Friday 02/25/11

Today is 5 weeks since the surgery. I’ve been trying to ease my body into being able to sleep on my side at night. I can be in that position for a few minutes before I have to roll back over to my back. A friend who has/is going through a similar situation said by 8 weeks post-surgery she was able to sleep on her side all night. More patience practice for me.

Lindsay took me to the oncologist’s office on Tuesday to discuss alternative chemo drugs since I had such an adverse reaction to the one on Feb 18. He didn’t have any answers that day, but on Thursday I received a call from the nurse saying they were going to change the protocol and give me two different chemo drugs. I will still be on the every 3 week schedule. (The oncologist had mentioned that some of the protocols were every week.) So my next chemo appointment is March 11. I have to go in on March 9 to have my labs done, but that will only take a few minutes.

I have had some challenges with prescriptions, I think because some of them were given by the doctors in the hospital and now I need my primary doc to refill them. So I have an appointment today with my primary doc. I need to bring in all the meds I’m taking so he has a clear picture of what exactly I’m taking. Shannon is off work today so he will be taking me.

We had such a nice day yesterday. Shannon was home before noon and in the afternoon we ran some errands, went to the pharmacy twice, and even had an early dinner at Denny’s. It felt so good to be out of the house and doing normal things like having dinner out. It was the first time in a couple of months that Shannon and I had been out to dinner or any other meal. My appetite is still not great so I wanted to go somewhere easy, quiet, and predictable. We sat at talked for a long time. I savored being out and not having a focus on the health issues.

While we were at the pharmacy, we bought a super duper humidifier. That was going in the bedroom all night and I was cough free. I’m hoping that the dry air has been the culprit all along and now that there is moisture in the air the cough will be gone.  

Thank you all for your continued support, encouragement, and love.

Hugs,

Dar

Tuesday 02/22/11

Today is a good day. I’m able to eat, get around, and feel pretty good. Wes was here most of the day taking care of chores around the house. He went to the store and picked up some needed items and he went to the post office for me. He is really a huge help and I so appreciate his visits.

Lindsay took me to the oncologist today but we don’t know any more than we did when we arrived. It appears that either today or tomorrow I’ll get a call letting me know when the next chemo treatment will be. There are other drugs that can be used instead of the one that caused me the problem last Friday. But they may be given on a different schedule. So we shall see. I was weighed today and since December I have lost 36lbs. Not a diet I’d recommend and I have to make a point to eat, especially high protein foods. I don’t want to get anemic.

I took care of some business with my district paycheck and the disability insurance. It appears that as of today the disability company still had not reviewed the claim even though they have had it since Jan 25. I know they had some office closures during the weather back east. But I told them today that the 1^st is right around the corner and I need to know what the bottom line will look like. So they are supposed to get back to me tomorrow. If not, I’ll have to be that squeaky wheel.

Thank you for the cards, emails, support and encouragement.

Hugs,

Dar

Sunday 02/20/11

Lindsay came over yesterday and did some house cleaning. I can do things like fill and empty the dishwasher but the heavier cleaning is still just too much.

I haven’t had any ill effects from the chemo but then I only had the one drug on Friday. Sometimes my stomach feels like it burns, like indigestion, but I take a couple of Tums and that takes care of the problem.

I’ve been eating ok. Lindsay made Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes for dinner last night. I ate half and then about an hour later I ate the rest. Really yummy. Now if I could just get rid of this dry cough! Fortunately it doesn’t keep me up at night, but as soon as I sit up it starts. The PA at the oncologist’s office gave me an RX for it so hopefully over the next couple of days it will stop. It makes it hard to talk in person or over the phone. I’ll try drinking some hot tea later and see if that helps.

Shannon is out running errands. Grocery shopping, dog food, pharmacy, and Best Buy (need a new printer).

I got out some random embroidery to keep myself occupied last night and realized that I have forgotten how to do it. It’s been quite a while since I last played with embroidery so I’ll have to relearn the basic stitch. I’m sure there are tons of UTUBE lessons out there on basic embroidery.

I got into my sewing studio today and actually finished a block. It took me a long time cuz it feels like my head is foggy (meds) but I took my time and it came out really well. I really need to get back into doing some of the things I used to do so I can stop obsessing about my body and what it is doing. So today was a major step in the right direction.

Guess that is all for now.

Hugs to all!

Dar

Friday 02/18/11

Today was quite an eventful day.

I arrived at the oncologist’s office right before 9:00am. It took until about 10am for me to get hooked up to the first bag of anti-nausea medicine. There were three bags. Then around 12:30 they gave me the first of the cancer drugs. Within a few seconds of getting that drug I went into an anaphylactic reaction and stopped breathing. They drug me off the recliner onto the floor and gave me an epi pen and a few other things. I woke up asking why I was on the floor while looking at four people hovering above me. I was only out for a minute or so. They got me up and back into the chair and then gave me the other cancer drug that I had no problem with.

I have an appointment with the oncologist on Tuesday to talk about what drug I will be using as an alternative. It appears there are a number of alternatives but most people tolerate the one they gave me. The PA (Physician’s Assistant) who basically runs the chemo room said I probably wasn’t allergic to the drug itself, but to the solvent that is used to make the drug usable in an IV delivery system. She said in 9 years she had never seen someone have such a sudden reaction. She just happened to have an epi pen in her pocket that she thought she might need on another patient who was getting a blood transfusion. The Universe works in mysterious ways.

Lindsay picked me up around 5pm and we went to the pharmacy to get some more prescriptions.

I feel ok now. Came home and ate dinner. Just feeling a bit fatigued. I don’t feel sleepy just whipped.

So I’m gonna take it easy the rest of the evening and the weekend.  

Hugs to all of you,

Dar

02/17/11

Yesterday was better than the day before and today was better than yesterday. I’m able to eat and my digestive system seems to be working fine. My legs and feet are still fluid free. I have been taking my temp about every 2 hours and no fever. So far, only one Motrin today.

Tomorrow is the big day. I already have the prescriptions for the potential side effects. I took two pills this morning and I take two tonight. Tomorrow and Saturday I repeat the dosage. I have two other prescriptions, one that I can take every 8 hours and one that I can take every 4-6 hours. I am going in with the intention that I won’t need them and that I will tolerate the chemo with little if any side effects. I’ll let you know.

Both Lindsay and Wes have the cold/flu that has been going around so they have not been over. Sure do not need to get that. Lindsay will be over tomorrow to take me to the chemo appointment and then she will pick me up and take me home. I’ll be taking a quilt that Betty made for me, a jacket, a book, my phone, charger, and ear buds, snacks and iced tea, pens, a notebook, meds I take during the day, lotion and Chapstick. I’ll be there for 5-6 hours so I want to have things available. The gal who I spoke with on Sunday will also be there so I’m sure we will talk. I just don’t want to intrude on her routine and I may want some alone time so I want to have stuff with me.

Any and all prayers and positive thoughts (and chanting, Cheryl J) will be most appreciated.

Hugs,

Dar

02/16/11

I woke up Monday night having quite a bit of abdominal pain so I was back on the Vicodan for a couple of doses. I seem to handle the pain better during the day. My legs are still fluid free so I am really grateful for that.

Yesterday Lindsay came over around 1:30. I am not comfortable taking a shower alone in the house, so I was able to get that done while she was there. I don’t need help anymore, I just like to have someone in the house.

We ran some errands and then she took me to the surgeon to get a final post op look at my porta-cath. We had the heater on in the car and I was wearing a pretty heavy jacket so when the MA took my temp it was over 102. There was no reason for having a temp. So I took off the jacket and a little while later she checked it again and it was 103.4. The surgeon said the porta-cath looked good. He took out a few of the dissolving stitches that hadn’t dissolved yet and then I was discharged from his care.

I have lost 15 pounds since the last visit and I’m sure almost all of those 15 pounds was the fluid in my legs. My appetite is better and I have been eating healthy thanks to Shannon’s cooking.  

We went to Walgreens in Apple Valley to buy a thermometer but when I tried it in the car it wouldn’t work. So we went to the Walgreens on Bear Valley and exchanged it. The second one worked fine. And my temp was between 97 and 98. I checked it again this morning and same result. So no fever for me!

I have been able to get up and down from bed so I haven’t had to wake Shannon to help me. Everything I can do independently is a cause for celebration.

Hugs to all of you and a big thank you for your support, prayers, and love.

Dar

Tuesday 02/15/11

Yesterday was another good day. The swelling in my legs and feet was completely gone. I have some muscle soreness in my thighs and calves, but I think it is my body’s way of dealing with the loss of all that fluid. This morning, I again have normal legs and feet. Hopefully that is one more issue that has been resolved.

I had not taken a Vicoden since Sunday and I had hoped I could get by on Motrin, but last night I had some severe pain around the incision site. So I ended up taking one around midnight and another around 4:30 before Shannon left for work. Guess I need to slow down my mental idea of healing time and listen to my physical cues better.

Yesterday I ate a whole piece of peanut butter toast, half a tangerine, and a protein drink for breakfast, a whole egg salad sandwich for lunch, and some mac and cheese later in the afternoon. Shannon came home and made yummy garlic, butter, salmon and green beans. It was so good and I ate everything on the plate. That is quite an improvement in my eating.

Wes was over yesterday and took care of some house chores and ran some errands. He said he’d be back on Wed to do more. He has been so good about taking care of the animals and running the errands that need to be taken care of.  

Today Lindsay will be taking me to the surgeon who inserted the porta-cath for a final post op appointment. She’ll be over around 2pm and the appointment is at 4:30. Those dirt roads are a challenge when recovering from abdominal surgery. Lindsay bought me a little pillow that I hold tight against my abdomen as we bounce and sway the 3.5 miles to pavement. I never paid too much attention to the dirt roads before, but now the conditions of the roads are in my mind as I prepare to go to appointments.

I’m still learning about this blog. I get your comments on my phone and I answer from my phone. I’m not sure if my replies go to the blog or to your email or what. I have to ask Shannon how that works.

Also, I have had many invitations to Facebook that I have confirmed. I still do not use Facebook that much so please know that I am not ignoring you, I just haven’t completely learned how to navigate it very well yet. I go to it about once a week and read the posts, but rarely comment. I will try to get more comfortable with using it during the next couple of weeks. But thank you to all who have placed a comment there and on the blog. I really appreciate your support and encouragement.

Hugs,

Dar