Today was Chemo # 5. Reminds me of that song, Mambo # 5 by Lou Bega that was big a long time ago.. Remember? Here.. I altered the lyrics a bit....
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Chemo number five.
Verse 1
One, two, three, four, five, everybody in the car so come on let's ride...
To the infusion center around the corner.
The nurses say they want my vitals but I really don't wanna.
I want a break like I had last week.
I must stay deep 'cause talk is cheap.
I like benadryl, cisplatin ,taxol and decadron,
And as I continue, I know they're getin' their job done.
So what can I do? I really beg you my Lord.
To me chemo is just like a sport.
Chorus
A little bit of chemo in my life,
A little bit of Mitch by my side.
A little bit of chemo is what I need,
A little bit of nurses are what I see.
A little bit of traffic in the sun,
A little bit of worrying all night long.
A little bit of Vanderbilt here I am,
A little bit of Ativan makes me calm down!
Chemo number five.
Ah.... I will spare you the 2nd verse. You get it. LOL
So. My friend Robin and her husband volunteered to take me to my infusion today. Mitch had to work and I thought I'd give my family a break from taking me. We had a good time.. I was able to force myself to stay awake during the benadryl part of the process... if it hadn't been for Robin questioning my nurse on everything (ROFL... love ya Robin!) I would have slept through the whole thing, like I've done the last 2 treatments. When this happens, I feel bad for the person sitting in the room with me. I can only imagine how boring it must be for them. Oh, and I want to thank Robin and Charles for introducing me to "scratch offs and lottery tickets".... we stopped at that gas station beside the Boobie Bungalow (*snicker*) and I won $5. ;) If I check the lottery numbers tomorrow night and I win that $30 million---- let's just say you all will know it. LOL
A few months ago, I joined a breast cancer forum and felt it was a bit depressing reading some of the posts. I wanted to have someone to talk to that was going through the same thing, so I just basically picked someone that had posted an entry and sent them a private message. We exchanged a few messages and then realized we were both on Facebook. (YESSSSSS!!!!!!) So, we have kept in touch at least several times a week. We started out on the same schedule and on our first treatment... she was such a huge help to me. Her treatment started a couple hours before mine did (she lives in GA) and I was constantly texting her asking, "Ok, what is going on now?" and she would give me a preview of what to expect. It really helped ease my anxiety. She has a FB page dedicated solely to her journey and I keep up with her posts pretty much every day. Yesterday she had posted on what a crappy day she was having, and I was reading her words, I was nodding and thinking to myself, "Oh my stars! That is exactly how I feel!! Yes!! This is happening to ME, TOO!" She was able to describe things that are going on with me that I haven't exactly been able to put into words.... so, I am not going to plagiarize, but I am going to use many of her descriptions that pertain to what I'm going through. (I'll just tweak it a bit.. lol and Amy, if you read this... I hope you don't mind)
Unlike Amy, I really haven't had any nausea. I take my Zofran and Phenegran religiously and that has helped me sooo much. (not saying that Amy ISN'T... I'm sure she is... everybody is different and we ARE on a different cocktail, so that makes a HUGE difference) I set my alarm clock for 6am even on the weekends to get up and take my Zofran. So yeah... I don't play around with that.
I am feeling more tired. Like, after doing one load of dishes and a load of laundry.... I need to sit down. I am afraid its becoming confused with appearing lazy and I don't want Mitch to start resenting me for not "pulling my share of weight" around here. I don't think he has, but I don't want him to start. I know these drugs are starting to build up in my body and with all the books he has read, he should know that as well. I guess I just feel guilty for physically not being able to do "business as usual".
I hate the way I look. Mostly because of my hair. I know.... I should get over it. Well, that is easier said than done. My wig is not comfortable and I hate wearing it. I hate wearing my black hat or my soft "boggans" just because I know what is under them. To me, THIS is what makes me look like a cancer patient and I hate it. The only GOOD thing about not having any hair is the money we're saving on shampoo and not having to fool with the straight iron anymore. LOL
My port is still a little sore.... and every time it is accessed, my first question is "Is it working ok?" I am so afraid I'm going to have problems with it. I guess I'm just paranoid about it. It looks bruised and is sore several days after treatment. The numbing cream doesn't work, so I have to ask for the freezie
Food. Ahhhh. Well, I have been trying to explain this to Mitch, my mom & friends, but haven't been able to really find the words to describe it- until I read Amy's entry today. So, I WILL copy her description on this.. lol While I can still taste food to some degree... its "MUTED", if that makes sense. Like, when I eat a steak (and you all know how I love my steak) I can taste it, but its like a teaser... I can't taste ALL of it. It is like someone has drained almost all of the flavor, but left just enough so I can tell what it is. But not quite enough for me to enjoy it. I'm adding more salt, sugar, etc... to things which probably isn't very healthy for me. Its just not fun eating food you can't enjoy.
I am beginning to get ill with people and not really having a valid reason for it. I will be in a bad mood- just because. Having a 15 yr old in the house is stressful enough, but add mama being on chemo and WHOA BOY. We've been clashing the last few days and I feel bad about it... some of it is his fault, and some of it is the fact that I have cancer and I'm pissed off about it. Same with Mitch. I have been ill with him over things that normally don't bother me, but for some reason- now they make me ill. I know his list of things I do that irritate him is probably three times as long as my list of things he does that irritates me.... so I sure don't want to get into a pointing fingers debate with him because he will win-- hands down. I don't see how he lives with me right now, to be honest.
One of my best friends had a NYE party this year, and I've been planning to go for weeks. Even bought a NYE outfit. The night before, I landed myself in the ER due to having a fever of 101.5 That may not sound too high for a normal person, but for someone on chemo, anything over 100.4 is considered a concern. Turns out, I more than likely overdid myself Friday (trying to help a pit bull puppy with parvo.. but that is another story) and possibly picked up a bug from being at WalMart. I was put on an antibiotic and told to consider myself on lockdown for the next several days and do not leave the house. If I HAD to leave for some reason, I was handed a Michael Jackson mask and instructed to wear it. As bad as I wanted to go to Marnie's party, I knew my body wasn't ready. So..... Mitch and I rang in the New Year at home, with the dogs. Part of me was fine with that, another part of me wasn't. I sat here thinking how cancer was keeping me from doing what I normally do. How unfair is that to not only me, but Mitch? That made me think of how limited I was becoming. I can't just sit down and plan a summer vacation with friends because I have to see when my treatments will be, surgeries, etc...
I miss girls night out. I know holidays have put a damper on things-- but now its like Monday's I can't stay out late because Tuesdays are treatment days. Tuesday is definitely out (unless its on my off week), Wednesday is church night, Thursdays are somewhat possible because I usually feel pretty good still... Friday and Saturday I start feeling really tired and then Sunday is anybody's guess. There is also the issue of being in a crowd.
I hate having to be careful about going out in crowds. Its like it is punishing not only me, but Mitch too. And movies.... a group of us girls always go see the midnight showing of scary movies on opening night. Am I supposed to miss out on that TOO? Ugh.. its just so unfair.
After all of this whining I've done.... I realize these are the things that come along with having cancer. Things could be a lot worse. I could be alone. My son could decide to live somewhere else. I could be sick in the bed. I could not have such a great support system of friends like I do. Mitch could throw his hands up and walk out. I could have no family to help. I could have no insurance.......
I know I need to count my blessings and be thankful for what I do have.
At the beginning of this... I had a "kick cancer's ass" attitude, and I've not had that attitude lately. I need to work on getting it back.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Update 12/28
So Christmas has come and gone. Mitch is still listening to Christmas music. **sigh**
I finally got in the Christmas spirt around, oh.... Christmas Eve. LOL I got some good stuff- a new phone, a Kindle Fire, some new leather shoes and some fancy perfume. Jordan got all Polo stuff, so he was happy. Mitch got some overalls, some new shirts, some Bama lounge pants and some high dollar cologne. The most important thing was he was here this year. And so was I.
I had my 4th chemo yesterday. I'm bouncing off the walls today (thank you, steroids). I gave both yorkies MUCH NEEDED baths and have done about 45 loads of laundry. Well, not that many- but close. Last night I couldn't sleep. My body was tired, but my mind was in overdrive. I hate that. I thought I'd be tired today, but no such luck.
I met with my nurse practitioner yesterday, Katie. I love her. She said I was doing better than expected on the chemo and kept asking if I was having different side effects and I was proud to answer "not yet" to every one of them. No neuropathy. No mouth sores. No nausea. No constipation or diarrhea, no changes in appetite..... so far I have only gotten a little tired on days 3 & 4 after treatment. **knock on wood** She thinks I will still be backed off one of my drugs soon-- said there was no need to keep "hittin' me hard" if it wasn't necessary. It sort of makes me nervous to back down... I don't want this cancer thinking we're letting up on it.
I have a PET scan coming up so we'll see how the cancer is responding to the chemo. PLEASE PRAY IT HAS SHRUNK!!!
That is about all that has happened lately.... I know, not too exciting, huh? LOL
Well... just about ALL of my hair has come out now. I am sporting a hat most days (only late at night, when I'm totally by myself do I prance around in all my baldness... lol) I just can't get used to not having hair up there. :(
Thanks for the continued prayers and support.... it means the world to me. And I want to thank my husband for being beside me every step of the way. :)
I finally got in the Christmas spirt around, oh.... Christmas Eve. LOL I got some good stuff- a new phone, a Kindle Fire, some new leather shoes and some fancy perfume. Jordan got all Polo stuff, so he was happy. Mitch got some overalls, some new shirts, some Bama lounge pants and some high dollar cologne. The most important thing was he was here this year. And so was I.
I had my 4th chemo yesterday. I'm bouncing off the walls today (thank you, steroids). I gave both yorkies MUCH NEEDED baths and have done about 45 loads of laundry. Well, not that many- but close. Last night I couldn't sleep. My body was tired, but my mind was in overdrive. I hate that. I thought I'd be tired today, but no such luck.
I met with my nurse practitioner yesterday, Katie. I love her. She said I was doing better than expected on the chemo and kept asking if I was having different side effects and I was proud to answer "not yet" to every one of them. No neuropathy. No mouth sores. No nausea. No constipation or diarrhea, no changes in appetite..... so far I have only gotten a little tired on days 3 & 4 after treatment. **knock on wood** She thinks I will still be backed off one of my drugs soon-- said there was no need to keep "hittin' me hard" if it wasn't necessary. It sort of makes me nervous to back down... I don't want this cancer thinking we're letting up on it.
I have a PET scan coming up so we'll see how the cancer is responding to the chemo. PLEASE PRAY IT HAS SHRUNK!!!
That is about all that has happened lately.... I know, not too exciting, huh? LOL
Well... just about ALL of my hair has come out now. I am sporting a hat most days (only late at night, when I'm totally by myself do I prance around in all my baldness... lol) I just can't get used to not having hair up there. :(
Thanks for the continued prayers and support.... it means the world to me. And I want to thank my husband for being beside me every step of the way. :)
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Catching up....
Wow.... I can't believe I haven't updated this in so long. I'll try to remember the important stuff.
I had a birthday. Monday, December 12, I turned 40. It wasn't that bad. I happen to share my birthday with a friend of mine, Heather Jeffreys, so Mitch and I met her and her boyfriend & family members at Ricatoni's. I had been dreading turning 40, but after being diagnosed, my outlook has changed a little and it wasn't so bad to turn 40 afterall.
I went to Nashville on Tuesday, Dec. 13 and met with my kidney doctor. He was awesome. He pretty much told me not to worry about my kidney issue. We are just going to watch it for the next 6 months. He said the only way to take care of the kidney issue is surgery and that would mean stopping my chemo, which we don't want to do. He said the lesion is so small, he isn't going to worry with it at this time and they would just keep an eye on it and if any changes develop, we'll deal with them then.
I then met with Dr. Meyer, my oncologist. She went over the biopsy results of my spine. Seems the spot on my spine IS related to the breast cancer, so that puts me at Stage 4. Not curable. :( From that point on, everything she said was kinda foggy. I was really hoping NOT to be Stage 4. Well.. it is what it is. She mentioned I would have to be on some sort of treatment from now on. (I assumed CHEMO, which would mean NO HAIR EVER, but my dad pointed out that she never said it would be chemo.. it could just be a pill or something. There I go, assuming the worst. lol) She changed my regiment from ever week for 6 weeks to once a week for 3 weeks then take the 4th week off. Then start over. She also mentioned that she might be backing off one of my chemo meds since I seem to be responding so well already. Since I have triple negative, its harder to find meds that the cancer responds to so she pretty much said she'd rather back off one of the meds now, than keep me on it and then in a year or so, be scrambling around trying to find another medicine I'll respond to. Makes sense, I guess.
I had a benefit on December 17 at FloBama. Our friends Mike Current (Puppy) and Brenda Aldridge & Blaine Cantrell planned it. Several of my friends put together a silent auction. I made a speech. (LOL) A "famous" called on a local sports radio show agreed to be the Emcee ... I was honored to have The Legend there. Several musician friends agreed to perform. Byron Green. Blaine Cantrell & John Crosslin. My husband, Mitch, and Toby Aderhold. Max Russell & the Shakedown Kings, and The Alabama Blues Brothers. After the Blues Brothers, it was sort of an open jam session.. Mitch and Bobby Aday did a few. Mitch and Jeff Moore did a few. It was a long night, but it was a good night. It was a night I will always remember. My friends really went above and beyond to make it special. My best friend from Memphis came home. My uncle from FL drove up and my cousin from New York was there. My cheeks were sore from smiling so much. I wore my long wig and as uncomfortable as it was... I was able to leave it on the whole night. lol
We raised a little over $4400 with donations, T-shirt sales and the auction.
The next day, I slept. Til 2pm. LOL Talk about EXHAUSTED.
Monday, my uncle and cousin were still in town so we went to a little place in Sheffield called The Box Car Cafe. Its my favorite breakfast place. They have the best hash browns ever. They are more like fried potato shavings.... not some frozen hashbrown patty dumped in a fry daddy. YUM. We then visited the Helen Keller Birthplace. I don't see how I've lived here all my life and never visited this place. It was quite interesting. I was unaware that Helen Keller had 14 books published in 50 different languages and graduated from Radcliffe with honors. ( I went to UNA for 3 years and never finished.... lol) I am also glad we didn't get escorted off the premises after my cousin unlocked the gate and had his picture taken with the famous water pump. LOL
I woke up this morning not feeling well at all. It started about 3am. I took an extra nausea pill around 6 and slept it off until around 1 today. I have experienced severe stomach problems, headaches, fatigue, taste bud changes and most distrubing... hair loss. :( The hair I had left is now coming out at a pretty fast rate. I now LOOK like a cancer patient. Mitch said I look like a baby bird. LOL For some reason I just can't bring myself to shave off the rest. I wear my black hat around the house just to keep from shedding hair everywhere... I guess if this keeps up I will just go ahead and bring out the clippers. :(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RLCGSSNJwo&list=UUQnSLqnaKn1fJQM3SMlFNmw&index=1&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPUmbEk6mp0&list=UUQnSLqnaKn1fJQM3SMlFNmw&index=3&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa3q2xVu0oc&list=UUQnSLqnaKn1fJQM3SMlFNmw&index=8&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqC5k2_MLEM&list=UUQnSLqnaKn1fJQM3SMlFNmw&index=4&feature=plcp
I had a birthday. Monday, December 12, I turned 40. It wasn't that bad. I happen to share my birthday with a friend of mine, Heather Jeffreys, so Mitch and I met her and her boyfriend & family members at Ricatoni's. I had been dreading turning 40, but after being diagnosed, my outlook has changed a little and it wasn't so bad to turn 40 afterall.
I went to Nashville on Tuesday, Dec. 13 and met with my kidney doctor. He was awesome. He pretty much told me not to worry about my kidney issue. We are just going to watch it for the next 6 months. He said the only way to take care of the kidney issue is surgery and that would mean stopping my chemo, which we don't want to do. He said the lesion is so small, he isn't going to worry with it at this time and they would just keep an eye on it and if any changes develop, we'll deal with them then.
I then met with Dr. Meyer, my oncologist. She went over the biopsy results of my spine. Seems the spot on my spine IS related to the breast cancer, so that puts me at Stage 4. Not curable. :( From that point on, everything she said was kinda foggy. I was really hoping NOT to be Stage 4. Well.. it is what it is. She mentioned I would have to be on some sort of treatment from now on. (I assumed CHEMO, which would mean NO HAIR EVER, but my dad pointed out that she never said it would be chemo.. it could just be a pill or something. There I go, assuming the worst. lol) She changed my regiment from ever week for 6 weeks to once a week for 3 weeks then take the 4th week off. Then start over. She also mentioned that she might be backing off one of my chemo meds since I seem to be responding so well already. Since I have triple negative, its harder to find meds that the cancer responds to so she pretty much said she'd rather back off one of the meds now, than keep me on it and then in a year or so, be scrambling around trying to find another medicine I'll respond to. Makes sense, I guess.
I had a benefit on December 17 at FloBama. Our friends Mike Current (Puppy) and Brenda Aldridge & Blaine Cantrell planned it. Several of my friends put together a silent auction. I made a speech. (LOL) A "famous" called on a local sports radio show agreed to be the Emcee ... I was honored to have The Legend there. Several musician friends agreed to perform. Byron Green. Blaine Cantrell & John Crosslin. My husband, Mitch, and Toby Aderhold. Max Russell & the Shakedown Kings, and The Alabama Blues Brothers. After the Blues Brothers, it was sort of an open jam session.. Mitch and Bobby Aday did a few. Mitch and Jeff Moore did a few. It was a long night, but it was a good night. It was a night I will always remember. My friends really went above and beyond to make it special. My best friend from Memphis came home. My uncle from FL drove up and my cousin from New York was there. My cheeks were sore from smiling so much. I wore my long wig and as uncomfortable as it was... I was able to leave it on the whole night. lol
We raised a little over $4400 with donations, T-shirt sales and the auction.
The next day, I slept. Til 2pm. LOL Talk about EXHAUSTED.
Monday, my uncle and cousin were still in town so we went to a little place in Sheffield called The Box Car Cafe. Its my favorite breakfast place. They have the best hash browns ever. They are more like fried potato shavings.... not some frozen hashbrown patty dumped in a fry daddy. YUM. We then visited the Helen Keller Birthplace. I don't see how I've lived here all my life and never visited this place. It was quite interesting. I was unaware that Helen Keller had 14 books published in 50 different languages and graduated from Radcliffe with honors. ( I went to UNA for 3 years and never finished.... lol) I am also glad we didn't get escorted off the premises after my cousin unlocked the gate and had his picture taken with the famous water pump. LOL
I woke up this morning not feeling well at all. It started about 3am. I took an extra nausea pill around 6 and slept it off until around 1 today. I have experienced severe stomach problems, headaches, fatigue, taste bud changes and most distrubing... hair loss. :( The hair I had left is now coming out at a pretty fast rate. I now LOOK like a cancer patient. Mitch said I look like a baby bird. LOL For some reason I just can't bring myself to shave off the rest. I wear my black hat around the house just to keep from shedding hair everywhere... I guess if this keeps up I will just go ahead and bring out the clippers. :(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RLCGSSNJwo&list=UUQnSLqnaKn1fJQM3SMlFNmw&index=1&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPUmbEk6mp0&list=UUQnSLqnaKn1fJQM3SMlFNmw&index=3&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa3q2xVu0oc&list=UUQnSLqnaKn1fJQM3SMlFNmw&index=8&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqC5k2_MLEM&list=UUQnSLqnaKn1fJQM3SMlFNmw&index=4&feature=plcp
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sunday, Dec. 11
If one word could be used to describe my weekend, it would be "BLAH". Mitch has worked all weekend, Jordan has stayed home all weekend (his choice... **shock**) and I have done nothing but lay around. On a scale of 1-10, my energy level has been about a 4. Just can't get going. My tastebuds are changing. Food is tasting different. Kind of takes the fun out of eating.
I still hate my new "haircut". That's probably another reason I haven't felt like going anywhere or even having company. I did have to force myself to go to Wal Mart yesterday to get Mitch something to take to work for lunch. I wore my wig. HATED IT. I didn't hate the wig itself, its just hot, itchy and very uncomfortable. I couldn't wait to get home and jerk it off. So now, I guess I'm going to have to decide between appearance vs. comfort. :/
I guess even though I am beginning to experience the effects of chemo, I should still be thankful its not worse than it is. I have a few friends that post on FB about how sick they are from "red devil". I will probably have to have that at some point- and I'm not looking forward to it.
My birthday is tomorrow. The big 4-0. Blah. What do I want for my birthday? To be well again, and have my hair back.
I still hate my new "haircut". That's probably another reason I haven't felt like going anywhere or even having company. I did have to force myself to go to Wal Mart yesterday to get Mitch something to take to work for lunch. I wore my wig. HATED IT. I didn't hate the wig itself, its just hot, itchy and very uncomfortable. I couldn't wait to get home and jerk it off. So now, I guess I'm going to have to decide between appearance vs. comfort. :/
I guess even though I am beginning to experience the effects of chemo, I should still be thankful its not worse than it is. I have a few friends that post on FB about how sick they are from "red devil". I will probably have to have that at some point- and I'm not looking forward to it.
My birthday is tomorrow. The big 4-0. Blah. What do I want for my birthday? To be well again, and have my hair back.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Hair today, gone tomorrow.....
Well. I did it. I cut my hair. I no longer have long, straight blonde hair. Its short and brown and spikey. The process was emotional. My dear friend Paige brushing it, sectioning it off into 1 inch sections, putting rubber bands on it and finally, cutting each one off. It didn't hurt, but I know I made a face each time one was cut. I could hear it being cut. I forced a smile at times, but on the inside I was crumbling.
I have never been one to be that concerned with my looks... I wear minimal makeup and most of the time my hair was just thrown back in a messy ponytail. Oh how I'll miss that messy ponytail.
Some of my best friends showed up. One friend drove 45 minutes to be there. One friend missed her nursing shift to be there. My husband was there. My son was there. My mom was there. My dad even came. When it was over... it was like the person looking back at me in the mirror wasn't me. All the way home, I kept running my hands over my head and instead of them getting tangled in my hair, all I felt with this soft, velvety stuff on my head. It actually FEELS good... I am just not used to the way it looks. LOL I mean, I went from long and blonde to super short and brown. Like *snaps* THAT.
I am posting a few pics from last night... and I want to thank everybody that was there for me. I know it wasn't easy for yall to see me go through this, but I'm glad you all did. It helped me in more ways than yall will know.
I found this on the Internet and thought it was too cute not to share.
so she did.
And she had a Grand Day!
The next day she woke up,looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.
I have never been one to be that concerned with my looks... I wear minimal makeup and most of the time my hair was just thrown back in a messy ponytail. Oh how I'll miss that messy ponytail.
Some of my best friends showed up. One friend drove 45 minutes to be there. One friend missed her nursing shift to be there. My husband was there. My son was there. My mom was there. My dad even came. When it was over... it was like the person looking back at me in the mirror wasn't me. All the way home, I kept running my hands over my head and instead of them getting tangled in my hair, all I felt with this soft, velvety stuff on my head. It actually FEELS good... I am just not used to the way it looks. LOL I mean, I went from long and blonde to super short and brown. Like *snaps* THAT.
I am posting a few pics from last night... and I want to thank everybody that was there for me. I know it wasn't easy for yall to see me go through this, but I'm glad you all did. It helped me in more ways than yall will know.
I found this on the Internet and thought it was too cute not to share.
There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror,and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
Well, she said, I think I'll braid my hair today!
So she did.
And she had A Wonderful Day!The next day she woke up ,looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head
Hmmm, she said,I think I'll part my hair down the middle today!so she did.
And she had a Grand Day!
Well, she said,today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail.
So she did. And she had a Fun Day!
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.Yay! she exclaimed,
I don't have to fix my hair today!
Attitude is everything.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
2nd chemo.... done.
Well, its been a while since I've updated. A lot has happened.
I took my 1st chemo very well. Had virtually NO side effects until Saturday night around 8:30pm. It hit me fast and hard. I spent 2 hours in the bathroom with something coming out of one end or the other. (sorry...but its true) Around 11:30 I walked down the hallway to get some Sprite and crackers and was met by one of my son's friends who was asking if he was home. He had 30 minutes before curfew was up so I answered with "No, why would he be home early?" LOL It was then I learned that my son and his other friend had been jumped by a group of 3 guys and his friend wound up in the ER room while Jordan took off running on foot and nobody knew where he was. Talk about making me feel sick all over again. He is ok now... so I won't bore you with the details of that ordeal. It breaks my heart every time I think about it.
So I was sick Saturday night... felt like crap Sunday but felt better by Monday. Tuesday (yesterday) was chemo #2. Mitch had to work so I had 2 of my best friends offer to take me. I have to say it was one of the best days I've had in a while. We talked all the way to N'ville (one person, in-particular... LOL ), Leeann and Marnie got to see the whole "infusion" process and kept me company while I was getting my treatment. The benadryl bag got the best of me and as hard as it was to stay awake, I just couldn't do it. I think Leeann and Marnie went shopping a while during my nap... I woke up and they were gone, and when I looked outside, I saw Leeann's car leaving the parking lot. (LOL) My nurse bragged on how great our friendship was and told me I was lucky to have such awesome friends. I already knew that. I told her I had several more at home that were just as special and I almost started crying when I got to thinking about how lucky I am to have so many great friends. I mean, I wonder who would give up their entire day, drive 2 & 1/2 hours to sit and watch me be hooked up to 5 different bags of medicine, sit there for another 2 hours while the stuff is pumped into my body, and then drive home 2 &1/2 hours??? Leeann and Marnie did it and I know there are several others that would do it too. My husband has been with me almost every step of the way. He has missed several regular shifts and a few overtime shifts just to go with me to appointments. My (divorced) parents have been with me most of the time. My sister in Huntsville (with 4 small children at home) has sacrificed time away from her family to be with me on trips. I am blessed beyond measure in so many ways.
Ok.. I got off track a little. LOL So, back to the "Girls Day Out at Camp Chemo" .... after my infusion was done, we hit the road back to Muscle Shoals. Or so we thought. Since Leeann's On Star operator was being a b*tch, we had to rely on my cellphone's Navigation app to guide us home. It failed. We ended up riding around some quaint little city called Cornersville. It only delayed our time by about 45 minutes. We laughed about being lost, about how Leeann would either burn us up or freeze us out... just being silly and spending some girl time together. It made me forget why I even had to be in Nashville in the first place.
Today I have felt good... I'm sure it is the steroids. lol The nurse did tell me yesterday that the best treatment for nausea is prevention. SO, she wanted me to add 1/2 a Phenegran and an Ativan each night before going to bed. So now, I take Zofran, Phenegran and Ativan. I'm taking more medicine than my 88 yr old grandmother. LOL THANK GOD FOR INSURANCE. (I shudder to think about how much each treatment is costing)
I suppose that is about all that has happened lately. My next trip to Nashville will be a busy one. Urologist appointment at 8am (to discuss my kidney issue), labs at 11, see my oncologist at 1 (to figure out the plan for the spot on my spine) and my infusion at 1. That will be my 3rd chemo and I'm curious to see how I'll be feeling. I hope no different than I am now. My benefit will be that weekend so I am praying I'll feel like attending it. I know a lot of people have gone to a lot of work for it and it should be pretty awesome. :)
Tomorrow is a big day for me. I'll post a blog about it either tomorrow night or Friday. I'm sure some of you already know-- but I just don't think I have it in me to write about it tonight. Phenegran is kicking in. lol (I took a whole one tonight to counter the steroids)
All in all..... I think I've done pretty well with the chemo. So far, so good. :)
Love you all!
I took my 1st chemo very well. Had virtually NO side effects until Saturday night around 8:30pm. It hit me fast and hard. I spent 2 hours in the bathroom with something coming out of one end or the other. (sorry...but its true) Around 11:30 I walked down the hallway to get some Sprite and crackers and was met by one of my son's friends who was asking if he was home. He had 30 minutes before curfew was up so I answered with "No, why would he be home early?" LOL It was then I learned that my son and his other friend had been jumped by a group of 3 guys and his friend wound up in the ER room while Jordan took off running on foot and nobody knew where he was. Talk about making me feel sick all over again. He is ok now... so I won't bore you with the details of that ordeal. It breaks my heart every time I think about it.
So I was sick Saturday night... felt like crap Sunday but felt better by Monday. Tuesday (yesterday) was chemo #2. Mitch had to work so I had 2 of my best friends offer to take me. I have to say it was one of the best days I've had in a while. We talked all the way to N'ville (one person, in-particular... LOL ), Leeann and Marnie got to see the whole "infusion" process and kept me company while I was getting my treatment. The benadryl bag got the best of me and as hard as it was to stay awake, I just couldn't do it. I think Leeann and Marnie went shopping a while during my nap... I woke up and they were gone, and when I looked outside, I saw Leeann's car leaving the parking lot. (LOL) My nurse bragged on how great our friendship was and told me I was lucky to have such awesome friends. I already knew that. I told her I had several more at home that were just as special and I almost started crying when I got to thinking about how lucky I am to have so many great friends. I mean, I wonder who would give up their entire day, drive 2 & 1/2 hours to sit and watch me be hooked up to 5 different bags of medicine, sit there for another 2 hours while the stuff is pumped into my body, and then drive home 2 &1/2 hours??? Leeann and Marnie did it and I know there are several others that would do it too. My husband has been with me almost every step of the way. He has missed several regular shifts and a few overtime shifts just to go with me to appointments. My (divorced) parents have been with me most of the time. My sister in Huntsville (with 4 small children at home) has sacrificed time away from her family to be with me on trips. I am blessed beyond measure in so many ways.
Ok.. I got off track a little. LOL So, back to the "Girls Day Out at Camp Chemo" .... after my infusion was done, we hit the road back to Muscle Shoals. Or so we thought. Since Leeann's On Star operator was being a b*tch, we had to rely on my cellphone's Navigation app to guide us home. It failed. We ended up riding around some quaint little city called Cornersville. It only delayed our time by about 45 minutes. We laughed about being lost, about how Leeann would either burn us up or freeze us out... just being silly and spending some girl time together. It made me forget why I even had to be in Nashville in the first place.
Today I have felt good... I'm sure it is the steroids. lol The nurse did tell me yesterday that the best treatment for nausea is prevention. SO, she wanted me to add 1/2 a Phenegran and an Ativan each night before going to bed. So now, I take Zofran, Phenegran and Ativan. I'm taking more medicine than my 88 yr old grandmother. LOL THANK GOD FOR INSURANCE. (I shudder to think about how much each treatment is costing)
I suppose that is about all that has happened lately. My next trip to Nashville will be a busy one. Urologist appointment at 8am (to discuss my kidney issue), labs at 11, see my oncologist at 1 (to figure out the plan for the spot on my spine) and my infusion at 1. That will be my 3rd chemo and I'm curious to see how I'll be feeling. I hope no different than I am now. My benefit will be that weekend so I am praying I'll feel like attending it. I know a lot of people have gone to a lot of work for it and it should be pretty awesome. :)
Tomorrow is a big day for me. I'll post a blog about it either tomorrow night or Friday. I'm sure some of you already know-- but I just don't think I have it in me to write about it tonight. Phenegran is kicking in. lol (I took a whole one tonight to counter the steroids)
All in all..... I think I've done pretty well with the chemo. So far, so good. :)
Love you all!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Day 2 after 1st chemo......
Well, I am still feeling pretty good. Not AS good as I did yesterday, so I know the steroids are probably wearing off. I am a little draggy today, but I don't think it is chemo related. A friend of mine brought over the Twilight movies and we attempted to have a movie marathon but by 2am, and the end of the 2nd movie... I was done. LOL SO... I am sure its related to just not getting much sleep. I enjoyed it though and I can understand what all the fuss is about with those movies. Just in case anyone is wondering... I'm Team Edward. ;)
My cheeks have been a little flushed today and I've been a little hot. I think that is due to me dressing like Ralphie from the Christmas story (in the coat) this morning and then the weather warming up a little.. walking into a house that still had the heat on from last night... yeah, so THAT isn't chemo related either. (Funny how once you start on chemo... every little thing is magnified and you wonder if its a symptom of something)
I haven't had any stomach issues or nausea. I am taking my anti-nausea medicine BY THE CLOCK. And those that know me KNOW I hate swallowing pills. But, I'm doing it.
I got a little bit of bad news last night. My nurse practitioner called to check on me, and then let me know the results of my spine biopsy I had last week. It did show cancer in the bone. I figured that much, but was really hoping it wasn't. It doesn't change anything as far as treatment goes at this point. I was still a little upset by it, and then a dear friend of mine reminded me that the chemo has started, which is the most important thing. This news didn't come out of left field and I need to keep doing what I'm doing and fight like hell to get through this. (Thanks Tina....)
I have decided when the time comes, to have a double mastectomy. Some people suggested only having one removed, but why keep a ticking time bomb (in my mind, anyway) when I would rather get 'em both whacked and start over with a fresh new (PERKY) pair. I've heard that the double surgery isn't any worse than the single- so why not? lol
I am also making plans for when my hair starts to come out. I'll disclose those plans when the time comes. ;)
I appreciate everyone checking on me and I hope I'm not overdoing it with the blogs and FB posts. I don't want to cram all this cancer stuff down everybody's throat all the time. Its just easier to blog so everybody can see how I'm doing rather than answer 45 texts a day -- WHICH I DON'T MIND DOING. I am NOT complaining about everyone's concern... so please don't take it that way. LOL
I know I could not do this without everyone's support... so it really means a lot to me. Thank you.
My cheeks have been a little flushed today and I've been a little hot. I think that is due to me dressing like Ralphie from the Christmas story (in the coat) this morning and then the weather warming up a little.. walking into a house that still had the heat on from last night... yeah, so THAT isn't chemo related either. (Funny how once you start on chemo... every little thing is magnified and you wonder if its a symptom of something)
I haven't had any stomach issues or nausea. I am taking my anti-nausea medicine BY THE CLOCK. And those that know me KNOW I hate swallowing pills. But, I'm doing it.
I got a little bit of bad news last night. My nurse practitioner called to check on me, and then let me know the results of my spine biopsy I had last week. It did show cancer in the bone. I figured that much, but was really hoping it wasn't. It doesn't change anything as far as treatment goes at this point. I was still a little upset by it, and then a dear friend of mine reminded me that the chemo has started, which is the most important thing. This news didn't come out of left field and I need to keep doing what I'm doing and fight like hell to get through this. (Thanks Tina....)
I have decided when the time comes, to have a double mastectomy. Some people suggested only having one removed, but why keep a ticking time bomb (in my mind, anyway) when I would rather get 'em both whacked and start over with a fresh new (PERKY) pair. I've heard that the double surgery isn't any worse than the single- so why not? lol
I am also making plans for when my hair starts to come out. I'll disclose those plans when the time comes. ;)
I appreciate everyone checking on me and I hope I'm not overdoing it with the blogs and FB posts. I don't want to cram all this cancer stuff down everybody's throat all the time. Its just easier to blog so everybody can see how I'm doing rather than answer 45 texts a day -- WHICH I DON'T MIND DOING. I am NOT complaining about everyone's concern... so please don't take it that way. LOL
I know I could not do this without everyone's support... so it really means a lot to me. Thank you.
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