A week ago, Nathan & I met with the radiation oncologist. Yes...that's a completely different doctor from my medical oncologist. Who knew?
Anyway, it has taken about a week for all of the info to sink in. Radiation does NOT sound like much fun. My doc says that it looks like I'll be getting 5 weeks of radiation. That's 5 weeks, 5 days a week. 25 times. 25 trips to the cancer center for 5-10 minutes of treatment.
The doc went over all of the potential side-effects (dry, red skin, sore throat/difficulty swallowing, fatigue, fibrosis, etc.) and then the odds of developing secondary cancer (like breast cancer). Fun!
After my next chemo treatment on 2/1, we will schedule a repeat PET scan. That will determine whether I am done with chemo or not. If I am, radiation will begin. If I'm not, well...we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
In other news...Yesterday we celebrated Emory's 4th birthday! He is such a big boy!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
It's Me Again!
Hi, it's me again.
The chick with the cancer.
The bald chick.
Yeah...that chick.
What's been going on in the lovely state of VA? Chemo, that's what. Round 3. The one I have NOT looked forward to.
My oncologist sat & listened to all of my concerns. He assured me that some of the things I've heard won't happen to me because it's different medicine. But that I should be concerned about others. What kinds of things, you ask?
Fingernails - my body may, at any moment, decide that my fingernails need to go. At this point, they are no different than hair.
Fatigue - I believe his exact words were, "Fatigue is cumulative" which is doc speak for "You're gonna be f'ing tired for a long time."
Tingling feet/hands - This fun side-effect started last night. It wasn't so much a tingle as it felt like someone lit the bottom of my foot on fire. Sure, some may call that a tingle. I call it pain.
Illness - It's flu season people. Peak flu season. And VA has widespread flu this year. How do I avoid getting the flu? Doc says treat everything I touch like it has the flu. Treat everyone I meet in a store, restaurant, on the street, like they have the flu. Avoid shopping/people altogther if possible. This can be done. Face it...there aren't too many people I like anyway. And I have online shopping, and a husband who can follow a list like you would not believe!
My period - Sure, no one wants to talk about the blood bath in the middle of the month. Mine was supposed to disappear. And for a few glorious days, I thought it had. And then that bitch snuck up on me and WHAM! Go get a pad, lady. You're gonna need it. I relayed this info to the nurse, along with the number of times I empty my bladder & bowels, because these people LOVE to hear all of the juicy details. The doctor walked in and said, "I hear we had a travesty." I said, "Yes, my period. Dammit."
Anyway, away from bodily functions to chemo #3.
Someone explain to me how I got stuck with the nurse from hell? It doesn't really drum up lots of confidence when she has to keep asking what to do and where stuff is. Now, I know all nursing wards are different and you aren't used to things yet, but still. I do not want to be the guinea pig when dealing with the chemicals that are chemotherapy.
When accessing my port, which she must not do much in her inpatient surgical ward, she missed. Missed. Yes...MISSED my port with that giant fucking needle in her hand. And I do not exaggerate when I say this needle is at least 2" long. Quite possibly even longer. It got in with little more than the feeling of pressure/no pain thanks to my awesome numbing cream that I apply before going in. Sounds okay, right? I didn't feel it MISS, so it couldn't have been that bad, right? WRONG! When the nurse started trying to make sure the blood would come out, I got a horrible "OMG! OMG! PAIN! SOMETHING IS WRONG!" kind of pain in my chest. So, she sits with this needle half in/half out while trying to figure out WTH to do with me. She needed a new tray, but couldn't leave me hanging (literally). Thank goodness Nurse Jackie came to the rescue. And thank goodness Nurse Jackie watched over her should like a freakin' hawk when she accessed the port again. And thank goodness Nurse Jackie was our 2nd med checker before the newbie started infecting me with poison.
After I was done with meds, I walked a few laps around the infusion center to get my BP back up. No way was I giving them a reason to keep me any longer!
Friday night wasn't bad. I ate. All good. Nausea was minimal.
Saturday consisted of lots of sleeping. Tried to eat, but didn't get much down. Nausea was a little worse.
Sunday, Neulasta shot at 8:30 am at a hospital an hour away, which meant we had to get the kids up at 6:30. Fun. Did a quick shopping trip through Dollar Tree, picking up only what I needed, leaving behind anything that looked like it could contain the flu bug. Much hand sanitizer was used. We got home to find our power out. It stayed out for, what, 5 hours? Grilled some burgers. YAY for protein! I napped. The kids played outside. Ate some chicken & rice. Some came back for round two. Nausea varies depending on position. As long as I don't turn my head from side to side, stand up, sit down, turn around, or walk, I'm okay ;)
So, tomorrow, I fully expect some sore bones. If not tomorrow, in the coming days. I'm sure those days will consist of lots of heating pads, pain meds, and naps. Hopefully the little guy cooperates.
Upcoming appointments:
Wednesday, Jan 16 - Radiation Oncologist to discuss possible radiation
Friday, Feb. 1 - Chemo #4 - quite possibly the LAST ONE!
2-3 weeks after chemo, repeat PET scan to see what's left (hopefully NOTHING)
Peace out...
Suzi
P.S. Excuse the rambling, run-on sentences, and occasional misspelled word. My Ambien is kickin' in!
The chick with the cancer.
The bald chick.
Yeah...that chick.
What's been going on in the lovely state of VA? Chemo, that's what. Round 3. The one I have NOT looked forward to.
My oncologist sat & listened to all of my concerns. He assured me that some of the things I've heard won't happen to me because it's different medicine. But that I should be concerned about others. What kinds of things, you ask?
Fingernails - my body may, at any moment, decide that my fingernails need to go. At this point, they are no different than hair.
Fatigue - I believe his exact words were, "Fatigue is cumulative" which is doc speak for "You're gonna be f'ing tired for a long time."
Tingling feet/hands - This fun side-effect started last night. It wasn't so much a tingle as it felt like someone lit the bottom of my foot on fire. Sure, some may call that a tingle. I call it pain.
Illness - It's flu season people. Peak flu season. And VA has widespread flu this year. How do I avoid getting the flu? Doc says treat everything I touch like it has the flu. Treat everyone I meet in a store, restaurant, on the street, like they have the flu. Avoid shopping/people altogther if possible. This can be done. Face it...there aren't too many people I like anyway. And I have online shopping, and a husband who can follow a list like you would not believe!
My period - Sure, no one wants to talk about the blood bath in the middle of the month. Mine was supposed to disappear. And for a few glorious days, I thought it had. And then that bitch snuck up on me and WHAM! Go get a pad, lady. You're gonna need it. I relayed this info to the nurse, along with the number of times I empty my bladder & bowels, because these people LOVE to hear all of the juicy details. The doctor walked in and said, "I hear we had a travesty." I said, "Yes, my period. Dammit."
Anyway, away from bodily functions to chemo #3.
Someone explain to me how I got stuck with the nurse from hell? It doesn't really drum up lots of confidence when she has to keep asking what to do and where stuff is. Now, I know all nursing wards are different and you aren't used to things yet, but still. I do not want to be the guinea pig when dealing with the chemicals that are chemotherapy.
When accessing my port, which she must not do much in her inpatient surgical ward, she missed. Missed. Yes...MISSED my port with that giant fucking needle in her hand. And I do not exaggerate when I say this needle is at least 2" long. Quite possibly even longer. It got in with little more than the feeling of pressure/no pain thanks to my awesome numbing cream that I apply before going in. Sounds okay, right? I didn't feel it MISS, so it couldn't have been that bad, right? WRONG! When the nurse started trying to make sure the blood would come out, I got a horrible "OMG! OMG! PAIN! SOMETHING IS WRONG!" kind of pain in my chest. So, she sits with this needle half in/half out while trying to figure out WTH to do with me. She needed a new tray, but couldn't leave me hanging (literally). Thank goodness Nurse Jackie came to the rescue. And thank goodness Nurse Jackie watched over her should like a freakin' hawk when she accessed the port again. And thank goodness Nurse Jackie was our 2nd med checker before the newbie started infecting me with poison.
After I was done with meds, I walked a few laps around the infusion center to get my BP back up. No way was I giving them a reason to keep me any longer!
Friday night wasn't bad. I ate. All good. Nausea was minimal.
Saturday consisted of lots of sleeping. Tried to eat, but didn't get much down. Nausea was a little worse.
Sunday, Neulasta shot at 8:30 am at a hospital an hour away, which meant we had to get the kids up at 6:30. Fun. Did a quick shopping trip through Dollar Tree, picking up only what I needed, leaving behind anything that looked like it could contain the flu bug. Much hand sanitizer was used. We got home to find our power out. It stayed out for, what, 5 hours? Grilled some burgers. YAY for protein! I napped. The kids played outside. Ate some chicken & rice. Some came back for round two. Nausea varies depending on position. As long as I don't turn my head from side to side, stand up, sit down, turn around, or walk, I'm okay ;)
So, tomorrow, I fully expect some sore bones. If not tomorrow, in the coming days. I'm sure those days will consist of lots of heating pads, pain meds, and naps. Hopefully the little guy cooperates.
Upcoming appointments:
Wednesday, Jan 16 - Radiation Oncologist to discuss possible radiation
Friday, Feb. 1 - Chemo #4 - quite possibly the LAST ONE!
2-3 weeks after chemo, repeat PET scan to see what's left (hopefully NOTHING)
Peace out...
Suzi
P.S. Excuse the rambling, run-on sentences, and occasional misspelled word. My Ambien is kickin' in!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Ramblings Of An Insomniac
Hi, my name is Suzi, and it's been 10 days since my last blog.
Man, I suck at blogging. Well, I guess by the title, one would suspect it's just a blog about cancer. But since there isn't much new in the world of MY cancer, there hasn't been much to blog about.
What's new in cancer news?
On Sunday, December 23, I got my Neulasta shot, which boosts white blood cell production. The shot "may cause long bone pain". Yeah...I hurt so bad, I could barely move. I felt like someone was trying to break my pelvic bone in half. Thank God for Oxycodone.
Yeah...that's it. Nothing else new. Just trying to stay healthy in the midst of flu season. So far; so good. Next chemo treatment is 1/11/13, which also includes a visit with the onco doc.
What else has been going on, you might ask? Oh, you didn't? Tough. My blog; my rules.
Winter break is over. We all survived without killing one another. The kids were well-behaved for the most part. Christmas came & went. We all had a wonderful day. NYE came & went. We all had a wonderful 2012. Yada yada yada.
I'm tired. I can't sleep. Cancer is supposed to make you weak and tired. I'm always sleepy at the wrong time. I have plenty of medicine that would help me go to sleep right now. I just don't want to be that girl who gets the "I survived cancer and all I got was a lousy addiction to sleep meds/pain killers/Ativan" shirt. Nathan says to try to count sheep. When I close my eyes, I cannot, for the life of me, think of what a fucking sheep looks like.
What else is new? Oh, the dishwasher quit. And, no, I don't mean Nathan. Yesterday (well, Monday, to be exact), I loaded that SOB down with breakfast & lunch dishes. When I turned it on, it made a noise. I opened it, peered inside like I knew what I was looking for, and slammed it shut again. When it started, it sounded fine. Flash forward four hours or so...I opened the dishwasher to find steam, near-boiling standing water, and saucers so hot I needed a pot holder.
Apparently, Handy Husband attempted to disassemble it while I was in the bathtub, and all he got was a cut on the finger (which we shall hear about from here to eternity).
Screw it...I'm going to take an Ambien.
Man, I suck at blogging. Well, I guess by the title, one would suspect it's just a blog about cancer. But since there isn't much new in the world of MY cancer, there hasn't been much to blog about.
What's new in cancer news?
On Sunday, December 23, I got my Neulasta shot, which boosts white blood cell production. The shot "may cause long bone pain". Yeah...I hurt so bad, I could barely move. I felt like someone was trying to break my pelvic bone in half. Thank God for Oxycodone.
Yeah...that's it. Nothing else new. Just trying to stay healthy in the midst of flu season. So far; so good. Next chemo treatment is 1/11/13, which also includes a visit with the onco doc.
What else has been going on, you might ask? Oh, you didn't? Tough. My blog; my rules.
Winter break is over. We all survived without killing one another. The kids were well-behaved for the most part. Christmas came & went. We all had a wonderful day. NYE came & went. We all had a wonderful 2012. Yada yada yada.
I'm tired. I can't sleep. Cancer is supposed to make you weak and tired. I'm always sleepy at the wrong time. I have plenty of medicine that would help me go to sleep right now. I just don't want to be that girl who gets the "I survived cancer and all I got was a lousy addiction to sleep meds/pain killers/Ativan" shirt. Nathan says to try to count sheep. When I close my eyes, I cannot, for the life of me, think of what a fucking sheep looks like.
What else is new? Oh, the dishwasher quit. And, no, I don't mean Nathan. Yesterday (well, Monday, to be exact), I loaded that SOB down with breakfast & lunch dishes. When I turned it on, it made a noise. I opened it, peered inside like I knew what I was looking for, and slammed it shut again. When it started, it sounded fine. Flash forward four hours or so...I opened the dishwasher to find steam, near-boiling standing water, and saucers so hot I needed a pot holder.
Apparently, Handy Husband attempted to disassemble it while I was in the bathtub, and all he got was a cut on the finger (which we shall hear about from here to eternity).
Screw it...I'm going to take an Ambien.
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