Almost Done
So the good news:
The mouth sores are almost gone so I am able to eat regular food again. The diarrhea is not as frequent and is – very slowly – becoming more like a normal bowel movement – but, oh, so slowly. I only have 3 more radiation sessions and I’m done – I will celebrate on Wednesday. I have not restarted chemo and don’t expect to. So far no one has been able to figure out why I have had such an extreme reaction to this particular brand of chemo. We’re still waiting to see if I am missing an enzyme that allows the body to metabolize 5FU. However, while we all thought that was really reaching for an answer, it turns out that 5% of people are missing this enzyme so it is the best answer until we get the test result back. Most of my electrolytes are back to normal – potassium is still a bit low as of Friday and sodium is still coming back up, but the doctor didn’t want the sodium levels to come back up too swiftly because that could have caused other problems. All of the rest are back to normal.
And all of the paperwork to get my short-term disability looks like it is complete and my sick days for the last week I worked will be paid this week. So it looks as if I won’t have to hit the savings account for any funds to get me through this period. I’m targeting two more weeks before I go back to work – the first Monday after Thanksgiving.
The not so good news:
I’m still having a lot of trouble keeping my blood sugar under control – not too worrisome for my docs, but it bothers me. Instead of being dehydrated, I am now somewhat over-hydrated so my lower legs, ankles and feet are swollen and I spend a lot of time with my feet up – somewhat limiting. My energy level is couch potato level, which is totally unlike me. Its amazing how vegetative one can become and how little there is to watch on TV, but I now have the time to read the NY Times cover to cover on Sunday, which is actually really interesting.
Overall:
The trajectory is positive, but just moving more slowly than I would like. I look forward to finishing up radiation this week. I will not have surgery until February so I should have plenty of time to recover before the next major situation..
Robert has been a real lifesaver for me. In fact, I haven’t really been alone until this weekend, since my friend, Jane, spent many hours with me last weekend and my stepdaughter, Janie, was here on Thursday and Friday this week, giving Robert some time to see his doctor and dentist on Friday. Robert will be back tomorrow, but I have really enjoyed being by myself. I don’t know where the time goes.
Just to reiterate for everyone, however, my reaction to the chemo is highly abnormal. I asked one of my oncology nurses how often he had seen a reaction like this and he said – in ten years in chemo oncology, he’d never seen a reaction like this. So I guess that makes me special 
LOL
Thank you all for your expressions of concern. It has been a very rough go, but I think the end will have been worth the means.
