Can't think of a good title this time. Just a brief update from the wife again.
So we figured out the treatments are supposed to run like this: camptosar and erbitux for two weeks, then erbitux alone the third week, and then back to both campto and erbitux. Xeloda always starts for two weeks (as pills) when camptosar starts.
And as soon as we had figured this out, Jan Arne's platelets dived again last week, and he only got erbitux and had to cut xeloda short too, only took it for a week.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) there's another blood test and on Thursday, we are again clueless if it will be campto as well if the platelets are back up, or only erbitux. And who knows about xeloda.
On the positive side, the nausea and stomach cramps caused by camptosar are now under control with medication so hooray for that, in case he gets campto this week.
Then again, the summer is finally here, http://www.fmi.fi/saa/paikalli.html?kunta=Tampere, as I read it now it says "25, 26, 28, 28, 28" for the next five days. So we'll just try to keep cool until Thursday in many ways.
Otherwise Jan Arne is doing fine, he went for a long bike ride today etc. His hair has started to come off finally, but then again that does not really influence his ability to cycle... By the way, I guess we have forgotten to share that we got some results that Jan Arne's cancer is not hereditary (HNPCC). Which reminds me we had Jan Arne's sister here for over a week and we had a great time, despite the lousy weather!
If someone is interested in reading some cancer news here's a pretty interesting bit:
http://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,15813,00.htm
Jan Arne, next time it is your turn to write!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Update
It seems the Wife has taken over here! Jan Arne is ok but busy with work as it is the last week before his summer holiday.
Last week, contrary to what we thought, Jan Arne did not get Camptosar, only Erbitux. As he finished Xeloda the same day, it has been a bit easier week for him, and the appetite is back too. Interestingly enough as well, the platelet count keeps rising. Other blood test results have been ok too, only leucocytes had dropped a bit below the normal margins, and infection values were up a bit. The Erbitux rash is still there, oddly traveling from one body part to another (from face, neck, shoulders, to arms, to chest etc.). Medicine and biology sure work in mysterious ways. Other than that, business as usual.
Tomorrow (Thursday) is the day for the doctor again, and for probably starting another round with all of the three medicines. Guess we have to ask in more detail about the planned schedule :)
And on other fronts, on Friday we will get a visitor from Norway and on Sunday a visitor from Austria and from Monday both Jan Arne and I will be on holidays! Sounds like a plan :)
Last week, contrary to what we thought, Jan Arne did not get Camptosar, only Erbitux. As he finished Xeloda the same day, it has been a bit easier week for him, and the appetite is back too. Interestingly enough as well, the platelet count keeps rising. Other blood test results have been ok too, only leucocytes had dropped a bit below the normal margins, and infection values were up a bit. The Erbitux rash is still there, oddly traveling from one body part to another (from face, neck, shoulders, to arms, to chest etc.). Medicine and biology sure work in mysterious ways. Other than that, business as usual.
Tomorrow (Thursday) is the day for the doctor again, and for probably starting another round with all of the three medicines. Guess we have to ask in more detail about the planned schedule :)
And on other fronts, on Friday we will get a visitor from Norway and on Sunday a visitor from Austria and from Monday both Jan Arne and I will be on holidays! Sounds like a plan :)
Monday, June 1, 2009
Rash and other fun stuff
Jan Arne has not apparently had time (or energy) to send an update, so the wife here again, in case someone out there is wondering how he is doing.
Jan Arne has now had two treatments with the new combo, third tomorrow. They give Erbitux and Camptosar every Tuesday, and Xeloda Jan Arne eats twice a day for two weeks. The side effects came almost immediately after the first dose. Nothing huge, but these poisons are obviously not as much fun as the earlier ones. The rash on face and scalp is quite bad, but not as bad as I thought it could be. For Jan Arne of course it is annoying, as it can be quite itchy. He has not really had nausea or diarrhea but he's not been 100% either, not eating as well as before. And he's been quite tired. All in all, I bet life without chemo would be nicer.
On the positive side, the rash is supposed to be an indication that Erbitux is working. Also, in the blood test last week, a week after the first dose, the platelet count had gone up to 118. So if the doc was right and it is the tumours that kept the value low, a higher platelet count sounds good, maybe it indicates that the new combo is kicking the tumours' butt.
News from other fronts: Yes Norway won the Eurovision Song Contest, and Yes I voted for Norway too, and Summer is in Finland: 29C yesterday and 10C predicted for Thursday, what can be more Finnish than that.
Jan Arne has now had two treatments with the new combo, third tomorrow. They give Erbitux and Camptosar every Tuesday, and Xeloda Jan Arne eats twice a day for two weeks. The side effects came almost immediately after the first dose. Nothing huge, but these poisons are obviously not as much fun as the earlier ones. The rash on face and scalp is quite bad, but not as bad as I thought it could be. For Jan Arne of course it is annoying, as it can be quite itchy. He has not really had nausea or diarrhea but he's not been 100% either, not eating as well as before. And he's been quite tired. All in all, I bet life without chemo would be nicer.
On the positive side, the rash is supposed to be an indication that Erbitux is working. Also, in the blood test last week, a week after the first dose, the platelet count had gone up to 118. So if the doc was right and it is the tumours that kept the value low, a higher platelet count sounds good, maybe it indicates that the new combo is kicking the tumours' butt.
News from other fronts: Yes Norway won the Eurovision Song Contest, and Yes I voted for Norway too, and Summer is in Finland: 29C yesterday and 10C predicted for Thursday, what can be more Finnish than that.
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