Chemo Cycle One
Tomorrow, February 7th, Mom will begin her first IV chemotherapy cycle that will consist of two cancer fighting drugs. (I will provide medication names in a later post.) Before treatment begins, she will receive fluids and an anti-nausea medication through her IV. She will also receive a steroid through the IV which will help reduce inflammation. When she goes home tomorrow, she will have an oral anti-nausea medication that she can take up to three times a day. She will be going in on Wednesday and Thursday for more chemo. On Friday, she will receive a shot in her arm that will aid her body in white blood cell production. This will be the end of IV treatments for two weeks, but the chemo will remain in her system doing its thing. Sometime during this first cycle, Mom will start losing her hair. (Don't worry though. It is only hair. It will grow back. And, we've got options.)
Chemo Cycle Two
February 28th - March 2nd, Mom will get chemo-d-up again. (I'm taking Shakespearean liberties here and making up my own words.) The second cycle will be a repeat of the first. There may be some changes along the way depending on how Mom's body responded to the first chemo cycle. Toward the end of this cycle, the doctors will run a CT scan to see how the tumor is responding to the treatments.
Chemo Cycle Three / Radiation Therapy
Although the dates have not been scheduled, yet, this phase will begin three weeks after Chemo Cycle Two began. This puts us at the week of March 19th. She will get chemo-d-up that week and receive daily radiation targeted at the tumor in her esophagus. The chemo cycle will be like the others—she will not receive IV treatments for the last two weeks of the cycle. But, they will continue blasting the tumor with radiation. As I understand it, she will receive radiation treatment Monday through Friday for the entire three week cycle.
Chemo Cycle Four / Radiation Therapy
Again we don't have any dates. But this cycle is going to look like the previous. One week of getting chemo-d-up and radiation. Two more weeks of radiation, 5 days a week.
Tomorrow, February 7th, Mom will begin her first IV chemotherapy cycle that will consist of two cancer fighting drugs. (I will provide medication names in a later post.) Before treatment begins, she will receive fluids and an anti-nausea medication through her IV. She will also receive a steroid through the IV which will help reduce inflammation. When she goes home tomorrow, she will have an oral anti-nausea medication that she can take up to three times a day. She will be going in on Wednesday and Thursday for more chemo. On Friday, she will receive a shot in her arm that will aid her body in white blood cell production. This will be the end of IV treatments for two weeks, but the chemo will remain in her system doing its thing. Sometime during this first cycle, Mom will start losing her hair. (Don't worry though. It is only hair. It will grow back. And, we've got options.)
Chemo Cycle Two
February 28th - March 2nd, Mom will get chemo-d-up again. (I'm taking Shakespearean liberties here and making up my own words.) The second cycle will be a repeat of the first. There may be some changes along the way depending on how Mom's body responded to the first chemo cycle. Toward the end of this cycle, the doctors will run a CT scan to see how the tumor is responding to the treatments.
Chemo Cycle Three / Radiation Therapy
Although the dates have not been scheduled, yet, this phase will begin three weeks after Chemo Cycle Two began. This puts us at the week of March 19th. She will get chemo-d-up that week and receive daily radiation targeted at the tumor in her esophagus. The chemo cycle will be like the others—she will not receive IV treatments for the last two weeks of the cycle. But, they will continue blasting the tumor with radiation. As I understand it, she will receive radiation treatment Monday through Friday for the entire three week cycle.
Chemo Cycle Four / Radiation Therapy
Again we don't have any dates. But this cycle is going to look like the previous. One week of getting chemo-d-up and radiation. Two more weeks of radiation, 5 days a week.
Call To Arms!
If you have any recipes or ideas for delicious, nourishing foods that do not contain white sugar, refined white flour, artificial ingredients, preservatives, or highly processed food, please share them with me! Especially if you can think of snack-like foods that will pack a punch in terms of nutrition and calories. (Mom has never eaten large meals, but has been doing a great job eating little meals every two hours.) Think: nutritious, calorie rich, and none of the bad stuff. You can post your ideas using the comment tool below, email them to buggis1@gmail.com, or give them to Mom or me. We will greatly appreciate it!
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