We went to "chemo training" once again - this time for a new regimen that has shown some success in fighting mestastatic pancreatic cancer. Dad is scheduled to start on Tuesday. It's a 6 week cycle, week 1 and 3 are two drugs delivered via a pump for 24 hours (he goes home with this pump on) - 5FU and Leucovorin (a vitamin complex which increases effectiveness of the chemo and helps reduce chemo side-effects), week 2 and 4 are those two drugs plus Oxaliplatin (which is an antineoplastin related to Cisplatin he received in his first chemo treatments, when the tumor shrank by 1/3).
Info on 5-FU Antineoplastin
Info on Oxaliplatin Antineoplastin
The day after these drugs are administered, Dad has to go back into Joplin to have the pump removed; so that's 2 days a week into Joplin. Week 5 and 6 are no drugs, but once a week he goes in for bloodwork. This 6 week cycle will be repeated up to 6 times (36 weeks of treatment).
We all hope to see good results and that Dad doesn't suffer ill-effects and weathers this as well or better than his other rounds of chemo. He has had a couple episodes of vomiting which we believe are caused by the stenosis (stricture) in his duodenum - it is very likely he will need a stent put in to solve this problem.
Overall, he is feeling okay but very tired. Doctors and nurses all have recommended he get in the habit of grazing all day, rather than eating 3 big meals; it's hard to break lifetime habits.
Well our heads are spinning. We are glad you have all this written down. Dave talked about the 24 hour pump. The grazing all day sounds a little funny. Dave needs a menu. We need a drug program that will get him well and not make him sick. Sending a prayer.
ReplyDeleteLove Angie & Ray