SCANXIETY anD trypanophobia

Despite the positive results I have seen with my treatment, I still hesitated before pressing the button to download the notes from today's CT scan with contrast and hesitated again to read through it.  Seeing the conclusion brought great relief and a prayer of thanks for God's continuing grace.

Since suspending my enfortumab vedotin (Padcev) - my peripheral neuropathy (numbness in fingers and toes) is subsiding, my sense of taste in normalizing and hair is returning. I am continuing to receive immunotherapy - pembrolizumab (Keytruda) once every 3 weeks.

I began infusions (Padcev+Keytruda on day 1,  Padcev on day 7 and repeat on day 21) in December.  I have three tubes of blood drawn before every treatment to get lab results which are reviewed before treatment.  On the last three visits, what used to be one stick to start the treatment IV has been turning into two misses - different locations on the left or right arm or hand.  The nurses then go in search of the most experienced person on the floor to put in the IV. I don't suffer from an abject fear of needles (tyrpanophobia), but I will say that I don't look when they are being put in.  However, I do feel like I am wearing out my veins and have scheduled an outpatient surgery procedure on  July 29 (before my next infusion on August 2) to put in a chemo port.  Folks I've asked ovewhelmingly agree with the choice.