The anticipation was more stressful than the event. I know that things will probably get worse as treatment continues and it seems a foregone conclusion that my hair will be no longer but, on the bright side, when it grows back I may not have to color it anymore if I like the gray that it is! I also got a great recommendation for wigs from a fellow chemo mate - so there's that too! Hers was so realistic I didn't realize it was a wig until she said something!
Bry took me today and sat with me for part of the treatment. In the waiting room, three wonderful library friends: Denise, Debbie and Kim came in! It was so wonderful to see them and we laughed so hard it was impossible to be worried! I can't thank them enough for that! Even Bry was bent over laughing!
Once in the treatment room, the recliners are comfy - the mediport makes infusion really simple and I didn't have any trouble with any meds today. That could change but I'm holding tough on it not! Talked with ladies on both sides and know that I'll find lots of support there and with my fantastic friends and family. Since the hair will be going, will be getting a wig of some kind if only for the wedding - pictures of me aren't great anyway but bald - ain't gonna happen!! 😊😊😊😊
So far I've had no nausea but there's medicine for that too and additional medicine for anxiety (of which I had a bit last night so I did sleep better with chemistry!). It's a process but it's going to be fine.
I'm going to be a survivor along with all my friends - and that's a promise!!
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Summer 2017 - Another Week!
Wow, this has been a second week that was and it's only Wednesday! But, great for me, today was a day that didn't require awakening to an alarm and, unlike yesterday, didn't require me to be up and out in an almost tropical storm!
Monday was an outpatient surgical procedure where I had a Power Port (Mediport) installed so that giving the chemo drugs is easier on everyone. It was a compromise time so the place wasn't the nearby hospital but the one that used to be closest! That hospital has been redone and looks great. Everything was on time, including me, until it was discovered that my bloodwork tests were over two weeks old - oh my - so there was an hour's delay until those could be completed. Once done, we were once again a go. The procedure itself is fairly simple - for a vascular surgeon! The doctor was a bit concerned, however, because my heart rate is low. I'd asked my PCP about it and he said it was a side-effect of the blood pressure medicine I take. Anyway, the doctor decided that she'd go with lidocaine primarily for the aesthetic instead of the Fentanyl. So no nighty night for me!! The lidocaine shots hurt but once the numbing began all I felt was pressure. About 1/2 through, the nurse gave me a small dose of Fentanyl and later a very small dose of Versed, but I was awake and talking to everyone the whole time! It did make "recovery" faster cuz I didn't have to wake up!! The incisions are healing well and my neck isn't stiff and sore anymore so that's good!
Tuesday morning, in the downpour, I had an echocardiogram scheduled. The doctor is testing everything! It was interesting and so easy. Basically, it's an ultrasound of your heart. It was interesting to see my heart beating away on the monitor. The technician said that the cardiologist would be reading the results and sending them to the doctor so I guess I'll find out on Thursday.
(PS I'm enjoying all the tests that don't require me to completely undress! And that included the installation of the Mediport!!)
Today is my Chemo Education class where I'll find out more about what's going to happen and what I'm going to be given. It was originally scheduled for Monday, but the surgery was delayed and I just couldn't make it from one hospital to another and get something to eat (important after 18 hours) so today is a better day. Then tomorrow is my first Chemo appointment. YIKES
I'm so lucky to have so many friends who are being so wonderfully supportive, not to mention my sons. It definitely helps. Second son is going with me to the class and taking me to the chemo appointment tomorrow (and most likely to most of them!) because he's going to be involved most directly of the two of them.
Another week, some more steps in the process - further along the trail to no cancer. It's a good thing.
(This is a picture of the power port - mine is on my left shoulder instead of the right.)
Monday was an outpatient surgical procedure where I had a Power Port (Mediport) installed so that giving the chemo drugs is easier on everyone. It was a compromise time so the place wasn't the nearby hospital but the one that used to be closest! That hospital has been redone and looks great. Everything was on time, including me, until it was discovered that my bloodwork tests were over two weeks old - oh my - so there was an hour's delay until those could be completed. Once done, we were once again a go. The procedure itself is fairly simple - for a vascular surgeon! The doctor was a bit concerned, however, because my heart rate is low. I'd asked my PCP about it and he said it was a side-effect of the blood pressure medicine I take. Anyway, the doctor decided that she'd go with lidocaine primarily for the aesthetic instead of the Fentanyl. So no nighty night for me!! The lidocaine shots hurt but once the numbing began all I felt was pressure. About 1/2 through, the nurse gave me a small dose of Fentanyl and later a very small dose of Versed, but I was awake and talking to everyone the whole time! It did make "recovery" faster cuz I didn't have to wake up!! The incisions are healing well and my neck isn't stiff and sore anymore so that's good!
Tuesday morning, in the downpour, I had an echocardiogram scheduled. The doctor is testing everything! It was interesting and so easy. Basically, it's an ultrasound of your heart. It was interesting to see my heart beating away on the monitor. The technician said that the cardiologist would be reading the results and sending them to the doctor so I guess I'll find out on Thursday.
(PS I'm enjoying all the tests that don't require me to completely undress! And that included the installation of the Mediport!!)
Today is my Chemo Education class where I'll find out more about what's going to happen and what I'm going to be given. It was originally scheduled for Monday, but the surgery was delayed and I just couldn't make it from one hospital to another and get something to eat (important after 18 hours) so today is a better day. Then tomorrow is my first Chemo appointment. YIKES
I'm so lucky to have so many friends who are being so wonderfully supportive, not to mention my sons. It definitely helps. Second son is going with me to the class and taking me to the chemo appointment tomorrow (and most likely to most of them!) because he's going to be involved most directly of the two of them.
Another week, some more steps in the process - further along the trail to no cancer. It's a good thing.
(This is a picture of the power port - mine is on my left shoulder instead of the right.)
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Summer 2017 - Tests
Let me start by saying I've had one MRI and one CT scan before this month - both lying on my back with knees raised on a foam rest. The MRI was preceded by a nice "happy" pill so that I could allow myself to be put into a cigar tube (even tho my head wasn't going inside!). That said, the three tests this months were something!
Test 1: Picture this: There's a 14 inch mattress on the floor and your kneeling in front of it. There's a rectangular hole in the mattress about 30 inches wide, 18 inches high and the depth of the mattress. On the leading edge of the mattress is a square metal bar and across the hole in the middle of that metal bar is another bar, forming an inverted T. Now, you're kneeling on the floor slightly above the mattress height. You lean forward, your chest, below your breasts, supported by the leading edge bar and your sternum supported by the cross bar. You put your arms out in front of you and your face on the padded massage-table support. Got that?? Now, envision that on a sliding table!! You're kneeling on the table, there's a platform in front of you with the bars, hole and face support. CONGRATULATIONS - you're having a breast MRI!! The machine itself is a shortened cigar tube - about 5 feet long I guess. It's constantly making a loud Whump, Whump, Whump pulsing sound. Earphones are placed on your head so the technician can talk to you and you can hear the music they offer. Tho that's often hard because of the Whump, the Clank, the rat-a-tat-tat and all the other sounds the machine makes. In that cacophony of noise, I hear the music - it's BOB FM - not what I usually listen to but OK, whatever. The machine noise drowns most things out until, in the distance, I hear Twisted Sister's "We're Not Going To Take This" - to which I said AMEN!! Later, it was "Yellow Submarine" and, since I'd had a Xanax just to get in the room with the machine, I had to admit it I was living in a Yellow Submarine! As my son, who took me said, "you were really high!". All I know is that it ended, I came home and took a two hour nap!
NOTE: Tests 2 and 3 were done on the same day!!
Test 2: CT scans are simple - except for the barium smoothies I was required to drink. It was labeled Berry Smoothie and listed blueberry as an ingredient. If a blueberry ever got close to that drink it was 1 small berry in a vat of the liquid. It was a pale, pale, pink and gross. But I dutifully chugged the first bottle before I went to the hospital to get a shot of radio active tracer for test 3. I was told to bring the second bottle with me cuz they'd try to fit the CT scan in after the shot. So off I went, got the shot and the IV (for the CT scan) and was told go to the waiting room and chug the second bottle, they're ready. About 20 minutes later in I went to get the CT. I like any test where I don't have to take my clothes off and that day I had two! Laid down on my back, with my knees raised and hands over my head so they could get to the IV and into the doughnut I went. Since it is only a doughnut and not a tube no medication is needed (and my head didn't go under the doughnut). That machine sounds like a small jet engine revving up - all in all, except for the drinks, an easy test. I was then told to eat (no problem), drink a lot and use the bathroom a lot before test 3.
Test 3: If you've never had a full-body bone scan let me tell you now what no one told me - for someone with claustrophobia it's a hard, hard test. Once again you keep your clothes on (a plus) and there's nothing to drink (another plus), there's only the shot - not a biggie. So, back on the table, narrower than the CT one on my back, knees raised. There's a doughnut shaped machine and in front of it a flat plate facing down on a large metal arm that moves the plate up and down. The plate is about 18X20?? and is about 2 feet over my head. So far so good! The technician tells me that the table will slide into the doughnut, the plate will come down (what???) but is otherwise stationary and the table actually will slide backwards under the plate. I can keep my eyes open or closed either way. OK. But to keep my arms down close to my body, there's a wide strap that is secured across. On the one hand, it is confining, but on the other, gives your arms a place to rest. Still good so far. I close my eyes, the table slides my feet toward the machine and I hear the buzz of the plate (camera) come down. I sneak a peak - OH MY GOD the #*&% plate is about an inch above my nose!!!!! Eyes slam shut and all I see is haze grey (the color of the plate) and I start talking to myself. "You can do this - breathe - don't panic" and time slows down to a crawl and I wonder when the stupid table is going to start moving!! I feel the table vibrate and the technician says - "It's going to take 12 minutes". Again, deep breath, hold, slowly release - come on. Just about the time I'm thinking I'm going to start yelling "get me out of here!", I notice that the light behind my eye lids is brighter! I sneak a peak, the plate is now down around my chin and I can see ceiling tiles!! YIPPEE!! Deep breath!! Relief! Now the wait for the table to slowly slide the rest of me under the plate camera and it's done!! WHEW!
Happily the test results of the CT and bone scan came back the next day and were clear. There's no indication that the cancer has spread beyond the breast and 1 lymph node (found on the MRI) so the news is good! Plans are in the works for treatment - so I'm on the next step in this process.
Test 1: Picture this: There's a 14 inch mattress on the floor and your kneeling in front of it. There's a rectangular hole in the mattress about 30 inches wide, 18 inches high and the depth of the mattress. On the leading edge of the mattress is a square metal bar and across the hole in the middle of that metal bar is another bar, forming an inverted T. Now, you're kneeling on the floor slightly above the mattress height. You lean forward, your chest, below your breasts, supported by the leading edge bar and your sternum supported by the cross bar. You put your arms out in front of you and your face on the padded massage-table support. Got that?? Now, envision that on a sliding table!! You're kneeling on the table, there's a platform in front of you with the bars, hole and face support. CONGRATULATIONS - you're having a breast MRI!! The machine itself is a shortened cigar tube - about 5 feet long I guess. It's constantly making a loud Whump, Whump, Whump pulsing sound. Earphones are placed on your head so the technician can talk to you and you can hear the music they offer. Tho that's often hard because of the Whump, the Clank, the rat-a-tat-tat and all the other sounds the machine makes. In that cacophony of noise, I hear the music - it's BOB FM - not what I usually listen to but OK, whatever. The machine noise drowns most things out until, in the distance, I hear Twisted Sister's "We're Not Going To Take This" - to which I said AMEN!! Later, it was "Yellow Submarine" and, since I'd had a Xanax just to get in the room with the machine, I had to admit it I was living in a Yellow Submarine! As my son, who took me said, "you were really high!". All I know is that it ended, I came home and took a two hour nap!
NOTE: Tests 2 and 3 were done on the same day!!
Test 2: CT scans are simple - except for the barium smoothies I was required to drink. It was labeled Berry Smoothie and listed blueberry as an ingredient. If a blueberry ever got close to that drink it was 1 small berry in a vat of the liquid. It was a pale, pale, pink and gross. But I dutifully chugged the first bottle before I went to the hospital to get a shot of radio active tracer for test 3. I was told to bring the second bottle with me cuz they'd try to fit the CT scan in after the shot. So off I went, got the shot and the IV (for the CT scan) and was told go to the waiting room and chug the second bottle, they're ready. About 20 minutes later in I went to get the CT. I like any test where I don't have to take my clothes off and that day I had two! Laid down on my back, with my knees raised and hands over my head so they could get to the IV and into the doughnut I went. Since it is only a doughnut and not a tube no medication is needed (and my head didn't go under the doughnut). That machine sounds like a small jet engine revving up - all in all, except for the drinks, an easy test. I was then told to eat (no problem), drink a lot and use the bathroom a lot before test 3.
Test 3: If you've never had a full-body bone scan let me tell you now what no one told me - for someone with claustrophobia it's a hard, hard test. Once again you keep your clothes on (a plus) and there's nothing to drink (another plus), there's only the shot - not a biggie. So, back on the table, narrower than the CT one on my back, knees raised. There's a doughnut shaped machine and in front of it a flat plate facing down on a large metal arm that moves the plate up and down. The plate is about 18X20?? and is about 2 feet over my head. So far so good! The technician tells me that the table will slide into the doughnut, the plate will come down (what???) but is otherwise stationary and the table actually will slide backwards under the plate. I can keep my eyes open or closed either way. OK. But to keep my arms down close to my body, there's a wide strap that is secured across. On the one hand, it is confining, but on the other, gives your arms a place to rest. Still good so far. I close my eyes, the table slides my feet toward the machine and I hear the buzz of the plate (camera) come down. I sneak a peak - OH MY GOD the #*&% plate is about an inch above my nose!!!!! Eyes slam shut and all I see is haze grey (the color of the plate) and I start talking to myself. "You can do this - breathe - don't panic" and time slows down to a crawl and I wonder when the stupid table is going to start moving!! I feel the table vibrate and the technician says - "It's going to take 12 minutes". Again, deep breath, hold, slowly release - come on. Just about the time I'm thinking I'm going to start yelling "get me out of here!", I notice that the light behind my eye lids is brighter! I sneak a peak, the plate is now down around my chin and I can see ceiling tiles!! YIPPEE!! Deep breath!! Relief! Now the wait for the table to slowly slide the rest of me under the plate camera and it's done!! WHEW!
Happily the test results of the CT and bone scan came back the next day and were clear. There's no indication that the cancer has spread beyond the breast and 1 lymph node (found on the MRI) so the news is good! Plans are in the works for treatment - so I'm on the next step in this process.
Saturday, August 19, 2017
What a Summer 2017
This is difficult for me to say, and
was certainly difficult to hear in July. I've been diagnosed with
“invasive ductal carcinoma” or breast cancer. For reasons the
doctors have explained, I'm going to have chemo prior to surgery. No
one thinks anything as spread beyond the breast, but there were cells
that are, apparently, prone to spreading so the idea is to kill them
first then move on to surgery. This particular form of cancer is
hormone driven (who knew I still had so much estrogen??) but I was
told this is a good thing as it can be controlled. All-in-all, as my
wonderful surgeon said “its a process”, and we're going one step
at a time. I really hope I don't lose my hair – it's my one vanity
but what is is! I can always stand to lose weight and have plenty to
spare so that's not an issue! As a matter of fact, I've already started losing and feel very proud of myself that I've lost over 8 pounds in a month simply by cutting back on carbs. Guess I should have known that pounds of potato salad and quarts of scalloped potatoes weren't the best things to eat - but oh, they're good!!
Anyway, I intend to be around a good long time - I've plans made you see and I fully intend to fulfill them one day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)