Chemo: First infusion - report

Hey...

Here is what is going on... I had my first chemo yesterday, Friday. It was basically pretty uneventful. Feeling fine. So far so good. I even ate lunch and had a coffee while getting it. Just a lot of sitting around while some juice dripped into my veins. No biggie. I brought my laptop, cruised the internet and listened to some music. A Regge Dub mix and some electronic music. The worst of it was that they gave me some benedryl in the beginning I hear to counteract some side effects of one of the drugs. That made me drowsey. Other than that - I just did stuff on the laptop and sat there for 4-5 hours.. Not much to it.

My Oncologist said I might feel sick in 2 days though. That is about it. I can drive myself to and from the appts also.

Next week I have a 1 hour appt. just to get Erbitux, an experimental drug I am taking thru a clinical trial. The week after that I am back on for a 4 hr appt where I get FOLFOX and Erbitux. That will repeat till mid January.

A side effect of one of the drugs in the chemo, Oxaliplatin, I felt tingling in my finger tips when I was trying to write with a pen before I left. It feels a little like you cracked your funny bone. Elbow seemed to get a little hot. Now it is gone. However, from my reading, it isnt a good sign that I felt it on the first day. Usually this doesnt come on for a while. That means it will probably get worse over time and there is a possibility of it becoming permanent. Although they are watching me this for this closely. We will see what results.... Being a musician, that is the one side-effect of one of the drugs that worries me. Neuropathy to the hands and feet.

Plus - tonight I had a mildly bad reaction when, without thinking, I poured a cold glass of juice and drank.. Instantly it felt like I drank some really fizzy pop. A little suprise pain, then it went away. I think it happens only on the first mouthful, then after that the nerves are used to it or something. Basically we will see what happens as this stuff accumulates inside my system...

Other than that - I am at home now with what looks like a big old walkman from the 1980s. It is a take home pump with a thin tube under my shirt, hooked up to the port on my chest. It delivers a continuous dose of chemo for 48 hours. To go out, I just strap it on my body and wear a shirt over it. And that is what I did later that afternoon. I went mountain biking for 12 miles with it on. It stays on until Sunday afternoon then I unplug it. Im going weight lifting with my cousin on Sunday morning too with it in.

Last night I went out to my favorite watering hole and had a blackened salmon sandwich with steamed vegetables, and a red wine. Ate the whole thing. Tomorrow I might go to a party in the city. I can drink moderately - 2 drinks, and do whatever I want as long as this "walkman" doesnt get disconnected. That's about it... Carpe Diem. When I biked, I wore the pump like a holster around my neck and tied to my side. When I went out at night, I wore the pump as basically a belt over my abs, and wore a shirt over it, not tucked in. It dissappeared into my lap as I sat on the bar stool and no one even knew I had it.

I work almost full-time all week except for half days on Fridays where I head out for chemo. That is about the jist of it.