The Upcoming Chemotherapy Treatment

  At some point in the not too distant future, I will be starting chemotherapy. This is because some cancer cells from the malignant polyp penetrated my intestinal wall and got into a lymph node. Even though this node, along with 19 others, was removed during the colectomy, some cancer cells may have gotten into my bloodstream or lymphatic system. This could lead to the cancer recurring at some point in the future. Chemotherapy is designed to kill fast dividing cells like cancer. Unfortunately, other fast dividing cells, like bone marrow, get killed as well.

  The drug cocktail the oncologist wants to use consists of the following three drugs, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), Oxaliplatin and Leucovorin. The first two drugs have a lengthy list of side effects. While I won't necessarily suffer all the listed side effects, the treatment will still wreck havoc on my system. They want me to be part of a clinical study and I've agreed. They want to see if six treatments are as effective as twelve. They also want to see if the drug celocoxib, also known as Celebrex, can prevent the formation of intestinal polyps. I'm hoping to get into one of the six treatment groups for two reasons, it'll cost me less and I'll suffer less side effects. The medical costs are racking up fast and I have yet to receive my first disability payment. While the insurance I have through work pays for most of it, what's left in a few instances has been quite substantial. My biggest worry is that at some point the insurance will stop covering the treatments and I'll be stuck with the entire bill. I'll post more as things progress.