3 down, 3 weeks off

Treatment went off without a hitch on Tuesday. I slept a little and was awake a little more than I would have liked, but that is bound to happen sometimes. I have been very (knocking on wood as I type this) lucky with side effects this round. I have had a few little spots on eyes, some in my scalp that really only seem to bother me when I sleep, dealt with some yucky mouth sores for a day last week, and the usual diarrhea increase – really nothing to complain about considering what I could be suffering through. My face looks good – even my oncologist commented on how clear it was. So far this week, all I have is a little dry skin on my fingers, almost not worth mentioning, but then what would I write about if not the litany of side effects I’m experiencing. And, I keep forgetting to mention, my eyelashes have grown back almost 100%. Even with the few irritations on them right now, the lashes don’t seem to be falling out.

Though I have 3 weeks off from treatment, I can’t seem to escape the hospital for the same amount of time. Later this week I have an ultra sound to make sure the kidney/ureter/bladder are all working properly. I don’t anticipate any problems – they all seem fine to me. Next week I have my quarterly CT scan. We’re all just assuming it will be like the last several – nothing noteworthy. The noteworthy scans will be the next one I have (because of the change in my Erbitux schedule) and the one I have in May/June 2006. I won’t lose any sleep over this next scan, and probably won’t even call in for my results for a week. I’ll post here as soon as I hear, but don’t expect that before October 11 or so. I’ll be away for several days after the scan and don’t feel the need to play phone tag with Dr. Lange to get the results.

I’m approaching the one year anniversary of our visit to Dr. Loggie in Omaha, where we finally, after 4+years, got an expert to admit that we were doing everything that could be done. Had I been diagnosed about 6 months later, I think I’d be in a different place because it was during early 2000 that information began to be published on appendix cancer. In talking to a few others in similar positions lately, it was pointed out to me that Dr. Sugarbaker (the “expert” on this disease) only uses the label PMP (pseudomyxoma peritonei) for cases of DPAM (diffuse peritoneal adenomuscinosis) the less aggressive variant of this disease. Since I appear (according to Dr. Loggie and Dr. Lange, who doesn’t really like to use labels) to have PMCA (peritoneal muscinous cystadenacarcinoma) I should not be using the diagnosis PMP, but rather the more generic appendix cancer. This really makes no difference one way or the other no one has ever heard of either variant – it was just something I was thinking about.

I’m gearing up to begin a bunch of travel that will have me out of Boston for about 50% of the next 2 months. First a few days in NYC for a conference, then home for a week, then off to Europe for my first business trip in a year. I can’t wait. Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Portugal, and now I’ve added a few days in Germany for pleasure. Don’t be too envious – I hit all of those countries in 9 days – some I’ll be in for less than 24 hours. Not much sight seeing going on. I’ll have about a week to recover before I head out to San Francisco for a week, then home for another week before a much anticipated and needed vacation with Pat. He won’t see much of me these next few weeks, but hopefully will be able to join me on a few trips next year.
And now I must get back to the job that requires me to accumulate all these airline miles.