Update for April 24, 2009

I am happy to report that Dad has tolerated the third chemo (administered on April 16) much better than the first two. Many of the same symptoms appeared around day four or five after the treatment (most notably fatigue) but since then he has been gradually improving. There are three reasons that come to mind to possibly explain his improved response:

• Dr. Weber lowered the dosage of two of the drugs (see this blog post for details)
• His body may be "getting used to" the treatments somewhat
• The radiation treatments for his hip has made the pain he was feeling there much less of an issue

He has been taking short walks most days and his appetite is also gradually improving again. He hasn't experienced any mouth sores yet. Sleeplessness has been somewhat worse that before the treatment, but better than the first two treatments.