Haven’t written in a while, so thought I would post an update.
The good news is that after three 3-week chemo cycles (Cisplatin and Gemzar once a week for two weeks, off for the third in each cycle), two of three tumors have reduced about 20% in diameter (no advice on the third).
My brilliant oncologist was pleased, so I am too, at least cautiously. He now thinks I should be able to tolerate six cycles. The more the merrier, or so I gather — so long as the tumors continue to shrink and my kidneys remain strong enough to take the strain.
For a treatment that mostly consists of sitting around and being poisoned strategically, the cycles pass quickly, with lots of diversions (not even counting the day of the East Coast earthquake): visits from various counselors, complementary massage sessions, tests of this and that, shots to boost white cells, transfusion to increase red cells. Some weeks (right after hurricane Irene, for example) my weekly blood work report came in late, so we were late getting to the chemo (I get three hours of saline first to help my kidneys tolerate the Cisplatin). Another day, I was kept late to get a unit of blood, which runs slowly. So a typical chemo day, which starts around 9 a.m. can easily run until 5 or 6 p.m. (Some patients have even longer days, so I am not complaining.)
The first two cycles were relatively uneventful, but the third has been tough, with significant nausea, poor appetite, fatigue, fluid retention, and weakness. Medications help with the nausea, not so much with the other problems, so I have to keep after them myself.