Game Back On!

David's first post-surgical chemo treatment was this past Tuesday.  The plan is for him to receive one treatment per week for three weeks and then one week off, for a total of 9 to 12 treatments.  Compared to the chemo treatment he was on previously, which included several pre-chemo drugs administered first, followed by the infusion of two chemo drugs & then getting hooked up to an IV pump that administered  a third chemo drug over a 46 hour period, this chemo treatment is much simpler!  David received an oral anti-nausea drug 30 minutes before the start of a 30 minute infusion of the chemo drug, Gemcitabine or Gemzar.  What we thought ... that's it ... we're done ... really?  Over the past few days since treatment, the only side effects David has noticed are a funny taste in this mouth, a feeling of being wrung out / fatigued, & an increase in the rumblings of his already upset bowel (we're afraid that his bowel is always going to be his Achilles heel -- it is such a delicate balance for him, that the slightest of change or anything new stresses his bowel).  We're not complaining ... just explaining the situation.  Before David's next chemo treatment on January 28th, he will have new blood work done & we will see how the chemo is affecting his blood cells as this particular drug is toxic to cells ... so, it is good at targeting the rapidly dividing cancer cells, but it also affects platelets, white blood cells, & red blood cells.  Chances are that over the course of this treatment, David will either have treatments where the chemo drug dose has to be decreased or he will need to have a treatment postponed all together.  At any rate, we are hoping to be done with this course of chemo treatment sometime in April & are then hoping for no further treatment at all (a cure!!!) or a very long period of time without treatment.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Just wanted to let you know that David is back to fighting the fight to be a survivor!!!  Big hug, Janet