Relatively speaking, Biff is doing well this go round. It isn't all peaches and cream but compared to last round, it's going MUCH better. I know a lot of folks have likely seen his "chemo grenade" picture posted on Facebook. I played with putting some backgrounds behind him, too, just for fun:
He such a great subject - all that experience getting his picture taken over the years. I never had the knack that he does. Although sometimes, well, here's a picture I took yesterday:
That pained expression on his face! I took the picture to show him how crooked his shoulders are, but he wasn't into it. LOL (His right shoulder has been bothering him for quite a while now, and I hadn't noticed before how uneven he's carrying them until yesterday. This is now on the list to discuss with his new Primary Care Physician when we finally meet her on Friday.)
As the picture implies, he's still eating and drinking! He had a piece of salmon and sweet potato fries. His appetite isn't always great but no nausea or anything. He is, unfortunately, having some mouth pain, and his lips are burning, too - but there doesn't seem to be the swelling that happened last time. By this point in the cycle last time, though, he hadn't been able to eat or drink for a couple of days - and he fell the next day and ended up in the hospital for over a month.
This time around, he's holding onto his strength a lot more, even though he does get fatigued. And he's able to eat and drink in spite of the relatively minor pain in his mouth. Not sure he is yet past the worst of that in this cycle, but he should start to get past the side effects soon. As it was explained to us initially, they expect the nadir (the worst days) to be in the week after he wears the chemo grenade, so we are still learning how that will go this time. Hopefully he'll feel much better and free from any mouth burning/pain next week.
Only to start the cycle again the week after that. Deep breath.
Last week, the worst day was Wednesday, July 26th, when he felt horrible all day. Turns out he forgot to take his usual morning medications, which didnt help. We cancelled his PT that day, and he didn't try to walk with me and Bopper. Luckily, taking his usual meds the next day, he felt much better. He was still sleeping when I took Bopper for his walk early in the morning (gets too hot to wait until later), and I let him sleep. He felt restless later on, so we all took a drive around the area, going through a local park twice:
Bopper does not like to be left alone and loves car rides!
We are seeing more trembling in his hands recently. He's been fully off that medication for about a month now, and hopefully it is helping with the dry mouth issues (we also have a humidifier going non-stop again), but the trembling can be frustrating for him. Still, all things considered, nothing too dramatic. As he puts it, he feels "achy and shaky" at times. No surprise, I suppose. Chemo is brutal to the body - bound to have some reaction.
On Friday, July 28th, Biff was up and took the walk again.
He only took one rest break: Click here to see a short video of a couple of cuties! (I could not get videos to load on the blog today after hours of trying, so links instead!)
Then we headed back to the Infusion Center to have the pump removed. Although I couldn't hang with him inside, sitting in the hall every time the door opened, we could see each other. He texted me to let me know. That's him sitting in the chair under the window.
I took this picture through the window in the door.
While I waited in the hall, a guy arrived with his dog - no dogs allowed inside the Infusion Center, but they were prepared, parking the dog in the hallway with his mat and stuffed dog toy (he was obviously used to it):
Such a good dog!
A few minutes later, the guy came back out to give him water: Click here to see short video - so sweet!
Biff and I had to wait a little extra because the Oncologist wanted to check Biff's mouth, and he was in a meeting when we arrived. Got a bit of their encounter on video: Click here to see a very short clip of doc checking Biff's mouth - before the door closed on me.
I wish I'd gone ahead and gone in for the conversation. Biff told me later the doctor said if we can't control the impact on his mouth, he may not be able to continue this treatment. Biff was left uncertain what that means exactly. The doctor ordered a prescription "magic mouthwash" that we picked up before we headed back home. It does help, and certainly the mouth problem is much reduced this time. We'll find out more about what the doctor thinks about the situation when we go in to see him tomorrow.
Biff had physical therapy the next day, and he took the walk in the morning the day after that. He continues to eat and drink pretty well. He's having some trouble sleeping at night, but his strength is holding up.
Monday, July 31st, he was pretty active. He helped me assemble a storage box we got for the pool deck out back (so I could clear "outdoor" stuff from inside the house in the ongoing project to purge and reorganize). I was so proud of both of us! It was too hot to do the work outside - hell, it was too hot to do it inside, but at least we had A/C and a fan.
Before.
After. Bopper supervised throughout.
AND... the new washer and dryer were finally installed. And I'm thrilled to announce they are working beautifully!
He had his last session of physical therapy yesterday. And we went out to lunch and then hit Menchie's for a little dessert. Very refreshing!
Tomorrow we'll find out what the Oncologist is thinking about how this cycle is going. And we finally see his new PCP on Friday - where we have a list of questions, including whether he can get more PT and if there is anything they can do to help with the shoulder, etc.
So, more news soon. In the meantime, step by step, onward and onward. The battle is engaged again, but we are better prepared this time, and it seems to be tolerable (easy for me to say). I'd say my main worry at the moment is whether his mouth will "heal" back up fast enough to do the next chemo round as scheduled... We'll see.
That, and my concerns about Bopper when he has to be left home alone. Honestly, I'm not quite sure I'm ready for a new dog just yet, but it breaks my heart to see Bopper get so upset when we both go out without him. He's dashed out the door to the car twice, refusing to come back in. We've had to let him go ahead and get in the car to catch hold of him and carry him back in the house - which kills me! And, oh man, the lecture he gives us when we get back... He's quite "verbal" when he's excited, makes some crazy sounds at times. But it's a whole new level for those "lectures' when he's been left home alone these days. So, yeah. Looking for a rescue, preferably no more than 25 lbs., 8 months to a couple years old... We've actually checked out the shelter where we got both Snookie and Bopper, but all the dogs are too big for us. I love big dog, seriously, but we can only handle so much and have to be smart about this.
Now for a funny story (although gross for some, I'm sure). Bopper often will back his butt up to a bush or something to do his poop dance. This week, he left a couple of piles in strategic spots that I just had to capture.
If you want to see, click "Read more" below. For those brave enough to face pictures of poop, there is also one other cool thing (totally unrelated to Biff or Bopper)...
(Sorry for the weird angle of the picture.)
And now for something totally unrelated...
Last night I took out some recycling late, and the moon was full and gorgeous:
Brighter than the streetlight!
Then I remembered that my new phone's camera is supposed to be able to take better pictures of the moon "close up," so I gave it a try - none of these three pictures (above/below) have been enhanced in any way:
Wow.
I mean, WOW!!!
More updates coming soon. Hope everyone is staying safe from all weather and heat! 💕
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