Chemotherapy Course Summary

Carl asked me recently how many chemotherapy "rounds" or "courses" he has been through. I didn't know, so I thought I would summarize them.  Websters dictionary defines a "course" of chemotherapy as a "series of doses or medications administered over a designated period".  Carl's doses of chemotherapy are three week blocks time.  He gets the chemo drugs to start the chemotherapy course, and the rest of the "course" is built in recovery time before he can get the drugs again. 

Dec 28, 2009 to Jan 1, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 1,
Main drug was Ifosomide, with concurrent radiation to the neck.

Jan 18, 2010 to Jan 22, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 2 - five days inpatient (meaning he stays at the hospital the whole time, overnight as well.)
Main drugs were Ifosomide and Adryomycin.

Feb 8, 2010 to Feb 12, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 3 - five days inpatient
Main drugs were Ifosomide and Adryomycin.

[ Feb 22, 2010 Pet Scan and MRI's. ]

Mar 1, 2010 to Mar 4, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 4 - five days inpatient
Main drugs were Ifosomide and Adryomycin.

April 19, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 5 
dose of ? on day 1 and day 8 with concurrent
[ April 20, to May 7, 2010] Weekday radiation treatments to the leg.

[ May 17, 2010 Pet Scan ]

May 24, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 6 - 
Day 1 and Day 8 dose of

Gemzar (also known as Gemcitabine) and
Taxotere, (generic name - Docetaxel)


June 24, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 7 - Day 1 and Day 8 dose of

Gemzar (also known as Gemcitabine) and
Taxotere, (generic name - Docetaxel)

July 12, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 8 - Day 1 and Day 8 dose of 
Gemzar (also known as Gemcitabine) and
Taxotere, (generic name - Docetaxel)

[ July 22, 2010 Pet Scan ]

Aug 9, 2010 to Aug 13, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 9 - five days inpatient
Main drugs were Ifosomide and Adryomycin.

Aug 31, 2010 to Sept 4, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 10 - five days inpatient
Main drugs were Ifosomide and Adryomycin.

Sept 24, 2010 to Sept 29, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 11 - five days inpatient
Main drugs were Ifosomide and Adryomycin.

[ Oct 4, 2010 Pet Scan ]

Oct 18, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 12 - Day 1 and Day 8 dose
Main drug was Irinotecan

Nov 11, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 13 - Day 1 and Day 8 dose
Main drugs were Irinotecan and Vinecristine

Dec 6, 2010 to Dec 10, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 14 - five days inpatient
Main drug was Ifosomide

Dec 27, 2010 to Dec 30, 2010 Chemotherapy Course No. 15 - five days inpatient
Main drug was Ifosomide

July 11, 2011 to July 14, 2011 Chemotherapy Course No. 16 - five days inpatient
Main drugs were Ifosomide and Etopocide

Lance Armstong only had to have 4 courses of Chemotherapy, according to Carl, who recently read Lance's book.
9122

A day of chemo

On Thursday, November 18, 2010, Carl got his chemotherapy with the main chemotherapy drugs Irinotecan and Vincristine. I say main drugs, because there are other drugs that they give along side of the chemotherapy drugs. They got blood drawback from his port (after a time) without the use of TPA. Carl got oral doses of 8mg Zolfran (also known as Ondancetron), and 10 mg Dexamethasone. Through the IV they gave him 0.2 mg of atropine. These first 3 drugs are given to prevent side effects from the main chemo drugs. The main chemo drugs follow - Carl was given 241 mg of Irinotecan in saline through the IV over 60 minutes, followed by 2 mg vincristine in saline over 15 minutes. We spent the time watching the parts of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 1.

I hope these drugs are effective and that Carl can continue getting them for quite some time. At the end of the month the Doctors will check to see if the drugs are holding back the tumor.

Thank you again for all the encouragement and prayers.

November Chemotherapy

On Thursday, November 11, 2010, Carl started a course of chemotherapy that featured the drugs Irinotecan and Vinchristine. The 'protocol' for this chemotherapy is a dose on Day 1 and Day 8. On Day 21, the patient can start the course again. The Day 1 and Day 8 doses are delivered through IVs into his port. He gets these doses at the outpatient Froedtert Cancer Center Day Hospital.


Under this protocol, Day 8 is tomorrow, Thursday, November 18, 2010. So tomorrow we will once again trek down to the Cancer Center. Carl will be connected to the IV for around 3 hours, making this one of the shorter chemotherapy sessions, although with the registration and waiting, we will end up being at the Cancer center more then 1/2 of the day.

Carl 'completed' one course of chemotherapy with the drug Irinotecan before, getting the drugs on Monday, October 18, 2010 and Monday, October 25, 2010. He tolerated the Irinotecan well, so the Doctor added the Vincristine to this course.

I hope these drugs are effective and that Carl can continue getting them for quite some time. At the end of the month the Doctors will check to see if the drugs are holding back the tumor.

Thank you again for all the encouragement and prayers.

So, isn't this kind of a boring post? I hope the photos from one of our trips to the pumpkin farm make it more cheery.


This last photo shows one of the side effects of the Adriomycin chemotherapy. (photo taken October 17, 2010.) Carl didn't loose all of his eyebrow or eyelash hair like some people do, but wow, did it thin out. Already his hair (and eyebrows, and eye lashes) are growing back in. Another reason I hope that Carl can use these drugs for quite some time.

Feeling tired

Carl said to me today - 'I just don't know why I feel so tired right now.'

Hmmm... let me think? Maybe a large dose of Irinotecan and Vincristine on Thursday has something to do with it?

Or possibly surviving a weekend with four active children.

Whatever.

October Update - Chemo Course 12

photo taken October 17, 2010


Fall colors, falling leaves, pumpkin farms, and yard work - October is more then 1/2 over, and we have been trying to enjoy autumn. The children are busy in school, and Anthony is busier then ever - being in the Homestead High School Play 'The Odyssey' means he can be gone from 6:30 AM to 9:00 PM at school, especially in this last week before the three performances on October 22-24, 2010. Carl had a brief break from Chemotherapy. Carl had inpatient chemotherapy at the beginning and end of September, three weeks apart, which resulted in him having no chemotherapy in the first half of October.

Visits to Froedtert continued, though. On Monday, October 4, 2010 Carl had some testing (a pet scan and a CT scan) to see what is happening to the tumor. The scan results showed that the tumor is not expanding, and is less active then before. Good News.

Carl has now completed six courses of chemotherapy with the effective and powerful drug Adriomycin (also known as Doxorubicin). The doctors won't be giving him any more. The patient that might have about a 2% chance of cardiac arrest after six doses of Adriomycin would possibly jump to a 18% chance with the 7th dose. Carl has now reached his maximum lifetime dosage.

On Monday, October 18, 2010 Carl had a course of chemotherapy with the drug Irinotecan, a new drug for him. It is the fastest chemotherapy session he has had, arriving at 9:00 AM and out by about 2:00 PM. On Tuesday, October 19, 2010 Carl felt well enough to go to work. Wow. Stay at home, relax, and recover; or distract yourself with a job you love? I understand that relaxing isn't so great when you are feeling under the weather, and I understand how distracting yourself from 'things' can work so well.

Carl will get a second dose of Irinotecan on Monday, October 25, 2010.

But before the 2nd dose, Carl and our family will watching Anthony in 'The Odyssey' - in fact, some of us will probably see every performance. Our whole family is looking forward to the weekend...