Re: Janet...

[Guest guest]

Wonderful news Larry although the chemo on top of it is no fun I'm sure.

God Bless you both.

Narice

" As long as I know the WHO

I can bear any HOW

even though I don't know WHY "

(Commentary on Job from Dialogue in Despair)

[Guest guest]

Good to hear she is doing ok!

[Guest guest]

Larry,

Glad to hear that Janet is doing ok after the port-o-cath

placement. Can't think of anything that anybody else has not

brought up yet, except for two things.

First, try your darndest to go with her whenever she has chemo -

if you can't go because of work, get somebody else close to go with

her. Never let her go alone. Its not that anything in particular

will happen; it is, however, something that, despite what she might

say in the future, not something that one should go through alone.

Having somebody around to talk to helps.

Secondly, I think you mentioned at some point earlier that the

doctor said that it would take a month or so to get a port-o-cath

pump or something along those lines. Did you mean a portable

infusion pump? If the intent is to do a 48 hour infusion at home

and they are not doing it (i.e. doing what they call a " Mayo " type

of regime where a prolonged infusion is not used) SOLEY BECAUSE they

cannot get a portable pump, I would be on that like white on rice.

My onc told me at the very beginning that the better progress

recently was not only due to better chemicals, but that it was also

due to the fact that they are discovering more effective ways to

deliver them. He was right - not only can the method of delivery

have an effect on efficacy, but it can affect how bad the side

effects are as well. Some studies suggest that delivery alone can

improve effectiveness by over 10%. I do not want to get scientific,

but it all centers around 5FU - it has a half life in the body of

1/2 hr. That means after 1 hour only 1/4 of what they give you is

still there. After two hours, on 1/16.

I know that you have a lot on your plate right now - but if such

is the case, I wouldn't stand for a different means of delivery for

more than one treatment. If they try hard, they can get one; they

are not that scarce; or, they can lend you a nonportable pump; or,

hec, I'd even be willing to fedex out mine as long as I can get a

guarantee that I could get it back soon and/or if I need it (it is

not necessarily mine to give away).

Best - Joe

>

> Janet is sore from surgery. But all went well. They implanted

> the " porta cath " and the surgeon placed a needle in the cath so

the

> onocologist wouldn't have to do it tomorrow because there will be

> swelling. She is pleased a little groggy though. A little sleep

and

> off to another hospital first thing in the morning for

chemotherapy.

> So the story will continue...

> Thanks for listenening.

> Larry

> Http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/JanetRGreen

[Guest guest]

Janet

Have your doctor check out this web site:

http://www.infusystem.com/presenting/

This is the best source of pumps.

-joe- (the other Joe)

> >

> > Janet is sore from surgery. But all went well. They implanted

> > the " porta cath " and the surgeon placed a needle in the cath so

> the

> > onocologist wouldn't have to do it tomorrow because there will

be

> > swelling. She is pleased a little groggy though. A little sleep

> and

> > off to another hospital first thing in the morning for

> chemotherapy.

> > So the story will continue...

> > Thanks for listenening.

> > Larry

> > Http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/JanetRGreen