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03/22/2006: "Fun with Chemotherapy"
Today is my second day on chemotherapy of a three-day process. I go in every two weeks for three days in a row. Two of the days I carry a small pump and a bag of 5FU that slowly pumps into me over 48 hours. I am on the standard regiment for colon cancer. The initial protocol was called Folfox 4. It is a combination of about 4 different chemo drugs that includes 5FU, Oxyloplatin and others. This time around it has changed a little. Now that I have tumors present, my doctor has added Campozar and Avastin. These are target drugs that go after the tumors themselves.
It took a couple of rounds for us to figure out that Campozar was making me too sick. The first dose, I ended up in the emergency room for the night. Now I am off of it and looking at adding it back slowly. Avastin has received some press lately for its success. The data shows that when combined with the other drugs in the protocol it can increase the average life by 5 months. At $2,500 per dose, I am not sure why we are excited unless you own stock in Genentech.
That brings me to the business of cancer. Did you know that there are more people employed in the cancer business than there are that have cancer? Considering one in every three persons in the United States will face cancer in their lifetime, I’ll let you do the math. It was 1971 when Nixon declared a war on cancer. Quotes such as, “With enough money and brains, we will find a cure for cancer in 10 years.” There are billions of dollars put into cancer research and drug companies and statisticians are finding that chemo only shows about a 4% success rate for “saving” lives.
You can tell I am not too confident with chemo. I have felt the affects of its toxicity and only pray my cancer cells have suffered as well.
Replies: 12 Comments
on Friday, March 24th, Michelle Cowart said
Doug,
You are a fighter and
I admire your strength and courage. Thank you
for sharing your experiences with all of us. I will continue to pray for your strength
and ability to beat this.
on Friday, March 24th, Lisa Grundhoffer said
Hi Doug! Lisa Grundhoffer here! I'm so glad to see your spirit such as it is. I've done A TON of reading on how the mind can cure the body. One thing that my aerobic kickboxer always used to chant during our hour long punishment was "Body says 'No', but the Mind says 'Yes'"! For some reason, that has always stuck in my head. There are some books out there that actually talk about how to meditate and visualize the cancer cells being destroyed. I'm sure that you are on top of it! If you get a chance, pick up the book "Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About" By Kevin Trudeau. It is amazing, and I have started to live it by trying to eat more organic foods and finding natural cures for any ailments. I've been completely surprised with the possitive effects so far. Anyway, I think about you often and try to send a positive vibe out every day for you. Keep up the fight!! By the way, I've heard several stories in which a doctor says 2 years and it ends up being 15! They don't know. I'll be watching and waiting for you to beat this thing. With your positive attitude, I know you can. Best of the best wishes ~Lisa G
on Thursday, March 23rd, Perry said
Doug, Kevin told me about your situation. Be assured that you will be remembered in prayer daily by a bunch of Methodists. Personally, I'm in seminary to become a United Methodist pastor, and you will be in my personal prayers.
on Thursday, March 23rd, Nicki Swenson said
Doug - While this is a quote from Albert Camus, it could easily have been said by you: "In the midst of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." As I told you earlier, you are truly one of the finest human beings I have ever encountered. As evidenced by your email to me today, no matter what you are going through yourself, you always seem to have enough energy leftover to enourage others. Slay that dragon! And, know that there are soooooooo many people who love you and will help in any way possible. I'm at the top of that list! XXOO ~N
on Thursday, March 23rd, Rovina Salinas said
Dougie,
Even with your own struggles you still think of others. I was at the ADEC/CCETC evaluation of the digital resourc es yesterday, and Todd Finnel came up to me and introduced himself. I had seen his presentation at CUE but left early before introducing myself. He said that you said, he should be in contact with me when it comes to digital resources I was an expert. I told him that by nature you enjoy embellishing. He sends his regards and said that he has enjoyed working with you. Many many prayers are sent to the spirits in your name, from now and until they are heard they will be spoken. 
on Thursday, March 23rd, Kevin said
Doug, I can't tell you how hard it is to fill your shoes! In fact, I am not even going to try. My goal is to hold the fort until you return. You are here in spirit and are always in my heart and thoughts. My brother beat his cancer so I know you will do the same. Never give up, never surrender! Remember, Thomas Edison beat his cancer and without him, we'd all be watching TV in the dark!
on Thursday, March 23rd, Dianne Pavia said
Doug, you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. I will continue to pray for strength for you - both spiritual and physical. Fight on and don't lose hope. Remember, "I can do all things through Jesus who sustains me."
on Thursday, March 23rd, Marcia Ball said
Hi Doug,
It is good to hear from you. I was wondering how you were doing. This subject (Colon Cancer) is hard for me because it brings back a lot of memories. My Father had Colon Cancer and he like you fought it with all his might. I remember all of his struggles with chemotherapy. You keep fighting. Hang in there. God does grant miracles. My prayers are with you and your family.
on Thursday, March 23rd, Debra G said
You never cease to amaze me with your strength. I think this blog is a fantastic idea. What a wonderful way to keep your friends and people who care about you informed. You are in my prayers and thoughts every day and it gives me a way to check in to see how you are doing. So I would like to leave you with a couple of great thoughts.…
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
- Dale Carnegie
At the timberline where the storms strike with the most fury, the sturdiest trees are found."
- Anonymous
And most importantly…
"Never, never, never give up"
- Winston Churchill
on Thursday, March 23rd, Ann de Vries said
You are my HERO! My grandma has breast cancer, after removal of her breast she thought she was clear....8 years later it was in her bones as well as a slow growing brain cancer. She has had several bones replaced with metal along with many other problems...She is now 90 years old and will be 91 in May. She has battled the demon for 20+ years. God loves a fighter. You and I will be talking in 20 years too. Love to you and your family. Keep the hope alive. Alternative medicine has helped alot of people. Miracles happen every day. Have faith. 
on Thursday, March 23rd, Barbara said
Doug, you are in my thoughts and in my prayers. I admire your spirit, determination, and perseverance. I wholeheartedly support your decision to explore alternatives to chemo---talk about a data-driven decision!
on Thursday, March 23rd, Choy said
Keep your spirits up.If you need any help with paperwork or looking for any kind of support, call. I'll do what I can. I'll be following your blog.
