Chemo is Underway

Chemotherapy started again on Friday, February 4th with three IV infusions;  Carmustine (BiCNu), Velcade (Bortezomib) and Gemcitabine (Gemzar).  Clancy tolerated them quite well and is feeling good.  Not great, but better than OK.  The medical staff says he should start feeling a little worse by Sunday afternoon (just in time for kickoff). 

Monday he will repeat Velcade and Gemcitabine.  Melphalan will be added and he's finished with Carmustine.  Melphalan can produce bad mouth sores and he must eat ice chips constantly during the 90 minute infusion.  It's a worthwhile inconvenience to avoid the unpleasant side effects. 

He continues to take a steroid, Dexamethasone, that produces insomnia.  He's currently taking it for 4 days then is off for 3 days, just long enough to catch up on some zzz's.  Dex will be one of his maintenance drugs and will be with him for the next 18 months (4 of every twenty-one days).  That amounts to one bad week and two good ones.  There will be a way to manage it and life will go on splendidly.