Steve's initial reaction to last week's new chemotherapy treatment seemed fairly mild, and we had a good time watching Melissa and her curling team do well at the Tropicurl bonspiel in Pittsburgh over the weekend. By Monday evening Steve was dragging a bit, but we did have a good time at bridge group. However, by Tuesday a predicted side effect (severe diarrhea) set in with a vengeance, and although we had (and Steve used, to some extent) medicine to counteract it, the results were fairly serious. Tuesday afternoon we canceled a couple of engagements and returned to the 24/7 feeding machine hookup; but by the time we arrived at the infusion center Wednesday morning for the scheduled chemo infusion Steve was pretty badly dehydrated and his blood test showed not only low platelet count but also seriously low potassium—and possibly other issues that I'm not recalling in detail.
Considering all of this, the doctor held off on the chemotherapy for this week and instead checked Steve in for another overnight stay at the Clinical Decision Unit for observation and rehydration and attempts to get the various fluids back in balance. That along with a different diarrhea medicine seems to have worked well. We were released around noon Thursday, with a follow-up blood test scheduled but Steve feeling generally better. Thursday afternoon was sort of a whirlwind, since we had to squeeze in an emergency visit to the surgeon to insert a new feeding tube (the previous one fell out as we were packing to leave the CDU—the balloon that holds it in place disintegrated again ;-<) and I had a dental appointment to keep on the way home. But we got it all done, and had a quiet evening at home.
Friday morning we had a normal breakfast (off the feeding machine again :->), and went to our play reading group in the afternoon. On the way there we stopped by the lab for the follow-up blood test. Results of that were pretty good—potassium still a bit low, but the current prescription is to keep up the once-a-day potassium pill and eat some bananas. J
That's our story for this week. We have another infusion appointment (plus echocardiogram) scheduled for this coming Wednesday, at which point the oncologist will decide how to adjust the dosage—and on we go. We hope that you all (our friends and loved ones near and far) are well, and that you remain aware how much we appreciate and rely on your ongoing support, both expressed and tacit. It is such an important part of our therapy! So, thanks again.
--Carol
