Testing, Testing

Today, I was at NSH. I had a 2-D Echocardiogram, EKG, Chest X-Ray, CT scan of the head with contrast, and a nuclear stress test. I showed that cardiologist that I AM TOUGH!!!! No problem on that treadmill. I told him to "bring it on." I had my pulse racing, continued talking with him, and successfully kept up with the speed and incline increases. I saw a lot of my co-workers from surgery. That was very nice! All in all, quite a productive day. Happy Halloween to all. & don't eat too much candy!  Linda  :)

Update

Yesterday was a long, exhausting, trying, nerve-wracking, crazy day. Shawn's flight got in Wednesday morning at 12:01 a.m. My parents picked him up and he went straight to bed with a migraine. Everyone was back up at 6:00 a.m. to get ready to see the lung surgeon. We picked up Kara & got to Jameson at 8:30. Dr. Landreneau operates there twice a month and has office hours in between his cases. As a result of his schedule, we didn't see him until 10:30. He had reviewed the days previous CT scan but somehow the one done at Northside on 8/3 was not there. He needed to compare the two to see if there was adequate shrinkage of tumors to warrant the surgery. He ordered a lot of tests but couldn't give us a decision on surgery at this time. I was a nervous wreck by now and, believe me, it only got WORSE as the day went on. We went home and Alan & Shawn ran back up to NSH to get copies of CTs. Then it was time to head back to New Castle to see the radiation oncologist. We dropped off the disc at Jameson and went to UPMC cancer center to see Dr. Wilson. I gave him a copy of the discs which he pulled up on the computer and measured and compared for about 45 minutes. He also had imported the PET scan and compared that. We were still in limbo at this time. He called Dr. L who was still tying to make a decision on surgery. The main concern is the mediastinal node involvement. He was thinking about more radiation but Dr. Wilson (radiation oncologist) explained to him the large dose I had to mediastinal area & that I was maxed out. After a long conversation, it looked like surgery was on. The lung tumor had not shrunk too much which we knew all along because a lower dose was used here. The hilar area tumor appears to be gone. The mediastinal tumor has had 25% shrinkage.My Dr. said if that wasn't addressed, it would have eventually closed off the windpipe. There was a ton more of discussion that I can't go into right now, but I was totally overwhelmed. We had to have Donny meet us in New Castle to pick Kara up because she was late for work & we had to head straight to the airport to drop off Shawn. On the way there, Dr. Landreneau's nurse called to tell me I was on for November 11th. I'll be done right at Jameson where he has his own team & equipment. I'll be in ICU 2-3 days and in the hospital approximately a week. Oh, did I mention I had a tour of the ICU & met the head nurse earlier? Just a little more sensory overload. By the time we got home, I was an emotional mess. My right index finger was totally throbbing & red from those little tumors from the scleroderma. Dr. S came over and checked it and called in an antibiotic. Mo came over to calm things down. Bless them both. I got a call from the cardiologist today for an appt. for a cardiac clearance. I saw him today and he really doesn't know what is causing tachycardia. He said as long as it stays in a sinus rhythm, we're ok. I have a stress test, EKG, 2D Echocardiogram & CXR tomorrow. I also have pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gases, and CT scan of the head Nov. 4th. This is long and rambling. I apologize. I am trying to keep my cool-very difficult right now. Linda     P.S. The surgery will be a left thoracotomy with left lower lobectomy and mediastinal node dissection. My radiation oncologist just called me and said to stay positive-attitude is very important. I get that! Dr. Dayal is at Jameson & looking out for me-Thanks, Martha.

Tomorrow Will Be Great!

Hi everyone, this is Kara. Just wanted to say that tomorrow is my mom's CT scan. She is definitely experiencing some "scanxiety" and I just wanted to reassure her that all will be fine. She is getting stronger and feeling better every day. I just know she will have good news when we meet with the doctor on Wednesday!

Monitor Results

After waiting all day, the Dr. finally callled me at 4:45 yesterday to give me the results. He said the entire 24 hours that I wore the heart monitor showed no irregular rhythms, just tachycardia (I knew that.) It appears I have a rapid heartbeat that may be due to chemo that is still in my system or other underlying causes related to my disease. I have been trying to walk approx. 1/2 mile a day. I did 1 mile yesterday broken up into 2 walks. I see my surgeon next Wednesday so I am trying to get as strong as possible. I want to present a healthy appearance to him. Then, as long as my CT-scan next Tuesday shows shrinkage of the tumors, I will be a surgery candidate once I heal from chemo & radiation & my counts come back up. Have a good day, Linda

Congratulations !

Hi Everyone. I am still waiting for the results from the 24 hour cardiac monitor. However, I want to extend congratulations and best wishes to Heather & Marty. She had a baby boy this morning. If you follow this blog, you know Heather is a very loyal follower. So, Congratulations to the entire Finsley family-including Zoe & Delaney. Welcome, Garrett!  Linda

Saturday Morning

Happy Sweetest Day, everyone. Things are quiet here today. I am assuming I will get the results from the 24 hour Holter Monitor on Monday. Hoping all is well with that. I don't know why I am always so tachycardic, but I can think of several factors contributing to the problem. I've pretty much been in isolation for 2 weeks. My white count was 1.8 on Monday, so I basically have no immunity to anything. The only places I went this week were the lab and NSH x 2. I think Alan & I will go for a ride today in this beautiful weather :(  Again, I want to thank everyone for your continued support. I am amazed at the people who tell me they read my blog, my loyal followers with their uplifting comments, the cards, and flowers. The goodness never stops. Alan said it shows us the wonderful people we have in our life. We sure do and we are very lucky to have them. Alan, Kara, & Shawn, I can never ever thank you for all you guys do for me. You're the best!  Enjoy your day, Linda

Quick Update from Kara

Hello everyone! As requested, here's a quick update. This is my mom's first full week with no treatments. I think more of the side effects of the chemo and radiation, which are cumulative, are beginning to set in. She's been really wiped out, WBC counts are very low and she has no energy. She has also been experiencing constant tachycardia (racing pulse), which is making her weak and shaky. She was sent for an EKG today, which was normal. She will, however, be getting a halter monitor to wear for 24 hours to see the variation in pulse during rest/exertion throughout the course of the day. Her doctor seemed to feel that it was simply her body's reaction to the amount of stress it's been put through over the last 2 months. The doctor's office was nerve-wracking for her because there were many sick people in the waiting room, so mom actually went outside to wait and they called her when they were ready. She really needs to avoid most places and people right now, until her counts come back up. Germs, bacteria and viruses are unacceptable at this point. :) Also, she's started experiencing some painful dysphagia, and is having difficulty swallowing. Her chest/esophagus feels tight and it's becoming increasingly hard to eat. We will modify her diet for the time being (back to milkshakes, soup, mashed potatoes, etc.) and hopefully these effects will begin to lessen sometime soon. Thanks to everyone who has followed this blog and kept my mom in your thoughts and prayers. It helps to know that you are all here with us.

YOU DID IT! (Posted by Kara)

I couldn't wait to tell you CONGRATULATIONS on finishing your chemo and radiation treatments! You should be so proud of yourself. You came through all the ups and downs, days of sickness and exhaustion, hours and hours of IV fluids, daily trips to New Castle, everything, with flying colors. You rock! 
I know all of your fans are so proud and excited for you. 
Take this next month to relax and recover, and gain back your strength. We are all here for you!

I DID IT!

YAY! I'm done with this phase of things. I went to get more fluids today with anti-nausea meds & steroids. Radiation is done. Chemo is done (for now) until post-op. That's way down the road. I get a CT scan of the chest Oct. 27th at NSH (home again), and then off to see my surgeon Oct. 28th. I also see the radiation oncologist that day. There will be a lot of questions answered that day, I'm sure. Shawn is flying in from Charlotte Tuesday nite and I'll have him, Alan, Kara & me. This way four sets of ears, lots of love & support. I can't go wrong. Now, I rest, eat, try to get strong and get my counts up. They are all quite low & dismal, but to be expected from the chemotherapy. I will keep all of you wonderful followers posted on any and all updates. Keep praying. Like Liz Taylor asked, "I'll take any prayers you might have lying around."

Love & Peace, Linda

Monday's News

The weekend started out nicely. We made it to Whitehouse on Saturday, kids took a pony ride, ate a donut, bought pumpkins, etc. Saturday, I was feeling good. Sunday, was another story. Weak, sick, stomach pain, dehydrating before my very eyes. I woke up very sick today, but off to chemoland. Amazing, how those girls can fix you up. I had a bit of a scare because my platelets were only 85,000 and they like a minimum of 100,000 for administration of chemo. The Dr. okayed treatment today due to the fact this is my last treatment and my other counts were reasonable. They gave me extra fluids until it was time for radiation at 11:00. As I walked into that office, the radiation therapist was waiting for me to tell me the linear accelerator was having some problems and I would have to come back later. I then met with the radiation oncologist who seems quite happy with my progress, my physical condition (I haven't "crumbled & deteriorated"), and my mental spirit. He feels we have the mediastinal tumor "on the run". We are very focused on the mediastinum and bronchus right now. These last few days of treatment are not even focusing on the lung as that tumor must be resected out anyway.  I do know I have had response to treatment. My breathing is quiet. The wheezing, whistling sound and constricted feeling is gone. The shortness of breath has improved and the cough has improved. They felt that tumor in the windpipe near the carina was encroaching on and irritating the windpipe and causing a cough. So, as soon as we got back to Poland, the Cancer Center called and said the accelerator was fixed and they needed to get me treated. It is a priority when you have chemo that day as the chemo is radiosensitive. Some of the patients did not get treated today, but I was priority #1. Lucky Me! Back to UPMC in New Castle and zapped. Today, they attached monitors to my chest and side to monitor radiation as this is now becoming intense. Three more days! Yay! We (my family) are all learning a lot about oncology. The nurses want me to be an oncology nurse with them...they also said they don't want to release me from Rx. We'll see about that. I am going to rest for a bit now. I have been on the run since 8:00 a.m. and it is time to conserve some energy. Take care, Linda

We're getting close!

Today at radiation Rx, I got what they call a "boost." They explained the field that was being radiated was being reduced and now the final, very concentrated, refined areas would be focused on. Next Thursday is my last radiation. Next Monday is my last chemo. I was there at Cancer Care for 4 1/2 hours today getting extra fluids and meds to "boost" me up for the weekend. I figure I have about six  phases to get through.    Phase I: radiation & chemo, Phase II: recovery period, Phase III: surgery, Phase IV: recovery period, Phase V: More chemotherapy, Phase VI: recovery period. Anyway, after my fluids today, Alan & I actually went OUT to eat. Amazing! My biggest deal this weekend is to TRY to go to the "pumpkin patch" with the kids. My huge weekend. Oh, to the person who didn't believe I ate a piece of toast this morning and was checking for crumbs, and checking the toaster for heat coming out of it, I have a surprise for you, (you know who you are.) Anyway, just kidding, I know how you care. And, by the way, there was juice in the glass! Love ya'. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Enjoy your day, Linda