Round 2, Day 2
To bring those of you we don't speak to regularly up to speed, Kerry was home for the last 2 weeks recuperating from his last round of Interluken 2. By the end of the 2 weeks, he said he was feeling about 90-95% of normal (with the exception of having itchy skin). He was even able to go to a bluegrass jam -- which I think for him is similar to a long session of meditation. That 2 week respite ended yesterday when he started Round 2 of the Interluken 2 treatment. This round will be another 5-6 days in the hospital. He will have 14 possible infusions of IL2 (every 8 hours for 5 days -- just like last time.) The nurses worn us that many patients don't get as many the second time because patients have a stronger reaction. So far he has had 4 infusions.
They say that the response is unpredictable from one week of Interluken 2 treatment to the next -- and that seems to be true for Kerry too. This time Kerry started off with prickly skin and low blood pressure after the first bolus of IL2. So they are giving him IVs of saline and, if needed, neosynephrine to keep his blood pressure up. I kinda
feel like he is a big cake for which they are trying to get all of the ingredients
right -- but the way the ingredients react is unpredictable. Anyway,
nothing life threatening so far. Also he hasn't had any of the bad chills or fevers yet. Last night he thought he was having a weird reaction because his nose was getting really cold -- but it turned out that heat in his room had gone out temporarily and the temperature had dropped to 64 degrees (pretty cold when your wearing one of the open backed hospital gowns).
Seth came over to the hospital last night and watched a movie with Kerry. Another potential side effect of the medicine is that Kerry seems to be watching a lot of foreign kung-fu/chase type movies which have not previously been in his repertoire. No one warned us about that. But we really have been appreciating the gift of a few months of Netflix to get us through the long days in the hospital when Kerry is not napping or being prodded by a nurse.
Nice analogy Maggie! I love the cake idea. Well if Tex is to be a cake I think it will have some almond paste in it somewhere. The color will be a bit on the blues side and I am sure it will be perfect! Maybe it will be decorated with Kung-Fu characters.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great updates. We really appreciate them as we are too many miles away.
PS: if Kerry gets the chills...crawl in bed with him and hold him close. This really woks well. It has been my favorite treatment for yeas.
Lynne and Daniel
According to knowledgeable sources, shredded coconut is the solution for shedding skin. Kung-FU!!! Holy baloney, this is serious.
ReplyDeleteDaniel
Sitting here on the sidelines cheering you on. Shall I chant "BanJO! BanJO!" or something more traditional like "Go, Kerry, go!"?
ReplyDeleteMary Anne in Kentucky