And on to the next step

Hi everyone,

I hope that everyone is enjoying their month of November! I know here it is getting way too cold way too quickly! I'm also amazed by all of the stores that have their christmas decorations up and are playing christmas music over their loudspeakers! Seems like it comes earlier every year--both Doug and I have started our holiday shopping already. Luckily for Doug, I have held off on playing the music and watching the christmas movies on tv until this Friday after Thanksgiving. :-)

So I wanted to post an update on what is going on in our world right now. This week brought the first round of chemotherapy for Doug. On Tuesday we went into the doctor's to meet with Dr. Hegde--it was very quick, just a quick checkup to make sure that we were all ready to start on wednesday. Wednesday morning we got to UCONN around 9 am and they brought us into the treatment room. Doug got a great seat right by the window and they brought me over a comfy chair so I could sit with him. Well, what we thought was going to be a couple of hours in the treatment room turned out to be an all day affair. Because it was his first time getting the chemo it was quite a process. They needed to first of all test his blood, and his port in his shoulder was being uncooperative. So they had to administer a "Roto Rooter" type medicine in order to unclog it before they could draw the blood. So between that and the testing of the blood, it was about 1 pm before they even started giving him the actual treatment! Moving forward we've been assured that it will be much quicker--probably around 3-4 hours each wednesday. Luckily they have wireless internet in the treatment room so I will be able to work while being there with him. This past wednesday I took the day off since it was his first time.

So we got out of chemo around 3:30 pm and headed home with the chemo pump attached. Basically its about the size of a scienfic calculator, although a bit bigger than that. It comes with a bag that unfortunatly Doug has to carry around with him for 46 hours. He has taken to calling it his "purse" haha. Yesterday we went back to UCONN to get the pump disconnected, it was very quick we were only there for an hour or so. Overall Doug has handled the chemo very well. He obviously hasn't felt ready to run a marathon, but the doctors have given him some excellent anti-nausea medication so that won't be a problem moving forward. Probably the biggest problem he will face besides fatigue is the fact that one of the chemo drugs--oxiliplatin--causes extreme sensitivity to the cold, especially in hands and feet. It has started to affect him a little bit, but we've been warned that as the treatment continues and the drugs build up in his system it could get more severe. So we just have to be very careful about bundling him up good to go outside, making sure the car is all warmed up, and keeping him away from the fridge and freezer (no cold drinks or anything). Its a tough time of year to start a treatment that causes sensitivity to the cold, but if it keeps him healthy in the long run, it is all worth it, in my opinion! So, one treatment down, and 11 more to go! The treatment is every other week, so he won't have to get more until December 3rd. we have to go back to UCONN next week for a quick checkup is all.

So things are progressing smoothly here so far! As far as how things are going besides chemo, things are great and we are looking at a busy holiday season full of friends and family. For Thanksgiving we will make the trip to Saratoga to spend with my family. I'm excited to see my parents and my grandma and be at home for a couple of days. We have various other parties and events throughout the month, including Doug's Grandma's 99th birthday! She is quite a lady. We are going to a concert on the 13th--one of Doug's favorite bands, and we are going to go down to NYC for a day to see Dennis and Elizabeth which we are really looking forward to. So Doug is doing great!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I know that I personally have a ton to be thankful for this year. I'm thankful for skilled doctors and advanced medical technology, I'm thankful for both of our wonderful families, and thankful for all of our friends who continue to love and support us. I'm also so thankful for Doug--we are truly a team and I'm so lucky to have him in my life. we've been through a lot, but we are stronger because of it.

Have a great holiday---eat lots of turkey! :-)
Love,
Lindsey