So my last post left off right before my first treatment when I wasn't doing very well at all...

The ride to Manhattan was very uncomfortable and I was feeling another fever coming on, but I had an appointment with my doctor and was scheduled for my first round of chemo. After an explanation of every side-effect that is possible, I was examined by my doctor and even though my blood counts and liver function was not looking very good she determined it was best to start the treatment anyway. I receive three different chemo drugs which take about two hours to prepare and mix. The wait was awful and I had to be wrapped in warm blankets because I was feeling very cold from the fever that had developed. After a wait that seemed like forever I was taken back to a small area with a reclining chair which would serve as my chemotherapy room. Since I was incredibly dehydrated from the fevers still I would have to have one I.V. filled with hydrating fluids placed in my arm, and the I.V. from which I received the chemo placed in the meta-port in my chest. I never really minded needles, but I've discovered that taking a deep breath as the needle goes in does help a lot. That trick works really well for the arms...the needle in the chest still pinches like hell when it goes in, but once it's in I can't even notice. So the process of receiving the chemo treatments takes a total of two hours which gives me some time to relax. The last part of the process is the Baxter Bottle. The pump is basically a slightly enlarged baby bottle with a balloon full of chemo drug that is pumped in through my chest over a period of 48 hours. I wear the bottle attached to my belt-loop of my jeans and it really doesn't get in the way too bad when I sleep. On the Saturday I went back to the city to be taught how to disconnect the pump, which turned out to be a relatively easy process as long as you don't mind taking a needle out of your own chest. The best part about my first treatment is that the fevers stopped immediately, and as gross as it sounds, I actually felt my liver gradually shifting back into place.

The second treatment was much easier because I did not feel terrible from fevers and dehydration anymore. So I became familiar with my regular routine for chemo: get my blood drawn, meet with the doctor, wait two hours, have the chemo pumped in for two hours, take the pump home and disconnect on Saturday night. My visit with the doctor went very well and she said my blood counts had all risen back to normal levels, and my liver function was back to normal as well. The only concern was that I had lost about 5 more lbs. so my orders were to eat everything in sight.

The third treatment started off with good news that my blood counts were even higher and that my energy levels suggested that from a clinical perspective, the chemo has been doing what it's supposed to. The bad news was that since I started my chemo the day after my meta-port was placed, the incision started to form a scab and looked as if an infection could be starting. As a result I was put on antibiotics for a week and could not take the pump home with me because leaving a needle in close to the infected site would only make matters worse. Well the good news was that I gained back 5 lbs. and I show no signs of slowing down my new eating habits. The bad news is that I do experience some of the side-effects, but I admit it could be worse. I can't tell if my hair is falling out faster than normal (thanks to my dad), but I took care of that problem by shaving my head so I keep my self esteem pretty high haha. I am very sensitive to cold...I have to wear oven mitts while grabbing things out of the freezer or else my hands will start tingling for a while. I also can't drink cold liquids because it feels like my throat is closing. Sometimes I get tired easily, but I do the activities that I can at my own pace. The last side-effect is that I have nausea that comes out of nowhere sometimes, but luckily they have given me some awesome medication that either puts me to sleep or makes that feeling go away. Luckily these side-effects only last for 4 or 5 days, then I'm pretty much back to my old self...just a lot skinnier. But just know that I am doing fine and honestly the hardest part of this process is the mental side of things. I am always positive through this and I am way too stubborn to ever give up fighting because the alternative is not being here with those that I care about. I'll keep everyone updated soon because I am going to the genetics clinic next week as well as having my regularly scheduled treatment...LIVESTRONG...I love you all.

-Nate

Hey everyone,
I know I said I'd get to this a lot sooner, but I haven't really had the urge to write anything until now. Well here's what's been happening in the two months I've been home in New Jersey:

I've already undergone three treatments of chemotherapy at Sloan-Kettering in New York City. The facility there in Manhattan is absolutely amazing, but I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised since it's one of the most advanced cancer centers in the world. When I got home to New Jersey on April 1, I was running on about two hours of sleep every night because it was very hard to adjust to the fact that my life had been turned upside down in the matter of an hour in a doctor's office. Almost immediately after I came home I began running fevers well over 100 degrees and had almost completely lost my appetite because my liver had shifted and was pressing against my stomach. Between the nausea and lack of an appetite I've lost close to 30 lbs. since mid-March. The fevers continued for about ten days, I went to the emergency room one night because of a temperature that was 105 degrees. After determining there were no viruses or infections causing the fevers I was sent home, but was still very dehydrated and uncomfortable.

By the time I was ready for my scheduled liver biopsy and meta-port placement I was used to having the fevers all the time. I would take Tylenol for temporary relief, but breaking the fever meant sweating so profusely I would have to change clothes two to three times each night. Waiting for the nurses on the morning of my procedures I sat pleading with my body asking that the fevers would leave me just long enough for the doctors to be able to perform their tasks with no problems. Of course I was arguing with something that was trying to kill me so why should it listen? Well, my temperature began to rise and I was sent to the urgent care center, which is Sloan's version of an emergency room for its patients. In the urgent care center I was tested for infections and sent for x-rays because there was no apparent explanation for my fevers. The lack of answers mean the scheduled procedures were put on hold and I would have to be admitted to the hospital so they could determine how much of a risk it would be to perform any sort of surgery on me while having the fevers. I was in the hospital for three boring days and was so dehydrated I went through at least ten bags of I.V. fluids. After every blood test the doctors could think of was performed they determined I was most likely experiencing "tumor fevers." It is common for the tumor itself to be causing high fevers, but the problem was it was preventing me from starting my treatment.

The doctors finally decided that the benefits of doing the liver biopsy and placing the meta-port in my chest far outweighed the risks my fevers presented. The biopsy was a piece of cake and I really didn't feel a thing thankfully. The meta-port placement was just as painless and having it in meant I would start chemo the very next day. I guess I should explain what a meta-port is since I've been talking about it so much...it is a small piece of plastic that has a catheter which runs into a vein. This allows the doctors easy access to pump the chemo into me without having to stick my arms with needles everytime I go for a treatment. But everything was in place and the road to recovery was finally about to begin...