Leave of absence

The last four weeks have been pretty challenging. The side effects that I had on irinotecan in the past have come back and more severely than before. Previously, the drug was the second drug, but in this treatment it is the primary one, so I don't have the option to drop it as I did last year. Unfortunately, the side effects mean that I have to stay close to the bathroom all the time. In the last two weeks, the only time that I left the apartment was to go to the doctor.

This makes teaching impossible, while on this treatment, so I have decided to request a one-year leave of absence. It wasn't an easy decision, but stopping treatment after just two rounds, while tempting, seemed like a bad idea.

My doctor did lower the dose going forward as even without working the side effects are not easy to live with. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to have some time where I feel better in between treatments, unlike these last four weeks. 

Thanks as always for your prayers and encouragement. It means a lot.