Dr. Chui & Treatment #6

Curt weighed about same (about 157 lbs.) and blood pressure was good too. He saw another Resident Doctor (who was shorter than me) before seeing Dr. Chui. She could barely see in his ear and said there was still a little wax there. She questioned and briefly examined him and then went out to confer with Dr. Chui. Dr. Chui said they could see where more of the tumor had died even though the size had not changed much from the last MRI. Eventually the dead parts will be absorbed. Evidently there is some fluid that builds up from this that could become infected. Curt would feel intense pain from this and Dr. Gross might have to drain it. So Curt needs to watch for pain, redness, and possibly a temperature. Since the chemo seems to be working, Dr. Chui thinks Curt should continue (they actually scheduled 4 more treatments! After the next one in 3 weeks, they will probably schedule another MRI. They also want to see how Curt is doing. Curt told him this last treatment was probably the hardest. He never got back to his regular tennis, but he did walk, ride his bike, etc. He has felt light-headed quite a bit. The doctors thought Curt needs more fluids. This was proven when the nurse did his blood test before starting the treatment. The blood test showed his kidneys were not working like they should. She said Curt was "a quart low". She told him to drink at least a quart of water a day and try to work up to 2 quarts. If he mixes up something (like Crystal Light) and puts it in the refrigerator every day, it will help him keep track of the fluids. He needs to flush out all these chemicals and dead stuff from his kidneys! We doubt they will actually do 4 more treatments, but they want to get rid of as much of the cancer as possible. Dr. Chui said they can't get rid of all of it, but the more that is gone, the longer it should be before it returns. They will keep a close eye on it after the treatments ends. BTW my root canal has gone well so far.

Dr. Gross & MRI

Another long day at OHSU. Curt saw a Resident ENT Doctor and Dr. Gross after 10:30 this morning. Curt told them about his left ear feeling plugged (the canal is fouled up from his surgery 2 years ago) and his very runny nose (especially at night). They had him get his hearing tested before he went for his MRI. While waiting for the MRI, there was an emergency that postponed it from 12:30 to 2:30. They gave Curt a lunch voucher and pager. I had already gotten something to eat at one of their deli's and ate while waiting. I went with Curt to the cafeteria where he got something to eat. After that we stopped briefly to see Judi French from our church. She had been admitted the night before for acute leukemia and was getting ready for a bone marrow (sample?). Curt's MRI took about 1 1/2 hours and we returned to Dr. Gross' office. The hearing test showed that his right ear was normal "for someone his age". The left ear showed hearing loss due to fluid in the ear. The Resident Doctor removed quite a bit of dried wax from that ear and implanted a tube for drainage (just like children get). This tube will probably work its way out in about a year. We got a prescription in Corvallis for ear drops to put in for 3 days to keep away any infection. He thinks he can hear better even with the cotton in his ear now. They recommended he try taking Benadryl for his nose. Dr. Gross took a quick look at the MRI and could not see much difference from the previous one in July. He said they will need to take measurements, etc. Curt might hear from Dr. Chui about it before Curt sees him next Monday for his last scheduled chemo treatment. It was almost 5 o'clock before we left OHSU.
Curt hit a few tennis balls yesterday for the first time since his last chemo treatment. He got a little light-headed doing it. He did play with my ladies' doubles (not so strenuous) a couple days after that treatment before he started to feel worse. It seems to be longer each time before he starts to feel better now. During this time he does walk and ride his bike some (and then takes a nap).
I get to have a root canal tomorrow afternoon. Not much compared to Curt.

Treatment #5

Today was a long day. We left for Portland about 7 AM and didn't get home until almost 8 PM. Curt's weight (157+ lbs.) and blood pressure (108/81) were good. He saw a Nurse Practioner (instead of Dr. Chui) this time. Curt told her he was extra tired and it took longer to recover after his last treatment (which is a normal reaction). His stomach bothered him a little more the first week too, but he didn't feel like he was going to throw up. He only played tennis once (last Sunday) in the last 3 weeks, but we were busy with Maddie and Vega from August 28 to September 5. Angie was here for the first couple days and then she went to work for a couple days before she and Jef went to the coast for a couple nights to belatedly celebrate their 10th Anniversary. They came here Friday night (4th) in order to get to the first OSU football game at 11:30 AM on the 5th (OSU beat Portland State 34-7). They went home after supper that night and we went to our pinochle group.
Curt told the Nurse Practioner how his left ear really feels plugged up and that it affects his hearing. She e-mailed Dr. Chui, and he recommended Curt see Dr. Gross about the ear. Dr. Chui also recommended another MRI before Curt's last (we hope) treatment on September 28. So we are returning to OHSU in 2 weeks to see Dr. Gross and have the MRI. Curt also mentioned how much his nose runs (especially at night). Curt has had a few headaches above his eyes and has taken one Excedrin for that. He thinks the congestion might be the cause. The Nurse Practioner suggested he take some Claritin or Zyrtec to help with that.
Curt doesn't feel too bad right after the treatments. We stopped at Baker's afterwards to return a couple things they left behind. Vega started her preschool class (she will go every morning at Maddie's school from 9 to 11:30) and Maddie started First Grade today. They were anxious to show us the goldfish in their new water feature in the backyard. On the way to their house we looked at a Columbia Outlet store and after their house we stopped at the Woodburn Outlet Mall for Curt to look for a new lightweight jacket. Someone took his at church a week ago last Sunday. He did find one at Helly Hansen. So after stopping for supper, we didn't get home until about 8 tonight.
(Curt thinks I get too "sidetracked" on these blogs, but I was trying to explain why it took us so long to get home, etc. - I guess I also tend to talk too much).