Once again, Matt had a great (if chemotherapy can ever be considered great...) appointment. His audiological testing was still the same, so no evidence of hearing loss. We were thrilled with that! Unfortunately, even if there is hearing loss, they simply want to monitor it and will then help him with speech therapy and hearing aids after chemo. So, we're hoping for no hearing loss - or only a tiny bit.
Matt's clinic visit also went well. They decided not to cut his dose, since his treatment didn't have to be delayed. The oncologist felt like even if his counts were wacky during the month, that as long as they came up by the next appointment, we could stick with the scheduled dose. I am glad we didn't have to compromise treatment by cutting the dose! They also decided not to do a transfusion, even though his hematocrit was still a bit low. We and the oncologist also discussed next month. Matt is scheduled for full MRI's of his brain and spine. I am beyond anxious to see if the chemo. is doing it's job!
Matt did great during 'infusion'. He watched a movie and ate Skittles and drank Sprite. It feels sort of weird to be so nonchalant during the chemo. infusion. However, on the ride home it starts to affect him. He gets really sleepy and the thought of food starts making him queasy. You can just tell how hard it is on his body. I am hoping, though, that this month mimics last month. I know it's a lot to hope for, but I am the ultimate optimist. :-)
Lastly, I think we found a type of bandage that Matt is responding well to! I don't know if I've mentioned it, but he has been having pretty severe allergic reactions to the 'tegaderm' dressing they put over his Broviac site. So, we then tried a white cloth type dressing called 'primapore' which he reacted even more strongly to! His entire chest was red and rashy and itchy and raw. It looked so awful! FINALLY, last week we discovered 'duoderm'. This is a type of bandage used to treat bedsores and it has healing medications inside of it. Last week they put one on, and today when it was changed his site looked so much better! We're also cleaning the site with 1/2 strength hydrogen peroxide and betadine instead of chloraprep and alcohol. Hopefully these strategies will keep his chest healed and comfortable!
So, that was our entire day. I'll let everyone know how he seems to be doing tomorrow and Friday!
Love,
-Alli
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4 comments:
We're so glad to hear that Matt's responding well and that you have the bandage situation figured out. We can't wait to hear about the MRIs. We'll keep praying for good news.
Wow, Allison! You've really got the medical lingo down. You could write for a TV show! Keep up the good work. We pray for you and your family everyday. :)
Way to go Matt and Alli! So glad to hear you made it thru that. I thought of you often yesterday and was wondering how things were going. Sounds like you are on top of things. Matt is blessed to have you for a mom. We love you!
You are amazing Alli, I just wanted you to know you are in our family's hearts and prayers. My whole life I've heard all about how wonderful you are and I've always looked up to you, and you've continued to live up to your reputation. We love you guys, best wishes, and hope to see you soon. -Karrianne
P.S. I know you've got to be crazily busy lately, but I thought I'd give you our blog address if you ever get a minute to spare. :)harrisfamilyof4.blogspot.com
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