The beginning of the end! Kent got the initial infusion of medications and now he is hooked up to his pump. Thursday around 12:00 he is DONE!!! Hurray!!
Kent is already totally miserable, but he is just glad this is the last round. So far the worst symptom? Hiccups. He hasn't gotten them every time, but this time he had them for a few hours. ugh. But we finally got them calmed down and he feels a bit better.
We spoke with the doctor about a lot of stuff, and he is still super optimistic. He was in an especially good mood yesterday, so he was really animated. :) Some of what we discussed were the many "cures" people have told me. Weekly, if not daily, I get told that if Kent will do/eat something then he will be cured. That chemo is a waste of time and that by choosing not to follow their suggestion it is completely my fault when my husband dies. Not the nicest thing to hear. The doctor turned to me, and using some very choice words I am choosing not to repeat, told me to quote him when people say that. The gist of the statement was "My oncologist says you are nuts." He said he always hears about how chemotherapy is a conspiracy to get money, that oncologists are keeping the cure a secret so they can torture people and get paid for it. He said he wishes he could pull the cure out of his pocket and make all the suffering end, but for now chemo is the best thing we have. I agree. There are some more holistic things that can help, and trust me, we are trying them too. :)
We also discussed the upcoming plan which was comforting. The current schedule of events is:
- 4 Weeks, meet with the surgeon
- 5 Weeks, follow up with the oncologist
- 6 weeks surgery
- About 8 weeks, follow up CT scan for baseline data, and surgery to remove his port
- 6 Months, follow up colonoscopy
- 1 year, annual oncology follow up and scan
- 2 years, annual oncology follow up and scan (They said that it is most common for cancer to return in the first 2 years, if it is going to. It can still come back after that, but the 2 year check should be a big milestone.)
- Between 6 months and 18 months, hopefully feel less sick and more like his usual self
He is super optimistic that Kent will not need any additional treatment for quite a while. A) because chemo should have taken care of it, and B) because Kent has a really slow growing cancer so even if it did spread they probably won't know it for a while. That is good though because since it is slow growing, even if there is more it shouldn't be problematic for a VERY long time. :)
We wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the prayers, love, and support we have received. You have helped us get through this, and we are forever grateful.
