Lots has happened since my last post. The husband started and ended Keytruda treatment. His form of cancer responds to immunotherapy rather than chemotherapy. So an infusion of Keytruda every 3 weeks with tests, consults with the oncologist, and so on. After his second infusion, he became dangerously ill. A trifecta of effects resulted: myositis, myocarditis, and hepatitis. Bad stuff. Really bad stuff. Had he had the 3rd infusion, he would have died. So, he was immediately put on prednisone. Yes, I know. Prednisone has its own complications. But he's done very well on it and is now coming down on Wed to a 5mg tablet every other day.
His numbers are fine. Echo cardiogram, etc are all fine. Very very slowly, after in-house PT, he is starting to get stronger. Must use a walker for support, along with a cane. He's learned how to go up and down stairs properly. He has lots of good exercises, and out-patient PT will really get him strong and, hopefully, to the gym.
It is a lonely process. Our kids come when they can,Call and text us. Siblings are there, too. Friends respond often. But at the end of the day, it's totally on us. Nobody can walk this with us. We're fortunate that we love each other and are patient with each other. We spend a lot of time discussing our feelings. But it is truly lonely and difficult. There has been no cancer treatment even discussed since the onset of the Keytruda effects. Not much point in talking about cancer when the treatment is killing you. So, I don't know where we go from here. We have an oncologist appointment next week, and we shall see.
I'm lucky that I am a crafty woman. Knitting and quilting keep me happy, and he's better enough so that I can do errands and leave him home alone.
And in progress, a Jacob's Ladder quilt.All the blocks are made, and I'm now sewing the rows.
And on the knitting front,yet another sock. Always have a sock in progress. Always. You never know if you will be in the ER for hours. Plus, it's something to do while waiting for the endless doctor appointments. The sock bag sits right next to my pocketbook. And not only does it contain yarn and sock-in-progress, but also pretzels and leftover airplane food.
And that's the story, Morning Glory.
2 comments:
I’m sorry you are going through all this. My husband was diagnosed with multiple myeloma earlier this year, but fortunately it’s still in a pretreatment stage. I can just imagine the stress you are going through.
Hi, Lorette, Thanks for comment! My husband has Merkel cell carcinoma. Keytruda was the prescribed medication. And what a mess! He's just now starting to get some strength in his legs. Graduated from in-house PT, and will go to outpatient probably next week with the ultimate goal of getting him to the point of going to the gym. Cancer treatment? Who knows? They did remove a lump from his groin back in March, and got all of the cancer. But whether or not it has spread is anybody's guess. His PET scan back in May was fine. We just take one day at a time at this point.
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