Happy New Year everyone. It is interesting the way the dates are working out for me and the way they are lining up with the calendar. Yesterday was the end of my first three rounds of RVD (Chemo) therapy and the end of 2013. Today begins a new year and a new phase of my treatment. Well - actually, it begins a couple of months of "rest" from the RVD therapy which will start again on March first.
So, this means that I don't have to go to Dana Farber for three weeks. Nice as they are there, I can't say I will miss the place. When I do go the next time, it will be for a full day of tests and then I am off for another week. Then begins "stem cell harvest".
Stem Cell Harvest starts at the end of January. At that point, I make three trips to Dana Farber over a period of two weeks. Technically, this is "chemo therapy", but it is not to kill cancer cells. Rather it is to stimulate production of my own stem cells and prepare them for harvest. I have heard that the worst side effect of this could be boredom as I sit there for long periods waiting for the chemicals to do their thing. So I ordered a new Nexus 7 Tablet as a medical necessity. This was just the excuse I needed. It should arrive by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, I am feeling pretty good. My back still gets sore at the end of the day and I have trouble lifting things, but mostly I am doing pretty well. It will be interesting how I bear up as the chemo drugs wear off. I don't know if I will feel better or worse.
Some days are better than others - though none have been really bad - and I always wonder why they differ? If I have a day where I can do more or less than usual, I wonder whether it is the particular drugs that I took that morning (every day is different - I have a giant spreadsheet). Or is it my level of activity that day? Or because I lifted something that I should not have lifted that day? Or what I did the day before? Or how I positioned myself during the previous night's sleep? Or the phase of the moon? You just never know.
The one thing I can say is that I am slowly getting better over the long term. I now have no trouble doing things that were a real hassle a month ago. At the same time, there is a lot more progress necessary before I get back to doing everything I want to be able to do this summer. We'll cross our fingers and hope for the best.
So, this means that I don't have to go to Dana Farber for three weeks. Nice as they are there, I can't say I will miss the place. When I do go the next time, it will be for a full day of tests and then I am off for another week. Then begins "stem cell harvest".
Stem Cell Harvest starts at the end of January. At that point, I make three trips to Dana Farber over a period of two weeks. Technically, this is "chemo therapy", but it is not to kill cancer cells. Rather it is to stimulate production of my own stem cells and prepare them for harvest. I have heard that the worst side effect of this could be boredom as I sit there for long periods waiting for the chemicals to do their thing. So I ordered a new Nexus 7 Tablet as a medical necessity. This was just the excuse I needed. It should arrive by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, I am feeling pretty good. My back still gets sore at the end of the day and I have trouble lifting things, but mostly I am doing pretty well. It will be interesting how I bear up as the chemo drugs wear off. I don't know if I will feel better or worse.
Some days are better than others - though none have been really bad - and I always wonder why they differ? If I have a day where I can do more or less than usual, I wonder whether it is the particular drugs that I took that morning (every day is different - I have a giant spreadsheet). Or is it my level of activity that day? Or because I lifted something that I should not have lifted that day? Or what I did the day before? Or how I positioned myself during the previous night's sleep? Or the phase of the moon? You just never know.
The one thing I can say is that I am slowly getting better over the long term. I now have no trouble doing things that were a real hassle a month ago. At the same time, there is a lot more progress necessary before I get back to doing everything I want to be able to do this summer. We'll cross our fingers and hope for the best.
Sounds good to me. Here's some of my energy coming your way!!!! Hugs, Joan
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