FWTR - My Treatment

I want to start off by saying that if you're going to somehow develop a disease like this, I highly recommend having a brilliant, and caring medical professional in the house. Kelly, I can't imagine where I would be if I didn't have you alongside me through all of this. Whether it's interpreting lab results or translating medical-speak for me, or just generally taking care of me, I couldn't ask for a better partner. It's like I have my own personal medical staff at home!

Girls, I want you to know that I went as aggressive as possible with this treatment. Your mother and I made sure I had all the best doctors and medical professionals overseeing my care throughout this entire ordeal. My oncologist is the medical director, my hepatologist is the director of living donor liver transplant, my surgeons are all top-notch, I have the dream team.

Every other week treatments have definitely taken a toll on all of us. I know it causes your mother a lot of stress with scheduling work and child care, and somehow finding an hour or two somewhere to sleep. She's the real hero in this story.

After having my initial surgery to remove the colon tumor I was able to take a short break to recover before starting chemotherapy. The regimen that I signed up for is generally considered to be the most aggressive first line treatment for colon cancers, FOLFOXIRI + Avastin (added about 5 cycles in). It's a combination of a number of different chemo agents that work together to muck with the cancer's ability to replicate and thrive in my body. If you want to learn more about folfoxiri check out this link here (provided it's still active). Chemo days generally involved me getting blood drawn, meeting with my oncology team, and then sitting in an uncomfortable chair or stretcher for 4-5 hours while this poison is slowly infused into my blood. You guys might remember me coming home with a fanny pack that we had to be gentle with. That little black bag held the last part of my chemo which needed to infuse over 48 hours (that's why we often had to go back to the hospital to ditch the fanny pack).

After getting home from initial infusions it wasn't uncommon for me to hibernate like a bear for a few days, and I'm sorry that we lost that time together. The chemo makes me feel horrible. Zero stars. No thumbs up. Certified rotten. I have always told anyone who asked that the cancer doesn't make me feel sick, the chemo does. The odd thing is that it doesn't always hit me exactly the same. Sometimes after my hibernation I feel pretty decent. Sometimes days or even a week later it hits me again and I feel miserable.

The chemo itself isn't without it's long-term effects. As of now I have done 18 infusions of folfoxiri, which is pretty uncommon due to the neuropathy that one of the drugs creates in my hands and feet. Most people will drop that agent after 8-12 rounds, but I have decided to push through, because this stuff works, and I'm doing everything I possibly can to spend even a second more with you all.

Again the chemo sucks, it's awful, but it works for me. And as long as it works, I'm going to keep doing it and hopefully we can make it to that transplant.