One Year Ago

I sometimes think about what was happening a year ago from whatever day it is.  For the next few months, that's probably not wise.  But today, I gave in to temptation and looked back on last year's calendar.

Nov 21, 2014 was Rudy's first chemo.  It was at Piedmont, before we transferred to CTCA.  We thought it would be a treatment that might extend Rudy's life.  It turned out to be the treatment that would make his life a living hell.  He would spend the next week sick as a dog, unable to keep anything down and weak beyond belief.  He would go to Piedmont over and over during the next week to get fluids.  No doctor would see him.  The nurses did the best they could.  He would be over-medicated to the point that he thought he was installing glass, even though he was sitting in a chair getting fluids.

At this same time, our dog Teddy was losing his hair and scratching like mad.  They first thought he might have mange.  He did not.  Life was a rollercoaster of cancer doctors and vets and worry and misery, with a dash of hope that this was all temporary and things would improve.

If I could go back in time, even if it meant seeing Rudy once more, I would not go back to November 21, 2014.  Thank God, Rudy isn't going through that hell anymore.

Back to the present - I find I am not dreading Thanksgiving (or Christmas) quite as much as I was a month or so ago.  I've been working on focusing on the positives and playing around with how I think of the day.

My dread of these first holidays without Rudy is all in my head, as is all dread.  I'm pretty good at head games.  I can master this.  I will not be the widow crying at Thanksgiving dinner over what she's lost.  I will be the widow who is grateful for what she had (and for so many years of having it) and thankful for all the loved ones she still has.  I will have a genuine smile on my face. I will enjoy all the people I'm with.  Seriously.  I will master this.

PS - To all my family reading this - Please stay positive and happy and funny.  If anyone starts talking sad things or giving me sorrowful looks, my head game positive attitude may completely dissolve. I'm looking forward to lots of hugs, but please let them be happy hugs rather than sorrowful ones. Please, let's find the joy in the day and fully enjoy those still with us.  We are not promised tomorrow with any of the people still here.  Make the most of it!  Let's have some laughs and make some memories!  I sure hope I can do it.

Radiation Begins

Rudy began radiation yesterday.  It turns out, he'll have two 14 day sessions.  They'll be weekdays only.  The first session targets two areas in the lower back / pelvic region.  The second session will target his chest / back.  Today, he had the second treatment in the first session.  It took only about 10 minutes.

Yesterday was his first treatment and it took longer.  They let Nancy and I go back with him as they set up.  They took time to explain how things work.

The above photo shows the radiation machine.  There may be a proper medical name for it, but I don't know it.

Once Rudy lays down in the mold made just for him, they line up all the marks on Rudy in the laser crosshairs.  The photo above is not lined up yet, but it's close.   Then they adjust specifically to target the areas they've chosen to go after.

The entire machine rotates.

Information they need is shown on large screens.  Also, they can see and hear Rudy from their room, safely away from the radiation.  The door into the radiation room is super thick - about 10 inches I'd guess.

They do what they can to make the area cheerful.  There are elaborate murals and fun music is playing the whole time.  The funny thing is, it's music you want to tap your toes to, but once situated for radiation, you aren't supposed to move a muscle.

Rudy's two nurse / technicians were cute as could be.  I wish I'd gotten photos of them both.

The radiation treatments haven't hurt and he doesn't seem to be having any issues from it that he can tell.  This is however, the worst day of his chemo cycle.  Tomorrow likely won't be much better. Today, he has been so tired that taking a shower was a major ordeal.  Nancy made him a casserole with cornbread.  Susan baked him muffins.  He hasn't had either yet.  When we got home from radiation, he sat in a chair for a few minutes without even turning on the TV.  Then he gave up and went to bed.  He's still asleep.

He's been having side effects from the pain meds.  He's incredibly groggy on them.  They take his appetite away, which is not good since he's dropped 13 pounds from his recent vomiting episodes.  There more annoying side effects.  We both hope he doesn't have to stay on those long.  He's particularly eager to stop taking them so he can drive his hotrod again.

I sure hope all this pays off by knocking that cancer back down.  I also pray that the immunotherapy starts soon and turns out to be easier and more successful.

Pain and Nausea at Bay

The last few days have been crazy, but all the crises are under control (for now).  Rudy dealt with unrelenting vomiting and nausea.  He dealt with swallowing being a challenge - it felt like everything was sticking in his throat.  Pills were the worst.  Finally, he dealt with pain that became so unbearable he was unable to function.

Humor gets me through!  I've been chanting the real serenity prayer for days.  I came across this one this morning.  It gave me a good chuckle. 

I *think* we're fine now.  I slept and am able to think and function again.  Rudy is currently not nauseous or in pain.    He has better, longer acting meds for both issues and right now they are working like a charm.  His esophagus issue seems to be getting better.  He has an appointment scheduled to get that checked just in case.  If there is a problem, there are things they can do.

The pain meds are some that are fairly addictive, but it's hoped that he won't need them long - maybe a week at most????  Possibly less.   We hope the chemo (HE DID HAVE CHEMO YESTERDAY!!! :-D ) and targeted radiation will knock the tumor down fast and get it off that nerve.  From what I've seen so far, the pain meds don't seem to make him too loopy.  He seems like himself, just maybe a tad more cheerful.  The cheerful might be more of a result of the lack of pain and nausea.  That's certainly reason enough!  I hope the cheerful effect lasts a long time.

This was me yesterday. 

We'll meet with pain management again next week.  They may even be able to  go in and deaden the nerve to the annoying tumor so that even if it does expand again, it won't make him so miserable.

Yesterday, Terri talked a little more about the immunotherapy.   Rudy will have another scan in 3 weeks to see how he's responding to the current chemo - the Carboplatin-Gemzar regimen.  If it's not a big success, then we'll look at switching to immunotherapy.  That treatment is in the last phases of trial and it's been amazingly successful on many types of cancer.  Rudy's type of cancer is one it's particularly good with.

Maybe immunotherapy will replace chemo one day.

Rudy doesn't seem to be cut out for chemo, so we're really hoping he's being led to immunotherapy for a reason.  We'd love to be one of their success stories!

Low Blood Counts... Again

Rudy didn't pass today's blood test.  White blood cells, absolute neutrophil count, platelets...  all low, not horribly low, but low enough to stop chemo.  He's anemic, which explains why he's been so chilly lately. He couldn't have his chemo and he's quarantined again.  Darnit.  He was just starting to go places and see people again.  But everything else looks good.

The Lab Technician
Looked Suspicious

We met with the nutritionist (Maureen) and naturopath (Anya) and advanced practitioner (Terri).  All of them had advice for things to do to try to encourage better counts.  Anya tweaked his supplements and one thing she added is a maitake mushroom tincture.  Rudy doesn't like mushrooms, but he's sure getting plenty of them through his supplements right now.

He'll be re-tested next week and will hopefully be able to have chemo towards the end of next week.  

Low blood counts are one of the common side effects of chemo.  Chemo targets all rapidly producing cells.  There are other cells in your body that reproduce rapidly besides cancer - like hair, gastro, and bone marrow.  The chemo is really going after Rudy's bone marrow and that's messing with his blood counts.

Chemo is not a one size fits all.  They start at a point that is fine for about 50% of patients and then they make adjustments as needed.  Rudy's chemo has been tweaked and it will still be tweaked more as needed.

The also are taking a look at his blood to see if he's a candidate for Tarceva.  It's a targeted therapy and is low on side effects.  We haven't heard about that one, but if Rudy is a good fit for it, I'm sure we'll find out.

Again, we are always amazed at how happy we are at CTCA.  Everyone is so nice and so HAPPY.  Maureen and Anya were cracking us up today.  Maureen calls Rudy "Uncle Rudy".  Terri is wonderful, too - a happy bundle of energy.  Don't get me wrong.  It's not all fun and games with Dr. Thompson's team.  They are ALL smart as can be and they take what they do very seriously.  They're hard working, but they know how to keep it light and make the patients feel good.  We feel so attached to them all.  They're great huggers and as Rudy says, those hugs are all genuine.

I used to see the commercials on TV about CTCA and think they were probably a bit puffed up.  Now, I think the commercials don't do them justice.  CTCA is the most amazing place.

Lymph Nodes are Garbage Disposals!

Today (Friday Jan 23) we met with Dr. Parks, the pulmonologist.  He discussed the scans a bit further.  He's the one who went over our original scans in such detail when we first came to CTCA.  We really like him.  He's a very serious, forthright, kind man.  Also, he wears the same size shoe as Rudy - a size 15.  Overall, Dr. Parks seemed at ease with the scan results.  

LYMPH NODES

Dr. Parks explained a bit more about the lymph node activity and the lymphatic system in general.  

The lymph nodes are the body's garbage disposals.  They help the body get rid of junk.  When lymph glands show up on a scan as swollen, it doesn't necessarily mean it's bad.  There are some good reasons for them to be swollen as well.  Only a biopsy of the lymph node would tell if it's cancer, but there's no call to start biopsying lymph nodes on Rudy.  

Getting rid of the garbage!

We're hoping Rudy's swollen lymph nodes are just extra plump because they are working overtime disposing of cancer cells.  

IMMUNOTHERAPY

We also talked with Dr. Parks a little about immunotherapy.  He explained that it's a fairly new therapy, but would probably end up being the preferred way to treat cancer.  

He said that Rudy would be an ideal candidate for it.  The treatment stimulates the patient's own immune system to fight the cancer.  Most patients whose cancers have progressed to Stage 4 and have undergone a number of chemos are in pretty bad shape and it's hard for their immune systems to put up much of a fight.  Rudy, however, is in great shape and this treatment could be even more promising for him.  

CHIROPRACTOR

Rudy had his first visit with the chiro. today.  He came out smiling.  He'll be going back 3x a week for the next 2 weeks.  Honestly, between the chiropractor, the massage therapist, the acupuncturist, the nutritionist, the naturopath and all of the pampering he gets, you'd think he was at a spa.  I love that they are making him feel so great.  

Special note to Paige - Rudy said to tell Joe he really needs to take advantage of these extras.  They truly are working!!!!!  None are painful or even uncomfortable - you come out feeling better than when you walked in. 

CHEMO

If Thursday's chemo is anything like the others, tomorrow and  Sunday will be his super tired days. We'll probably lay low this weekend.  He's feeling pretty darned good today.  This chemo includes carboplatin which he's been taking every 3 weeks.  I'm assuming he had the full dose.  He also had a 1 week dose of Gemsar.  He goes back next week for another.  I don't think he'll have carboplatin for that one.  The only reason for mentioning this, is that since part of his chemo is different and it's a one week dose, we really aren't sure what his side effects will be.  

Will he feel gross with this new chemo combination?  Will he feel as tired as he did after the last one?  Will he ache?  Will his blood counts go down?  Who knows.  We are learning to live on the fly.  Planning anything while fighting cancer is an exercise in futility.   

CTCA Appointments for January 14

We had a busy morning over at Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

That's Rudy's foot peeking out from behind the curtain.

LAB TESTS
The first appointment was to get Rudy's blood drawn.  They monitor his blood closely to make sure he's staying on track.  We got the results a short time later when we met with Terri.  She was beaming with good news.  The Absolute Neutrophil number is above normal.  This number is an important one in terms of  his immune system.  This number has been low on Rudy's lab reports for too long.  Boy, did it bounce back!  He still has a few things a little low or a little high, but nothing is far off. Terri said he's still a little bit anemic, but not enough to affect chemo. We'll be eating more iron this week.  Good news -  he can now see friends and family.  Terri said, "Just don't lick any sick people."  All joking aside, we'll still be careful, as advised for anyone undergoing chemo and, of course, we're still planning to be cautious while this flu makes the rounds.  HOWEVER, Rudy will at least be able to do a little something to help his severe case of Cabin Fever!

His kidney, liver, heart, and lungs still look good.  His blood pressure is great.

ACUPUNCTURE AND MASSAGE
Rudy had two new appointments today that were GREAT.  First he had a massage that was so good he looked like he had turned to jelly when it was over.  I was with him and I felt pretty relaxed just from watching.  The lights were dimmed and soft music was playing.

He also had acupuncture for the first time ever.  This guy took a long time explaining just how it worked and figuring out what symptoms to target.  It didn't hurt, but there's no immediate results.  It will be interesting to see how these extras benefit over time.

NECK TENSION
One symptom both the acupuncturist and the massage therapist targeted was the tension in his neck.  Rudy had been dealing with some tension headaches.  They eased as soon as he got good news before the last chemo, but he had another one a day or so ago, possibly because he's getting a tiny bit anxious about the upcoming Pet Scan.  He also had a crazy cramp in his neck this week.  It was pretty much like a cramp you might get in a leg.  It lasted about 15 minutes and hurt like the devil.  Massaging it didn't help a bit.  It finally eased when I brought him a heating pad.  The massage therapist could still feel tight muscles in his neck and shoulders and she worked them good today.  And the acupuncturist worked on the pathways there as well.  He also talked with Rudy about some other options in the Mind/Body department at CTCA to help him with the cause of his tension - worrying.  Rudy puts up a good front, but anyone with a diagnosis like his is going to have stress to deal with.  As far as I'm concerned, I think he can use any help that's offered to help with that.  In fact, we could both benefit from some help.  It's really hard not to worry.



A SHORT FILM
While we were waiting to see the acupuncturist, we saw a short film being made right in front of us.

The video is being made for CTCA employees, which they call stakeholders.  CTCA works very hard to encourage their stakeholders to wholeheartedly participate in their philosophy - the mother standard.  They want their employees to treat each patient just as well as they'd treat their mother or someone they dearly loved. (I can verify that they are very successful at this - their employees are amazing!) In this film, they were honoring two employees who went above and beyond.  Another employee saw these two doing something special for a patient and she nominated them both.  They were each being given a $500 reward as part of their recognition. By the way, they were recognized for what they had done to help a couple celebrate their anniversary.  The husband always gave his wife white roses on their anniversaries - one for each year they were married.  This anniversary was being spent in chemo and he was sad that they couldn't celebrate as they'd always done before.  These two employees helped him get the roses for his wife (19 of them) and also brought them a dvd player and movie.

SOCIAL TIME
Sometimes CTCA feels like a gathering place for friends.  Today, while we were working with Joe, our scheduler, we saw Paige.  I posted about her a few days ago.  Her husband was around the corner from our room, meeting with Dr. Thompson before his chemo.  Paige's son and daughter-in law (who works for DR. Thompson) stopped by, too.  Joe is lively and fun.  Stephanie and Paige are loads of fun. Paige's son was only there for a flash, but I'll bet he's fun, too. Joe and Stephanie are hard working and doing great things, but it feels more like play when we're with them.  If laughter is the best medicine, then we will get well fast.  NOte: There are 2 Joes in this story - Joe, our scheduler, and Paige's husband who is having chemo.

CHEMO THREE - Our observations
I haven't posted many updates this last week.  No new is good news.  Basically, Rudy said this was a very easy chemo.  He was really, really, REALLY tired for a day or two, but there was no nausea.  He is bouncing back pretty fast.  He is doing things around the house.  He rests a lot, but he's able to be more active than after the other chemos.

NEXT UP
Next week, the big things are a Pet Scan and Chemo.  The Pet Scan will tell us whether the chemos have been successful or not.  We are hoping and praying that we're making progress.

PRAYERS
If you are praying for us, we sure do appreciate it.  We know we are being looked after, even when our news isn't what we wanted.  We're thankful that things are going so well.   Please keep praying.  God willing, his Pet Scan results will be good.  We want that so badly!  Also, it would be wonderful if you would add Paige and her husband, Joe, to your prayer list.  Joe had to have part of his tongue removed due to mouth and throat cancer.  He has a feeding tube.  He has great difficulty swallowing.  If he gets nauseous, he could choke.  We hope this chemo goes as well for him as Rudy's chemos are going for him.  We also hope that he is able to have reconstructive surgery soon so he can swallow again and eat normally once more.

I'm sure I'm leaving something out, but this post is quite long enough.  Feel free to call this week.  Those phone calls keep Rudy cheered and frankly, he's probably really tired of talking to me so much lately! :-D

SOOOO Tired!

The main side effect today - he is soooooooo tired.

He slept thru the night. He got up and sat in his chair for a bit, dozing off and on. Went back to bed. Slept hard another 3 or 4 hours. He's up now, but still very lethargic.

This side effect is "tiresome", but we'll gladly take it over throwing up. His appetite is non-existent and he took an anti-nausea pill a few minutes ago. He was feeling a bit off and we wanted to nip that in the bud. Hopefully, that won't worsen.

PS - Shirley, this pug's for you!

Round 3 - so far, so good

Chemo Round 3 - so far, so good!

The second day after chemo is typically when things go downhill. Rudy is doing just fine this morning and we hope he continues to be fine. The biggest relief - no nausea and he hasn't taken any anti-nausea meds. Chemo 1, where he threw up for 5 days straight, gave us a real fear of that side effect.

Chemo 3

Hurray! Thanks for all the prayers. They worked!!! Rudy's blood test results were FINALLY much better and he is having chemo. 2015 is off to a nice start. We're feeling happy and blessed.

I feel sure one reason Rudy's blood counts were better is that I was wearing my lucky socks.  My wonderful friend, Judy, knitted these for me several years ago.  She has actually knitted a bunch of socks for me over the years.  They are amazing.  Even though she uses wool, she knows a trick or two about which wools are best.  I typically can't put wool right next to my skin - it itches like crazy.  I've never ever had that reaction to Judy's socks.  

Chemo 2 - at CTCA

Rudy had his blood tested early yesterday morning and his doctor said everything looked great! We had a long, long, LONG wait, but finally started chemo mid-afternoon (Thursday, Dec 11th).

Each patient has their own chemo room with chairs and a TV and more. We were in Bay 24.

Rudy is smiling because he'd just discovered the infusion chair had buttons for heat and massage. He took advantage of both. The heat is especially good because patients often get chilly while being infused.

PLEASE ADD RUDY TO YOUR PRAYERS. We are really hoping he doesn't have the horrible reactions to this chemo that he did with the first.

Preventing Nausea in Chemo Round 2

Round 1 of chemo for Rudy was HORRIBLE!   He vomited for 4 days straight. Several things will be different about Chemo Round 2 and hopefully, the severe vomiting will be avoided.  That is the side effect that makes Rudy most nervous.

The first change - we are switching from Paclitaxel to Abraxane, which a a protein bound form of Paclitaxel.  This form is easier to "stomach".  The Abraxane will be taken in smaller doses every week, rather than a huge dose every 3rd week. That, too, may make it easier to tolerate.

Another difference is that Rudy is no longer on any pain medications.  Fentanyl was started the same day as Round 1 of chemo.  If it was a main culprit in the after-chemo vomiting, then we don't have to worry about that one on this round.

There will be some substantial anti-nausea meds given the day of chemo.  An anti-nausea med was used with Round 1 as well, but it didn't work against whatever thing Rudy was reacting to.  Since two things are being changed that could have been the cause of the nausea in the first place, hopefully, the anti nausea IV will not fail this time.

One other difference will be the medications used to treat any nausea that does occur.  When Rudy was having such a hard time after the first round, he was never seen by a doctor during any of the following days that we kept returning for fluids.  The nurses were left guessing and did the best they could.  They prescribed this and that and at one point he was taking 4 different nausea medications at one time and there were others previously tried still in his system. Two were oral, One was a patch.  Another was a cream.  We were told they each worked in different ways.  Their reasoning was that the combination would attack the nausea from many different angles.  That sounded good to us, so we followed instructions, desperate to do anything we could to help end the vomiting.

Dr. Thompson and her assistant, Stephanie, looked fairly incredulous about all of the meds he was taking for nausea.  They said that taking all of those together could have actually worked against him and prolonged the vomiting.  Hopefully, the preventative things being done will keep us from ever having to deal with uncontrolled vomiting again.

More Fluids

Vomiting continues this morning.  Diarrhea, too.

Rudy is pumped full of fluids again - 3rd day in a row.

We still haven't seen a doctor - just nurses.  When we went in, we were hoping he'd be admitted to the hospital.  Surely, the over-the-top side effects are about over.

He was nauseous all day but is beginning to eat just a tad – things like jello.

We're really hopeful that tomorrow we won't need a trip to the ER for fluids and that we can stay home and sleep. That would be something to be truly thankful for!

We'll really miss spending the day with our family, but we know we'll see them all soon. Meanwhile, everyone have a fabulous Thanksgiving and take the time to truly appreciate how many wonderful people you have in your life.

Fluids day 2

Just after midnight another bout of vomiting.

It was time for a Zofran, but he said he didn't want to take it anymore because it made him sick

5am another bout of vomiting.  At what point does he get put in the hospital?

6:45am another bout of vomiting

Spent day in infusion room again,  More saline – 1 ½ bags.   Steroid.  Pepcid AC thru IV and two bags of Ativan, which made him talk absolute nonsense.  He thought he was installing glass in the infusion room.

He came home and slept and talked gibberish for a while.  Then he at a tiny bit of jello.  He vomited shortly after – around 6:30.  He sipped water a little while later then vomited again.

Today, some wondered if the vomiting was being caused by the Fentanyl 50mcg.  No one ever really did more than wonder because he put the patch on Friday around 1 and didn’t begin vomiting til early Sunday morning.  

I looked up Fentanyl and vomiting  this evening and from what I read, it’s a distinct possibility that’s what’s causing the major vomiting.  I called the after-hours number and Dr Menninberger said it would be fine to remove the patch and we’d soon know if that’s what was causing the vomiting.  I also wonder – the patch really took care of the pain, but was the 50 too strong to start off with?

Removed patch at 11pm

Vomited 11:20.  It'll take 12 or so hours for the Fentanyl to get out of his system.

Fluids Day 1

Rudy slept for a while overnight, but as soon as he got up around 4am, he felt nauseous. He took a nausea pill and soon after had a horrible bout of vomiting. We're going to get fluids this morning. I'm hoping they will give him anti-nausea stuff thru the IV as well. He feels terrible.

4:45am - He's still getting sick and now having diarrhea as well. He feels terrible.  Said he feels like he’s running a fever but doesn't want a thermometer in his mouth

7am - I called the on-call service again. I asked if we could just be at the office when they opened at 8. She said no - we have to call at 8 and make an appointment. ^%$#@!  Hopefully, they'll see him fast. I'm ready to go.

I thought about just taking him to emergency, but that process would likely take ages. In the end it may be faster and more efficient to call the office.

We really feel left to fend for ourselves. My advice to anyone having chemo for the first time - do it towards the beginning of the week so if trouble hits, you'll be able to get help from the office without waiting over a weekend.

The on-call PA was nice this morning. I don't want to make her out to be cold and heartless. She said they would likely make a number of adjustments in chemo 2 and that chemo side effects should not be this bad.

7:30am – try another Zofran – it dissolves in mouth – easier to do than swallowing a pill with water, which would likely bring on another attack of vomiting

After 8 - Went to Dr’s office this am.  Had IV fluids and Phenergen and Attavan thru IV.  He vomited again around noon while getting fluids.

Came home with 2 new Rx for nausea – Prometh/PLO wrist gel and Transderm-Scop ear patch.

He's a tiny bit better after the fluids. I think his color is better, but he still says he feels awful and he's weak as can be. He got fluids, nausea meds thru IV and now has two additional nausea meds that are not oral. One is a patch. The other a cream. We started those around 1pm. They said each of the drugs approaches nausea from a different angle. Hopefully, we have all the angles covered now.

Went 9+ hours without getting sick but sometime in the evening vomiting  started again

ALSO - if anyone needs to talk to me over the next few days, text, message or email me and I WILL CALL YOU soon. I'd like to limit incoming phone calls if possible to give Rudy a chance to rest undisturbed. He's exhausted.

Chemo: Anti-Nausea Menu

Rudy woke up 3am and vomited soon after.  

Started Zofran (anti-nausea) at 3:50am.  

Vomited again around 8am.  

Thought the nausea might be over. He had a big breakfast (bacon, eggs, rolls) around 9:30 or 10. I didn't think that was a good idea, but it's what he wanted. He slept a long time. 

Vomited 1:50pm.  Tried Zofran again.

Vomited 3:30.  Called the after-hours number and talked to the on-call physician's assistant.  

Rudy now has a 2nd nausea med to take – promethazine (taken around 4:10pm).  My mom had this from her cancer treatment a few years ago and the PA said that was what she would prescribe so it’s fine to take it, even though it’s old.  The PA advised sticking to liquids for the next 24 hours - like with a stomach flu. She said taking him to ER for fluids was not necessary today, but if the vomiting continued thru tomorrow, I should call the office. The PA also said he'll likely need stronger nausea IV meds with chemo round 2. Plus, we'll be sure to start taking the pill form BEFORE he gets queasy.  

He had another bad bout of vomiting around 6pm.  I went out and picked up Sea Bands (acupressure wrist bands). Found them at a drug store 20 minutes away!  Funny - while there the pharmacist got a phone call asking if they carried Sea Bands.  It turns out, it was Linda calling.  She was trying to help me locate some.

The nausea and vomiting is unreal.  I know we'll get this in hand, so I just have to keep telling myself that.  But it sure is hard watching him suffer.  It's horrible and I feel helpless.  There's nothing I can do to help.  Surely next time will be better.  I'm documenting everything so I can hand it all over to CTCA for Round 2.  

The medical oncology community try real hard to make sure patients don't go thru this awful vomiting anymore.  I guess the first round is often a gamble.  I know I said this before - 1st time chemo patients should not have their chemo on a Friday and be left adrift over a weekend (when offices are closed).

I'm putting out an all-call in case anyone can think of other ideas I may be missing.

Link to Post

Next time, he'll take the anti-nausea stuff BEFORE it hits.  Meanwhile, I'm trying to get organized for dealing with the appetite and tummy issues.

We've already been dealing with loss of appetite and nausea for a week or two because of the pain meds. Now, the pain meds have changed, but the chemo nausea is kicking in.  At least we had one good day between.

For chemo patients experiencing nausea and/or vomiting, it's recommended to:

• eat more often in smaller quantities
• avoid things that are greasy or spicy
• eat with plastic utensils if there's a metallic taste
• try things that are cold if smells are the problem

Rudy shot that out the window this morning and had me fix him a full meal - bacon, eggs, and toast.   That's certainly not what's recommended, but he wasn't in the mood for advice.    It'll be a miracle if that stays down.  

When he knows he needs to eat, he hates me to start naming things.  But I can tell he's frustrated because he can't think of anything to have. My solution is to have a menu of snack or mini-meal ideas. I've started working on it.   * These are not the high-nutrition things I'd love to see him eat the majority of the time.  These are "get something on your stomach that won't make you nauseous"  things.  

Below is the list I have so far. If you can think of anything else to add to the list, please let me know!  * I am updating this list every so often with suggestions from others.

Fruit

• Banana (room temp OR FROZEN)
• Apple
• Applesauce

Breakfast

• Toast
• Eggs
• Roll + Apple Butter
• Pancakes
• Cereal
• Oatmeal
• Grits

Snacks

• Yogurt
• Popsicle
• Crackers
• Orange Sherbet
• Pudding

Drinks

• Gingerade
• Tea
• Water
• Smoothie
• ENSURE
• Instant Breakfast
• Boathouse Farms Green Goodness

Anti Nausea Candy

• peppermint
• lemon drops
• 
  

MORE

• Cornbread and Buttermilk
• Soup or broth
• Rice
• Baked Potato
• Pasta (plain or with a little broth)

Additional Resources

Link to Recipe

Fentanyl

Great day.  No pain thanks to new pain patch they prescribed for Rudy yesterday – Fentanyl

Knock on wood, but it looks like this may be just the ticket for now.  Hopefully, soon, the tumor will begin shrinking and meds can be reduced.

He slept last night.  He seemed relaxed and comfortable and seems good this morning, too.  Woo Hoo!

Bedtime – he began to feel a tiny bit funny in his tummy – he SHOULD have taken Zofran!

So many have mentioned that they'd like to visit. As great as it would be to see friends and family this weekend, Rudy really just wants to recuperate from yesterday and relax as much as possible while he sees how the long list of chemo side effects plays out. Hopefully, the effects won't be too bad - especially since this is just his first round.

Chemo 1

Rudy had his first round of chemo today at Piedmont Newnan today.  Linda and Nancy were with us the whole time.  It was a long day.  We were there from 8:45 to 4:15.