Chemotherapy IIa... finally an English version

Finally an English blog! Sorry I took so long.

Yesterday afternoon I went to my third chemotherapy session. I decided to have lunch before going there and was a little late, just about fifteen minutes past my time, nothing problematic. I went alone, since the friend who was coming with me got sick, and it didn't seem wise to bring a sick person to a place where everyone has their defenses low and don't wanna catch anything. As usual they took my vital signs when I got there, and I don't know what's wrong with this cancer, but I was told I would lose weight, and I keep gaining it! I've gained 20 lb. since I came here in September and 2 since my previous chemo. At this rate I will be 200 pounds in a couple years! Well... whatever...

Larry, the nurse, said he liked my new hairdo. As usual, he put the I.V. in and gave the nausea pills (like ten of them). This time something went wrong with the I.V. and he had to put in another one at a different site, using a different vein. The first started swelling and hurting just with saline solution, which was a sign that something was wrong. The second one worked fine. While he was pumping the Vinblastine and Adriamiacine, Dr. LaCasce came by, asked me a few questions, listened to my heart and lungs and felt my lymph nodes. She said she was sure they were a lot smaller now... I think they are but cannot really tell myself. I do know my face doesn't look bigger on one side, so I think she might be right... and well, she's the doctor and she should know. She ordered a pulmonary function test before the next infusion, to check how things are (remember how one of the drugs was bad for the lungs) even though I have not felt any shortness of breath or anything that may indicate trouble. She left after that and all continued as usual with the other drugs. I was so tired after the long night finishing an essay that was due yestarday afternoon, that I slept through most of it. I'm actually glad I went alone... whoever would have gone with me would have been really bored!

When it was all over I walked to the shuttle and got into a crowded one that took me back to the Yard in about 40 minutes (there was heavy traffic). I wasn't feeling sick or badly or anything and made myself a steak and some fried potatoes when I came back. Then I got a headache, something that has happened the last two times, and I forgot to mention to the doctor, so I went to bed relatively early, at around 10:00. After a few hours of sleep, I woke up at around 4 A.M. with a terrible heartburn. I tried to go back to sleep and couldn't, so I got up and wrote the Spanish blog... then went back to bed and slept for a while more.

The heartburn didn't go away unless I sat (or stood), so I ended up getting up at around 7 A.M. and doing some work, including checking out every one of the people/companies/institutions that were coming to the career fair at Gutman today. Have you guys seen how lousy those things are for us TIE students (the one in NY I went to was a waste of time... too)? There were barely two things that looked remotely interesting, and I could just apply online to those... Anyway... just a tiny rant at how bad a job the career services do for us TIEers. At 10A.M. I was so tired I slept sitting on my chair for a few hours, so much I missed lunch and was up barely on time for the highlight of my day, a meeting with President Summers at 3:15 at his office in Mass. Hall.

Yes, you read well, a meeting with the man that presides the second largest non profit in the world after the Catholic Church (or so they say), Larry Summers. My doctor had offered to put me in touch with him, since he had, in his twenties gone through what I am going through and was willing to speak about it. I thought it would be a good chance to meet such an interesting character, and finally did this afternoon.

He was very nice to me. He told me about his experience with the treatment and I could relate to most what he said: "There was no 20 minute period in those days when I didn't think about having cancer, but it ends." He was incredibly supportive, and even gave me his home number in case I got demoralized and needed to talk to someone. Yeah, right... "hi, Larry, this is Fernando..." Anyway, that was an interesting meeting and it did help to see someone who had gone through all this, knew what it was like and encouraged me by saying "it all ends!" He also said he was a junior professor by the time, on sabbatical, but was able to write research papers and be productive during the treatment, which also makes me think I will make it, even feeling as tired as I do sometimes, like today, and these first days after the poisoning/infusion.

On a lighter note, I saw "Sin City" (again) today and enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it, it's quite the fun movie!

Thanks for all the support I've received lately, the nice comments about my new look and so on... I'll keep writing and going.

Sorry the English version took so long, but now you guys have a lot more information than those who read the Spanish one ;-).