Concern over my progress in my battle vs. stage 4 liver cancer

Today I am heading back to the VA in Madison to have my CADD chemo pump removed concluding 46 hours of chemo infusion over the past three days.

 I entered my fourth chemo treatment with some significant concern from my oncologist, Ticiana A. Leal, MD.

 The biggest concern centers around an unforeseen 10 lb. weight loss over the past two weeks.  The other concern stems from the difficulty in dealing with chemo.  Excessive fatigue, nausea and vomiting tops the list..  I was prescribed additional medicine to deal with the situation earlier this week.  It seems to be working well.

 As far as dealing with the weight loss issue, Dr. Leal wants me to eat more despite nausea.  I had my first restaurant meal in the past month on Tuesday… Pasta with salad and cheddar rolls.  I have also been filling myself on soups, noodles, yogurt, and pudding on nearly a continuous basis in a bid to increase my weight. I’ll find out the results this afternoon.

 The excessive weight loss issue rocked me for the first 24 hours. After lengthy telephone conversations with my daughter’s Aimee and Kim the past couple of days that “fighting attitude” has returned for me.

 As the saying goes… Having a rough morning?  Place your hand over your heart. Feel that?  That’s called purpose.  Your alive for a purpose. Don’t give up.