Chemo Update: February 19, 2012

I had my chemo treatment again last Friday.  As promised, the doctor reduced the Taxol dose by 20% and I believe he changed the dose of steroids given before the Taxol.

The session went as normal.  What was new was that my mom and dad came to visit, to see what the chemo was like.  They left as the Benedryl drip was ending.  At that point, Geoff came in and watched me sleep through the rest of the session.

Early in session, I noticed a dietitian speaking to some of the other patients.  Given the lost appetite I've been suffering after chemo, I may ask to meet with her myself.

That said, I haven't yet noticed any loss of appetite since Friday's chemo.  From the previous week's chemo session, my appetite left on Saturday and returned on Thursday.  I expected it to be gone by now, but it's not.  In fact, I really enjoyed my cereal for breakfast this morning.

The other thing that is new is that I noticed this morning that the swelling in my feet was virtually gone.  You wouldn't have believed the swelling I had on the tops of my feet.  But now I have a normally shaped foot.  You can almost see my ankle bone too!  This is incredible.  In fact, I went over to the scale and was amazed to see that my weight had dropped about 12 pounds since I was at the doctor on Wednesday.  That's really something!  A lot of water gone.

I have one non-chemo update for you as well.  I've virtually stopped using the walker in the house.  And I've been forgetting my cane here and there, which means I can walk short distances without either cane or pain!  To be truthful, I can't get very far without some pain in my lower back, but I feel like I have regained the strength I had in November before the pelvic fracture and my hospitalization.  Again, this is great progress.

Pretty much all good news.  Hope that pleases you as much as it does me!