2nd Round of Chemo & the Oncologist gives great news!

I started the 2nd chemo today - Cisplatin, Alimta and Avastin in one day. We spent 7 hours in the clinic. Thanks to Stephanie and mom's company, the time went by very fast. They were able to enjoy a long two hour lunch break. Jonathan joined me on the following day for my 2-hour hydration.

Before the chemo Dr. Dormandy gave us the good news on my 1st chemo cycle. Blood lab report showed tumor index at 5.7 > 3.0 (normal stage), but we will need to wait for the report from the 2nd chemo cycle report to do a comparison as the numbers itself doesn't provide enough information. Some patients see numbers in the 100 or 1000 range. Besides this, all my other organs are functioning perfectly. 

More great news from Dr. Dormandy was the biopsy report which showed my cell mutation was suitable for EGFR targeted treatment. I can use Tarceva after my chemo is complete as prophylaxis. Thanks to God, this was phenomenal news for mom and me as the last two months have been an emotional roller coaster for us. We both felt cheered up.

Side effects have been manageable so far but even the small ones are irksome! Last night I woke up at 2AM and felt itchy on both arms. I put some lotion on, which worked a charm. I had hiccups twice in the night but thankfully did not feel nauseous. No mouth sores but I started using mouthwash this morning to prevent it from happening. I'm having problems sleeping, which may be caused by the steroids, so I took a half dose of the sleeping pill that Dr. Dormandy prescribed. After that I slept like a baby but woke up again around 4AM! After taking another 1/4 dose I was able to sleep until 6:30AM. It wasn't a restful night but sufficient to gain my energy back. Phew! Glad to have passed the first night alright.

I feel good compared to how I felt before the 2nd chemo. Hopefully the medicine is doing its work. Again thanks to our Lord for the latest miracles. We will conquer and win the war!

-Gohan