Saturday, September 25, 2010
SSDD
My son said that about his Spanish class, it's SSDD, same stuff different day. That's kind of how my life is now which I guess is why I haven't posted much. I go to radiation M-F, chemo on M, and the rest of my life revolves around trying to eat, wishing I could poop or stop pooping depending on the day. I've been pretty exhausted so I just kind of lay around and save up the energy to do the necessary things. That's about it, not a lot else to report. Keeping my chin up...later.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
9/16
Ok so apparently I will never be good at this blogging all the time thing. I do want to say how much I appreciate the comments and all the love and support. You guys are the best.
So lets see, I got my pic line installed, it's actually a Groshong line if anyone wants to look it up. It was a bit achy at first, but I hardly notice it now. It's a pain in the butt to shower because I can't get it wet so I have to tape off with plastic the whole apparatus at the bend in my right arm. Getting pretty good at washing my hair with my left hand though!
Chemo is a long day in a very comfortable chair. I get IV iron which takes about 1 1/2 hours, my anti-nausea meds, I get a bag of saline because the chemo is hard on kidneys so you need to be really hydrated and that's about 1 1/2-2 hours, as is the chemo itself. The chairs are pretty bad ass. They are oversized and recline and are actually pretty comfy to sit in all day. I had my first treatment last Wednesday. It was good, all the people there are fantastic, I really really like the chemo crew. They're good peeps.
The day after the chemo I felt great. The next day not so much. I threw up the whole way to radiation. When I got there they told me to make sure to take my meds every 6 hours and gave me some Lorazepam to settle everything down so I keep the Compazine down. Well, it turns out I am allergic to the Compazine so I was a zombie for the next 48 hours. I couldn't eat or drink or function...I was either unconscious or crazy dizzy and confused. Finally in the middle of the night Sat night I decided I'd rather throw up than feel like I did on the meds. I did my best to eat and drink and catch up on Sunday, but didn't make it. Monday I was so dizzy and sick I felt horrible. They took 1 look at me at radiation and sent me to the nurse. She checked me out and I was pretty seriously dehydrated. So, I got to go across the street to the Chemo place and they gave me 2 bags of fluid and more IV anti-nausea meds. I felt SO much better! Had chemo again the next day (Tuesday) with different anti-nausea meds and I seem to be doing much better this time around. I still feel pretty exhausted but I can eat and drink and other than tired feel pretty good.
Tomorrow I have radiation as usual, then I go to Seattle with a noon meet and greet appt with my internal radiation doc. After that I get to go see my brothers new baby Johnathon Allen and give them the gift I got them. I hope they use the hell out of it! I'm so excited to meet the new nephew! And to see Jim and Becky.
I get Sat and Sun off, (thank heaven for small favors) then Dawn comes over Sun night (yeah!) for Chemo on Monday.
That's about it...later all :)
So lets see, I got my pic line installed, it's actually a Groshong line if anyone wants to look it up. It was a bit achy at first, but I hardly notice it now. It's a pain in the butt to shower because I can't get it wet so I have to tape off with plastic the whole apparatus at the bend in my right arm. Getting pretty good at washing my hair with my left hand though!
Chemo is a long day in a very comfortable chair. I get IV iron which takes about 1 1/2 hours, my anti-nausea meds, I get a bag of saline because the chemo is hard on kidneys so you need to be really hydrated and that's about 1 1/2-2 hours, as is the chemo itself. The chairs are pretty bad ass. They are oversized and recline and are actually pretty comfy to sit in all day. I had my first treatment last Wednesday. It was good, all the people there are fantastic, I really really like the chemo crew. They're good peeps.
The day after the chemo I felt great. The next day not so much. I threw up the whole way to radiation. When I got there they told me to make sure to take my meds every 6 hours and gave me some Lorazepam to settle everything down so I keep the Compazine down. Well, it turns out I am allergic to the Compazine so I was a zombie for the next 48 hours. I couldn't eat or drink or function...I was either unconscious or crazy dizzy and confused. Finally in the middle of the night Sat night I decided I'd rather throw up than feel like I did on the meds. I did my best to eat and drink and catch up on Sunday, but didn't make it. Monday I was so dizzy and sick I felt horrible. They took 1 look at me at radiation and sent me to the nurse. She checked me out and I was pretty seriously dehydrated. So, I got to go across the street to the Chemo place and they gave me 2 bags of fluid and more IV anti-nausea meds. I felt SO much better! Had chemo again the next day (Tuesday) with different anti-nausea meds and I seem to be doing much better this time around. I still feel pretty exhausted but I can eat and drink and other than tired feel pretty good.
Tomorrow I have radiation as usual, then I go to Seattle with a noon meet and greet appt with my internal radiation doc. After that I get to go see my brothers new baby Johnathon Allen and give them the gift I got them. I hope they use the hell out of it! I'm so excited to meet the new nephew! And to see Jim and Becky.
I get Sat and Sun off, (thank heaven for small favors) then Dawn comes over Sun night (yeah!) for Chemo on Monday.
That's about it...later all :)
Monday, September 6, 2010
Tuesday 9/7
Ok so tomorrow, I go to Poulsbo to get my pic line installed and for my hour of chemo education. The pic line is kind of a semi-permanent IV that I can get my chemo and whatever medication they want to give me in, and they can also draw blood through it. It's kind of strange but will save me from quite a few sticks in the coming months, and if how my veins behaved in the hospital is their mo, I will be quite happy to have the pic line. I do have to get a chest x-ray to make sure it's in the right place and my lung hasn't collapsed (yikes). I swear I will be glowing by the end of this! :)
The get to know you radiation appt was interesting. Everything I read said that the chemo was worse than the radiation, but in my case it sounds like it will be reversed. The good news about the chemo- I am getting a less strong version of what most people get because the chemo is being used to sensitize the cancer to the radiation treatment. Hopefully that will mean less gnarly side effects. Oh and I definitely will not lose my hair. Which strangely enough I had actually come to terms with. They say once you lose it and it grows back you get different hair, curly can become straight, and vice versa. I was kinda looking forward to different hair...trying to look at the plus side of all this...ya know?
Anyways, they did yet another CAT Scan while I was there. They take that with all my now missing parts, and overlay it to the PET Scan I had a couple weeks ago, and then the computer does a 3D model of my innards and runs lots and lots of math equations to figure out the best angles to shoot the radiation into the tumor while doing as little collateral damage as possible. I am very fortunate to have had this happen now. Not too long ago they just kind of nuked the whole area and hoped for the best. So when they lined me up in the CT they put sharpie marks on my belly to line up with. Then when they were done with the scan, they put tape over the marks so they won't wash off.
I got back to the room where my mom was waiting for me, and showed her the marks. She said, "Well, at least they aren't tattoos" Right then the nurse walked in and said ok, we'll see you back here next Wednesday for your first treatment, and we'll get you your tattoos at that time as well. So, apparently I get tattoos to mark those spots so the tech can line the machine up with them so the radiation beams are accurate every time.
So just to recap, I get chemo once a week, and radiation 5 days a week, in Poulsbo. I also will have 3 high dose internal radiation treatments in Seattle, towards the end of the chemo and external radiation. I have a meet and greet with that doctor on the 17th.
Wednesday should be interesting. The appts didn't line up quite right so I have to be in Poulsbo by 8:30 to start chemo. It takes about 5 hours, but I have my radiation appt at noon same day. So, I have to unhook from chemo, drive across the street, get my tattoos, radiation simulation ( to make sure the computer is right) my radiation treatment, then drive back across the street to finish the chemo. Hopefully things will be less hectic in the future with these appts. Thank god my bff Dawn is coming with me to chauffeur me around and keep me company and stuff. She rules :) We're both gonna miss our kids first days of school though :( I have mom guilt, but there's not a lot I can do about it. Being that I'm going to be an hour away.
Lotts and lotts of driving coming up. So, if anyone feels like sending on a good mix cd or books on cd or any listening suggestions, it would be appreciated.
I am also thinking of turning those tattoos into some other tattoo after this is over, so if anyone has any suggestions for that, or some other cancer surviving tattoo ideas, those would also be very much appreciated. Maybe I'll get it in that glowy ink...something's gonna glow damnit! :)
Think that's it for now. Night all :)
The get to know you radiation appt was interesting. Everything I read said that the chemo was worse than the radiation, but in my case it sounds like it will be reversed. The good news about the chemo- I am getting a less strong version of what most people get because the chemo is being used to sensitize the cancer to the radiation treatment. Hopefully that will mean less gnarly side effects. Oh and I definitely will not lose my hair. Which strangely enough I had actually come to terms with. They say once you lose it and it grows back you get different hair, curly can become straight, and vice versa. I was kinda looking forward to different hair...trying to look at the plus side of all this...ya know?
Anyways, they did yet another CAT Scan while I was there. They take that with all my now missing parts, and overlay it to the PET Scan I had a couple weeks ago, and then the computer does a 3D model of my innards and runs lots and lots of math equations to figure out the best angles to shoot the radiation into the tumor while doing as little collateral damage as possible. I am very fortunate to have had this happen now. Not too long ago they just kind of nuked the whole area and hoped for the best. So when they lined me up in the CT they put sharpie marks on my belly to line up with. Then when they were done with the scan, they put tape over the marks so they won't wash off.
I got back to the room where my mom was waiting for me, and showed her the marks. She said, "Well, at least they aren't tattoos" Right then the nurse walked in and said ok, we'll see you back here next Wednesday for your first treatment, and we'll get you your tattoos at that time as well. So, apparently I get tattoos to mark those spots so the tech can line the machine up with them so the radiation beams are accurate every time.
So just to recap, I get chemo once a week, and radiation 5 days a week, in Poulsbo. I also will have 3 high dose internal radiation treatments in Seattle, towards the end of the chemo and external radiation. I have a meet and greet with that doctor on the 17th.
Wednesday should be interesting. The appts didn't line up quite right so I have to be in Poulsbo by 8:30 to start chemo. It takes about 5 hours, but I have my radiation appt at noon same day. So, I have to unhook from chemo, drive across the street, get my tattoos, radiation simulation ( to make sure the computer is right) my radiation treatment, then drive back across the street to finish the chemo. Hopefully things will be less hectic in the future with these appts. Thank god my bff Dawn is coming with me to chauffeur me around and keep me company and stuff. She rules :) We're both gonna miss our kids first days of school though :( I have mom guilt, but there's not a lot I can do about it. Being that I'm going to be an hour away.
Lotts and lotts of driving coming up. So, if anyone feels like sending on a good mix cd or books on cd or any listening suggestions, it would be appreciated.
I am also thinking of turning those tattoos into some other tattoo after this is over, so if anyone has any suggestions for that, or some other cancer surviving tattoo ideas, those would also be very much appreciated. Maybe I'll get it in that glowy ink...something's gonna glow damnit! :)
Think that's it for now. Night all :)
Followers
So for some reason it amuses the hell out of me that I have followers...yet at the same time it makes me feel suddenly responsible for those people. I don't want to lead them astray...like Helter Skelter or something. I watched mind of Manson last night...maybe that has something to do with it.
And then, I kinda want more. I was never one to "collect" friends on the Facebook or Myspace, but followers, that's kinda rad :)
And then, I kinda want more. I was never one to "collect" friends on the Facebook or Myspace, but followers, that's kinda rad :)
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