Chemo-15 today.

I have had my fifteenth dose of Cetuximab today. This marks the completion of fifth cycle out of six cycles proposed until now at Bangalore Institute of Oncology(BIO). I went to the hospital today with (a) severe pain around the edges of my feet which were split in several areas thus affecting severely my walk and (b) lot of inflammatory abscesses in my face which were a major irritation.

A few highlights of today's chemo session:

• Blood counts marginally improved (primarily, the white blood count increased from 3.70 last week to 3.84 today, which is a marginal increase given that the minimum still has to be 4.0)
• Nursing staff was literally on their toes in finding a vein in my hands for the infusion of the chemo drug. Finally, after a couple of pricks in my right hand causing severe pain for me, they had found a vein in my right forearm (See the attached photograph)
• My doctor, Dr.Niti Narang, did not visit me today for the simple reason that by the time the intra-venal (IV) infusion had started, it was already 3 PM and that was the time when my doctor usually completes her duty. (Of course, the duty doctor, Dr.Kartik had a look at my blood report and inquired about my health in general)
• Waiting time for the admission into the recliner was more than one-and-half hours, which was way beyond my limits of patience!

One good news for me is that I need to take a one-week break from the Xeloda tablets until next monday :) These tablets usually are affecting my appetite and general sleeping patterns. Of course, stopping them for a week might not make a major impact on my lifestyle though it is a welcome relief for me!

(The photograph shows two-plastered areas where pricks were made for the intra-venal (IV) infusion. The first prick on the little finger did not give a good vein and the second prick in the forearm was successful in getting a good vein. One can observe that the area below the fingers was black and a bit swollen because of the multiple needle pricks that were done in this process of getting a good vein for the infusion of today's chemo drug.)