Blip

My second week of cancer treatment began on Monday with routine blood work.  One of the things they have to watch very carefully is liver function, because the high-dose interferon can cause liver damage.  Last week my blood came back fine but on Monday they found that the ALS and ALT enzymes in my liver were elevated and as a result, I can't have treatment this week until those levels come down.  Next week, assuming my blood work comes back ok, I will resume treatment.  They will make a dose adjustment to the amount of interferon I receive - the oncologist said it will likely be reduced by one-third.

Since the side effects I've been experiencing have been rather mild so far, I'm kind of hoping that the dose reduction will mean even milder side effects.  I'm really hoping that I will be able to return to work after the induction phase is over.  However, if I can't, I do have long-term disability benefits available, for which I am extremely thankful.  My boss knows that it is possible that I could end up needing more time off and he has told me to take whatever time I need.  It is a comfort to know that if I need to take more time that I will be able to; that I can just focus on getting better and not have to worry about employment issues.

After this phase of treatment, I will be on the "maintenance" phase for 11 months. One of the first things they asked me was if we have 100% drug benefits with our drug plan.  Thankfully, we do, because the total cost of the drugs over eleven months is roughly $40,000.  I asked what happens to people who don't have a drug plan and was reassured that there are programs in place to cover those situations.  I don't know about the other provinces, but in Ontario if you have cancer you will be treated and you don't have to worry about the cost.