Avastin/Irinotecan Infusion #1 Progress Report

Medical Update

I got my first infusion treatment today:

1. Aloxi, to prevent nausea
2. Dexamethasone, a steroid to prevent allergic reaction
3. Avastin, to starve the tumor
4. Irinotecan, a chemotherapy to cause apoptosis of cancer cells, inhibiting the tumor from growing.

It took about 4.5 hours, start to finish. Eight hours later, I feel good, even a little peppy possibly from the steroid.

That’s all for relevant medical information. The rest of this post is not of much interest unless you’re keeping tabs on my psychologial devolution.

Tina Saves the Day

This won’t be a surprise to those who know us, but once again, Tina takes the bull by the horns. She doesn’t accept an unacceptable answer. She fixes problems.

Last week they told us Carboplatin was not approved for me. Tina contacted our insurance company to find out why. Turns out it was an administrative shortcoming (as I see it). I could have been approved but the finance department didn’t do their due diligence to get it done. Our view on this was, “Ok, fine, we’ll see how treatment goes and maybe add Carbo later. Afterall Avastin and Irinotecan are the Big Two in which we were interested.”

But at our 9:15 appointment this morning the RN informed us that the Irinotecan was also not approved for today. Within 10 minutes Tina had confirmation from the insurance company that it too could be approved and she guided the doctor’s office on how to get the required approval on the spot. We were not leaving without the infusion. Problem solved.

The update gets a bit ridiculous beyond this point. All true, but silly.

Side Effect

I know I’m feeling some effects of the treatment because I drove down to get Tina a slice of Fellini’s pizza and really enjoyed listening to some pop song on the radio. This will be a clear sign to those close to me that something is wrong.

Preventative maintenance

I have to wipe my ass with baby wipes in order to prevent this side effect. I’ll spare you the details.

Limited contact

Tina and I will have to be more careful around each other. A variety of my “bodily fluids” are considered hazardous waste for 48 hours after treatment. Condoms; separate loads of laundry; those sorts of inconveniences.

Ace up my sleeve

As a last resort, I’m going to ask my friend Lane Keener to cook a special meal for me. Lane has literally saved my life on two separate occasions with his cooking. Once in Greensport, AL. Again in Gatlinburg, TN. Sounds exaggerated, but I have witnesses.