Hello patient followers! Yes, I've clearly been slacking off with my updates of late, though I do now actually have a number of things to share.
College
For starters, my youngest son Kyle just recently graduated from Kennesaw State University on May 9 with a BA degree in Fine Arts (digital animation focus). We're so proud that he excelled in college, graduating Cum Laude with a 3.6 GPA! He definitely has passion, drive, and talent for what he does. Now all he needs is a job!
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| Kyle (with Mom and Dad) at KSU Graduation |
Post graduation, Kyle recently came down to visit us here in Ponte Vedra. We had a wonderful time together and, of course, spoiled him rotten while he was here. During his stay, he had the chance to pop over to EA Games in Orlando for a tour/interview. He was absolutely blown away by the studio and ever since has been dreaming of a job there. Fingers crossed that he can find a studio that is willing to take him under their wing and grow this fledgling artist! If you have any leads/suggestions, please be sure to pass those along to me and I will communicate those to him.
Covid
Remember that global pandemic that most of of thought (or at least hoped) was over? Well I got hit with it hard right after Kyle's graduation. Starting Thursday, May 11, I could tell I was heading downhill fast and my first (and subsequent) Covid-19 tests reported positive. I had a fever of 102.5 and was extremely fatigued. Thankfully though, since I'm already a patient at Mayo Clinic, I was able to be seen at treated at Mayo the very next day. I received 3 daily IV treatments of Remdesivir beginning that Friday. By Sunday, it was clear that I was already on the mend. I have since made what appears to be a full recovery. Man do I ever hate getting sick . . . especially THAT sick!
Chemo
For those who have been following my blog, I've had a bit trouble with chemo of late. I was on Yondelis for over 3 1/2 years when it both 1) stopped being effective and 2) started leading to new complications, such as fever after 2 weeks. That pushed me to the next drug, Halaven (Eribulin Mesylate). Here too though, the complications (headaches and peripheral neuropathy) got the better of me and I was forced to take a pause from chemo anyways in order to get Proton Radiation.
Following my radiation treatment in Atlanta, my new doctor at Mayo Clinic in Florida was reluctant to try either Yondelis or Halaven due to the complications I had experienced previously. Instead, he put me on a new regimen called Doxil, which he refers to as "chemo lite". This drug is given by IV over 1 hour every 4 weeks. My first round went without a hitch. After second round, I started to experience one of the chief side effects of the drug: Hand Foot Syndrome (mainly just "foot" for me). Let me show you what I mean:
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| Right Foot: Red/tender in center, blister on big toe |
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| Left Foot: Very red/tender in center, big toe about to blister |
Those pictures may not look like much, but I swear that this redness/tenderness makes walking extremely difficult/painful. If it were to get much worse, I fear that it could jeopardize my mobility.
And it doesn't stop with just my feet! A good chunk of my upper torso now has a painful rash and red bumps. From what I can tell, areas that experience more rubbing/friction (such as underarms) are getting it the worst. And this rash/redness is not just cosmetic, it can actually be quite painful.
I just received Round #3 of Doxil this past Friday (May 26). Given the complications I have been seeing, my oncologist lowered the dose by 25%. Though I hope this will reduce some of these complications, I also hope that the drug will be effective. Next scan is mid-July, so I should know more by then.
As a general principal, I try to stay out of "what if" territory, though sometimes I allow myself to dabble into it on a temporary basis. And while I'm "temporarily" there, let me share my chief concern: If Doxil does not work, what are are my options? From a systemic perspective (short of a clinical trial, which is currently unavailable), there are no other chemotherapy drugs to try. And though having no chemo sure sounds like it would make life a lot better, it clearly comes with risks, such as tumor growth and/or further metastases.
Memorial Day
In closing, this being Memorial Day and all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to all the men and women who served in our Armed Forces and paid the ultimate sacrifice.
