For Crying Out Loud

Will you be getting the 5-FU every single time you get the radiation? Or do you get it once a week? Will it require staying in the hospital (or at the hospital) for a length of time? My doctor friend, Andre, mentioned it may take longer to actually get the dosage of 5-FU than it does the Gemzar. If the Gemzar packs you such a whollop, what about the 5-FU? Are they taking your sensitivity into account with the 5-FU? How many Gemzar treatments do you have left? Two? So then you have a little 'vacation' before you start the chemo/radiation combo? Should you be able to drive yourself to the hospital each day? Will you go to Cleveland Clinic or Hillcrest? Do you expect to be able to continue working through this?

By the way, preparations are now being made for our pilgrimage! We may go as soon as the end of January!!!

Whoa! Coming at me like a fire hose, but all good questions.

I will be getting the 5-FU continuously with a pump. I will have to have the needle changed once a week. (No showers for 5 and half weeks! I'll figure something out, because that won't fly!)

No stays in the hospital unless I start to run a fever while my white blood count is low.

The Gemzar didn't pack me such a whollop, it packed the cancer the whollop. I have had very few side effects. They will continue to monitor my white blood cell count carefully during the radiation/5-FU as well. At least once a week.

I'm not sure how many 'treatments' I have of Gemzar because I'm not sure how you are counting. I have had 3 out of 12, but another way to look at is to say that I have completed one series of 4. Each series is three weeks of treatment and then a rest week. I have twooo weeks of rest before I start the radiation/5-FU.

I should be able to drive myself to the Clinic. I think I can do it now, but Daddy sort of insists on coming. While he is not in class, it's fine and I prefer the company, but I don't want him missing any class unnecessarily.

I am back to work, and next week will be full-time again. I will still have to take time off for appointments, but want to work as much as possible. It is one way to maintain my sanity.

Thanks for the answers. I did mean it packing the cancer a whollop. My question was, considering your sensitivity (slow metabolization), that the doctors have discovered with the Gemzar, are the doctors taking that into consideration when prescribing you 5-FU? Andre said it may have more side effects than the Gemzar, if you didn't 'need' to receive all 6 treatments in order for the Gemzar to take its full effect, are they applying that information to your 5-FU treatments?

Thank you for answering my questions. And I'm glad I had Andre around to decode what you were telling us! I was like "slow to metabolize"?! Is that good? Is that bad? (it means the drug stays in Mommy longer than in some people, so it has more opportunity to work, thus the high efficiency)

And please, please be careful. No running to the grocery store when you have low white blood cell counts. I would be seriously pissed at you if you died from a cold because you decided to be foolhardy and expose yourself to germs. Got it? You don't want to leave us pissed at you. I mean, think of the years of therapy that would take!

Mendon and Kristen (to our knowledge) have left Israel and are now on their way to Vienna. Cheers. (and now that it is 7:30 a.m., I am going to go to bed . . . phew)

I'm with Mara on the whole running to the store because you really need some tea and getting the crunk lurgy from some snotty little three year old. Not having some tea is temporary. Dying from the crunk lurgy is permanent. That means you might have to wait for someone to bring you tea. That holds true for many other things as well.

I think you should live in a bubble. All in favor of Maman living in a bubble raise their right hand and say "Aye!"

But I have final veto. And I say, no bubble. I mean, what good is it if I am alive but depressed as all get out? Or just plain crazy? I have come to hate Wednesdays, not because it feels like a waste being at the Clinic all day, but because it is the one day I can't pretend I am normal, not sick, maybe even well. BTW, Daddy has a cold. I don't. And I avoid all three year olds. Especially those with the crunk lurgy.

So, what is the count? .5? 1.75?

Neigh- or is it nay!

Maman, the reason for you to be in a bubble is so that we can wait to put our lives on hold and then you'll still be around when we can take a vacation, come home, and sort out our issues with you. It doesn't matter if you are depressed or not, it matters if you are alive.

By the way, that was sarcastic.

.5 Dr. Pelley said that put me in the yellow zone (like for terrorism?) and that people with Leukimia walk around with that all the time.

Ya know, Maman, your comment about being crazy makes the assumption that you were not crazy previously. : )

Again, the low white blood cell count will be temporary. You're white blood cell count will recover. Then you can go volunteer to tend Dengue fever victims at the IGA or help with the Ebola breakout at Heinen's.

And Rae, the two possible votes are "Aye!" as in, yes, it's a good idea for Maman to live in a bubble, and "Nae!" as in, I agree with Nae, Maman should live in a bubble.

Maman, it's only for a few months. C'mon. I'll buy you an extra bubble.