karenulijohn

Since the feverish weekend, Harvey has been feeling more like himself each day.  By Thursday, he was much improved and was even able to eat the chicken at Rotary.  For some reason, he had developed a severe aversion to even the thought of chicken, in any form.  He was feeling so well on Friday morning that he went to Lowe’s and bought some sod to replace the brown patches in the front and back lawns.  I suggested that he might be pushing it a bit considering what he had just been through, but then realized that I was just talking to myself.  He listens, smiles, agrees with me, and then goes on to do exactly as he wanted to all along.  On Sunday, we drove to San Mateo to spend time with our daughter and her family.  What a wonderful day that was, eating, laughing, playing cards, shopping, laughing (did I already say that?).  The time flies by and we are exhausted as we drive home, but only because we have enjoyed ourselves so much.

We went to see the oncologist, Dr. Colbourn, on Monday afternoon.  He was very interested to know the details of Harvey’s fevers, loss of appetite, and, it turns out, loss of five pounds since the last appointment.  Of course, he is supposed to keep a diary detailing these events which he has done, but he did not bring it along.  So, it falls to me to remember everything.  In any case, the Dr. assured us that, while he suspects the fevers are related to the Yervoy, it is not a signal that Harvey is experiencing a toxicity reaction to the drug, and therefore, we should not be too concerned.  I asked him what constitutes an emergency when it comes to high fever.  He said that it is really a judgement call, and that if Harvey had been shivering and shaking along with the 103 temperature, that might have been a more serious problem.  Or, if the Tylenol had not worked in bringing down his temperature.  I remember at the time that I made Harvey sit up and take the tablets, which he was able to do.  He also joked with me.  Since these fevers have come on approximately eight to ten days after the infusion, I have marked the calendar to be on the lookout.  By the way, if there is a “toxic” reaction to the Yervoy, the Dr. will immediately prescribe Prednisone.  Before we left, we asked one final question.  “What do you think of our plans to drive to Spokane next week?”  The Dr. gave a wry smile, shook his head, and said, “Well, it’s up to you, but I wouldn’t.”  Hence, we have abandoned our plans to visit Harvey’s 100 year old mother until the spring.  I know that she will understand!

Yesterday marked the completion of the third infusion.  Fortunately, there was no blood letting, only the few vials they require to make sure he is healthy enough for the therapy.  As before, I waited until the Yervoy was dripping in, and went off to the mall.  His appointment was at 11:30AM, which is right around the lunch hour, so no one else  was being treated at that time.  He told me later that he slept for most of the hour and a half that I was gone.  When I returned, they were just cleaning him up, and we were able to leave.  This morning, we got a call from the lab that the blood draw they took yesterday had been compromised in some way and that he would have to come in again tomorrow morning to give more.  We are not altogether sure what all of this means, but …

You might be interested to know what happens to the blood that is drawn, particularly the 22 vials taken during the first and second infusion.  Kirsten, the study coordinator answered our question as follows:

“The study blood is used to examine the effects of both treatment groups on the different cells that make up your blood and to look for special markers that may help us identify patients who are more likely to benefit from these two drugs.  This helps develop a deeper understanding of the biology of cancer treatments.  You also agreed to have the study use some of the blood for future cancer, and other diseases (like heart disease, diabetes or Alzheimer’s) so some of the tubes will be used for this.  You are not expected to learn any of these results as the tests are blinded.  And the blood is sent to University of Pittsburgh which should make Karen happy. :)”

So, we are now more than halfway through the first phase of the treatment.  Please keep Harvey in your thoughts and prayers over the next couple of weeks as we continue to hope for few side effects and as normal a life as possible.