Update from Infusion 3

Hi Friends and family, apologies for the delay in update, as I've been feeling quite out of it from the last infusion.  Here's a few quick things:

Side effects after the infusion: The side effects this time after the infusion were concentrated in fatigue and nausea, and I didn't feel many of the similar side effects I usually do after an infusion.  There was no tingling of extremities, no slurred speech, no cramping of the hands, nor cramping of the legs, but as mentioned above, the fatigue and nausea were quite crippling this time around.  From the first day after the infusion to the end of day 3, I think I spent more than 80% of my time sleeping and resting.  It's like the feeling you get when you get the flu, just every two weeks.  The nausea was also stronger this time, requiring me to take my meds, which conveniently also have their own side effects which include blurred vision, more drowsiness, and sensitivity to sunlight.  After a few days, the nausea became manageable without the meds.

Prior to my infusion: meeting with the PA provided me with the information that unfortunately my white blood cell count and absolute neutrophil count were also found to be low, so my immune system is now somewhat compromised.  If you find that I am giving more distant greetings such as fist bumps and fewer hugs and kisses, this is why.  The PA perscribed a shot of neulasta, which stimulates the long bones in the body to create bone marrow and with it, white blood cells to help combat the bad stuff.  The side effect of this medication (so many side effects!), is that it causes aching in the bones, which was tolerable.

CEA update: The other bit of information to share is the CEA number, which again is a quick measure of the amount of tumor/cancer in the bloodstream.  Before the second infusion, it was 49.5 (down from over 99).  Before infusion 3, I was informed that the CEA has decreased to 19.0, which again is a positive indicator that the cancer is reacting as intended to the chemotherapy.  The PA was cautious again to show any reaction to this, as this number can not be depended on too heavily, as the real indicator of progress is the CT scan to show the affects of the chemo on the nodules and the large tumor in the colon.  At the very least, I am happy to see that this lightly weighted indicator is continuing to go in the right direction, and am hoping to see consistently positive results from the CT scan, scheduled for next Friday.