One of the less pleasant side-effects of my chemotherapy regimen has been the development of a fistula from what was previously an anal fissure and prior to that, I suspect, was my hemorrhoid.  This makes chemo weeks extremely uncomfortable (and non-chemo weeks slightly less so).  So if you're sending good thoughts heavenward for me or any other colon cancer patient, pray for our butts!

Literally.

Other than that, though, I continue to be pleasantly surprised by this week's chemo.  Yesterday was a slightly low energy day (like Sunday normally is, only on Saturday) and today is more of the same.  Returning appetite (which complicates the first situation I mentioned), enough energy to walk two miles, some light shopping and now for the couch.  It's nice to have this burst of energy before Thanksgiving and before my visit to Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz.

Dr. Lenz, as you may recall, is my second opinion oncologist.  I'm trying to keep my list of questions down to fewer than 20 for tomorrow afternoon's appointment.

While you're praying for my butt :> you can add a prayer or two for a productive meeting with Dr. Lenz tomorrow.  I'd like to leave his office with a greater understanding of the road forward and my current situation.

So, I enter Thanksgiving week grateful for the family and friends I have (Team Laura Rocks!), the medical care for which I've been fortunate enough to have coverage, the amazing Dan, unexpected energy and mild, manageable side effects.  Among other things...too many to mention, really.

We celebrated my 1 year since diagnosis anniversary on the 20th, something which confused some folks  know.  What's not to celebrate?  A year spent with the people I love, coming through two major surgeries in relatively good shape, writing some kick-butt poetry and working on two books.  Pretty awesome indeed.

The good news about this week's chemo-lite is that I seem to have regained my energy from chemo and it's only Saturday night.  The bad news?

Hand and Foot Syndrome (basically swollen, painful hands and feet) for two days at the worst it's been to date.  Go figure.

But by today, I was up and walking around the mall...so I guess I'll take the tradeoff.  It's almost time for dinner and the couch, though, so this will be a short entry.

Lesson: Try to prepare and then let go.

I had hoped to have an adjusted dose of Oxalaplatin, but ended up with chemo light instead.  Since one of my affirmations is that I'm in the right place, at the right time...I'm choosing to see this as synchronicity.

Thanksgiving will be easier and more enjoyable.  My side effects should be more manageable.  And next week I see the head guru colon cancer doc, so we can discuss reduced dosages vis a vis switching treatment regimens when we meet. 

So, it's all good.  And I can only control what I can control.

Feeling good today.  Energy is fine even though I don't get the super duper steroids for this type of chemo.  A little loopy from the anti-nausea meds, but that's better than nauseous from anti-loopy meds!

Met a newbie chemo patient today.  Stage III Colon cancer without mets and only one lymph node involved.  What a great prognosis he has...and yet he was very, very scared.  I remember.

Someone who meant well had told him how miserable chemo was going to make him.  Just ticks me off.  He's probably going to do just fine with the chemo and he gets off it in six months.  So we spent a lot of time talking about what I've experienced so far and I think I, and the guy next to me who's on his next to last colon cancer treatment, were able to encourage him.

Got my first chemo face from a fellow patient though.  The wonderful man who was on the next to last treatment asked me when I'd be done with chemo.  I said, "They say it's indefinite but I believe I'll be off after they get the rest of the tumors out of the liver and do some more mop up chemo after that."

He was stunned.  Chemo face...gotta love it, don't you!

The good news is I had a great, energy filled weekend with Dan and with the Baldridge Clan at Amy's baby shower.  And today, on my longer walk with Hal and Charlie, I was energetic and we had a great discussion where the word "cancer" never came up.

The "hmmm" news is that my platelet count is low again.  So my infusion this week will not include Oxalaplatin (the drug that basically stops tumor cells from growing...my visualization for the drug is a cage squeezing the tumor).  I'm a bit frustrated that last week I was told if my platelets stayed low my dose would be "adjusted" rather then eliminated.

Plus I don't like getting less that the full arsenal of chemo drugs.

On the other hand, I am working to remember that I am not always in control of this particular roller coaster.  As I say, "I am in the right place at the right time."  This would also assume that I am okay receiving chemo-lite tomorrow (some blessings with that will be that I will feel better over Thanksgiving and should have fewer side effects this week) and doing battle over reduced dosages later.

Good news #2 is I see my second opinion doc next Monday, so I can get his dosage recommendations before I go back to my regular guy to discuss his strategy (and mine).

There's a new weapon out there against metastese to the liver from colon cancer and for liver primary tumors.  In the past, those who weren't eligible for liver resection had several options open to them, one of which was radio frequency ablation (rfa) which used radio frequency to kill the tumors from the inside out.  The problem was, the cells at the margin often survived and caused recurrence.

Now there's a new treatment called Covidien Evident Microwave Ablation that uses microwaves to heat the tumors in a similar manner to RFA.  BUT the procedure is more effective, according to a study, at killing cells at the margin, leading to few recurrences.

Here's a link to the article.  One more weapon, folks!

http://www.ksmu.org/content/view/5458/66/