From Mathew's Journal, IE Chemo for 5 Days

The first Chemo, IE, Inpatient 5 Days

I have mentioned before that I want people to get their medical advice from the professionals and if you want to look up more information about the particular chemotherapies that were given to Mathew, you can do so.

I will mention what we understood or took notes on.

This will be from Mathew’s Journal and the next post from The Notebook.

It’s funny but Mathew’s notes were more comprehensive than mine or Diane’s!

The pharmacist came to Mathew’s room and spent a long time explaining the chemotherapies, pre-chemo meds, and post-chemo shots. She wrote everything down on the large whiteboard that was in the room.

Later, the oncologist told us that Mathew did things out of the normal order. Usually, he said, a patient came to them with a diagnosis, had their port put in and then received the VAC/outpatient chemo first and then the IE 5 day inpatient chemo.

Mathew was already inpatient and so ill that he received the IE first.

Ifosfamide and Etoposide

Moffitt provided us with 6 and 7-page printouts for each chemotherapy. The information came from the site chemocare.com.

Because the cancer was in Mathew’s liver and his liver hadn’t completely recovered, his bilirubin was still high, he only received a half dose of chemo. We were told that even though it was a half dose, it would take his body longer to process it and it would stay in his system longer, so the benefits were still there. 

I wondered later, if the half dose staying in his system longer wasn’t a better idea, though I am not sure how that can be accomplished.

As time went on, I had my own ideas and theories regarding the treatment, but it was just my mind trying to make sense out of a nightmare, but I mentioned these things to the doctors because I know that discoveries have been made by unusual mental connections of ideas. 

From Mathew’s Journal  **I m not certain of these doses, I have this information and eventually will update these types of posts with medical record information. I post this in order to illustrate Mathew’s attempt through physical, mental and emotional pain and fear to be his own advocate. You will see how this changes as he starts receiving chemo and the tumor responds. 

Pre-chemo meds were dexamethasone and mesna which was run the entire 5 days.

IE is a 5-day inpatient chemo treatment. 

Mat’s definitive notes on the process of I.E. (unless of course, he finds it bores him.)

I    1 hour 1900mg/800 saline

E   1 hour 100/500 saline

Mesna runs 24 hours, binds to and inactivates a protein (the urotoxic metabolite of ifosfamide and cyclophosphamide) this is to prevent……

The next post will have the same information but from The Notebook.