Friday, March 29th, I got the 6 hour cisplatin IV that started the third round. I had already decided not to ride for a week following it. The next day, my toes started aching, but since I was already on medication for that, it wasn’t nearly as severe as the last time. I felt pretty good until the next Wednesday, when exhaustion set in, but it wasn’t as severe as it was after the second round, and I went to work every day. The next Friday, April 4th, I got the gemcitabine IV. I also got my three month chest x-ray (it was clear). I was already feeling poorly, and felt bad enough after the treatment that I just went to bed for the rest of the day.

The next day was my 57th birthday. rbent, the local recumbent riders group, was having a ride and picnic nearby in Fort Worth. I had given up on trying to ride with them, but planned on joining them for the picnic. My wife was taking off work early to drive me there. Unknown to me, she was also planning on picking up a cake, and making a birthday party out of the picnic. None of those plans worked out; I felt so bad that I went back to bed late that morning, and went nowhere all day. Happy birthday, Bud.

I felt better the next day, but a bit feeble, so I settled for an easy day around the house. On Monday, I went to work, and planned on riding that evening, but the wind was howling, and I still felt a bit feeble, so I didn’t. Yesterday (Tuesday), my wife and I did 25 miles on the tandem, and I felt fine. My blood counts will bottom out this week, so I plan on just doing short, easy rides. Next week, I plan on slowly starting to ramp things up again, with some 60 mile club rides and such, this month. I probably won’t try a 200k brevet until May or June.

I’ll be visiting with my oncologist a week from Friday, which is when a fourth round would have started. He still wants me to come in for blood work, to see how I’m doing, and to discuss what’s next. I’ll be getting chest x-rays every three months and CT scans every six months.

Chemotherapy was pretty tough for me. I plainly don’t tolerate it as well as many people do. The only part of it I really aced was the gastro part. Most patients on the drugs I got suffer either serious constipation or diarrhea, and many people suffer both, at different times. I had neither. My taste buds are shot; there are so many favorite foods I can’t eat right now. But, my wonderful wife did such a great job coming up with and preparing healthy meals that I was always able to eat, lost no weight, and I think all of the fiber I always eat helped keep things moving through correctly.

I don’t seem to be having a very good week. My wife and I managed to do 25 miles on the tandem Tuesday, but by yesterday the aching in my toes (neuropathy from the chemo), which had started Sunday, got so bad I had to get a prescription of gabapentin for it. Today, I feel in a funk. I’m not sure if it’s the chemo or the gabapentin. Plus, my toes still ache, big time. And tomorrow is the gemcidabine chemo that happens on day 8 of the cycle, so things aren’t getting better, soon.

Maybe this would all be easier if I had had some actual symptoms from my disease first, but all I’ve had is the horrible surgery and the horrible chemo, and it is wearing on me. Some oncologists only use three rounds of chemo for adjuvant treatment, and it may be pretty difficult for me to sit still for that fourth. Even getting the third is an awful thought, right now.

The weather didn’t cooperate very well last week (snowed twice ……… in Texas, yet), so I only got 43 miles during the week. Friday was my long six hour cisplatin plus gemcidabine IV, and I was still pretty trashed the next day. Today, though, I got out and rode 40 miles with two friends (see the ride post following this). I wasn’t very strong on the hills, and was generally slow, but it was 40 miles, anyway.

Conferring with my chemo doctor before the treatment, he was amazed that I had ridden 63 miles last Saturday. Of course, non-riders are amazed at anyone doing 63 miles, so I guess it’s all relative. My blood counts were normal; I hadn’t lost any weight, so the doctor was happy. I’m tired after today’s ride, but really don’t feel bad at all. If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I’ll probably have my wife on the tandem for 25 miles.

This was my no-treatment week, I felt ok, and the weather was mild (except for Tuesday), so it seemed like a good time to get some miles:

Monday = 25.3 miles
Wednesday = 25.2 miles
Thursday = 27.0 miles
Today (Sat) = 62.7 miles

I weigh 3 pounds less than I did on December 19th, the day before my lung surgery, so my weight is holding up alright so far.

The chemo drugs do take their toll, though. After today’s 62 mile FWBA Bicycles Inc club ride, I was as wiped out as I’ve ever been after a 200k. My red blood cell count is bound to be lower after the next round, so I don’t think I’d better do any more rides of this length until the chemo is over, and I have recovered. Round 2 starts next Friday.

FWBA Bicycles Inc route

Wednesday, the day after my last post, I not only felt well enough to work all day, my wife and I did 25.3 miles on the tandem that evening. Unfortunately, the weather turned bad yesterday, and Friday I had the day 8 gemcitamine IV, and felt really bad the rest of the day.

I felt better yesterday, with only a major headache left over, so I took a pain pill, and went for a 25.1 mile ride. That’s 63 miles for the week, not too bad I think, since it’s February and I’m being hammered with chemo.

Friday, February 15th was my 22nd wedding anniversary. I celebrated the occasion by spending 6 hours hooked up to an IV, receiving chemo drugs. This time, they used gemcitabine and cisplatin. I must not have felt too bad when I got home, because I finished installing my new carbon fiber seat on my Roadster, then did a short test ride (nasty weather getting close, didn’t want to wait).

Saturday, the day after chemo, I still felt pretty good, but the weather was way too nasty to ride. Sunday was better weather, but I started to feel sick, and had to bail after just a 13 mile ride. Monday, I went to work, only to leave and come home after four hours. Today, I lasted just 30 minutes at work, and had to come home. I finally seem to have figured out that one of the two anti-nausea drugs they are giving me is making me sick. Sheesh……. not only are the chemo drugs bad, the anti-chemo drugs are bad.