My parents and I arrived to Rochester on Sunday evening because I had an early start on Monday for the start of round 3. We checked into the hotel and they asked me what I wanted for dinner. I noticed there was a Texas Roadhouse down the street. I’ve only heard good things about this place and it was on my list of places to try.
For those who haven’t heard of this place, it’s just a steakhouse like Outback but with big portions of food. Immediately after we sat down they gave us a bag of peanuts and bread that was fresh out of the oven with cinnamon honey butter.
The bread was hot and pillowly soft. My very thoughtful parents knowing that I can’t eat salad, ordered side salads.
I ordered a 10oz ribeye with a side of sweet potato and rice. They misherd me and gave me a side of fries but then gave me my rice anyway. I noticed that the steak after cutting into it right away was well done when I asked for medium. They were very apologetic and told me to “snack” on the steak while they bring me a new one. I definitely ate more than half of the first steak and all of the new steak. So by the end of the night, I ate 3 bread rolls, +15oz of meat, and my side dishes. I’m very thankful that chemo hasn’t affected my appetite and I was wearing sweatpants.
My dad and I enjoyed it so much that we ended up going back on Monday night too.
I noticed that some of my hair has decided to grow back, mostly the sideburns on both sides and a few thin straggly hairs on the top. I wonder if these will fall out after I finish my full week of chemo.
I had an early morning on Monday: blood test at 7:30am, X ray at 8, Dr. appointment at 8:45, dressing change at 9:45, and chemo at 12:45.
One of the nurses who has taken care of me before stopped me in the hallway and said that another one of the nurses shared my blog with her. She said that they both read my story about secretly eating salad and it gave both of them a good laugh.
During the blood test, they were barely able to get any blood out, which was even worse than last week. They had me stand up, waive my arms around, lay down, and turn my head. Unfortunately because they needed to take blood out, they had to poke me the old fashioned way. 🙁
The nurse said that sometimes, a blood clot can form at the end of the tube in my chest and it allows saline solution to pump into my body but the flap closes so blood can’t be pulled out.
The first solution would be to inject some blood thinner into my tube to break down whatever was blocking it. Wait 30 min, check it. If it doesn’t work then wait another 60 min and check. If THAT doesn’t work they would have to do a chest Xray and then do something more invasive to clear the tube. I didn’t ask what that would entail since I was hoping that the blood thinners would work.
An hour and a half later of waiting, they were able to pull blood easily from my PICC line. *Whew*
I got the xray done and met with my doctor to discuss the results from the blood test and xray.
White blood cell looked good. Tumor markers came back excellent. When I first started, I was at 37,000. Normal is below 2 I think. 3 weeks ago I was at 3,200. Right now, I’m at 588.
Also we reviewed my xray. Left one is the first one, middle from 3 weeks ago, and right is the most recent.
After all the other appointments, I had a 45 min wait for a chemo chair and got hooked up around 1:45 pm. I wasn’t done until 5:45 which made for a long day.
I am officially at the halfway point with 3rd and 4th round to finish and things are looking very good. I was told that 2nd round symptoms would be worse than the 1st round but I didn’t feel like they were as bad minus the neulasta bone pain.
The last day of my 4th round will be September 11th. After that they’ll wait 4-6 weeks to do a CT scan and maybe a PET scan and schedule a surgical consult. The hard part is not knowing when I’ll be fully recovered so I can start planning the transition of getting back to normal life.
I don’t remember if I mentioned this but I did receive my Critical Illness and short term disability payments which will cover all my medical expenses and health insurance premiums for the rest of this year and part of next year so I’m thankful it’s one less thing I need to worry about. My insurance out of pocket max is $3,500 but my total medical bill has crossed $100k as of 2 weeks ago. Crazy right? The neulasta shot was more than I expected coming in at $10,000 for ONE SHOT.
The last few weeks have been so bleh. I’ve found myself going to bed at like 2-3 am just poking on my phone and getting out of bed around noon since I have nothing to really get up for on my non-chemo days. I need to put myself on a schedule but schedule for what?
We’ve finished Handmaid’s Tale season 2 and I’ve moved onto the newest season of Orange is the New Black. Both utterly depressing shows haha
I told mom that I went from working full-time and doing school part-time up to May running at 100mph and putting a full stop to the lifestyle I have now so she shouldn’t be surprised at the frustration and boredom I’m running into when my options are very limited on what I can do.
Really wish I could go work out at the gym because not only was it a physical workout but it was a good mental workout too. Walking around the neighborhood around my house doesn’t cut it.
Well I’ll be here at Mayo until Friday afternoon. Should be expecting the usual symptoms of fatigue and nausea to set in on Wednesday.
Keep it up! Keep it up!! SUPER great to see the photos of Derek getting smaller… and smaller… and smaller. Still praying for you and your dad! It might sound silly – and you haven’t really mentioned reading at all – but you should check out Shogun by James Clavell. Something like 1,200 pages of adventure! I was super sick for a few weeks maybe 8-9 years ago and it got me through. I couldn’t put it down.
Hi Andrew, I am amazed at your bravery in this difficult journey and I cheer you on saying Fight Fight Fight On!!! You are halfway there and I imagine your Blog followers are SO many and the # of 🙏’s are Beyond counting. Thousands are pulling & praying for YOU, your Dad (health) & family (Including JOANNA + Speedy 🐾).
In counting the BLESSINGS in your last Post like; Brilliant medical Care & it is clear that they “CARE” about You! Wonderful improved #’s in your blood-work And Tumor markers from 37,000 down to 588!!! That is remarkable & Oh SO Encouraging AS Derek👹 IS on the way OUT of your life FOREVER! Your receiving the $disability$ payments lessens your worry list (there’s gratefulness!). Your ability to keep a good appetite is FANtastic! Your food pictures (OMG the rolls!) made my mouth water and I have googled that the TX Roadhouse nearest me is 29.8 “short” miles away. I’m guessing that their (TXRH) stock is skyrocketing due to your pics!
HANG in there Andrew as you are ❤️ Loved by so many that have never met you but are Praying without ceasing for you to win this battle. God IS in control and you are His precious child … Please read Psalms 91 several times & let it soak in. The Lord will guard you & give you long life as he already gave his own son for our salvation (John 3:16). I’m lifting many more prayers 🙏 on your behalf for no/less needle pokes, mild/no side effects, no fever and Total wellness & your back to Normal (pre-Derek) life. You are a hero of sorts as we, your Mighty Prayer Warriors ⚔️ Fight along side with you! Keep looking Up & read the Word + Shogun 🙂 I hope you are encouraged by the Blessings surrounding you as you rest in the Lords tight embrace. God Bless you.
Ellen