A plan...

So we met with the oncologist today, it was a long day and I'm very tired. I didn't realize that it wasn't just a meeting with the doctor, but paperwork first, meeting with the P.A., meeting with the oncologist, the off for bloodwork, then x-rays, then a CT scan. They were backed up in CT and it looked like I might not get in till 8 pm so I bailed out and will go back tomorrow for that. Ah, the luxury of living 2 miles away. Given my exhaustion, I'll just give the highlights and maybe elaborate tomorrow.

They're scheduling me to have a port put in, probably in about 2 weeks. In the meantime, I'll be having a scope done on the remaining portion of my colon to see if there are any other polyps or tumors (they couldn't scope past the tumor before). The CT will give them more info about the lesions on my liver and make certain there isn't any metastasis to my lungs or other organs. Assuming the liver, lungs, etc. are clear, I stay classified as Stage IIIC and start my chemo, probably in early February.

I'll be doing chemo every two weeks for 6 months, so twelve cycles total (I know my mathematically challenged friends appreciate that kind of help, right?). I'll go into MD Anderson for the first day of the infusion, then come home with a pump that will continue chemo for another 46 hours at home. Then I bring the pump back in and I'm done till the next cycle. Except for the side effects, which can fill your days with all kinds of fun between cycles. The chemo regimen I'm doing is called FOLFOX. I'll elaborate more on the actual drugs and side effects tomorrow. For today, I've become quite aware that although I'm feeling much less pain these days, I'm so prone to exhaustion from the smallest exertion. Of course, it didn't help that I stayed up till 3 am last night reading a trashy Twilight novel that Kathryn gave me. But regardless of who's to blame (either cancer or Kathryn, definitely not me), sleep is calling.