More chemo, more nausea

After over six months of chemotherapy injections, it seems the accumulation of the stuff is catching up with Susan. For the last two treatments, she began feeling nausea even during her infusions and started vomiting within hours. These episodes have been tough. Last Wednesday, the vomiting lasted overnight and into Thursday morning on about two-hour intervals – and this followed an extra heavy dose of Zofran for nausea before she left the treatment center. After a long night, I was able to get a different anti-nausea medication going. She stabilized. Up until month five on the Avastin/CPT-11 regimen, Susan had no nausea at all when having Zofran the day of and the two days following chemo. She would be tired, but not nauseous. While Avastin doesn’t seem to be an issue, evidently Susan’s tolerance for CPT-11 has waned. As a result, Dr Nghiemphu (back from maternity leave – it’s a girl!) said she’ll give Susan a different drug for nausea next week or just give her a break from the CPT-11. Seeing Susan as ill as she was made me wonder if we were headed for another hospitalization or who knows what. I’m just glad she snapped back well after several days’ rest.

Our insurance company approved Rehab Without Walls to begin working with Susan for the aggressive, in-home therapy – almost exactly 12 months from when the team began treatment last time. We met today with the physical and occupational therapists and will meet tomorrow with the speech therapist. It was great having Tracy and Kim back with Susan since this round of therapy promises to be another effective step toward independence at home. We discussed Susan’s goals for unassisted activities of daily living, housekeeping, and homework supervision. Tracy got her using her single-point cane instead of her walker and worked with her to overcome an acutely sore right shoulder and strengthen the muscles she needs to get up from a chair. Kim got her back into the kitchen with a quiz about the contents of each cupboard and drawer. I’d say Susan is physically weaker but cognitively stronger than she was a year ago. We all expect her to make rapid progress and sustain the encouraging path she’s on right now.

While trying to get home from Westwood last week, Susan was getting sick, we were stuck in gridlock on Wilshire Blvd behind some police activity, and we desperately needed to find a bathroom. I shucked and jived into a u-turn and aimed for the driveway next to a bank building, figuring we could use the facilities there. The driveway led to a narrow alley with no parking, but as we proceeded I saw a grassy area and a home-like building and knew we’d stumbled upon Pierce Brothers Westwood Cemetery. The lady there was very gracious to us as I explained our need, so we found a little God-given sanctuary among the skyscrapers. Susan was able to take all the time she needed before we made our way back to the car. As we thanked the lady I asked whether she knew my cousin Jim Biby, who’s an area director for the company that operates the property. She said she knows Jim and that he would be visiting there the next day, so I was able to leave a greeting for him. As I drove around the roadway on the way out, I pointed out some of the gravesites I noticed to Susan, like Merv Griffin (“I will not be back after this message”), Rodney Dangerfield (“There goes the neighborhood”), Marvin Davis, and Mel Torme. It wasn’t quite like seeing Mel Brooks at Junior’s Deli or John McCain on the 405, but was sort of a celebrity sighting nonetheless.