And we’re off. Fed Ex delivered Craig’s new chemo around 8:30 this morning, and by 9, the first dose was in his tummy. It’s still early, but so far, no complaints of headaches, chills, or nausea, which are common side-effects. Other less common (and more severe) reactions include: rash, blisters, oozing or severe pain in the hands or feet; swelling, rapid weight gain; rapid weight loss (the ultimate yo-yo diet…gaunt-swollen-gaunt-swollen!); and numbness, balance problems, and confusion. For the most part, people do well on Nexavar (Sorafenib), so we’re keeping the ol’ fingers crossed.
He’s been running a low-grade fever (around 100) for the past week or so, and continues to have wacky dreams/nightmares, as if he’s on the anti-malarial drug, Larium. The latest involved a dirt-fight with an ‘Aztec kid’ and searching for a soup kitchen after spending some time in a spaceship (or something to that effect). He woke himself up after shouting ‘sir’, as in “sir, whereabouts is the soup line?” Dreaming about soup...yeah??
In other news, we had a nice birthday celebration yesterday, complete with a scavenger hunt through Stillwater (thanks L and S!), a Marcel Marceau impersonation (thanks mom!), and, of course, a virtual sing-a-long that only a dog could love. All in all, I think D enjoyed her 30th. Craig was able to hang in there most of the day, but became sick late in the evening. Still, a one-off event is small potatoes to what we’re accustomed to, and it’s nice to see him up a little more. He and Emily were giggling like little kids yesterday. I think they were reminiscing about their first date, where, due to miscommunication, they both thought they were being stood up by the other. Anyhow, it was good to hear him giggle. I haven’t seen (er, heard) him that happy in a while (kudos to E)!
Craig just read a few of the blog postings. I mentioned that it must be surreal to read all this. He said yes, but that it’d be more surreal if he wasn’t on so many drugs, something he referred to as his Spinal Tap answer. He said that if he were to write something, it’d be on how nothing in his life is normal. He added that perhaps the only thing that is normal or routine is sleeping half the day away. He’d like to go on walks, but is just too tired. Short walks down the street poop him out, and typically induce vomiting, which, if it happens in public, makes him uncomfortable. For instance, he became sick last Sunday while out on a picnic in Wash Park. He was feeling pretty strong for most of the day, but then whammo, hello the Exorcist: Cancer Days. According to C, he ‘puked on the goose poop’ so it didn’t make much of a difference (i.e. adding to the landscape). He’s limited in doing ‘normal’ things as his symptoms are so unpredictable, and carrying a spit-up bucket everywhere he goes is simply unsustainable. There's gotta be better fit. Enter Sorafenib. I suppose we’ll just have to give Sorafenib time, but I hope, for Craig's sake, it's a quick worker. --J
No comments:
Post a Comment