Round #2

This morning I had my second dose of chemotherapy. It was a much shorter experience this time than it was the first because they gave me less. Instead of two hours of fluids, then roughly an hour of chemo, then another two hours of fluids for a total process of about six hours, this time it was about 2 hours from start to finish.

My reaction to the first round of chemo earlier this month was not good and I still have the mouth sores to prove it. I probably will have them for the remainder of my treatment as well. These mouth sores make it very difficult to stay nourished in a time when I need all the calories I can get. I've lost about 10 lbs. so far even though I've been working very hard at getting food in my system.

A couple of weeks ago when the mouth sores first showed up, my medical oncologist examined me and automatically started to think about changing my chemo or discontinuing it altogether. We chose the former and so that means a different drug in smaller doses, but administered more often. Instead of one large dose to last me three weeks, we are now doing one small dose per week. So today was the first day of this new treatment plan.

Thus far, I'm doing fine, but that's how it started out last time so I'm hesitant to get too excited too early. I'm very tired, and if that is the extent of what I feel then I will be very, very happy!

Radiation is still going ahead as normal. 16 days to go!