My Chemotherapy Is Over!
Well, kind of…I am still wearing a belt pack pump that will administer the drugs till Wednesday but that is it. The short story is that I was diagnosed with colon Cancer in Feb of this year and had Surgery in March and began the Chemotherapy in April. They got me cleaned up good as there was no mastification but there was a lymph node near the tumor that had those cancer cells. They were basically saying that I was cancer free (as per cat scans) and the Chemo was necessary for what might be microscopic and also because of an artery that runs from the small intestines straight to the liver.
This is one of the hardest things that I have ever been through as it hit me like a truck. The chemo is basically a poison that will kill those bad cancerous cells but it kills good ones also. This made for a lot of sickness and feeling worn out in general. In the beginning I was having around seven good days (as far as feeling good) out of a 14 day treatment cycle. The chemo is cumulative though (read that it snowballs) and the number of good days dwindled down to five good days and is currently three days out of 14 that I feel well enough to leave the house and do something. The thing is that I was just get to where I was feeling ok then it was time for another treatment.
Other issues are nero/muscular as I can have temporary paralysis and numbness and have dead feeling limbs in general. Pain killers are needed for the treatment day and a couple days after words because my bone marrow and limbs can hurt very badly in general. Most food taste very very bad (read too bad to eat) and I have stayed on a limited diet of just a few items.
This Is Not A Pity Me Post! This Is A Post Of Celebration!
I have basically been a shut-in but now have a bad case of cabin fever and am raring to go.I have applied for and received the deer permits and still have been able to get some shooting in on those good days. I have even got some Squirrel hunting in as well as clearing out the shooting lanes near the deer stand but have to start early and go slowly. I would expect to feel much better by the end of Sept but it may take up to six months to gain endurance and muscle mass back as I have lost 45lbs.
Medical wise, I will still need to get and IV port implant removed from just underneath the skin of my left collar bone and will need a cat scan done after six months to insure that there is no new growths. Your prayers are appreciated for a clean report.
Graybeard: I cannot express my thanks enough for this forum. You just don’t know how much it can mean to a shut-in. It is still addictive though, I think that I went from .3 post daily before the illness and then on up to a .8 when I was feeling well enough to sit up in a chair.
THANKS!
