May 14 and 15, 2026 - Oncologist Visit and Round Two of Chemo

May 14 — Oncologist Appointment

I’m fairly certain this is standard protocol, but our oncologist meets with us the day before each chemo session to review anything we want to discuss and check in to see how the most recent round of chemo went. So, we met with him yesterday.

He confirmed that all the side effects Tami experienced after the first round of chemo were within the expected range. Since her confusion resolved within a couple of days, he wasn’t concerned. The extreme fatigue is simply the body trying to repair itself after being hit with a barrage of foreign chemicals. Nausea and vomiting, unfortunately, are also part of the territory. In his view, everything looked like “business as usual,” so he confirmed the order for round two.

I asked whether he had any suggestions for appetite stimulants, since Tami has barely been eating. He prescribed Zylexa, an antidepressant that also helps with nausea and can increase appetite. So, we added another medication to the daily regimen.

May 15 — Chemo, Round Two: Second Verse, Same as the First

Another five‑hour session in the medical La‑Z‑Boy. As I mentioned in the previous post, Tami now has a port. Thankfully, she remembered to apply Lidocaine cream to the skin over the port about an hour beforehand, so the needle insertion wasn’t too bad.

The first hour is devoted to getting the patient settled, asking the medical 20 questions,  and providing  medications that help the patient tolerate the chemo. Then there’s a 30‑minute wait for those to take effect before the real work begins. The first chemo bag runs for about an hour; then they swap it out for the second, which takes two hours. After that, they hook up the take‑home chemo pump, which will run for the next couple of days.

Tami slept a bit, made two slow shuffles to the restroom, read emails, and caught up on the newspaper. Aside from some abdominal discomfort during the first chemo infusion, she tolerated the treatment well.