I've settled into a 2-3 day period of after effects during chemo week. The fatigue makes me sleep a good bit (actually not a really bad thing) and a couple of days of nausea. My blood counts and metabolic panel looked great this time, though my blood pressure still isn't. I got pain meds for my leg and meet with rehab for PT next Wedneday. Sometime in June I'll start exercise classes. The Wellness program offers 3 months of classes with a trainer to build a routine that can be done at home. If I still want to attend classes after the initial period, I'll have to pay. I'm looking forward to this because I want a routine that can be tailored to different parts of the body when I overdo something. I know strength training for upper body, but not how to adapt cardio. My CT showed continuing stability. This is the update I copied and pasted from my doctor's notes:
Otherwise, patient is still interested in discontinuation of chemotherapy at some point. We again discussed that this is an unusual situation given her stage IV disease on presentation. I do agree that she has had relatively stable disease on the past few scans and a treatment holiday might be beneficial. We will plan on having a repeat endoscopy with Dr. Maddukuri in April/May 2022 and reevaluation with CT chest, abdomen and pelvis in May 2022. If no concerns for progression, we can hold treatment and monitor with symptoms, CT scans as well as CT DNA monitoring. Patient is agreeable to this plan. She understands that very likely she will need additional systemic therapy in the future whether it be 3 months, 6 months or a year after observation. The time off treatment will likely be beneficial to recover from some of the persistent side effects and improve quality of life for the patient.
I continue to stay out of public life for the most part. When I socialize, it is mostly outside on one of the nice days. My dear friend, Karen, and I occasionally grab coffee together or just hang out. Other times, we get together with our daughters to play table games. Apples to Apples and Double Ditto are among our favorites. Thank you, God, for her covered porch and our card table! Karen received a gift card for Grievous Gallery in Salisbury for Christmas, and invited Katie and I along. I double masked the whole time while we threw glass bottles and jars. IT WAS GREAT!! So cathartic. We even wrote things on the glass before throwing. I (Hulk)Smashed Covid, Cancer, politics, and more! HAHA I think axe throwing and glass throwing are a blast. It was the first time I've been in someone else's car in 2 years (still double masked). Looking forward to warmer weather and more flowers. Our daffodils are out and I've seen some trees starting to blossom. I love the colors of spring and fall. Sometimes Papa God just likes to show off!
Otherwise, patient is still interested in discontinuation of chemotherapy at some point. We again discussed that this is an unusual situation given her stage IV disease on presentation. I do agree that she has had relatively stable disease on the past few scans and a treatment holiday might be beneficial. We will plan on having a repeat endoscopy with Dr. Maddukuri in April/May 2022 and reevaluation with CT chest, abdomen and pelvis in May 2022. If no concerns for progression, we can hold treatment and monitor with symptoms, CT scans as well as CT DNA monitoring. Patient is agreeable to this plan. She understands that very likely she will need additional systemic therapy in the future whether it be 3 months, 6 months or a year after observation. The time off treatment will likely be beneficial to recover from some of the persistent side effects and improve quality of life for the patient.
I continue to stay out of public life for the most part. When I socialize, it is mostly outside on one of the nice days. My dear friend, Karen, and I occasionally grab coffee together or just hang out. Other times, we get together with our daughters to play table games. Apples to Apples and Double Ditto are among our favorites. Thank you, God, for her covered porch and our card table! Karen received a gift card for Grievous Gallery in Salisbury for Christmas, and invited Katie and I along. I double masked the whole time while we threw glass bottles and jars. IT WAS GREAT!! So cathartic. We even wrote things on the glass before throwing. I (Hulk)Smashed Covid, Cancer, politics, and more! HAHA I think axe throwing and glass throwing are a blast. It was the first time I've been in someone else's car in 2 years (still double masked). Looking forward to warmer weather and more flowers. Our daffodils are out and I've seen some trees starting to blossom. I love the colors of spring and fall. Sometimes Papa God just likes to show off!