Today: Davis' 2nd infusion of Opdivo part of the first cycle of immunotherapy. Thank you to everyone who shared, donated, supported and cared. It is so heartwarming and we are grateful beyond words for the support Davis has received. So far, aside from fatigue Davis has no side effects from the immunotherapy! From Davis' Mom
September 1 to November, 2017:
4 rounds of chemo (12 weeks: Bleomycin, Etoposide, Cisplatin)
In the first week, I was fighting the symptoms of my disease, as well as the side effects of the chemo. Due to this, and the fact that I had never been on chemotherapy before, I was hospitalized in that period. Fortunately, I had a large room, all to myself. This let my family (mom, dad, and girlfriend) trade off sleeping in the room with me at night. I remember the lights never quite going out, ambient noise at night, trying to sleep in a hospital bed that didn’t quite fit me. If that isn’t uncomfortable enough, I was getting woken multiple times a night for the nurses to check my vital signs, and blood draw. Needless to say, the first week was exhausting. I remember tearing up when we were finally driving home, and I was able to actually see trees again. It kind of felt like it was already over. I was home.
I settled into a pattern fairly quickly for the next 11 weeks. I’d feel very gross in the first week of each cycle. Weak, clammy, tired, no appetite, and more nausea than anybody has experience with. The second and third week of each cycle went significantly better, being able to function almost normally in those periods. This picture is from Nov. 16, 2017 - the day I thought chemo was done forever.