actual medical info update

Dave got hooked up on his chemo Monday morning at the infusion unit. It hurt for a brief stab when they "accessed the port" (jabbed the skin to get the needle into the port). That was covered with some sterile stuff to keep it clean. He cannot shower but can take baths or sponge baths. He has a narrow but long tube that comes out of the bottom of his shirt and goes over to the pack where the pump and bag of fluid is located. Think of it like a mini-IV bag. The pump makes a small clicking sound every minute or so. There are a number of known side affects of chemo. But they are saying he will not be feeling much of them. He will keep his hair. Basically it is a very low dosage - only given to help the radiation do its job better. After surgery he will be on chemo again, that is when we might see some more drastic side affects from the chemo. They gave him a prescription for "nausea and insomnia" which should help lower anxiety, quiet the mind, let him sleep, and help him eat. Then we walked to the radiation unit where he got his first "Zap" of radiation. The actual time that took was about 10 minutes of laying on the table. The big punch at this time is going to come from the Radiation treatments. They flat out say that after a week or two most folks cannot work. Symptoms will last for about 2 weeks after the treatments stop. They are all about "prevention" of side affects. They say to work on preventing weight loss by eating good now. Prevent weakness from tiredness by getting good sleep now. Prevent oral sores by rinsing after meals with salt water. And because of the location of the tumor, there are some affects that I won't go into here... but it affects the bowls a bit. All in all its going okay. Dave is a bit apprehensive (for lack of a better word) about this tube connected to his chest Monday through Friday. And I think that figuring out where and how to keep the bag (pump and meds) out of the way is something he will work out. any questions, email me. Don't be afraid to call to say hello. If we can't talk we will call you back when we can. If you want to call, but don't have our phone number, I won't post it on a public blog, but email me and I will get it to you. Thanks for caring enough to want to know what is going on. Thanks for reading the blog. -K