Sid Bacon

Cathy and I arrived at Piper around 6:40 this morning. The blood work turned out fine, so we are starting the new chemo regimen today, as planned. I have received a couple different “pre meds” and am now receiving the first of the chemotherapy drugs … this one will take two hours to drip through my power port and into my blood stream.

Each of the new chemo drugs has different potential side effects. We’ve been learning about them all, but hope we keep it at the academic level, and avoid the experiential level. Time will tell …

We will be returning to Piper briefly on Wednesday, about 46 hours after the infusion of one of the drugs begins. This is the one that will be administered via a portable pump. The idea behind this is that the drug can attack the cancer cells when they are actively dividing … they do that at various times throughout the day, so this maximizes our chances of killing them before they can propagate.  That certainly sounds good to me. I’ll remember that while I am rolling over it in bed during the night …

Over the weekend I experienced more pain than I had up to that point. I also lost my appetite, and usually felt nauseous after eating. For the pain, it was suggested that I double my intake of oxycodone. I’ve done that this morning, and it has helped a fair bit. I’ll keep it up. I have other drugs at home that should help with the nausea, and, who knows, perhaps they and the chemo will help with the appetite.  We can always hope. I’ll keep eating, whether I feel like it or not, of course, but I certainly hope that the joy of eating Cathy’s great cooking returns soon. That is part of feeling “normal”. Also, I lost two pounds since I was here last Tuesday … we just can’t have that!

I am feeling a little drowsy and woozy, so I think I’ll cut this journal entry short and try to write a bit more tomorrow.

Thanks for all your support.  We will work through the hurdles and speed bumps as they arise. Having Cathy by my side is a great benefit, and it is quite reassuring to be at Piper. And, of course, your continued support is important to both me and Cathy … we couldn’t do this without it.

I really didn’t feel well on Monday when I went into Piper. My back pain had gotten so severe  (7-8 on a 10-pt scale) that my physician recommended that I double my intake of oxycodone. Well, that certainly took care of the pain. Unfortunately, some nausea ensued.  Some of the chemo drugs had a similar effect, so we’ve been dealing with nausea since Monday.
 

While at Piper, we were blessed with family visitors on Monday. Cathy’s cousin, Cathy, came late morning and stayed for a couple hours.  She is a lot of fun and thus provided a great distraction. Laura, stopped by around 2:00. She had just gotten off of her construction work; she stayed for an hour or so at Piper, until we left. Fortunately, she has been able to work lately, although she cannot use her left hand all too much.  But she does quite well. She has really worked hard with her Physical and Occupational Therapy, which has sped her recovery, no doubt.
 

Cathy and I went back to Piper yesterday (Wednesday) to, among other things, disconnect the portable pump. But because I had not been feeling well, they wanted to examine me, make modifications to my prescriptions, give me new ones as needed, and to give me fluids and anti-nausea drugs intravenously. Cathy and I felt better just being at Piper.  We were there from about 11:30 to 4:30.  Thank goodness that Cathy and I have such flexibility with our work! We get it done, but have so much flexibility in terms of when we get certain aspects done (except, of course, classroom teaching). It is so important for me to have Cathy with me at Piper, especially when I’m not feeling well. 
 

I now have an additional drug for my ulcer and at least two more for my nausea (and we’ve dropped on nausea pill for now).  In terms of the nausea, I am feeling a bit better, but I need to keep eating while I can and taking it one day at a time. I am doing lots better in term of the pain. I supplement with a single oxycodone only about once or twice a day, and that keeps my pain level down to 0 to 1.
 

I am happy to say it wasn’t bad being tethered to the pump.  In the future, if that it my only inconvenience in response to this new regimen, I’ve got it made!
 

The folks at Piper want to see me on Tuesday for a follow-up.  This is common for someone starting this regimen. I hope to be eating and feeling well by then (I’ve lost four precious pounds in the past several days). Perhaps I’ll be walking again then. I certainly do not have the energy to do that right now.
 

I also want to feel better for this weekend. Dan, Liz, and their new addition, Nashley, are coming to visit this weekend.  As you can see, Nash is already a proud member of Team Bacon. (And for those of you who have followed the Phoenix Suns at all lately, you will note where the name came from.) We can’t wait to meet our new grand dog!
 

Well I need to get this posted and to get in a more comfortable (reclined) position on the couch. Thanks for all your support. Let’s hope that this is the worst response I have with this regimen, but am prepared for whatever is thrown at me. I have such a great team of support … I know I can make it through. Thank you!

P.S. Sorry if this entry is a little more incoherent than others …