This week has been a roller coaster. Two hours after I posted last time, Erik was readmitted to the hospital with a really high fever. He was in for two days, and they did every kind of test imaginable to make sure there was no infection anywhere. The fever finally came down a little, and after ruling everything else out, they decided it was just a really strong initial reaction to the trail drug. He went home on Friday and had a reasonably quiet weekend - the fever stayed high, but didn't go over the safe threshold.
Monday: Another round of tests, a meeting with the pain management team, and a biopsy of his lungs, which went well but was pretty painful. He was conscious during the procedure, which he really didn't enjoy.
Tuesday: Back to give more blood because there was some delivery problem of his Monday blood to the lab, and it had to be redone.
Wednesday: Nice quiet day!
Thursday: Yet more labs, and a visit with Dr. Davis before the first round of chemo. She had results from the CT scan they took last week, and unfortunately the news is, again, not good. The cancer is growing really, really fast. There's a new mass at the site of the surgery, which probably accounts for the increased pain in his hip. Also there are new tumors in his lungs, and the old ones are lots larger than just two weeks ago. That's definitely contributing to the worsening cough. She would usually wait through a few cycles of the chemo before testing again, but because these are growing so fast, she's going to take another scan before the next round, and they'll evaluate whether or not to continue.
So far, Erik's tolerating the chemo really well. He's got several anti-nausea medications and some high-test cough syrup, and has been feeling tired, but otherwise pretty ok. Some of the pills also cause drowsiness, which is handy - he got his first full night of sleep last night since before the surgery.
His attitude is still so energetic and hopeful! The plan is that the trial drug and the chemo will be able to do what they're designed to do, and shrink the tumors. We'll find out in three weeks, but in the meantime any thoughts, prayers, good vibes, or healthy energy in that direction would be gratefully received! Thank you so much for all you've already sent, and for your notes and wishes - you're the best family and friends ever!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I'M STILL FIGURING OUT HOW TO REMOVE THE LINKS BELOW, BUT IN THE MEANTIME
PLEASE DO NOT SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA - THANK YOU!
