Friday, February 15, 2013

2/15/13 Another dual chemo day!



Steve


Well, today’s another one of the biggies:  a two drug chemo day, which we have all been facing with a little trepidation.  On the plus side, it means Gabrielle has successfully completed one of the six cycles and this is the beginning of Cycle 2 (yesterday being Day Zero again).  Last go round with two drugs was complicated by some leakage from her abdominal incision which won’t happen for two reasons.  The first is that her incision is all healed up, and the second is that both drugs will be administered through the portacath near her collarbone.  This is because the abdominal one is still being a bit persnickety.  Two days ago, she went in for another ultrasound of the abdominal port which also included an attempt to aspirate fluid from the area around it.  It was a long day, what with ultrasound, talking to the radiologist, then Dr. M. and the aspiration.  You might say that her aspirations were that she wouldn’t have to stay so long, and that when she was all done, she was exaspirated (just giving punster Daniel a run for his money).


But she’s most likely in good spirits, as far as I can tell.  Am not sure exactly as I haven’t seen hide nor hair of her yet this morning.  There is a strange sound akin either to the sawing of logs or a lyre bird calling from the bedroom (see Daniel’s amazing entry on birds and watch the video on the lyre bird…just not when your boss is watching if you check this at work).  A quick update on Valentine’s Day.  It went OK.  I know she said that she just didn’t feel up to going out to Canlis, but the truth of the matter is that she knows that her husband is a bit of a cheapskate and she said she wanted to stay home just to help me save face and a few bucks (though we did miss being waited on by Kyle).  We had a great dinner of baked potatos (is that how Dan Quayle spells it?) with all the trimmings and the most amazing steak from Omaha Steak Company…a birthday gift from my mom that had been just itching for the right occasion.  Dessert was courtesy of our next door neighbor, Kevin.  I don’t know what it was, but it was chocolaty and gooey and really really good.  So good, in fact, that I was only able to eat one of the three pounds of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Candy flown in courtesy of Aunt Peggy (oh, was it supposed to be for Gabrielle?  My bad!).


Now for a little aside.  I personally am feeling a little left out by all this talk of chemo for Gabrielle.  What most of you don’t know (and probably would rather not know…especially if you’re one of my patients) is that I have just completed a round of “chemo” myself.  As we used to do in junior high, I will compare and contrast our chemo treatments for you, so you will be fully up to speed on the goings on at the Dudley household.  Here, in table form is all the skinny:


Gabrielle’s chemo
Steve’s chemo
What it’s for
Stage 3 ovarian cancer
Toenail fungus
Regimen
Once a week, 18 weeks…126 days overall
120 days of pills...a horribly long time for this non pill person
Means of administration
By kindly nurses accompanied by snacks, warm blankies, a devoted son, in a comfy chair
A pill hastily thrown back with nary a swig of water
Side effects
Nausea, weight loss, hair loss
Nasty taste in my mouth if I don’t swallow the pill fast enough.  Weight gain (how else can I explain gaining 5 pounds this past month?). 
Purpose
To kill those nasty cancer cells
To give my toenails that “fresh from the pedicure look”
Other benefits
Tell the folks at Canlis you are on cancer drugs and you get a reservation, no questions asked.
Tell the folks at Luisa’s Mexican Restaurant you’ve got toenail fungus and they put you at a table by the dumpster and make you jump on the trash when it gets too full.
Cost
This where the Visa commercial would say “priceless”!
Ten buck co-pay
Current spokesperson for specific disease
National Ovarian Cancer Coalition: Nani E. Vinken, German TV celebrity
Nail fungus: a cartoon blob that makes that green slime on the Mucinex commercial look downright stunningly attractive
Chance of being spokesperson for said disease
Very high.  Gabrielle has the “it” factor: charisma, charm, wit, grace, beauty.
What would happen if Slim Whitman married the Flying Nun:  Slim and Nun
What happens when people find out you are on chemo
Amazing outpouring of warmth and love that is hard to fathom
The neighbors pull their cats indoors so they won’t get infected with claw fungus.


Well that’s it, folks!  We’ll let you know how round two of dual drugs goes later on.  Thanks for all your prayers, support, goodies, Oregon Dux caps (you know who youse is), candy, dinners, and so much more.  Blessings to all. 

3 comments:

  1. Our 'Big Bang Theory' time machine has disclosed the GREAT success of OurGaby's medical treatments with the following YouTube link of OurGaby doing her best Rita Heyworth 'routine' just this time NEXT Valentine's Day ...

    See: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=mz3CPzdCDws.

    R & B

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  2. TMI Steve-- T.M.I.!!! :)
    (We love it!)
    Keep laughing, and thanks for helping us to do so!
    ~Jan

    ReplyDelete