Treatment #7

We spent last night at the Bakers because Curt had to see the Nurse Practioner at 8 AM this morning. He is gaining weight (162.6 lbs.)! He thought maybe his jeans contributed to some of the weight, but noticed they were feeling tighter. Curt mentioned how much his runny nose bothers him. His eye is also watering more and affecting his reading some. I noticed water running out of his ear the other day too and his ear sometimes feels clogged. The NP said these can all be side effects of the chemo. She also mentioned some of his eyelashes and nose hairs have probably disappeared and contributed to the problem. She recommended he take both Benadryl (which he has been taking every night) and either Claritin or Zyrtec. All of this makes him lightheaded at times too. Curt also told her how tired he has been feeling. The only tennis he played since his last treatment was with my group once. He also had to rest between mowing the front and back yards and takes naps almost every day. Walking doesn't seem to bother him as much.
The NP thought since the symptoms seem to be increasing, he should have another MRI before his next scheduled treatment on November 9. So they scheduled one on November 5 (Vega's 5th birthday). He will then see Dr. Chui on November 9th too. She hinted it might be time to take a break on the chemo. She also said he could get flu shots (not nose sprays) just before his next treatment. This will give his blood counts time to build up again.
The blood tests were all about the same as last time. The kidney portion was almost exactly the same. Curt has been working on drinking more fluids. So they went ahead with this treatment. We were out of there a little after 1 and stopped several places for shopping on the way home. We didn't get home until after 6.