And so it goes, and so it goes. Showered today and had strands of hair entwined in my fingers. Not enough to necessitate at head cover yet, but certainly enough that I bypassed the hairdryer for a finger-styled look. And hair spray - to 'glue' it on :) Tonight might be a night of Josh shaving my head with the clippers because that seems a lot cleaner than flying it all over the bathroom. We shall see!
Had round 2 of chemo yesterday. The treatments themselves are pretty uneventful. The day was gorgeous, so I took the dog for a walk, ate some lunch, and then walked with Esther. Then....I crashed! I curled up in bed until I rolled out for another followup appointment with the plastic surgeon, Dr. Cullen. Unfortunately he was working out of his office in Byron Center (about 40 minutes away) and the car ride just about got the better of me. Thankfully, I now keep a stash of my 'extra' anti-nausea drugs in my purse, so we got there and back without incident. Yea! After that, I crawled back in bed and didn't emerge again until about midnight when I had a cup of jello. What a day!
Today's been not much more exciting. I sliced an apple for the kids' lunch, ate some toast, and then plopped on the couch and have only removed myself to shower and another quick appointment. Next on my agenda: eat some dinner and write some cards. Big plans!!
Sorry, no deep thoughts for today. They've all left with my hairs. :)
Friday, October 30, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The new rhythm of life
So almost a full 'cycle' of chemo under my belt and have a better understanding of what my next 4-5 months will be like. So here goes:
Thursday: treatment
Friday-Sunday: morning sickness-type stomach upset
Monday-Tuesday: feeling pretty good
Wednesday-Sunday: extreme and then lessening exhaustion due to low blood levels
Monday-Wednesday: feeling good, I suspect, tho this week I have another plastic surgeon appointment so I'll be dealing with that instead of functioning well :(
And then the process starts all over again!
This goes on for 4 cycles (so about mid-December) and then I start a different cycle of 4 times. This other cycle will begin with treatment every three weeks instead of every two weeks. After 12 weeks, I get a 3 week break then radiation of 33 sessions - they take weekends and holidays off, yippee!! So 6.5 weeks of radiation and then final reconstruction begins.
So goes my new rhythm of life!
On another note: I went to the Women's Retreat this weekend - thank you April who did a GREAT job putting it together!! I realized there that I have no problem worshipping and glorifying God, my Maker, but I really struggle with the praise songs. I've had a few people ask me if I was angry with God about my cancer. My answer: No, never. My God is so much bigger than my diagnosis. I read this weekend in Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. This has been my sentiment from the beginning - and I found it so plainly written right there in the Bible - yea, God! So, while I have this confidence in God and his plan, I guess I have a hard time praising him through it. He's more than worthy of my worship and is more glorious than (fill in the blank), so what's it about praise that I struggle so much? Here's what I discovered as I looked up the definitions - praise is to express approval and admiration; worship is an expression of love and devotion; glorify is to exalt. So there you go - through all this I know God is deserving of everything I can give, but I'm struggling to be able to approve of this present course. Am I angry with God? I still say 'no,' but I now understand that while I have confidence in the outcomes, I do struggle with loving the current circumstance.
Thursday: treatment
Friday-Sunday: morning sickness-type stomach upset
Monday-Tuesday: feeling pretty good
Wednesday-Sunday: extreme and then lessening exhaustion due to low blood levels
Monday-Wednesday: feeling good, I suspect, tho this week I have another plastic surgeon appointment so I'll be dealing with that instead of functioning well :(
And then the process starts all over again!
This goes on for 4 cycles (so about mid-December) and then I start a different cycle of 4 times. This other cycle will begin with treatment every three weeks instead of every two weeks. After 12 weeks, I get a 3 week break then radiation of 33 sessions - they take weekends and holidays off, yippee!! So 6.5 weeks of radiation and then final reconstruction begins.
So goes my new rhythm of life!
On another note: I went to the Women's Retreat this weekend - thank you April who did a GREAT job putting it together!! I realized there that I have no problem worshipping and glorifying God, my Maker, but I really struggle with the praise songs. I've had a few people ask me if I was angry with God about my cancer. My answer: No, never. My God is so much bigger than my diagnosis. I read this weekend in Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. This has been my sentiment from the beginning - and I found it so plainly written right there in the Bible - yea, God! So, while I have this confidence in God and his plan, I guess I have a hard time praising him through it. He's more than worthy of my worship and is more glorious than (fill in the blank), so what's it about praise that I struggle so much? Here's what I discovered as I looked up the definitions - praise is to express approval and admiration; worship is an expression of love and devotion; glorify is to exalt. So there you go - through all this I know God is deserving of everything I can give, but I'm struggling to be able to approve of this present course. Am I angry with God? I still say 'no,' but I now understand that while I have confidence in the outcomes, I do struggle with loving the current circumstance.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A word on tissue expanders
(I did have a request posted for a mattress topper, but we're all set. Thanks everyone!!)
If ever you hear a doc speak of 'tissue expanders' be afraid - be very afraid! The purpose of these is a very good thing. According to plasticsurgery.org "Tissue expansion is a relatively straightforward procedure that enables the body to "grow" extra skin for use in reconstructing almost any part of the body.... It is most commonly used for breast reconstruction ... but it's also used to repair skin damaged by birth defects, accidents or surgery, and in certain cosmetic procedures." Sounds easy enough, huh? For me it means putting the pectoralis muscle on my chest into a hyper-stretch until it becomes flexible enough that it's the 'new normal.' Josh is gonna go to the pharmacy (my new best friend) to get some pain meds a bit stronger than Tylenol. It's a med I've had good luck w/ before, but pray I don't puke! :)
As far as the side-effects of chemo - pretty much nil! Yea!! I was feeling gross and a bit sorry for myself on Saturday until a good friend came over and took care of me by getting rid of neck strain and detoxing my system. Such a good thing!! What I don't know is whether chemo has a cumulative effect or if this week is a good representation of what to expect throughout the treatment: another prayer request.
I got on the treadmill the other day and spent the time counting my blessings - they exceeded my time on the treadmill! I cannot say 'thank you' often enough and to enough people. Even when I'm not seeking God, He finds me through a card, a word, or special something that someone shares and THAT is comfort. My recovery process has been strengthened through each prayer and act of kindness. Thank you!
If ever you hear a doc speak of 'tissue expanders' be afraid - be very afraid! The purpose of these is a very good thing. According to plasticsurgery.org "Tissue expansion is a relatively straightforward procedure that enables the body to "grow" extra skin for use in reconstructing almost any part of the body.... It is most commonly used for breast reconstruction ... but it's also used to repair skin damaged by birth defects, accidents or surgery, and in certain cosmetic procedures." Sounds easy enough, huh? For me it means putting the pectoralis muscle on my chest into a hyper-stretch until it becomes flexible enough that it's the 'new normal.' Josh is gonna go to the pharmacy (my new best friend) to get some pain meds a bit stronger than Tylenol. It's a med I've had good luck w/ before, but pray I don't puke! :)
As far as the side-effects of chemo - pretty much nil! Yea!! I was feeling gross and a bit sorry for myself on Saturday until a good friend came over and took care of me by getting rid of neck strain and detoxing my system. Such a good thing!! What I don't know is whether chemo has a cumulative effect or if this week is a good representation of what to expect throughout the treatment: another prayer request.
I got on the treadmill the other day and spent the time counting my blessings - they exceeded my time on the treadmill! I cannot say 'thank you' often enough and to enough people. Even when I'm not seeking God, He finds me through a card, a word, or special something that someone shares and THAT is comfort. My recovery process has been strengthened through each prayer and act of kindness. Thank you!
Friday, October 16, 2009
The next day....
So far so good!
I went for "The day after shot" (Neulasta?) that is supposed to help bump up the white blood cells again. Downside: bone aches. Since white blood cells are created within your bones, they kinda go into overload. I asked, "Besides Tylenol for that, are there other options for counteracting the aching." Answer: "Of course! We have drugs for that!!" You can see I'm not a real fan of drugs, but, like I keep saying , "It is, what it is."
So, another good day!
New prayer request:
Overcoming mental hurdles. I may be or get tired, but I can do it!!
OK, the awaited haircut picture:
Before.
And...
After!
Strands were donated to a local kids group: Children With Hairloss (CWHL) Levi keeps looking at those strands of hair and saying, "Broke, Mom! Broke!" Cutie!
I went for "The day after shot" (Neulasta?) that is supposed to help bump up the white blood cells again. Downside: bone aches. Since white blood cells are created within your bones, they kinda go into overload. I asked, "Besides Tylenol for that, are there other options for counteracting the aching." Answer: "Of course! We have drugs for that!!" You can see I'm not a real fan of drugs, but, like I keep saying , "It is, what it is."
So, another good day!
New prayer request:
Overcoming mental hurdles. I may be or get tired, but I can do it!!
OK, the awaited haircut picture:
Before.
And...
After!
Strands were donated to a local kids group: Children With Hairloss (CWHL) Levi keeps looking at those strands of hair and saying, "Broke, Mom! Broke!" Cutie!
Finally! A good day!! (Thurs)
Today (Thursday) was the first chemo treatment, and it was easy! Can you believe!! The nurse said the weekend is when I'll feel a little gross, but "we have prescriptions for that!" Drugs, drugs, drugs.
We got there and asked the nurse, Wendy, to talk us through what was going to happen and what to expect. She explained each of the drugs and what they may do - most of it went over my head. I like biology, not chemistry. Bottom line, they'll give me the drugs I need and go from there, wherever "there" takes us. What I'm getting is 'highly nauseating' (you medical people can remind me what the technical term for that is) so they gave me an anti-nausea capsule while I was there (Emend) and I'll continue that for the next 2 days. In addition there's 2 prescriptions for others that I can take (one for day and one for night - they think of everything!) if I'm not feeling just right. She, Wendy, said most women report it to be similar to morning sickness. So for being a bad drug addict, I certainly have an arsenal!
Usually, we're told, since I had treatment on Thursday, I'll feel gross on Sat, Sun, Mon and then may just be fatigued or feeling like I have the flu after that. I had been concerned that I wouldn't be able/capable of doing much exercise (which I'm missing already) and she seemed to feel that *probably* I'd do just fine. I may have to adjust my goals a bit, but at least I'd be exercising. Fighting through fatigue will be "easier" to overcome (a mental hurdle in many ways) with chemo than post-surgeries when you're trying to repair, etc. (a physical hurdle).
Overall, I felt that this process will be do-able. I understand that as you go along, the fatigue and all accumulates so it doesn't get any easier. BUT, today was a good day! And they've seen it all and know what to do to help out to minimize side effects - yea!
One treatment down!!
Prayer requests:
Health for our family - and probably for yours as well!
Good, solid sleep each night
We got there and asked the nurse, Wendy, to talk us through what was going to happen and what to expect. She explained each of the drugs and what they may do - most of it went over my head. I like biology, not chemistry. Bottom line, they'll give me the drugs I need and go from there, wherever "there" takes us. What I'm getting is 'highly nauseating' (you medical people can remind me what the technical term for that is) so they gave me an anti-nausea capsule while I was there (Emend) and I'll continue that for the next 2 days. In addition there's 2 prescriptions for others that I can take (one for day and one for night - they think of everything!) if I'm not feeling just right. She, Wendy, said most women report it to be similar to morning sickness. So for being a bad drug addict, I certainly have an arsenal!
Usually, we're told, since I had treatment on Thursday, I'll feel gross on Sat, Sun, Mon and then may just be fatigued or feeling like I have the flu after that. I had been concerned that I wouldn't be able/capable of doing much exercise (which I'm missing already) and she seemed to feel that *probably* I'd do just fine. I may have to adjust my goals a bit, but at least I'd be exercising. Fighting through fatigue will be "easier" to overcome (a mental hurdle in many ways) with chemo than post-surgeries when you're trying to repair, etc. (a physical hurdle).
Overall, I felt that this process will be do-able. I understand that as you go along, the fatigue and all accumulates so it doesn't get any easier. BUT, today was a good day! And they've seen it all and know what to do to help out to minimize side effects - yea!
One treatment down!!
Prayer requests:
Health for our family - and probably for yours as well!
Good, solid sleep each night
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Not-so-simple Monday
Ahh, what to say about Monday!
Once again, an appointment that was supposed to be a 1/2 day got dragged into an all day affair - with a trip to the ER as 'frosting.'
Monday morning I had to go in to have the port 'installed' as a prep for the chemo on Thursday. The port rests on your chest wall, runs up the clavicle and into the jugular vein by your neck, and eventually lands somewhere above the heart. I didn't realize it went that far! The surgery itself when just fine. Josh stayed with Abby (who was sick that day) out in the rest of the building while I went back to do my thing. Apparently I was quite chatty during the whole thing. I can remember asking questions about what he was doing, why, what other kind of surgeries he did, how often - weird things. I shoulda just napped! At one point the nurse asked for another dosage, which I presume they gave, but I still kept a running conversation. Odd.
Post-surgery, I was in LaLa Land - and lovin' it! We packed up our things, wheeled me out and headed home. Josh stopped at a gas station for some drinks and that's when it went downhill. I puked twice in their bushes and felt much better after that! Went home, laid down to rest, puked some more. A friend came over to cut my hair to donate it to a children's organization like Locks of Love (pic coming as soon as anyone's healthy enough to take it.) She would cut, I would puke while she sweeped up the hair; cut/puke, cut/puke. You see where I'm going with this.
Wiped out, I rested a bit more until after dinner. The cracker and Propel I sipped didn't stay down and I was feeling miserable and a bit scared. It's one thing to get the flu and understand why you feel the way you do, it's another to not understand the cause of your troubles. That, and I couldn't take any pain meds until I could keep things down, and I was too tense to get my stomach to settle, so I couldn't take the pain meds in order to relax - another vicious cycle. Another friend must've called at that time and Josh asked her to come over so we could go to the med center/ER.
Once there, I showed them my already existing admit-band and they graciously triaged us RIGHT away and got me to a bed where I could lay down again. They started fluids and some anti-nausea meds which did help a bit, but b/c there was no good reason for me to be having trouble, a call to the Intervention Radiologist (who installed the port) directed a CT chest scan to check for blood clots.
The whole CT scan process went horribly! We spoke with the folks at Spectrum Health, so...enough has been said.
CT scan came back clear, and they connected the dots that, like the vicatin (sp.), whatever other narcotic they gave me at the surgery was causing my nausea. So we packed up, got dressed, though I laid back down b/c I still didn't feel confident (even after the anti-nausea meds they'd already given) that I'd make it home. She gave me a second, smaller dose. We drove home, I puked, and went to bed. So much for the meds!
This morning, stuff has stayed down, I was able to eat a full dinner and got several naps in during the day. Josh has come down with the awful head cold going around, so our TV/babysitter has been on about as much today as it ever is in a week!
And that was our Monday. Calendar said 'port 8:00' and 'haircut 2:00' but it turned out to be much more! Phew! Another day done :)
Thanks everyone for the continued prayers and support!!
Signing off!
-amanda
Once again, an appointment that was supposed to be a 1/2 day got dragged into an all day affair - with a trip to the ER as 'frosting.'
Monday morning I had to go in to have the port 'installed' as a prep for the chemo on Thursday. The port rests on your chest wall, runs up the clavicle and into the jugular vein by your neck, and eventually lands somewhere above the heart. I didn't realize it went that far! The surgery itself when just fine. Josh stayed with Abby (who was sick that day) out in the rest of the building while I went back to do my thing. Apparently I was quite chatty during the whole thing. I can remember asking questions about what he was doing, why, what other kind of surgeries he did, how often - weird things. I shoulda just napped! At one point the nurse asked for another dosage, which I presume they gave, but I still kept a running conversation. Odd.
Post-surgery, I was in LaLa Land - and lovin' it! We packed up our things, wheeled me out and headed home. Josh stopped at a gas station for some drinks and that's when it went downhill. I puked twice in their bushes and felt much better after that! Went home, laid down to rest, puked some more. A friend came over to cut my hair to donate it to a children's organization like Locks of Love (pic coming as soon as anyone's healthy enough to take it.) She would cut, I would puke while she sweeped up the hair; cut/puke, cut/puke. You see where I'm going with this.
Wiped out, I rested a bit more until after dinner. The cracker and Propel I sipped didn't stay down and I was feeling miserable and a bit scared. It's one thing to get the flu and understand why you feel the way you do, it's another to not understand the cause of your troubles. That, and I couldn't take any pain meds until I could keep things down, and I was too tense to get my stomach to settle, so I couldn't take the pain meds in order to relax - another vicious cycle. Another friend must've called at that time and Josh asked her to come over so we could go to the med center/ER.
Once there, I showed them my already existing admit-band and they graciously triaged us RIGHT away and got me to a bed where I could lay down again. They started fluids and some anti-nausea meds which did help a bit, but b/c there was no good reason for me to be having trouble, a call to the Intervention Radiologist (who installed the port) directed a CT chest scan to check for blood clots.
The whole CT scan process went horribly! We spoke with the folks at Spectrum Health, so...enough has been said.
CT scan came back clear, and they connected the dots that, like the vicatin (sp.), whatever other narcotic they gave me at the surgery was causing my nausea. So we packed up, got dressed, though I laid back down b/c I still didn't feel confident (even after the anti-nausea meds they'd already given) that I'd make it home. She gave me a second, smaller dose. We drove home, I puked, and went to bed. So much for the meds!
This morning, stuff has stayed down, I was able to eat a full dinner and got several naps in during the day. Josh has come down with the awful head cold going around, so our TV/babysitter has been on about as much today as it ever is in a week!
And that was our Monday. Calendar said 'port 8:00' and 'haircut 2:00' but it turned out to be much more! Phew! Another day done :)
Thanks everyone for the continued prayers and support!!
Signing off!
-amanda
Friday, October 9, 2009
It's been brought to my attention:
that I haven't mentioned the start date for the chemo treatments. The first cycle will begin this coming Thursday, October 15. I go in on Monday to have the port put in and then will start the craziness on Thursday.
It's an emotional process for me because it feels the beginning of the true treatment FOR cancer. Sigh. And I'll lose my hair. I'm trying to gain the courage to donate my hair to the local Locks of Love and play around with a short pixie cut for a few weeks while I'll still have hair. Sigh. It'll be done, I just need to take the first step and admit that it needs to be done. Sigh...and cry.
It's an emotional process for me because it feels the beginning of the true treatment FOR cancer. Sigh. And I'll lose my hair. I'm trying to gain the courage to donate my hair to the local Locks of Love and play around with a short pixie cut for a few weeks while I'll still have hair. Sigh. It'll be done, I just need to take the first step and admit that it needs to be done. Sigh...and cry.
Small request:
I'm loving the comments that everyone makes! Thank you so very much!
I'm right there with you if the 'Comment as:' option is a bit weird. I don't really get it myself. If you choose the 'anonymous' option or if you have an unusual user name, please put your first and last name in the comments so that I know who's writing to me. If for whatever reason you prefer not to leave comments here, you can always email me directly at alvantil@gmail.com.
It's a little thing, I know, but since you are so willing to help me through this, I appreciate knowing through whom my support and encouragement has come.
I'm right there with you if the 'Comment as:' option is a bit weird. I don't really get it myself. If you choose the 'anonymous' option or if you have an unusual user name, please put your first and last name in the comments so that I know who's writing to me. If for whatever reason you prefer not to leave comments here, you can always email me directly at alvantil@gmail.com.
It's a little thing, I know, but since you are so willing to help me through this, I appreciate knowing through whom my support and encouragement has come.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Radiology Oncologist
Today was the Radiology Oncologist's turn to weigh in - Dr. Kastner. Nice guy with more unfortunate news. Actually, I came out of the appointment less shaken than after the chemo appointment, but Lisa and Josh didn't feel the same.
Our discoveries:
1. Radiologists actually USE 'tangents' that you learned about in high school geometry (I had to use spell checker for both tangent and geometry - shows how much I use those two words!)
2. Radiation beams don't stop at the site at which they're shooting (duh!) - hence, 6 ft. thick cement walls and lead plates. What this means biologically is that in order to get to the lymph nodes, they need to use geometry and tangents to avoid things like lungs, spine, esophagus, thyroid, brachial nerve (that runs down your neck to the shoulder), etc. Before beginning treatment, they do a 3D CAT scan to get a picture of the 'virtual me' and use that to find the best angles for zapping the nodes and areas they want to target while avoiding tissues that they do not want to effect (affect?). Sounds easy enough to me, but if you noticed all the tissues they try to avoid, you can also read between the lines of the possible side effects.
What did surprise me was the larger area that they/he wanted to target. I was envisioning zapping the nodes under the arm and breast bone, but he spoke of hitting the ones that run up and under the collar bone as well as the (former) tumor site. Apparently the mastectomy scar, or that particular area, has a significant rate of reoccurrence. That is to say (for all you worriers) that there seems to be something about that particular area, even though surgically it is clean, cancers can show up again later in the skin, so by targeting it with local radiation, they reduce the chance of recurrence.
So why chemo AND radiation? It's an additive effect. For whatever reason chemo does a great job of targeting cancer cells that have 'gotten loose' in the body, but is not as effective locally (at the tumor site) which is where radiation is very efficient.
On a less factual side, we've learn a lot about not just the illness of cancer, but the manner in which it changes the person and all those near. I have a new empathy when I hear of one's diagnosis or treatment progress. It's not just a doctor's appointment and a lot of drugs with side-effects, there's an emotional roller-coaster that goes with it. Or/And... I was a person who never needed a doctor except for pregnancy and strep throat - even that's debatable :) Now suddenly, I'm one who needs to be vigilant of a multitude of side-effects for my life time. I'm understanding what it means that you are always 'a person who had cancer' -- though I'm still coming to terms with the fact that doctors keep calling me a cancer patient b/c I don't feel like one yet. :)
Our discoveries:
1. Radiologists actually USE 'tangents' that you learned about in high school geometry (I had to use spell checker for both tangent and geometry - shows how much I use those two words!)
2. Radiation beams don't stop at the site at which they're shooting (duh!) - hence, 6 ft. thick cement walls and lead plates. What this means biologically is that in order to get to the lymph nodes, they need to use geometry and tangents to avoid things like lungs, spine, esophagus, thyroid, brachial nerve (that runs down your neck to the shoulder), etc. Before beginning treatment, they do a 3D CAT scan to get a picture of the 'virtual me' and use that to find the best angles for zapping the nodes and areas they want to target while avoiding tissues that they do not want to effect (affect?). Sounds easy enough to me, but if you noticed all the tissues they try to avoid, you can also read between the lines of the possible side effects.
What did surprise me was the larger area that they/he wanted to target. I was envisioning zapping the nodes under the arm and breast bone, but he spoke of hitting the ones that run up and under the collar bone as well as the (former) tumor site. Apparently the mastectomy scar, or that particular area, has a significant rate of reoccurrence. That is to say (for all you worriers) that there seems to be something about that particular area, even though surgically it is clean, cancers can show up again later in the skin, so by targeting it with local radiation, they reduce the chance of recurrence.
So why chemo AND radiation? It's an additive effect. For whatever reason chemo does a great job of targeting cancer cells that have 'gotten loose' in the body, but is not as effective locally (at the tumor site) which is where radiation is very efficient.
On a less factual side, we've learn a lot about not just the illness of cancer, but the manner in which it changes the person and all those near. I have a new empathy when I hear of one's diagnosis or treatment progress. It's not just a doctor's appointment and a lot of drugs with side-effects, there's an emotional roller-coaster that goes with it. Or/And... I was a person who never needed a doctor except for pregnancy and strep throat - even that's debatable :) Now suddenly, I'm one who needs to be vigilant of a multitude of side-effects for my life time. I'm understanding what it means that you are always 'a person who had cancer' -- though I'm still coming to terms with the fact that doctors keep calling me a cancer patient b/c I don't feel like one yet. :)
Monday, October 5, 2009
Medical Oncologist
I'm exhausted after a LONG appointment today with the medical oncologist, Dr. Mark Campbell. It wasn't so much that he had a lot to say, but that he was running behind - WAY behind. Our appt. was at 4:15, but I think we actually met him closer to 6:30. Poor man looked exhausted. We (Lisa, Josh, and I) were having a blast in the room playing hangman on the whiteboard. The nurses even felt so bad about our wait that they found huge chocolate chip cookies and brand new whiteboard markers for us!
The medical oncologist is basically "The Chemo Man." He had wonderful analogies about dandelions and how their seeds spread across your lawn and all over, and the only way to kill the seeds is by spraying a lot of chemical to kill those and any other weed. I may expound on it all another time, but for now, that's his way of explaining why they use a lot of drugs to kill the little bitty cancer cells randomly spread (potentially) in the body - just like dandelion seeds in your lawn.
What we learned is that he has 5 'choice' drugs in mind to use over a course of 6 months. The first two months is a dosage of 3 drugs given every 2 weeks, then a second round of 2 kinds of drugs given every 3 weeks. Each 'session' takes about 3-4 hrs to receive, a shot the day after to assist in rebuilding your white blood cell count, and, "by-the-way, we'll insert a port under your collar bone a few days before we start so that we don't have to keep poking you." Then he whipped out his Blackberry and said, "So do you want to start Monday or Thursday?" WHAAA! We have life we've already planned on!
Right now the whole thing basically puts my body into a shaky, shocky kind of response. My legs shake, teeth chatter, and I shiver all over. Dr. Campbell assures us that the whole chemo process has been refined so that, while you still lose hair, etc., the nausea is not an issue. He anticipated that it's mostly fatigue that's the hard part. He equated it to the last month of pregnancy - for 6 months. Thankfully I've had good pregnancies, so.... :) not sure I can draw parallel conclusions, but it helps me understand that busy days will be functional, but tiring - and so you rest the next day.
I'll try to fill in the rest of the medical knowledge we gleaned today ('cause I like that kind of stuff!) when I'm not so tired. Unless it doesn't seem so interesting tomorrow. Phew, what a day! Good night, moon!
The medical oncologist is basically "The Chemo Man." He had wonderful analogies about dandelions and how their seeds spread across your lawn and all over, and the only way to kill the seeds is by spraying a lot of chemical to kill those and any other weed. I may expound on it all another time, but for now, that's his way of explaining why they use a lot of drugs to kill the little bitty cancer cells randomly spread (potentially) in the body - just like dandelion seeds in your lawn.
What we learned is that he has 5 'choice' drugs in mind to use over a course of 6 months. The first two months is a dosage of 3 drugs given every 2 weeks, then a second round of 2 kinds of drugs given every 3 weeks. Each 'session' takes about 3-4 hrs to receive, a shot the day after to assist in rebuilding your white blood cell count, and, "by-the-way, we'll insert a port under your collar bone a few days before we start so that we don't have to keep poking you." Then he whipped out his Blackberry and said, "So do you want to start Monday or Thursday?" WHAAA! We have life we've already planned on!
Right now the whole thing basically puts my body into a shaky, shocky kind of response. My legs shake, teeth chatter, and I shiver all over. Dr. Campbell assures us that the whole chemo process has been refined so that, while you still lose hair, etc., the nausea is not an issue. He anticipated that it's mostly fatigue that's the hard part. He equated it to the last month of pregnancy - for 6 months. Thankfully I've had good pregnancies, so.... :) not sure I can draw parallel conclusions, but it helps me understand that busy days will be functional, but tiring - and so you rest the next day.
I'll try to fill in the rest of the medical knowledge we gleaned today ('cause I like that kind of stuff!) when I'm not so tired. Unless it doesn't seem so interesting tomorrow. Phew, what a day! Good night, moon!
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