The aftereffects of the second cycle of chemo were harder on Leif than those from first one; more nausea, fatigue, and very sensitive skin. My mom and dad arrived early last week, and have been a big help taking Leif to his appointments and feeding us dinner. They are staying at their camp (aka "lake house" in Texan) a few minutes away from our house in Brooks.
He has been experiencing a skin reaction to one of his drugs; a very itchy red rash that we've been treating with hydrocortisone, Claritin, and Benedryl. He's been excerising impressive amounts of discipline not scratching it (thus risking cuts that could become infected), even in his sleep. He also experienced petechia in a few places; that results from low platelet count causing blood to seep out of capillaries, making red spots on his skin. He got a blood transfusion last Wednesday.
Leif was able to get out and see some friends over the weekend, always a happy activity. He also installed some light fixtures at the camp. He has been getting some outdoor exercise, taking short walks and tending the plants in his forest garden, while being careful to avoid any contact with the soil and its attendant microbes.
On Monday he woke up with a sore throat, bleeding in his mouth from toothbrushing, and his temperature started going up. So he's now on a course of antibiotics, and also got two units of blood and one of platelets. Tuesday morning he and my mom left for his appointment today to meet the stem cell transplant specialists at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, planning to stay with Mom's sister Prue who lives nearby. However, when they left home he was looking quite pale and feeling pretty bad. Concerned that this was not just the effects of his sore throat and so forth, they stopped in at the Maine Center for Cancer Medicine in Brunswick (his oncologist's main office) to get a blood check. He was indeed low on red blood cells and platelets, so he got two more units of blood and two of platelets. Since blood transfusions take quite a bit of time, he and Mom stayed overnight at Leif's parents' and got back on the road this morning. I'm glad they left room in the travel schedule! His throat is still quite sore, but not as bad as it was yesterday.
I don't have the full report from his visit at Dartmouth-Hitchcock yet, but he did say that it went well. I believe they are going to do another blood check there before he heads home. Meanwhile, I have been enjoying spending time with Dad; we're indulging in spicy food without certain people here to object.
I can't begin to express my gratitude to our family and friends for the many ways you have supported us, from welcoming surprise houseguests to providing words of wisdom, sustaining meals, heart-filling social gatherings, and much more. You all are the best.
Posted by Becky
Sorry to hear you've been having such a crappy week, Leif, and glad to hear your visit to Hanover went well. I'm hopeful the tranfusions will give you some energy and that the dreadful skin rash clears soon. with hopes and love -- Wendy
ReplyDeleteThe fever is gone and the skin rash and the itching are almost gone as well. The raw throat is nearly gone as well, so I am feeling much improved.
DeleteIt sounds like Leif has itching and a bad taste in his mouth, and I was hoping he might just need a bandaid, but it actually sounds like he's experiencing every level of the pain scale simultaneously.
ReplyDeleteHrrrmmmmmm. That can't be good.
Just about. My throat was about 9, and I think I had some part of my body at every pain number down to 1. It was a long week.
Delete