Less than the Least
Entries from Less than the Least tagged with 'chemotherapy'
Health News, and the Cost of Cancer Treatment--Stuntz
I haven’t posted for far too long; sorry about that. I’ve been hunkered down, trying to manage chemo—which is harder this time around than it was last year—and also trying to make some progress on a book I’m writing.So, a quick...
Still More Cancer, and Hope--Stuntz
Last week, my oncologist told me the results of the latest set of films: I appear to have a cluster of four small tumors on the left side of my abdomen, and one slightly larger tumor on my liver. My cancer...
Signs-Stuntz
Cancer is more pickpocket than robber: it catches you unawares; you find out about it after your wallet is gone. Most of the time, anyway. But not all the time. My cancer was symptomatic before I was diagnosed in February of last year. The strange...
Working--Stuntz
The past few months have been discouraging. Thanks to pain, nausea, and fatigue—the first two are worse now than during chemo; the third is almost as bad—I’ve done a lousy job of teaching this semester. I’ve managed to do a little writing...
More Good Cancer News--Stuntz
I got the results of my latest set of films a few days ago—no visible cancer in my lungs or abdomen: the places where it is likeliest to show up. Happy news indeed. As my oncologist puts it, each clean set of...
Chemo Aftermath--Stuntz
Apologies for the long silence: my chemo ended just before Thanksgiving, but the six weeks since them has been rougher than I'd expected: I'm still pretty tired and a little queasy all the time, and have been struggling to fight...
Chemo's End, Cancer's Closet--Stuntz
On Wednesday of this week, I had my last chemo session--at least for awhile and maybe for good. I'm not quite done--I'll carry around a pump with a drug called (believe it or not) 5-FU until tomorrow afternoon. Cancer treatment...
Chemo Again--Stuntz
Last week, my latest and I hope last round of chemo began; unless things change, the plan is to keep going til mid-December and then quit for good. I feel lousy: low-grade nausea is a constant companion, and sometimes it...
Living In Between--Stuntz
Since my films are now clear, my oncologist tells me that I have a good shot at living for what seems like a long time: my five-year survival odds are in the 25-30% range, if I understand the data correctly....
Living and Surviving--Stuntz
Last week, I got some very good news—but it didn’t feel good at all. This week’s news was medically neutral, as these things are usually judged. But it felt incredibly sweet. That sounds strange, so let me try to explain....
Living Weak--Stuntz
“Live strong” is a common slogan among cancer patients. I think I understand the slogan’s appeal, and I admire the spirit that lies behind it. But it doesn’t fit my experience, and I suspect I’m not alone. Reduced life expectancy...
Chemo Brain--Stuntz
Thanks to some of my cancer survivor friends, I recently discovered that Wikipedia has an entry for “Chemo brain.” (The link is here.) They call it “Post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment,” but I think the simpler label works better.) So far as...