Update again from a stretcher in the infusion area where I have just started my infusion for the 20th round of chemo. Today has been a bit of a long day at the clinic due to the changes to my treatment plan. Because of the neuropathy that I have been having in my hands and feet, my oncologist thinks it best to drop one of the drugs that I have been getting now for the last 19 rounds (oxaliplatin). In its place we are starting a new drug, Panitumumab, which is what I’m currently getting as I write this. If that change wasn’t enough they decided to switch me from the passive elastomeric ball pump that I would normally go home with, to an electronic pump (which I will also go home with but isn’t quite as small and unassuming). Not a huge deal, but being that I have been doing this now for almost a year and had some success, I get a little anxious about changing up the game-plan.
From my understanding, and the explanations from my care team, the Panitumumab is just as effective as the Oxaliplatin, and if anything it could help me reach a deeper remission as we wait for the perfect liver donor to be identified. The Panitumumab is actually classified as a monoclonal antibody treatment and should have some milder side effects, though it is known to cause a rather nasty rash from what I have heard, and the rash starts on your head and then works it’s way down… real attractive stuff. We’ll see how the reactions differ over the next couple days but I am looking forward to getting some of my nerve function back in my hands and feet over time, and also avoiding some of the cold sensitivity that came from the Oxaliplatin.
Today my dad is with me at the infusion, and actually he’s sorta falling asleep in the chair as I write this. I always appreciate him coming along with me from time to time when Kelly isn’t able to, but I feel like it has to be hard on him to watch.
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If you or someone you know has signed up to be a potential living donor for me or for someone else, please know how much I appreciate it! Getting to this transplant has continued to motivate me through these treatments and I’m really hopeful that the end of this chemo is in sight!
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