More Chemo Drain

The rest of this first week of cycle 7 proceeded smoothly, though once again with more bouts of fatigue. I had to miss my Friday physical therapy session because I was just about falling asleep in the clinic right after lunch. I slept most of the afternoon, and went to bed early, which gave me more energy for yesterday's chemo administration. I had a better afternoon, but I once again got tired after lunch and needed a nap. I feel weakened now but otherwise ok; hopefully I have a good day today before my next week of chemo administration. At least this one will be only irinotecan, so if things follow my experiences from cycles 4 and 5, I shouldn't be so drained.

With 10 more cycles to go, though, I do wonder about cumulative effects, as the irinotecan/temozolomide combo hadn't hit me this hard the first two times around. It was similar with the cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine cycles I had early on. The third one was much harder on me than the first two. But, I need to soldier on. Both Dr. Healey and Dr. Meyers told me before starting treatment that in the old days, before chemo, you would cut out a cancer like Ewing's and hope for the best, but odds were that it would come back and you would get the worst. So, here I am. And even though it's tough, and far from home, I'm happy I'm getting treatment where I am, and from pediatric specialists at that. Here's an interesting clip I found from the CBS Evening News. In it, Dr. Meyers talks about gains made in treating cancer in children. The point he emphasizes is that children have done less damage to their bodies than adults and can thus endure more intense treatments:


Well, I'm not a child, but if I'm getting the same treatments they do, I'd say that should help matters. And fellow adults, here's a reminder to keep yourselves healthy. Chemo is harsh, and you don't want to set yourselves back if you need it.