January 29 - went to Cancer Care for check up with doctor. He was out of town so I got to see precious nurse practitioner!
Before going to Room One, I went in to see who was taking treatments to say hello. Met a new cancer warrior...it was his first treatment. He and his wife were so precious. So...put Mr. Tatum on your prayer list.
Here is the joke of the day from one of my cancer peeps!
A woman brought her duck in to see the vet. He could see with out much inquiry that the duck was dead. He told her. She said..."but you haven't even checked him over." So he went out and got his Labrador retriever. The dog put his paws up on the table and sniffed the duck. He looked as his master and shook his head. The vet went out and brought in a cat. The cat weaved back and forth, up and down the duck. He looked at his master and shook his head. The vet told the woman, "I am sorry, but your duck is gone. That will be $150.00." The woman looked startled. "I read in your waiting room that this would be $30." He said..."Yes, but that was before lab work and the Cat scan."
OK...maybe you have to be sitting where I am to enjoy that humor!!! LOL
So on to the results of MY CAT SCAN! I was told it was a good report. My colon looked good...no new tumors! The hot spots on my liver have not grown (but they haven't decreased yet, either). There are some lymph nodes in my right under arm that are swollen, but she said she was not concerned about them. Not even sure they haven't been that way for a while. Nothing in my stomach and my pelvic area looked clean. SO...SCAT CAT! I'm good for the next rounds.
Treatment 6 has been a week ago and I have to be honest. I still feel rough. I traveled on Saturday after treatment for Hunter's surprise BD party. I'm so glad Brandon drove so I could sit in the back seat and moan. Sunday and Monday were spent in the bed. Tuesday...I felt pretty good only for Wednesday and Thursday (today) to be yucky! I am at work...thankful that my colleagues let me whine, complain, and put my head on my desk without too much alarm. I was told today that the chemo would be accumulative and as it adds on, there will be yucky effects.
I go Monday for blood work to determine blood count and if I will need a nupragen shot. We can all cross our fingers!!! Then Wednesday, if all is well, I will have my 7th treatment. I created a calendar for the next several months to determine dates that I will NOT be in treatment to make some work plans. It looks like - if there are no complications- April 17th will end my treatment. Spring is the season of rebirth and newness...looking towards that spring!!
I heard a great motivational concept today. Myra shared it with me. The speaker had a tennis ball and as he gave his presentation, he would bounce that tennis ball. Sometimes he would bounce it softly, but other times he would bounce it with force. During the presentation he asked the audience did they see something interesting about the ball? He proceeded to point out..."do you notice the harder it hits the ground the higher it bounces up?"
OK! I get it!!! I'll admit I feel my ball is hitting the ground pretty hard lately. So my bounce will come back higher!!!
How high is your bounce????
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Going to My Head
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
But...we are already almost half way through with January. Time is flying by!
I have just finished treatment FIVE. At the end of January I will have 6 treatments to go. Half. Way. Finished. It is really starting to go to my head!
My hair is thinning out so I sent out an email to few colleagues and daughter. It was only days later I received the wig of my life!!! Then a beanie was delivered. I tried them on...but am having a hard time making it work. LOL Some women can wear hats and beanies and they look so cute...can't quite pull it off. But...wig hunting may be in my future.
(picture of purple wig)
If you read the last post after treatment 4 you know I was in a bad state. I am grateful to say treatment 5 was not as devastating. There was a detour in 5. I usually take Chemo all day Wednesday. When I arrived last Wednesday my blood count was at 700. (they like it to be 1500 but will do treatment at 1200) So...I had to take another Nupregin shot. (that makes 2) The next day, Thursday my count had moved from 700 to 3000! So I was on for the day, Friday and my sister-in-law unplugged me on Saturday. Although....I can say it is going to my head. I can hear rushing in my head as well as a weakness that makes me want to quit thinking. LOL
Work is my strong point! It really does help me to have a plan for the day. Even though Christmas Holidays were wonderful, I wonder if not having to push towards my plan, did I feel worse during that treatment. It was a lot of days of laying around and feeling pretty bad.
Again...going to my head. I am continually trying to analyze the whys and whats of this journey. It becomes a conscious decision to just be still and know that God has it covered.
For some reason, this treatment is not giving me the cold fingers and toes as bad. For those of you who have gone through that sensation, you know how excited I am!!! I still can't drink anything cold but room temperature bottle of water does quench the thirst.
Interesting Update:
My wonderful oncologist surgeon, Dr. Philip Ley was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He had his kidney removed last Thursday. He is now home and recovering well. They believe that it was contained in that kidney. Pray for Dr. Ley. There are alot of us who couldn't have done without him!
Met with Dr. Hill today. He gave me a prescription for a beta blocker if/when my blood pressure hits 140/80. I have had several days of blood pressure spikes now that I am on 4th medicine. Also, nose bleeds happen to be a side effect so I was given a name of a nasal puff to help with that.
I had not up to this point heard the term Cancer Makers ( I Goggled it and came up with tumor markers). But today my nurse explained that my marker was 6.45 in early December. They like it to be around 3 or less. After several more treatments, today that marker read 2.11. She explained it does not mean you are cancer free, but it does indicate the treatment is working. THAT REALLY WENT TO MY HEAD. I 'm not really sure I understand it at all, but it sounds like it is good news.
Dr. Hill set up a CAT scan for me on Monday. I will also get blood work to see if counts are up for treatment six on Wednesday. The I will see Dr. Hill two weeks from today to discuss CAT scan results and he said, "to determine the completion of treatment for the last 6 treatments."
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, mind." Luke 10:27
Let that go to your head!!!
But...we are already almost half way through with January. Time is flying by!
I have just finished treatment FIVE. At the end of January I will have 6 treatments to go. Half. Way. Finished. It is really starting to go to my head!
My hair is thinning out so I sent out an email to few colleagues and daughter. It was only days later I received the wig of my life!!! Then a beanie was delivered. I tried them on...but am having a hard time making it work. LOL Some women can wear hats and beanies and they look so cute...can't quite pull it off. But...wig hunting may be in my future.
(picture of purple wig)
If you read the last post after treatment 4 you know I was in a bad state. I am grateful to say treatment 5 was not as devastating. There was a detour in 5. I usually take Chemo all day Wednesday. When I arrived last Wednesday my blood count was at 700. (they like it to be 1500 but will do treatment at 1200) So...I had to take another Nupregin shot. (that makes 2) The next day, Thursday my count had moved from 700 to 3000! So I was on for the day, Friday and my sister-in-law unplugged me on Saturday. Although....I can say it is going to my head. I can hear rushing in my head as well as a weakness that makes me want to quit thinking. LOL
Work is my strong point! It really does help me to have a plan for the day. Even though Christmas Holidays were wonderful, I wonder if not having to push towards my plan, did I feel worse during that treatment. It was a lot of days of laying around and feeling pretty bad.
Again...going to my head. I am continually trying to analyze the whys and whats of this journey. It becomes a conscious decision to just be still and know that God has it covered.
For some reason, this treatment is not giving me the cold fingers and toes as bad. For those of you who have gone through that sensation, you know how excited I am!!! I still can't drink anything cold but room temperature bottle of water does quench the thirst.
Interesting Update:
My wonderful oncologist surgeon, Dr. Philip Ley was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He had his kidney removed last Thursday. He is now home and recovering well. They believe that it was contained in that kidney. Pray for Dr. Ley. There are alot of us who couldn't have done without him!
Met with Dr. Hill today. He gave me a prescription for a beta blocker if/when my blood pressure hits 140/80. I have had several days of blood pressure spikes now that I am on 4th medicine. Also, nose bleeds happen to be a side effect so I was given a name of a nasal puff to help with that.
I had not up to this point heard the term Cancer Makers ( I Goggled it and came up with tumor markers). But today my nurse explained that my marker was 6.45 in early December. They like it to be around 3 or less. After several more treatments, today that marker read 2.11. She explained it does not mean you are cancer free, but it does indicate the treatment is working. THAT REALLY WENT TO MY HEAD. I 'm not really sure I understand it at all, but it sounds like it is good news.
Dr. Hill set up a CAT scan for me on Monday. I will also get blood work to see if counts are up for treatment six on Wednesday. The I will see Dr. Hill two weeks from today to discuss CAT scan results and he said, "to determine the completion of treatment for the last 6 treatments."
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, mind." Luke 10:27
Let that go to your head!!!
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