Check-up update

After a long weekend of activities, this week continues to be a busy one. It started early today with an update appointment with Dr. W. He walked in and said it felt like a long time since we'd seen each other last. I told him it had been a month since our last appointment when we changed up the chemo regimen. This was my first check in to let him (and my nurse who keeps the great notes and answers most of my questions) know how things are going.

I talked to him about my heavy, depression days and asked whether there was anything I could take. He said the anti-depressant medication takes a while to kick in and then once effective I would be using it consistently - days I was depressed and days when I wasn't - which isn't ideal. I take enough medication as it is. So anti-depressants aren't the answer.

I even asked about medical marijuana, which comes in a pill format. He said many of the people who aren't used to the effects of the drug (I'm not) finds it makes them spacey. I don't need that either. So, basically I need to suck up the 2-1/2 to three days when I have the oppressive, heavy, listless feelings. But given that's every week - so almost three out of seven days - he said we need to monitor that so the treatment doesn't become unbearable.

The plan is to do another round of the weekly taxol (so three weeks on, one week off) and check my CA-125. He'll look at that number from today (it wasn't available during my apppointment) and compare it to the one in three weeks. It should be going down. It better be going down. Die cancer die!

We (he and I) are cautiously optimistic about this treatment. I can eat a bit more than I used to. I seem to be vomiting less often and my stomach actually makes gas rumbling noises/movements, which is an improvement. So maybe those bands of tumours surrounding it are loosening their hold a little bit.

I did ask about next steps if this doesn't work. The next treatment would be a intravenous chemotherapy called Topotocan. If that doesn't work, we'd try a oral chemotherapy called Etoposide. I find it reassuring he's thought through a back up plan - even if I don't want one to be necessary.

On Thursday, I get my port inserted. Friday is chemo day. Busy, busy. I suspect I won't be feeling the greatest on the weekend either, recovering from the double whammy, but who knows. As usual, I'll take it one day at a time.

Tina