Happy New Year! On Monday, I had my second infusion, arriving at 10:00 AM and leaving at 4:30 PM. My sodium levels were low, and my pulse rate was high at 120, due to dehydration. Hanging a sodium bag took extra time. I observed how nurses at the infusion center start each patient on their […]
We decided to go to our kids’ homes this year for Christmas, all but one local, and visit with the grandkids. It worked out fine, as opposed to all coming to our Heard Avenue home. It was the first week off chemo pills, and my appetite improved a bit, although by week’s end I lost […]
I had my appointment with the oncologist, Dr. Tidwell, last Thursday, and his feedback was minimal weight loss, and tolerance of chemo was good. Changes in my voice concerned him, and he speculated the tumors enlarge due to immunotherapy, and could be obstructing my voice. The second treatment could shrink tumors, and my voice might […]
It’s Wednesday, and I took my first infusions last Friday, with three chemo pills twice a day since. First impressions – a general malaise comes over you, where you feel worse than the cancer has made you feel, with lack of appetite and diminished energy, the order of the day. You must force yourself to […]
First doses of chemo happened last Friday, 12/6! Arrived at the infusion center at 10:00 AM, and with all the delays and infusion time, we left around 3:45 PM. It wasn’t the nightmare I had expected, and instead it was a well-choreographed experience, where they encouraged you to bring a snack, relax, read a book […]
After a delay so I could enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend, I was supposed to start chemo on Monday, December 1st. The chemo educational class was scheduled for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, where I learned, among other things, I would take one chemo agent by mouth and the rest infused, including an immunotherapy agent, Keytruda.
My voice has been impacted in a significant way, beginning when I had trouble swallowing in July. The sound was a bit hoarse at first, but over time my voice became monotone and lacking the usual inflection and emphasis I typically give to words or phrases. The breath behind my speech was somehow reduced, so […]
Allow me to digress for a moment. It’s good therapy. I was reminded this week of my passion for music. At around 10-12 years of age, my parents agreed to buy me some drumsticks, which I used to hit on the lids attached to large-sized, empty Shedd’s peanut butter jars my mother bought at Ft. […]
The PET scan was done this week. It was about 20 minutes longer than CT scans I’ve had, with a bigger tube, and I planned with my primary care physician to have a mild sedative to address any claustrophobia I might have – it worked! On Friday, I met with a surgeon/oncologist at the Georgia […]
This week, I had a PET Scan appointment on Tuesday, which the oncologist ordered to make sure we understand the extent to which the cancer has spread or not. So far, the cancer appears limited to two lymph nodes. If confirmed, then surgery would be the solution, preceded by some chemotherapy, to removing the lymph […]
A cradle Catholic, growing up in the deep south in the 1950’s and 60’s, Joe Herzberg has been a lifelong student of his faith, which included three of his teen years at St. John Vianney Seminary in Savannah, Georgia…
I wanted to share an update on my father’s health and cancer journey. Over the past six months, his health has declined significantly due to the progression of aggressive cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Since his last reflection on March 8th, his condition has reached an advanced stage; he is now confined to his home under […]
Joe Herzberg