Supposed to be getting infused with my 4th round today. Unfortunately my liver enzymes were too high, so we have delayed it a week to see if they will come down. They were elevated before round 3 but not enough to delay it last time. This time – too high.

So, it isn’t ideal. However, it does give me another week of feeling relatively good.
And there is some optimism coming out of this scenario as well.

Before every chemo round I have to get blood taken. This is usually the Monday, two days before Chemo. Then I see my Oncologist Tuesday for results and to see how I am doing. Unless I request otherwise, this is the only time I see my Oncologist(so every 3 weeks). During the appointment with the Doc, we discuss last round and side effects as well as my results from my blood. I was nervous going into this visit because it was also my 3 month Tumor Marker test – which is the CEA test(carcinoembryonic antigen). It isn’t a definitive answer on what my cancer is doing, but you certainly don’t want to see it high. On my last scan with multiple lymphnode involvement and 10 liver lesions my CEA was only 2.2. Which is normal and likely lower than/equal to people without cancer. Well good news – it hasn’t changed, it measured at 2.3. Back in April/May when I had my first lesion removed my CEA was at 13.6 beginning of May and 22.4 just before my surgery June 12th. So all things considered, this CEA has shown to go up in presence of disease. So my hope is that my disease has not progressed. And even more so to have it shrink!

Second piece of optimism is that when the doctor did a physical check he said he could not feel my liver. Which was great to hear because of the pain I have in the front and back abdomen. It feels like my liver is swollen and pushing on nerves and ribs. And it well may be, but if he can’t feel it then hopefully it isn’t too bad.

So now we have this elevated liver enzyme. This enzyme is a measure of how my liver is functioning. With it being elevated that high, it is cause for concern. But it could be attributed to either the Chemo or the Cancer. One of the drugs I take (raltitrexed) is known to cause liver failure and elevate these counts. So, the hope is that with this extra week off, these counts come down. If they do, we can hopefully take some relief in knowing it was likely the chemo and not the disease causing this.

This week I also hoping that the abdominal pain decreases with this extra rest. It would certainly lift my spirits. And even though my enzymes are high, I am encouraged that it may not be disease progression. We will find that out on my next CT scan. Currently scheduled for Jan 20th but with Chemo tentatively scheduled next Wednesday, I may have to delay scan for a few days. If my counts do not come down then no chemo next week and we will just wait for the CT scan to see what is going on in there.

Some other things I have been experiencing. I have numbness in my fingers when I tap something. Feels like pins and needles. This is a common side effect from the Oxaliplatin drug. Mouth sores are another common one, but I have avoided it so far. I did get one in the nose. Its like a canker sore. Again Doctor was not concerned. And then there are aches and pains which likely is just normal wear and tear, but when you have an illness, you are always on high alert wondering if that’s the disease or not.

Overall, my physical health is good when I am not constantly reminded of my situation due to the pain. My heart rate is great, my oxygen level at rest has been 100% the last two Oncology visits. Which is rare for anybody. Where I get into trouble is the mental side. This effects everything and leads to depression. I lack motivation and I feel defeated. Ambivalence prevails and I really couldn’t care about anything. Writing my blog, responding to friends and family, being productive and just daily life can take a hike when I am down. Which has been a lot these past weeks.

But I love optimism and I need hope and my doctor’s appointment left me with that. This improves my mood by 300%.

So here is to a good week off. Both physically and mentally. And to a lower enzyme count next week!

Dan