Done with phase one

I was at U of C yesterday (Tuesday) for my last infusion of the induction chemotherapy. Everything went very smoothly.  Karla and I arrived at 6:45am so I could quickly get my port accessed, have my blood drawn and get to an appointment down in Radiology as close to 7am as possible.

Down in Radiology, they wanted to make another head cast for the radiation part of my therapy. Because I had lost my hair since the last time they made the cast, it didn't fit as snug as they had hoped. The purpose of this cast is hold you completely still during the radiation. I'm not certain why they didn't ask me to cut my hair before the first time they made the cast. It seems that would have been a feasible option. They also did a contrast scan of the head and neck. Fortunately, it was not an unpleasant experience. All the people who work down there are very friendly. We were joking about how I "used to" look like George Clooney and David Hasselhoff and Jon from the Garfield cartoon.

After that appointment, we went back up to the infusion area where I got my LAST dose of Taxol. Again, not an unpleasant experience. Everyone who works there has been cheerful and friendly.  In the infusion room, there's around 30 chairs with curtains for privacy. It's not very private though. The doctors and nurses always close the curtains when they come to talk or ask questions, but everyone around can hear every word. I guess it makes you "feel" like there's more privacy. Anyway, yesterday, I was seated next to a guy who was there for his first treatment. A rookie! He was a very friendly guy who wanted to talk and he and his wife had a lot of questions.  It turns out that he has the exact same diagnosis as me. The only symptom being the swollen lymph node in his neck and they found his primary tumor on the base of his tongue just like mine.  This guy is 60, very fit, never smoked and doesn't drink. Wow! I never realized this type of cancer was so prevalent and undiscriminatory.

Coincidentally, the nurses were handing out SPOHNC awareness bracelets (Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer). So now, Karla, the kids and I are all wearing them. Here is the website if you're interested in supporting the cause to raise awareness for this type of cancer. http://www.spohnc.org/wristbands.php 

Lastly, I'll be giving myself injections of this drug (Neupogen) to help boost my white blood cell count. Expectedly, it was a bit low due to the Chemo. My nurse gave me a 5 minute lesson on how to give myself a shot and then asked me if I wanted to give myself a "practice" shot. Hmm....I thought about sticking myself with a needle AND for no apparent reason and decided.....ok, why not! My tolerance for pain and fear is pretty good these days. So the nurse handed me a syringe (and needle) filled with a little harmless saline solution. I was instructed to pinch the skin on my abdomen, stick the needle in and inject. I must admit that there was a long pause as I held the needle close to my pinched skin. Then I thought of saving myself three trips down to U of C to get this little, itty bitty shot. So, I stuck myself and injected the saline solution. Done! My kids are very interested in watching me do this. Jessica said she would like to actually give me the shot.  Hmm...Another thing to ponder.  We'll see.

Next week, I go in for various appointments; blood work, a visit to my ENT, Oncologist and then down to radiology for a couple more scans of the head, neck and chest. Then, August 29th I go for my first 5 day stay in the hospital for phase 2; chemo and radiation.