Today started out like every Maniac Monday.....up at 5:30, shower, breakfast, walk the dog, feed the dog, love the dog, clean up the kitchen, and out the door by 7 am. Most of you who know us as a couple, know that up at 5:30 and out by 7 am is not normal. This Maniac Monday is 21 days into Andrew's chemo treatment and the first 5-day treatment.
Andrew (Steve and I) checked into Reston Hospital at 7:30 am for his second round of chemo. This treatment is completely different from his first round of treatment. First off, the treatment is 5 days and only about 3-4 hours a day. Normally this treatment is an outpatient procedure but after Andrew's terrible experience with the first treatment, Dr. Felice and Dr. Thornton thought it would be better if he were under constant hospital care for Round 2... Ding Ding Ding. He will be receiving the chemo through the port in his chest instead of the pill form that would be given to him if he were able to do this as an outpatient. Andrew will be receiving Ifosfamide and Etoposide as his two chemo drugs and Mesna as his kidney/bladder rescue drug. He also started a new nausea medicine today, Emmend, which he will take once a day for 3 days. It is a time releasing medicine that will hopefully (please cross your fingers) help him to grin-and-bare this treatment with less nausea.
As a whole we are doing pretty well. Learning every day what Andrew can handle and what he can't. With his leg pain under control, we have been going on hour long walks every day to get him out of the house and active again. It's a nice time for us to just talk as well.
We also have house guests and help this week. Steve (Andrew's dad) arrived yesterday and Gwen (his mom) will arrive tomorrow evening. They will both be here until Friday helping out while Andrew is in the hospital and then my parents will come for the remainder of the weekend.
As the bell rings three times and he step into the ring again for the hard hitting blows that chemo tends to deal out, we want to thank everyone who reads this blog and thinks about Andrew every day. Our champ is working very hard to stay positive and healthy and is learning to take every experience and every day as it comes his way. The boxing gloves are on .......
TTLY........
