March 21st
Strother is 10 days away from his 4th and final chemo treatment. When he started college last fall he was working out (sometimes twice a day!), eating as many meals and snacks as he could fit in and just overall having the best time. He will get back there.
Today he is 40 pounds lighter and often struggles to catch his breath. We hold his hand while going through the hospital hallways or whenever we attempt to move him from one place to another. He had a sleep study while we were inpatient that showed he was getting zero REM sleep without positive pressure breathing. Fortunately we were sent home with a CPAP and an oxygen concentrator.
Tuesday he managed to go to Marme and Big Dad’s house to celebrate Hodge’s 17th birthday. Wednesday his buddy George picked him up and they watched some March Madness basketball. And he even got out with Abba and Darin along the Trinity. I wonder, though, if Abba knew she should pull him a little. He needs the help.
His clinic visit yesterday shows that he has not lost any more weight in the last two weeks. His bloodwork is excellent and on track. He will be neutropenic (extremely low white blood cell counts) for the next three or four days. This is where we’ve found ourselves landed in the ER with a fever the last few rounds. We now know to be extremely cautious and stay away from anyone with a cough or cold. Or anyone who might have been around anyone with a cough or cold. (I’m looking at you, the spring breakers spending a week partying with all the people!!) Ideally, he will spend more time with friends once he is out of this dip in WBC.
March 31st Strother will be admitted for his 4th and final round of chemo. Five days. The chemo lasts about 6-7 hours a day. And to date, he has had ZERO nausea. Some dizziness. A lot of sleepiness. Chemo fog. He feels like it lifts two or three days after the last dose. I might disagree with him on how many days that lasts but I love his positivity. I see his spunk every day. For now while he’s home the CPAP machine is making an incredible difference in terms of his energy and alertness.
About three weeks after the last day of chemo he will have surgery to excise this stubborn mass that remains. The cancer is all but eliminated, but because his tumor had a good amount of teratoma (which doesn’t respond to chemo) mixed in, all of that will need to be surgically removed. We are more than halfway through chemo. And on to one big surgery in late April. Then he’s going to get back in the gym, eat like a ravenous teenager and feel good again. He’s earned as much.
