Update on my Dad

abbey712
abbey712 Member Posts: 12
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hi everybody,

Thanks for all your amazing messages of support to my introduction on this forum. It's wonderful to know there are so many brave and courageous people out there.

My Dad is now on his second dose of irinotecan. I think he bounced back slightly quicker from it this time around that the last. He is still currently having just a half dose because of previous complications with other systemic chemo drugs. The main problem before he started irinotecan was the bilirubin liver function, after just one dose of irinotecan it has come down from 55 to back in the normal range for a healthy individual to 15. I'm not sure if we measure things differently in NZ or not or if the numbers mean the same as they do there. So although we haven't had a scan yet, we are happy to see all the liver functions across the board improving and this gives us hope it will also be affecting the tumours in the liver.

His hair started to fall out right before his second treatment so he decided to just shave it all off. We're going into winter here so his head feels a little cold but now we're all used to the differnt look it's not a big deal in the great scheme of things.

Hope you are all keeping strong and well.

Abbey

Comments

  • mom_2_3
    mom_2_3 Member Posts: 953 Member
    Abbey
    I am so glad that it sounds like the treatments are having a positive effect on your dad's liver. It is a great relief I am sure to see that the treatments aren't as debilitating as may have been expected.

    My doctor's lab measures bilirubin a bit differently as normal is .1 to 1.0.

    Best Wishes,
    Amy

    PS You live in a spectacularly beautiful country. I jumped at the chance 3 years ago to take a business trip to New Zealand and I loved it there.
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    sounds good
    I'm so glad to have an update about your dad, and I'm especially glad that it sounds like it's going well. Get your dad lots of cute hats, so his head won't be cold.

    *hugs*
    Gail