Chemotherapy #6 - Half way there

First of all, sorry this is so late.  I just got back to school and have been very busy with studying.  The next one shouldn't take as long to get up.

I am now half way done with my chemotherapy.  I have finished 6 sessions, or 3 cycles.  In a couple days here I will start the second half of it, and soon after get re-staged.  Hopefully everything is going according to plan and my staging can be lowered.  As a reminder to anyone, I am considered Stage 3bs.  I am curious to see how my spleen is now compared to before starting.  I'll have to do a breathing test again too at some point, to check how my lungs are keeping up with everything, because this can cause toxicity to them.  I don't think I am having problems with that though.

For my 6th chemo I was in Saint Cloud.  This is probably the last of my chemotherapy to be done in Saint Cloud actually.  The rest should be up here in Grand Forks as I finish up the school year, as there aren't anymore big breaks to go home for.  (Besides spring break, but we have other plans for that.)  The same people as usual were with for it.  This one seemed longer to me. The time was pretty much the same as the others here, but it just felt longer to me.  My dad and I both fell asleep during this visit.  Taylor did not, so it must have felt even longer for her!  She will be coming to visit after class during my sessions up here in Grand Forks, I'll just be skipping class that day.  I only have one class on the Friday and have talked to the professor about it already.

One thing that is very upsetting to me since this last chemo is the metal taste.  I've been getting it for awhile now after chemos, but it usually went away after about a week.  This time it stayed up until just about a day ago real strong, and now lingers slightly.  My next chemo is in just a couple days.  I didn't get a break from this metal taste in between like before, so that is disappointing to me because it makes food, and even just anything much less enjoyable.  I hope this isn't something that will get worse.

Chemotherapy #5

I  had my fifth Chemotherapy on December 23rd, two days before my 23rd Birthday!  This time though I decided to do something differently.  For the labs before the actual chemo I normally was getting the blood drawn from my arm, when I had this port sitting there in my chest that I could have used this whole time.  This time I asked if I could use the port, this way I would only get poked by one needle during my visit instead of two, and I don't know about you... but that sounds okay to me.  After a quick call from the lady checking me in it was set up.  I went to the room where I get the chemo and they poked me, took the blood, and left the needle in there to use again for chemo later.  This was the only new thing for the chemo process.  After that, went out and talked to the doctor and then waited for chemo.  I got a single room again for this session, which is nice I think.  It didn't have it's own (shared) bathroom though which would have been nice this time.  It was the three of us once again, Dad, Taylor, and of course me.  Samantha showed up for a little bit too which is always nice.

Turns out my hypothesis on the chemo here in Saint Cloud vs in Grand Forks wasn't correct.  After this last one I did a little sick on a couple days, and on others feeling like I will -- which I think is worse.  Luckily I have two anti-nausea medications and one is stronger than the other.  It has been helping, I try not to take it unless I need it though.  Which has been lately.

One other thing, I have noticed some hair occasionally in the shower and other places like on my computer or something.  So it seems like it is starting to fall out, and I and others have noticed it looking a lot thinner.  I still got plenty of hair, just looks thin.

That's it for now, hope you're all doing well.

Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone.

Chemotherapy # 4

Hey guys, sorry this post is so late.  I'll try not to do that for the next one coming up on Friday.

Anyway, on December 9th I had my 4th Chemotherapy, which brings the end to cycle 2.  Dr. Gorouhi said that typically he would re-stage me after the 2nd - 4th cycle.  He has chosen to do so after the 4th because I am home for Christmas break for the whole 3rd cycle.  I'll be doing both of those here in Saint Cloud.  When I am re-staged I will have my second PET scan and they well hopefully put me lower than my current stage.  If things are going well we just continue, if things aren't going as they should he may introduce radiation into my treatment.  Let's hope that is not the case.

My company for this session of Chemotherapy were my dad, Timmy, and Taylor.  Taylor came a little late because she had a study session to go to, as it was the Friday before finals week.  When she got there though it was great.  I had a huge chair again so she could sit in there with me.  Nothing unusual about the Chemo process it all went normally, but they did tell me that my white blood cell count is low and that I am not to eat certain foods, including some veggies and fruits because of it.  Also I was given a handful of masks to wear.  I don't want to wear them though.  I will if I have too.  When school starts up again in January I will sit away from others in case they are sick.  I will just have to keep my hands real clean all the time.  Hopefully I don't get sick!

While we were there we ordered some food, it was really late and only came right when we were ready to leave.  Our money was returned and also some $10 gift cards were given, along with the food also.  So free food, and $30 dollars worth of gift card.  Not to shabby.

I did feel pretty sick after this one, probably worse of all.  I am thinking that the Chemos in Grand Forks are a bit tougher on me since they give it quicker than in Saint Cloud.  Not sure if that is why, I want to see how I do after the next one in Saint Cloud.  In either case, I'm bound to not feel great regardless.

Next chemotherapy is this coming Friday, December 23rd.  I'll try to update that one right after.


Merry Christmas
Happy Holidays.

PS. Feel free to post comments everyone, it is nice to hear from you too.

Chemo 3, Thanksgiving and Black Friday!

Chemo number 3 is under completed a week ago, with that I am half way through cycle 2 which will finish this upcoming Friday, December 9th.  For my third session I was again in Saint Cloud, at the Coborn Cancer Center.  This time things went a little more smoothly though, since it wasn't my first time there they had things more together and we ended up getting in and out of there a whole lot quicker.  Like usual when we first got there I signed in at the front and went for labs where they take the blood.  Then we sit and wait until they bring us back.  My company for the time was, as usual, my dad, and Taylor was able to come.  She'll be able to go to the next one in Grand Forks as well.  Samantha stopped by on her lunch break too.  I think she was actually able to leave at that time.  While we waited to go in my dad sat and read the newspaper while Taylor and I did a puzzle that was sitting out.  We didn't get very far on it, it was a harder puzzle with lots of blues.  This waiting felt long, but really it wasn't that bad.  Eventually we were called back and brought to the room.  Room 13, my dad wasn't a fan of the number he said.  This was a single room, where last time I had a double room.  It had a TV against a wall, instead of basically on the ceiling.  There was a private-shared bathroom.  It was shared between two rooms, though none of us ended up using it.

When the nurse poked the needle into my port she said that she missed, apparently there is a smaller area in there that needs to be hit.  So she had to pull the thing out and jab me again.  This hurts, but it is getting less sensitive.  I don't think it's bad enough to ask for the numbing cream.  After that things went smoothly.  There was no need to test one of the drugs this time since I had been through it previously so we were in and out of there in record time!  Saint Cloud does drip the last one a little slower than Grand Forks so I suspect next Friday to be even quicker.  I guess we'll see.

Update on the hair:  Still not really noticing anything, the other day I did see some hairs but it wasn't many.  It's still growing normally as of now, just shaved down.

The other things I did over break were have a couple Thanksgiving meals, and go out on black friday before the chemo.  On Thanksgiving day I spent it at Taylor's house.  Her family came over and we all shared a nice big turkey dinner.  I love turkey, and can't wait to get some more at our family Christmas.  There were these jello eggs, normally I don't go for jello but when they were like this I did.  I had three of them I do believe.  Not bad.  We also had another Thanksgiving meal on Saturday, at my brother Brad's place.  My dad, Brad and Samantha were there along with Chris (Samantha's boyfriend), Taylor, and Brad's family.  Wife Sarah, and kids Addy and Elly.  Another nice family meal.  We played the White Elephant gift game too.  It was a good time.

On Black Friday Taylor and I went out to Target, since they opened at midnight.  Really our trip wasn't worth it because neither of us got anything worthwhile.  When we did go though we arrived to a huuuuge line.  We ended up following some people and made our way into the mall and waited outside Target there.  This door wasn't going to open until everyone from the line had gotten in.  When the doors did open and people started running through the store Taylor and I watched from behind glass.  We felt like we were at a zoo, and had fun just watching the chaos.  We both bought some small things, and waited in the big line for the checkout and then headed home to sleep before chemo.  Samantha did buy a big television, she was one of the people running through the store who waited in that big line.  Glad she got it.

Hair Change

With a lot of the reading I have been doing online it seems that a lot of people started losing their hair after their second round of chemo.  Since I had just done my second time I thought I would just cut off my hair.  I kept reading people saying that it got hot and itchy when it was falling out, and I didn't want to go through that discomfort so I thought it would just be easier to cut it off.  Taylor's mom Cindy has been cutting my hair ever since Taylor and I started dating, even the summer before when we were hanging out a lot too, so I asked her to do it.  If it had started falling out before I got there I would have had it done elsewhere, but luckily that didn't happen.  Cindy wanted to have a little fun with it, here are some pictures of the night.

A before photo.

Me with blonde hair!

Side view mohawk, notice the back is still brown.

Front mohawk, looks odd.

BALD

Chemotherapy #2

So it has been a week since my second chemotherapy session, which brought me to the end to cycle one.  Two sessions is one cycle, and I'm set up for six.  This time I had my chemo done in Saint Cloud, because I was home for Veteran's Day weekend.  Taylor and I got to enjoy a extra day home, which was really nice, but it still went really quick.  Anyway the day started very early.  We had to be there at 8am for labs.  So we woke up nice and early, Taylor stayed over so she could come with.  When we got to the Coborn Cancer Center I thought the place looked nice, it was big.  The Altru center is smaller in Grand Forks.  We parked and went in. At the desk to sign in the lady had me sign of a few things since it was my first time at the place, and then she told me I was here for labs and to meet with the doctor.  I told her that I had chemo that day too, but she said I did not and that the earliest I can get in is Monday.  This was not a good thing, because Dr. Gorouhi wants me to do it every two weeks on the Friday, not even waiting a day.  My Dad was really upset about this and tried explaining what needed to happen, then the lady made a call to see why my chemo wasn't scheduled.  After a bit we were told that I was going to receive my chemo on this day, but the doctor just wanted to see me before it was on the schedule, or something?  I'm not really sure.  I was given a paper and told to go put it in this slot and wait for my labs.  Right away I was brought back and had my blood drawn.  The lady didn't use my port, instead she used my arm.  That was okay I thought since I would have another needle soon in the port for the chemo.

There was a lot of waiting now after the labs.  We got there around 8 and got into chemo after 10.  While we were waiting there was another mix up that had to be fixed, something with the insurance.  Something had not been done prior to our little sort-of-transfer to Saint Cloud.  It wasn't good, but the lady who told us about it got it fixed fairly quickly.  Needless to say it stressed my Dad out some more.  So far he wasn't too pleased with the Coborn Cancer Center.  He kept saying that the people at the Altru Cancer Center were friendlier.  I thought this place wasn't bad.  Another strange thing happened while I was sitting there waiting.  A girl who I worked with in my previous two jobs now works there.  She came out to call for a patient, and no one was coming up.  I recognized her and waved and she came over and called for the patient again.  I looked at her and she asked if I was the patient, so I asked if she recognized me.  She said no, so I said okay.  Then she walked off.  Taylor thought the whole situation was very awkward, I was okay with it.  Ha ha.  Finally though it was time to go back!  I was brought into room number 5, which was a double room.  There is just a curtain separating my room from room 6.  Room 6 was empty, however.  There was a bathroom right across from me so that was nice because if I have to use it I have to drag along this thing that I am hooked up to with me.  There was a small television in a weird spot, to l watch it you had to really look up.  Since it was my first time in Saint Cloud, or maybe because it was still cycle one I had to do a test of the bleomycin (the B in ABVD).  This time it was only a half hour to watch for side effects instead of an hour.  No side effects so we went ahead with all of the chemo real smoothly.

Chemotherapy # 2

I had a bunch of visitors this time.  My dad and Taylor were there with me the whole time.  Samantha came to visit, and so did my dad's friend, and I got to meet my great aunt who was there because she also had a form of cancer.  Also the girl who who didn't recognize me earlier popped in and apologized saying she knew who I was.  I thought that was funny.  Turns out there was a calender in the room that had a very old photo of my great aunt on it!  Crazy!  

My great aunt when she was younger