Thursday, January 6, 2011

Chemo started today

I had my first chemo treatment today. They have this stuff down to a science. I have not had any nausea, but they dose you up with steroids at the time of infusion, so you feel pretty good. The true test is days 3-5. That is when your immune system is at it's weakest and you feel the fatigue. The fatigue is cumulative, so it will increase as I go through more cycles of chemo. Right now the plan is 4 cycles and we hope to see some good results after 2 or maybe 3 infusions. It generally works on about 45% of patients. While that does not seem high, it is much higher than other treatments. We are continuing to work with some alternative treatments in conjunction with the chemo, with the guidance of our doctors. We are blessed with some open-minded professionals. I will write more about the effects of this treatment as they present themselves in the hope it will help others in their decision making. Thanks to David E at The_Big_C for all of his insight into my decision to have chemo. His blog is linked at the right and indispensible for all those with cancer, especially but not only, prostate cancer. By sharing this information, we can find real answers.
My best to all!
Brian.

2 comments:

  1. Brian,
    You continue to be in our prayers. We are so impressed by your positive attitude! You can do it! We hope chemo continues to go well.
    Love,
    Mariah and Alex

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  2. May the peace and grace of God be with you. I'm not sure if you are icing you hands and feet down but they helped me avoid nuropathy

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