Phase one of treatment is complete.
Since the rough night I wrote about more than three weeks ago, Joseph was able to complete his second round of chemotherapy. He has finished all 30 sessions of radiation treatment as well. This first intense phase of treatment is complete. In another week, Joseph will have a CT of his chest. This is required to make certain nothing has gotten worse, but no one expects to see any positive effect of the treatment yet. That won’t be evident for several months. Now the waiting.
Joseph continues to have problems with his sodium and potassium levels. Usually, in the absence of drugs that alter these levels like diuretics, our bodies maintain this balance easily. Joseph is not on any medications that should cause this. His sodium has continued to be low, despite restricting his water intake and consuming amazing amount of salt. He puts salt in his coffee, six to eight packets of salt on a his hard boiled eggs. Uff. The testing points to the hormonal abnormality I mentioned before, SIADH.
His potassium has been normal, high, low, and critically low a week ago prompting a message from his team to go to Moffitt’s urgent care. There is nothing that explains these shifts. His kidney function is still good but the effects of the water restrictions are putting a strain on this—his creatinine levels have doubled. To top it off, his feet and ankles suddenly swelled up like balloons this last week, something Joseph never experienced before. No one can explain these fluctuations very well in the pulmonary oncology department, so Joseph is waiting to see nephrology. His appointment is not for a couple of weeks.
In this first phase of chemo radiation, Joseph has had very little nausea and no hair loss, those side effects that are so common in cancer treatment. He has been progressively fatigued and struggled with brain fog. Overall, he does not feel well at all. We were told he would feel progressively better over the next weeks as the side effects of the treatments wear off. I hope so!
I am weary. Between home and work, I have felt stretched thin. Finally, this past weekend, I caught up on some chores and the vacuuming. (We have a Roomba. All I needed to do was pick up the dog toys and press a button, but that felt like too much these past weeks.) I feel a little spark of energy again to putter around the yard, to write, and to plan some outings. Ah. Awe.
If all is well on the CT next week, Joseph will start monthly immunotherapy infusions. I pray that he feels better, that we feel more energy to enjoy life.
