Xanax, Steriods and Doc Appt. and TUMOR is RESPONDING!

Back from my doctors appt with my physician assistant. Good news is she asked if I could feel any difference in the tumor. I said I don't think I can be objective about that because things were so swollen from the needle biopsy that I can't tell if things are smaller or just the swelling has gone away but things feel....(I wasn't sure how to put it into words) and she finished my sentence for me by saying different? I said yes it feels different. She says well can I see (what she meant was feel but seeing I guess sounds nicer but really what the heck is she going to see) and I say sure and lift the my shirt so she can cop a feel. This is the third time she has seen me and knows now I don't have a problem lifting the shirt for to take a gander and cop a feel because man I just hate the hassle of those damn gowns. Never have managed to get one on right. So she is feeling around and she is nodding her head up and down and she breaks out in a big smile and says oh its responding and the next round you are going to notice even more. Now that's happy news. I said well if I was going to describe what I feel I would say things feel softer, she says yes its softer its responding.

She was very please with how I was doing. And she feels I will have an easier time of it this round. We have decided Metamucil and if that isn't doing the trick to help with only one table spoon of milk of mag and if I haven't gone by the end of the day another one table spoon of milk of mag until I go. So no stool softner and no blasting away with everything. Let's all keep our fingers crossed.

Doing Emend this time. Its what my chemo nurse wanted me on. Its an anti nausea med. I take one pill one hour before chemo and then one day 2 and 3. Physician assistant didn't think I needed Emend since I did well on the Zofran but, she said since I have to go ahead and do it and see if its better than the Zofran. She said maybe it will help with the bowels who knows see if you think its better than the Zofran if not then next round you can just do the Zofran again. Its expensive is what the deal is. Cost for three pill is usually around $300. For me with my insurance $178. But, hell I figure I'm not going to be on this stuff for life and if it makes these last rounds better I spending the money. But will wait and see.

I'm really happy with the care I'm getting in regards that I get a lot of input and say into things.

Now today I started my steroids. I have to take steroids the day before, of and after chemo. It helps prevent reactions to the chemo and boosts energy so the chemo doesn't hit you so hard.

The first round of chemo I had I didn't take my steroids right. Only took one pill twice a day. I'm suppose to take two pills twice a day. So I only took half the dosage I was suppose to. So this round I took the two this morning and took two more a little late. I like to take them around 4pm so I'm not wound up at night but, I forgot to take them before I left for the doctors so I took them about 6:30. I am also continuing to float on Xanax today. So let me say this about Xanax and steroids, right now I'm at this nice mellow floating all is right with the world floaty place and at the same time feel I could build me a small village. Yea so weird. It has this kind of giddy feeling to it. Mellow and hyper and the same time.