Day 60
Jackie came back home today to take her pulmonary function test. This test measurers your lung capacity to assess any lung damage. Bleomycin has a tendency to cause lung damage. I have read articles stating that Bleomycin works early on in treatments. Many doctors choose to take their patients off the drug towards the end of the treatment. Chemo treatment is a fragile balance between making sure the cancer cells have eradicated and keeping the risks of harming your body low. Jackie is only on treatment number 2, but she is responding better and better each day. Next week, if her blood count is normal, will be the third infusion.
Coming back home from a busy day a work and seeing a smiling face of your wife must be the best feeling. Even though it was a mere three days, the time seemed longer and slower. Maybe I still have a bit of my honeymoon stage in me.
Her hair has started to fall out minimally. There are more pieces found on the ground, but still able to be counted on my fingers and toes. Her rash has subsided and her skin is actually getting better from my observations. I wonder if the steroids that are mixed in with the treatment control her eczema better. I have read so many different blogs and personal testimonies on the side effects of chemo. I don’t ever see much of a correlation except nausea, hair loss, and possibly constipation. Every infusion results differently and every day is a mystery that awaits the next.