The Good Vibes are Working! Keep 'em Coming

Yesterday's chemo infusion was just what it should have been--a long IV session with no problems. Some people (ourselves included before this) have the impression that the chemo infusion itself is a big deal, and mostly of the painful kind. In reality, it's very low key. Mike just sits there with an IV tube, waiting for a series of 4 bags of fluid to empty into his arm. The most difficult part is figuring out how to use the time while tethered to the IV stand for 5 hours and sitting in a very comfortable recliner with all sorts of reading and listening material, and Terry, around him.

(If you guessed 'sleep' for Mike, you win!)

About 30+ hours after the infusion, we are happy to report that Mike is doing extremely well (things can change, so we'll only say 'so far' this one time). The anti-nausea drugs are working well, with no reaction to the food he ingests through the tube. One of those drugs does produce a minor hiccupping side effect, but that will go away in the next 24-48 hours. It also goes away when he's in a sleeping position, so it doesn't interrupt that need.

He is feeling a lot of fatigue, but that should diminish as more time elapses from the infusion.

And, for the BIG question on all of your minds "Is he losing his hair?" Sorta kinda, but not from the chemo. Last week he began to notice a little more than the usual amount of hair gathering at the shower drain each morning. That amount increases a bit every day now. The docs say it's more likely from the radiation than the chemo--since it's coming out in the lower back of his scalp line--where the radiation is most concentrated. And fortunately, where his hair is the thickest--so we are calling this a "thinning", not a "falling out" event. Whatever it is, there's no way to tell if this same pattern will continue. We do have Jerry, Mike's barber, on alert for the "ultimate buzz cut" if needed. We are told that the hair will grow back, slowly, once the radiation treatments stop.

Of a more daily concern now is Mike's loss of voice--again from the radiation. He can talk, but his words come out slowly and slurred (picture a 3-Jack slur for him), and it is quite painful. So, we have him on as-available plan for talking. Your calls are important to him, so please continue to call his cell. But you will likely find Terry on the other end. She'll let you know if he's: 1) awake, and 2) up to a conversation.

So, your collective good vibes for this week are working! Please keep the extra ones coming for the next 2-3 days. We should know the full story about side effects from this round of chemo then. After that, we'll just see what comes next!

mike and terry