Dose reduction #2

Yesterday we went to see the doctor. I don't think I've mentioned it anywhere but I have to see the doctor before commencing each cycle of chemo. It's mostly just a check up and review, plus I get to ask my questions and I did have a few yesterday.

Due to the length of time my white blood cells were low during round 3, I have been taken one step down the dose ladder and will receive a bit less etoposide, cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin during round 4.

At the end of round 4 I will have a CT scan and a chest x-ray to see what's been going on inside. If there has been no response or the cancer has progressed despite chemo then I won't be given BEACOPP any more and they'll think of something else. The doctor did say that he had never seen this happen, which is encouraging. I hope I am not the anomaly. If there has been a response then I will receive 4 more rounds of BEACOPP at the baseline doses, which means that etoposide, cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin will be reduced further.

I asked the doctor whether the reduced doses might mean that I won't be quite so tired during the last four rounds but he didn't really think it would work that way. The fatigue from chemo is cumulative, just how I am still trying to work out but it means that even with the lower doses I will continue to be tired. People often still struggle for many months after they have finished chemo with all sorts of side effects and the fatigue. I am not looking forward to that and will struggle if things continue to be crap once this is done.

Today I spent the day at a planning day for my church congregational council. It was a good day and I was feeling almost normal which was nice. Tomorrow I expect to feel okay as well and we are heading down to my sister's for a 2nd birthday. Monday I'll start round 4. Dave is back at work which means we won't be able to have a mini holiday at the unit this time and I am a bit sad about that but we've sorted other things out and it should work out okay.

The girls have started activities again and that is making things interesting too as they have classes and commitments that have to be worked in to what's going on. I do know that they don't have to be doing things and that we could just not sign up for stuff, but in some ways having every day the same with them rattling around home is just as difficult.