Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Down but Not Out...
First off, I apologize for the gap in between posts but I hope that after reading this updates you will all understand why there was one.

On Monday I went for Round Eight infusion. I started feeling a bit lousy throughout the infusion and by the time it was over I just wanted to sleep. I came home, had a sandwich then eventually stretched out on the bed and took about an hour to fall asleep. My body was hurting so bad (especially in my back) and my stomach started turning sour.

Two hours later I woke up and felt horrible. I had a temperature of 100.5F and absolutely NO appetite. I sat on the sofa for a while contemplating keeping a "chuck-bucket" close by just in case. Things kept getting worse so I lied down on the bed and spent some time with the kids before they went off to bed. My temperature kept rising, which has never happened to me before...it has never gone over 100.5F. Once the temperature hit 102.6F my wife called the oncologist who prescribed an antibiotic in the event that I may have some strange internal infection. So my wife ventured out late that night to pick up the pills while I just lied in bed in pure agony. I had taken some Tylenol then two Oxycodone pills for the pain.

Eventually I fell asleep around 9:00 p.m. I felt like everything was going in slow motion. Getting up to go to the bathroom was a nightmare between the extreme pain and the dizziness from the fever. I took two more Oxycodones for the pain and tried to sleep some more.

Around 4:00 a.m. I awoke in what felt like a swimming pool. Apparently the fever broke and I was sweating so badly that all of my pillows and sheet under me was dripping wet. I checked my temperature and it was back to it's normal 96.0F. I cleaned up a bit then fell back asleep.

I saw the doctor that day who said that it all sounds like it is chemo-related. Apparently the absorption rate and build-up of the Oxialiplatin is starting to catch up to me. I have not run a fever since that night but I have had some insomnia and severe other side effects.

This round the chemo is winning so far. This was the first time I've been knocked down since this began...but I got right back up and refuse to throw in the towel. I knew that this would be a fight and the further I get to going the distance, the tougher this fight gets.

The cancer is scared...it knows that I am out to kill it. Only one of us will walk away.

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