Plugging along through chemo

February 11, 2016

Not much has happened to me for me to report.  But dealing with cancer is an on going adventure, so here are a few tidbits.

First my PSA is now down to 11 from 330 in September.  The chemo is working splendidly.  Since my body has responded so well, the Dr. now thinks that I could have 10 sessions rather than 8.  He would like to get the PSA as low as possible before I go off chemo and begin a new stage in the ongoing saga.  More on that when it happens.

My side effects are there, but not too bad.  In the four or five days after a session I have constipation issues that I try to manage with Miralax.  For the first few days the regimen is sit for some time before the experience is completed.  Then it is don't get too far from a toilet because the experience does not wait or respond well to quinching.

My finger nails remain discolored. I might lose some of them.  They tend to hurt in our cold weather.  But most of them have moved into a sort of raised and yellow status and while they look bad, they don't hurt much.

For the first two weeks I am often tired, especially in the legs.  I have to watch how much I exercise during this time period.  Too much and, though it feels good that day, I feel mostly like sitting around the next.  Then the week before the next chemo I feel great and exercise as much as I can. I try to climb at least once at the rock wall and workout at the gym.

Probably the hardest part is the three-week repetition.  That schedule puts a damper on any kind of longer range planning. We end up cramming a lot into that "good" week. The result is a kind of boredom/depressive state that had to be dealt with.  I work with learning German and with my photography and photo group to keep engaged.

The support I get from neighbors and friends both via email and in person is wonderful.  The other night we went to a local jazz group's performance and I must have received 15 hugs.  I am humbled.  I draw so much strength from those expressions.

That is it for now.  I keep on keeping on.