Another short break from Chemotherapy

I know it’s only yesterday that I blogged so I shall keep it short but I mentioned I was waiting to speak to my oncologist Dr Pedley.
I had my blood taken yesterday to see if I can go-ahead for chemo on Wednesday.
During this, I am also ‘scored’ on how I have been over the last two weeks since the previous chemo.

How bad was the nausea and vomiting?
How bad is the neuropathy?
How bad was the pain and diarrhea?
Any new alopecia?
What are your energy levels like?
How was your sleep? etc.

My nurse told me that the scores were low and that she would need to speak to Dr Pedley, she also said that she’d give him a nudge that he’d promised me a call and hadn’t yet.
Dr Pedley called me about 16:00 and told me I was actually in his diary to call today anyways but although my blood test results weren’t in just yet, he was expecting them to be too low and that my scores were too low for me to receive chemo on Wednesday. He wants me to take a short break, just a week or two. Get my stats back, recharge my batteries if you will and then get back on it.

He went on to explain that he knows it’s only been a month since I restarted chemotherapy again but it’s not like we are taking 6 months off either. With things like a BP of 135/98, and resting heartbeat of about 80 bpm, the worst thing we could do is try and plough on and make me even sicker.
I did try and fight the case that I want this chemotherapy to be effective, I don’t want to do anything that affects the efficacy of this chemo by “taking breaks all the time” I asked if the break only be for a week but Dr Pedley went all adult on me and said NO! He wants me to take two weeks off. So I am having two weeks off.

Actually, it’s more than just two weeks off, he is cancelling treatment #9 altogether, meaning that only treatments #10, 11 and 12 remain in this current cycle and he also went on to explain that he is going to reduce the dosage of the final three treatments too, this won’t change the effectiveness of the treatment, it should reduce the side effects and I can just soldier on for the next rescan in about eight weeks time.

I can’t say I am surprised, I don’t think Kerry, my friends or my family that I have already told are surprised either. The pain and side effects I have been experiencing are at an all time high and my energy to do anything is at an all time low. So, a couple weeks off, recharge my batteries and get right back on it. If the weather keeps up at least I can enjoy it a little.

Just thought I’d let you all know.

-Cam