It’s been a week and 2 days since I completed my “Virginia Mason Protocol” with radiation and chemo combined. Yesterday was the first day since starting that protocol that I did not get sick first thing after waking up in the morning. I also could get through the day without using any anti-nausea meds. It […]
I have completed the Virginia Mason Pancreatic Cancer protocol. And not a moment too soon. I could scarcely stand up in the shower I was so dazed this morning. The last bag of Cisplatin last Monday. NO MORE!!! They removed the 5FU pump that I was carrying around attached to me for the past 5.5 […]
Just a quick check-in. I’ve got 2 more Monday treatments and 13 radiation doses. Tomorrow is another busy day. I’ve got the background nausea under pretty good control, or at least restraint. This week I started getting a liter of saline on Wednesday & Friday to help keep me hydrated. I do my best to […]
This has simply been the hardest, harshest treatment I’ve received so far in the past 2 years. I can list all the details but doing so just makes me sick again. Being ill is my #1 beef. Each week starts with what we’re now calling a “Monster Monday” with Cisplatin, radiation, interferon, and a top-off […]
I held off writing about my treatments until I got through a week of them. There’s a lot going on with this treatment, more than any of my other treatments. Usually I would get a mix of chemo in a single sitting, then wait a week or two before coming back and repeating. With this […]
Lemme tell ya briefly, it was a long day. We started at 10am and finished at 7pm. I’ll go over the drugs in a new post soon, so a summary. Monday I got all my chemo drugs plus a radiation zap. An amusing detail is that the chemo I take only on Mondays is hard […]
I had my 2nd radiation Oncology appointment this morning. This time it was to take a CT scan to identify the places they will use to aim the high energy x-rays. I have sharpie maker targets just below my sternum, and on each side about half way between my hip & my armpit. I go […]
I had a CT Scan and a blood test today. I’ve been getting chemo for the past 6 months and we’ve been holding this tumor at bay. Only at bay though. Over the past 6 weeks my CA19-9 numbers have been flat and too high. If the cure was coming those numbers would have kept […]