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FOLFIRI VS FOLFOX

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I put this on facebook, but felt like it should be here. S ometimes knowing the why behind things makes it better...well, not really. So many people have said FOLFIRI is easier than FOLFOX. This makes me wonder what is wrong with me. While I surely didn't sail through FOLFOX, this is just hitting so much harder this time. So, I did some digging and came up with this. I mean I really already knew, but I just hate feeling so darn bad! FOLFIRI’s main “tough” drug is irinotecan. Your body clears irinotecan using an enzyme called UGT1A1 enzyme. If you’re an intermediate metabolizer (I AM) → you don’t clear it as efficiently That means more active drug stays in your system longer Result: More fatigue More GI symptoms (constipation or diarrhea) More “overall toxic” feeling Sometimes more pain or inflammation-type symptoms So yes — being an intermediate metabolizer can absolutely make FOLFIRI feel harder than expected. Avastin adds another layer bevacizumab (Avastin) doesn’t feel like c...
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The poo is gone, plus all the other things...

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 Quite a bit has happened since my last update. The hard part is that chemo literally knocks me out for almost a full 7 days, so I don't get around to updating.  Home insurance did their thing and the crawl space has been remediated!  God showed up in a very unexpected and big way and I also have 4 brand new tires. I have never had 4 new tires on my car at the same time. I am just still in awe and speechless about how it came about.  Last Sunday was Easter. I thoroughly enjoyed my morning, despite the fact that it was still physically hard. I find it frustrating that it was hard being as far away from a chemo treatment as I could be. I got to spend the rest of my day with part of the family AND the carrier of my first grandchild! Y'all, in case you missed it, Samantha is pregnant! I am over the moon excited, I just wish my body was as excited as the rest of me. For grins, here is a photo of all (but not all) of us. We will ignore Hannah's choice for Easter dress. LOL...
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A lot happened in a week...

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  My last update was about my visit to the MD Anderson ER. Well, a lot has happened since then. I know it has been a week, so let me recap. I was diagnosed with a UTI and given antibiotics. While on the way home Caleb was headed to get checked and was diagnosed with the flu.  So, I stayed home sick after my visit. We had been looking for a smell in the house for a while. It seemed to kind of come and go. Anthony took apart our kitchen sink pipes to clean them out. They were gross. I was gagging through this process. The smell seemed to go away for a day or two, but always came back. Well, upon coming home from the ER that day, I was determined that there was a rotting carcass  under the house in the crawl space. I looked pretty late in the day that Thursday. It was NOT a rotting carcass. It was a busted sewer line. The whole crawl space was filled with...well, you get the idea. Plumber couldn't come until Friday, so the plan was to use as little water as possible, since e...
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Acute Care Clinic

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 Can I just say that the MD Anderson Acute Care Clinic is top notch! My final rodeo shift did not go as planned. I went and gave it my all, but left early. I had been in pain for a few days. However, when I got home and took my temperature, I knew something was up. According to my paperwork, 100.4 is an ER visit. I was 100.3. I called the number I was given. They told my my temp was borderline, but given my pain, I needed to be seen. So...back in the car around midnight to head all the way back to the same area I had just come from. Marc did not want to go. He wanted to send Hannah with me, but I objected. If I am given bad news, I want to filter it before presenting it to my kids. He reluctantly got in the car to go with me.  I dropped myself off at the entrance and sent him to park. They took my vitals, gave me an ekg (my heart rate had been at about 100 all day and was 118 at check in), and then took me to my room. They took all my blood and set me up with fluids and tyleno...
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Round 2 of Round 2

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  Adding in a photo that I like and having a wish I was there moment...also, because when I share this, I can't choose the photo that I want to show up.  Today is the day! I am here. I have had my blood work done AND a video call with my doctor. I have developed Neutropena. Thankfully, it will not stop my infusion this time. My ANC was 1.25. It should be above 1.5, but we will proceed with chemo unless is it 1 or below. Prayers that it never drops that low. I do not want any delays! There were so many "LOW" values on my results. They are also changing my nausea premed in hopes that it helps more than zofran. Going in, I would like to think I know what to expect, but who really knows.  UGH...the 30 minute infusion of the Irinotecan feels like pure torture! I feel like I am frying from the inside and I think it has only been 10 minutes! I logged into MyChart to look at my test results. Sometime this morning my bill has been updated. It was nice only seeing small payments th...
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Surgical Consults are Done!

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I have had a lot more information thrown at me since my last update, which was Wednesday. Before I get to the update, I am going to give a PSA. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. If you are reading this, you are likely over the recommended screening age of 45. Don't put off getting checked. I would have still had cancer if I was screened at 45 as opposed to 48, but I probably wouldn't be stage 4 right now. That being said, I think I was already 45 when the age changed. To my children, who may or may not read this now or at some point in the future, you are supposed to start screening at 35. You are high risk. My only indication something was wrong (until about 2 months before I was diagnosed) was anemia.  So, where did I leave off? UGH...the CT Scan...that was an experience that I would prefer to never have again, but apparently, it's protocol. When the CT was over, I had to wait about an hour and a half for my pump ...
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How it started and how it's going...

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 Monday...I have a new reason to hate every other Monday. I started my morning nice and calmly working from home, yet dreading what was to come. Once it was time, I packed up my laptop and headed to the infusion center. I started with bloodwork. Thankfully, it was good to proceed. Of course the first test to come back was the pregnancy test. I had to laugh! Last year it was a running joke, because that test always showed up on Tuesday mornings during out staff meeting. I would open it up and declare with a sigh of relief that I was not pregnant. The people who were not in on that joke would look at me funny. All of my other blood came back as expected, except the CEA. It of course had risen since my appointment on the 12th. Not shocked, but didn't like seeing the jump from 9. something to 13. something. This being my first visit and time with some of these drugs, I got a lot of info thrown at me. This pump is different from the one at Methodist, so I had to watch some troubleshooti...
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