Chemotherapy started today

It has been a strange week for Brian after the chemotherapy start-date was cancelled last week, but the good news is he has finally begun the treatment! Tests on the tumour took longer than anticipated, and if Brian had a mis-match repair DNA result, it means chemotherapy would not work. However, Brian was not surprised to find out his tumour was a common one, and so chemo could begin! The delay has given him more time to recover and heal from the operation.

Last Wednesday he went with Tony and Geoffrey to the MS Centre in Coulsdon (Geoffrey attends the centre every Wednesday), for a fundraising fish & chip lunch (Brian had a small portion!). On the Sunday before, we all went to Purley in celebration of Tony's friend Erwin's 40th birthday, which was delayed from April! (See top picture.)

Yesterday, Brian went to the Royal Marsden Hospital and has been given his drugs. For those of you interested or in the know with such things, they are called Capecitabine, and is in a group of drugs called Antimetabolites, that are incorportated into new nuclear material or combine irreversibly with vital cellular enzymes, preventing normal cell division. Capecitabine is metabolised into flourouracil, and is administered via the mouth, so not intravenously. He must take four 500mg tablets in the morning, within half hour of food, and then the same dose in the evening. That's a whopping 4,000mg in a day! He's taking each dose at 9am and 9pm. He will take these for 14 days and then have 7 days without taking any, and the course is for 24 weeks total (6 months, roughly). If he has any problems, then this may have to be extended.

Today, Nicki from M&S came and visited him, and Brian would be very grateful if anyone visiting him who wants to bring him something brings a 1.5 litre bottle of Liptons Lemon or Peach Iced Tea, as he is getting through these as if they were going out of fashion! As you can see from the second picture, he's looking well, but it's very early days to know what the effects of the chemotherapy will be on him over the coming days and weeks.

That's all for now, will post more next week!

Ian x