Too Skinny to be Pregnant: July 28 to August 3

We saw the oncologist this week. Earlier in the week, his nurse had called to share a laugh. Someone had inappropriately canceled my next MRI appointment and had put in the notes that the reason for cancellation was patient pregnancy. Now that would make medical history! But, I think my weight is headed the wrong direction to be pregnant. For some unexplainable reason, I’ve lost another 10 pounds over the last month. I’m down to 195 pounds! It’s hard to understand, because I’ve maintained a good appetite, am eating well, and no nausea. Susanne is researching how to bake stuff using Agave to add some extra calories to my diet. Should be tasty!

Dr. Nock, the oncologist, approved moving forward with the next round of chemotherapy, which will start August 4. My blood counts had improved across the board, even achieving normal on the white blood count. The only low one was platelets, but they were just good enough to do chemo. This will be my 6th of 6 prescribed rounds, but since there was a gap between the January and April rounds due to infection surgery, the doctor is leaning towards adding a seventh round so that there are 6 in a row. Following my next MRI, August 18, we will decide if I need to do 1 more round the week of September 1. Obviously, if it has any potential to affect my long-term survival, I’ll do the extra round…but I’d sure like to be finished with treatment.

We did a detailed review of the known side effects of the chemotherapy drug (Temodar) and found that a significant number of them I am now experiencing to some extent:

- Joint and muscle pain

- Weakness

- Reduced coordination (both walking and writing)

- Constipation

- Some speech impairment

- Fatigue

- Abnormal gait

- Reduced concentration

In the Tuesday Gathering Place support group people often speak of “Chemo-brain”…I think I am now experiencing that, too, unfortunately. I’m still doing well managing our finances, but a couple of payments this month went to the wrong places. I struggle when I have to cope with too many details at once. Things that used to be simple for me to grasp are sometimes overwhelming. Some of the fuzzy thinking might be due to the steroids as well—it’s hard to tell for sure. But that’s just how it is for right now. (And, it’s a good thing Susanne edits my posts before you see them!)

I’m ramping down on the steroids now. At the beginning, they seemed to help reduce the numbness in my foot and leg and help me walk better. I actually experienced some pain and discomfort instead of numbness for a few days. They don’t seem to be helping me now, though, and slightly elevated blood pressure and blood sugar are indicators that there may be too many side effects from them going on. So, time to stop. The good news is that I have had no seizure activity since July 17.

On the complimentary medicine side, I had a deep-tissue massage and then soak in a hot bath with Dead Sea Salts. Felt really good.

My son, David, and grandson, Aidan, picked me up at the office for lunch on Friday. It was fun to introduce them to some of my colleagues, have lunch, and then go back home. Aidan had his first time by himself with Susanne (Nana) in the play room while Dave and I ran an errand. With all that has occurred since Aidan’s birth in March 2007, we haven’t babysat for him as we normally would. We hope to do it more now.

We scheduled a hot air balloon ride for Saturday, August 2…intended to be our first and the fulfillment of a long-time dream for both Susanne and me. Unfortunately, it was too windy. We will now pray that my health and the weather don’t interfere with our new date in September.

We had a delightful lunch get-together with my cousin Bill Farnsworth, his wife Karen, and son Chuck along with my Aunt Jean. Bill and family were in town, from Boston, to visit his mother, who is in a nursing home in Oberlin. (We forgot to take photos, though!)