thinking of me and wishing me well.

Here’s the chemo update. Avastin, a newer chemo drug, was administered 8 days ago on December 11th. I also began taking the daily Tarceva pill, another chemo drug, that same day. This stuff has kicked my butt. Side effects in order of discomfort so far have been: a severe debilitating headache lasting about 36 hours (almost gone now), toe/foot numbness (seems to be diminishing), fatigue (it kicked in about the time of the headache), severe skin rash on my face, loss of appetite, and then a few more minor ailments. As I write this, I’m feeling tired, but okay. I spoke with my doctor’s Physician Assistant earlier in this week. She and my doctor are hoping that these are initial reactions to the new drugs and that they will diminish. Guess what? I hope they’re right! Time will tell. As I’ve said before, on paper, this looks like a promising path to a cure, but I have to be able to tolerate this drug regimen. The targeted delivery duration of this drug cocktail is 6 – 12 months. My next Avastin dose is scheduled for January 2nd, once every three weeks.

That’s it for today. Take care everyone.