Thursday was the 2nd of Susan's long chemo days during which she receives both a dose of topotecan and a desensitization protocol for cisplatin. We got there around 9 AM and didn't leave until about 6:30 PM. We were joined by both David and Peter, who are in town for the Easter weekend. All went well, except for a bit of nausea that Susan experienced around noon. They quickly gave her a counteracting drug that took care of that, and put her right to sleep for a good portion of the afternoon. By Thursday evening she had recovered well from the day's activities, and was bouncing around with more energy than the rest of us from the pre-meds she had taken for the last two days. Last night was a good night of sleep for her as well. We appreciate your prayers for her toleration of the chemo, and for minimization of delayed after effects like the ones that she experienced on the last cycle.
Yesterday, we visited Susan's surgeon, Dr. Munoz, for her monthly post-surgery check-up. All was well, except that he wants her to eat more and gain "ten pounds." She doubts this is possible, but pledged to attempt to do her best. He also wants her to cease vicodin for pain since it retards appetite. However, his poking around yesterday caused her so much delayed distress after she returned home that she took a vicodin anyway "just to show him." (She's had none today: good girl!)
Perhaps even more important than the examination itself was who Susan met in the waiting room. It was a lady (we failed to get her name) who has been battling ovarian cancer for 16 years! She is a testimony to the concept we have been hearing more about that ovarian cancer is not so much an incurable disease (it is) but rather a chronic illness. This lady has had 6 major surgeries from Dr. Munoz and 5 rounds of chemo. As I probed her about which chemos she had had she was a little hazy, and indicated "I've had 'em all...." While I was much encouraged by our conversation with this OVCA veteran, Susan was less so. "No way am I going to have another major surgery." We'll see.
As a result of her low blood cell counts, Susan was (in her own words) "under house arrest" for several days, beginning last Thursday. Finally, after taking 4 neupogen shots to stimulate cell growth, the doctor's office released her to appear in public again on Monday. So, on Tuesday with her energy levels at an all time high since surgery we ate lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, bought a new refrigerator at Lowe's and then went to the dollar movie matinee to see "Kate and Leopold", a classic "chic flick". The latter was playing at the "dollar movie" which on Tuesdays is only 50 cents. Now that's a bargin. The evening was capped off by a visit with Susanna & Lydia (oh yeah, their parents came too) whom Susan had not seen in several weeks. Today she continues to feel pretty good, and apparently is none the worse for yesterday's frenetic (for us) pace. PTL!
It was a good news, bad news day today. The "bad" news was that Susan's white blood counts were so low that she couldn't take chemo today. This was not unexpected. This almost always happens at the beginning of a chemo cycle. I'm sure it's driven by insurance considerations. They know that patients will crash on blood counts due to chemo, but instead of giving them the counteracting compound (leukine, neupogen) BEFORE chemo, they wait until their counts plummet so they can submit a "problem" to insurance which then pays the bill for the medication (which usually runs in the thousands of dollars).
On the good news front, Susan feels as good today as she felt bad yesterday. With no chemo she was energetic, no nausea, and it was almost back to ole times, including a cookout on our patio in the 80+ degree temperature. We are convinced this is due to your prayers for us yesterday per our request below. Thanks for lifting us up before the Throne of Grace!
Susan will now have 2 weeks off until her next chemo, the big one with cisplatin and topotecan.
After really two good days Monday and Tuesday, Susan woke up today VERY nauseous. A call to the doctor's office informed us that topotecan has as a side effect "delayed nausea." So, even though we might expect Wednesday to be her best day prior to the next chemo on Thursdays, this delayed nausea hangs over her head in an unpredictable fashion. We appreciate your prayers for her improvement and treatment in this area. Nothing bothers her as much as nausea. She'd even take abdominal pain if it eliminated nausea. Thanks for praying.
Yesterday we decided to go to Taylor Drugstore in Plano to pick up a case of Enlive, a high calorie fruit drink that Susan finds easy to digest as she continues to battle ab pain from the surgery. It just so happened that the return trip took us by Collin Creek Mall, where Susan decided to make a "5 minute stop" to return some PJs she didn't need after all in the hospital. As we entered Dillards, I began to see the "old Susan" reappear: eyes continually scanning the merchandise, a noticeable quickening of the step, jaw set in her best shopping face, etc. Our first stop, the lin
The problem with topotecan--the new drug that Susan is taking--is that it causes nausea. To prevent this one has to take two big time anti-nausea medications: compazine and zofran. The latter costs $32/pill retail. I'm glad I have insurance. While both do a good job in controlling that queasy feeling, they both tend to cause drowsiness. So Thursday and Friday were sleepy days for Susan.
By Saturday the nausea had worn off, and Susan came back to life. By Saturday night she felt good enough to cook dinner, one of the first not provided by our precious friends/family or by yours truly. (I DO know how to grill stuff.....) On Sunday Susan attended church for the first time since her surgery. After church we joined Dan and Kathy for lunch. Now she's getting some much needed rest from all the activity of the last two days. Abdominal pain continues to be an issue with her, but we are seeing improvement here. We appreciate your prayers for pain relief as we consult with her surgeon's office this coming week.
Yesterday's chemo was tame by comparison with the week before. We came in at 9:30 and were out by 11:30. There were no pre-meds since Susan was receiving only a single dose of topotecan, so there was no sleep deprivation because of steroid consumption. The problem with topotecan--which Susan hadn't experienced with any of the other drugs she's taken--is nausea. Two different compounds were needed to reduce this side effect, both of which cause drowsiness. In addition the chemo nurse Ruth told us that Susan should take vicodin on a more regular schedule to prevent abdominal pain. This also causes drowsiness. So yesterday was a lazy hazy day, and this morning appears to be following a similar pattern. On top of this we received news that an old friend from our Pittsburgh days had died the day before as a result of a sudden onset of pancreatic cancer. She was 59 and one year ahead of Susan in the women's college of Carnegie Mellon. (A remembrance is found on "Pop's Page".)
Wednesday, the day before the next chemo, was a big day for Susan. She feels best at lunchtime, so with our beloved niece Megan in town (as a guest of the Bowmans) we (Susanna & Lydia and their parents, Tori & Nate and their parents, Kathy B. and ourselves) all had lunch at La Finca in Allen. A wonderful time was had by all, and Susan enjoyed her lunch of rice sprinkled with cheese. Then, for the first time since surgery, I permitted Susan to drive the car all by herself. She made a trip to Claudio's, where he evened out her bangs. She made it there and back with no problems. Both outings were great antidotes to her case of cabin fever. We will appreciate your prayers for tomorrow's (short) chemo session at around 9 AM.
Those who followed Susan's last chemo closely recall that the 2nd day after chemo was usually the worst for her. So it was this weekend after the major double dose on Thursday. One of the side effects of the new drug, topotecan, is abdominal pain. This stayed with her more or less continually throughout the weekend. We tried various countermeasures, with ibuprofen being the one that offered the most relief. She also complained about "feeling out of it" most of the time. Again, this is a predictable consequence of the powerful drugs that she was given on Thursday. This morning she is feeling somewhat better, although she was up several times during the night until a vicodin did its work. The high point of the forthcoming day for us is a visit by Marty the Maid. She will clean house from top to bottom. This event for Susan is equivalent to my getting a new cable modem for my computer. This event for me is equivalent to flunking an exam in college: it puts my own feeble attempts at "keeping house" to shame by comparison. And, oh yes, I will have to spend the rest of the morning "cleaning up my study" so that Marty can do the same. I never quite figured this out, but I gotta go......