Cycle 6 and 7 are done. After cycle 6, we dropped oxaliplatin. And that has made a ton of difference...
CT Scan
So, I had my first CT scan looking for cancer spread/re-occurrence. All clear. As I sit here today, my status is No Evidence of Disease (NED). Which sounds good, but that's really been my status since I had the tumor and lymph nodes removed back in March 2020. This chemotherapy, all along, is to chase down what may be floating around my system that we can't detect.
Cardiology Issues
The chest pains are still there, but mild, and I generally know what triggers them. Exercise and heat. So, I avoid those things when I'm on the pills and I'm mostly ok.
Fatigue/Malaise
Cycle 6 was the worst for this. Day 2-5 were really rough. Very unproductive, and did a lot of sleeping throughout the day.
Cycle 7 was a LOT better from a fatigue perspective. We dropped oxaliplatin...
Oxaliplatin
After cycle 6, I found that my feet were continuing to tingle well into the cycle, and in fact, by the start of cycle 7, hadn't subsided. Based on this, and a clear CT scan at the end of cycle 6, and the fact that I'd gotten 6 cycles in with oxaliplatin, my oncologist decided to suspend that drug.
My conclusion after working through most of cycle 7 is: oxaliplatin is the devil. Man, what a difference. In fact, if it weren't from the cardiac side effects from capecitabine pills, It's been really smooth. I feel mostly fine.
Next Steps
Cycle 8 will be my last cycle. So, there's light at the end of the chemotherapy tunnel.
After that, it's CT scans every 6 months for 5 years, a repeat colonoscopy in Feb 2021, and if that is well, colonoscopies every 3 years for life. CEA Tumor Marker blood tests every 3 months for 5 years.
So, it'll be a little nerve wracking to get tested and wait for the results. But I have no choice, and ultimately, many others have been through what I have, and live to talk about it 20 years later. So, my prognosis is good, and I will remain optimistic.
I'm trying to stay active, particularly on my off week.Here's a recent shot hiking in the woods.
Want even more details? Check my daily Chemo Symptoms Log in the sidebar.