Saturday, July 21, 2012

Radiation & Chemo underway: So far, so Good

I have completed my first week of radiation and chemotherapy treatment for my colorectal cancer. My Oncologist, Dr. Amit Sanyal, told me Friday afternoon that my weekly blood lab results are encouraging.

I drive to Johnson Creek five days a week for my 11:30 a.m. radiation treatment at the UW-Cancer Clinic. The daily treatment lasts approximately ten minutes.

My chemotherapy is administered through a Cadd-Plus 5400 infusion pump that I have strapped to my right hip.

The computerized pump allows for two doses of 5-FU (5-Fluorourcil) per hour to automatically be infused into a port that was surgically placed into the upper right quadrant of my chest.

Both radiation and chemo do include a number of possible side effects including fatigue. Through the first five days I have not detected any of the side effects. Yah!!!!!!

My initial schedule includes six consecutive weeks of radiation and chemo. At that time Dr. Sanyal will determine if I may need additional weeks of treatment.

The one thing that I’ve learned throughout this process has been the wonderful people at the Dean Fort Atkinson Specialty Clinic, UW-Cancer Clinic in Johnson Creek along with the great folks at the Fort Health Care’s Radiology and Blood Lab departments. Also a huge thanks to Katie and the gang at Fort HealthCare Home Health who have kept me at ease during challenging situations while learning the process of taking care of things myself now that I’m home!

No comments:

Post a Comment