Short story: As I begin Chemotherapy Round 2 today, I’m fine.
Long story: My apologies for my lack of postings here on the blog since my Chemo Day 1. I know that it is frustrating for those that navigate here to the blog, simply to find that I have not posted any new updates.
Because the chemotherapy has left me in relatively good physical condition, I have been working a full schedule back at work, which has occupied most of my time bandwidth. (Excuses, excuses.)
At the end of my previous post (Chemo Day 1), I mentioned that I was going to “hop back in my car and head home.” Actually, because I was feeling so well, I headed down the hill a few blocks, back to the office.
As is typical, I focused on my work tasks at my old desk at the North Office Building (NOB), and I lost track of the time. Compounding my focus was the fact that my desk phone extension was at my new office location at the Metro office building, and my cell phone battery had run down without warning me and it wouldn’t ring when people dialed my cell phone. As a result, my family was unable to reach me, and they became rather frantic.
At about 9:00 p.m. Friday evening, worried that I had keeled over somewhere as a result of the chemo, my daughters called my manager, Bill Johnson, and LDS Church Security responsible for the NOB. A few minutes later, a security officer approached me, asking my name. When I told him that I am Dave Hunt, he said, “Good…your family has been looking for you, worried that you were off the road in a ditch somewhere.”
I immediately called home and set everyone’s mind at ease. I also packed up and headed home.
The side effects of Round 1 of chemotherapy were nearly unnoticeable:
* Side Effect/Unusual Sensation (SEUS) #1 –
Hyper-sensitivity to cold temperatures: After I returned home and had a bite of dinner, I finished my meal with a glass of cold milk. I thought that the refrigerator had been on too high since the milk went down my throat feeling like there was a layer of sharp ice crystals scraping their way down. I looked in the glass and saw no ice. Then I realized that, as advertised by my oncologist, I would have “peripheral neuropathy” caused by cold temperatures.
* SEUS #2 –
Hiccoughs: At about 4:00 a.m., I awoke to an annoying case of hiccoughs. (I rarely get hiccoughs.) The only way I could get rid of them (and go back to sleep) was to get a plastic shopping bag and re-breathe my own carbon dioxide until the hiccoughs disappeared (after about 45 seconds of re-breathing). I had to use this “home-brew CO2” remedy every half-hour or so all day (and night) Saturday and Sunday until the offending medication (Decadron/Dexamethazone anti-emetic) had worn off.
* SEUS #3 –
Nausea and Vomiting: Once the anti-emetic wore off, I then had the pleasure of nausea and vomiting on Monday. Because I was naïve about my side effects (having a false sense of security from my being relatively unscathed to this point), I had not filled the prescription for post-infusion anti-nausea medicine. So after having to miss work on Monday due to this SEUS, my daughter, Kristie, kindly filled my anti-emetic Phenergan prescription. Once I started with this Rx, SEUS #3 disappeared.
* SEUS #4 –
Energy Deficit: accompanying SEUS #3 on Monday was a day of malaise and no energy. It only lasted through Monday. (Now that I’m aware of that SEUS, I can anticipate it and adjust my workload appropriately, so, hopefully, no need to miss work.)
After making it past Monday’s (April 27) SEUSes, it has been clear sailing through today (Friday, May 8), as I sit through my second round of chemo here at Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) in Murray, Utah. The cold sensitivity disappeared completely by Thursday, April 30, so I could go back to enjoying my cold glasses of water and milk.
I still haven’t lost any hair yet. I need a haircut rather badly…I’m pretty shaggy in back (although I’d never allow myself to appear “mulletty”). I figured why get a haircut if I’m going to shave my head at the first sign of “hair loss by the handsful”
. My Aunt Elaine never did lose any hair during her chemotherapy treatments, so if I haven’t lost any hair by Round 3, I’ll give in and get a decent haircut.
At this point in my Round 2 treatment today, I’m done with the in-hospital part of my infusion, but we’re waiting for the arrival of my “GameBoy” infuser, which accidently ended up at the LDS Hospital Infusion Clinic instead of here at IMC’s infusion unit.
On the HomeFront, dear friends, family, and professionals finished the laying of laminate flooring in our kitchen, dining room, and front entry way, along with carpeting in the living room, library, hallway, stairway, and back bedroom. Two-tone painting is complete in the living room, library, front entry, and back bedroom, with finishing coat in the hallway. We still need to do base boards and moulding between the two tones in the living room and replace the banister on the staircase.
As an added “touch”, Kevin and Kristie decided that during the next couple of weeks (under the professional direction of friend and neighbor plumbing contractor, Brad Zarbock), the main bathroom needed redoing, as well: replacing the bath/shower tile, flooring, toilet, vanity, and water fixtures. They certainly have more energy than Nancy and I ! (Thanks, you guys, for this added flourish.)
So, until next update, thanks for all of the wonderful thoughts, prayers, faith, support, encouragement, and success stories of friends and loved ones.
Love and Happy Mothers’ Day to all of you Moms and to those of you who have Moms.
Dave and Nancy
