I know it's been a while without an update here, and I apologize to anyone waiting to know what's up. Turns out it's hard to remember to get on here and write updates when things are so crazy, and hard to find time. But here's the overdue update. 


Jacquien's third chemo cycle was done the week of September 27. It was his first cycle not in the hospital, and doing it at home was a lot to get used to. He went on Monday for about 5-6 hours and got his day 1 dose of Rituxan, then got hooked up to his 24/7 chemo bag. it's a pretty sizeable bag, and (extra fun) makes a loud mechanical pumping/pulsing noise every few seconds. We love it. He came home hooked up to the chemo and receiving the drugs on a constant drip via this bag, which followed him everywhere. Each day we went back to the clinic for him to get his line cleaned and a new bag attached. No guests are allowed right now so I dropped off and hung around. Other fun bits of the at-home chemo life: no showering for the entire chemo week, because he couldn't detach from the bag. He could only change his shirt once a day at the clinic when the bag was changed, because you can't take off or put on a shirt with the line hooked up. The dogs weren't allowed to lick him for about 8 days because the chemo drugs are secreted in his sweat, spit, skin oils, etc, so they could ingest some if they licked him. Easy to accomplish, as you can imagine! sigh. Same goes for us kissing or being close, of course. 

As for good news, he got an x-ray during this week to see how his bone and hip was looking, and whether he still needed crutches. They said the lesions on the bone that were there before seemed no longer present, indicating bone healing, and that he could cautiously stop using the crutches. So we've been free from them for a week or so! Still taking it easy--no hiking, long walks, jumping, etc, and his legs are often sore. 

Each chemo cycle has definitely hit Jacquien harder, as they prepared us for. More fatigue, nausea, soreness, and so on. He's still getting through them alright, so they increase the dosage each time, but it's definitely getting more tiring for him to get through.

He also had his first day of the school semester on the first day of this chemo cycle and went to online classes while at the center getting treatment (like a crazy person). He's doing his best to keep up with a new full-time school term. 

This week he has his first official scan to assess whether the treatments are working and how the cancer is progressing. We're both definitely nervous but hoping for good news. He starts chemo cycle 4 next Monday already. It feels like no time at all in between (it's really about 16 days that he's off chemo in between), so I'm trying to get ready for the rules to return and the loud bag to come back, on top of all the other strains and exhaustions of this life. 

To remind you all, he's now done 3 of 6 standard chemo treatments, and then has 3 special cycles after that which will all be in the hospital for a few days. So 3 of 9 done. We're tired and trying to keep our heads up. Hoping it goes along faster.