Thursday, January 28, 2010

Thursday morning

Well, I got a call from UPMC and my potassium is low again. Tomorrow, I'll head in there for a 4 hour treatment of potassium, anti-nausea drugs, steroids, & fluids. That usually means I'll get through the weekend in good shape. The nurse said the Cisplatin often causes this potassium deficit. I felt like I was eating well this week. My Dad will be taking me tomorrow so this will be funny. I have a feeling he will get very comfortable in a recliner in the treatment room & fall asleep. I'm going to tell him he better not start sleeping too deeply or they may hook him up to some meds. If you know my Dad, you would know he could sleep through anything. Haha. Drive carefully today in the ice & snow. Linda

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Tuesday...success

Well, I had my chemo today, even though it was "iffy" for awhile. I went in the office and the waiting room was just packed. I went back to the treatment room and had my blood drawn. I waited & waited for the results. My friend that took me was in the waiting room because he is a little squeamish around all the needles, IV's, mediports, etc. I asked the nurses to tell him if chemo was going to be administered today so he could step out for awhile. Forty minutes later, they told me my WBC's were borderline and they were running more tests. Finally, at 2:00, they decided I could have my chemo. In the meantime, two different patients were having reactions to the chemo...one mild, one severe. The man next to me got very pale, eyes rolling back in his head, BP dropping, pulse dropping, clutching his chest and having seizures. They called 911 and two different ambulance companies came. I was gathering up all of my stuff, unplugging my pump from the wall and trying to move out of the way. I knew they needed room for the EMT's, stretcher, Oxygen, monitors, etc. I felt like I should be helping! This, of course, delayed me even further. They kept apologizing to me and I assured them if anyone understood-I did, as this happened to me on my very first treatment. When they finally started administering the Gemzar, I was a bit nervous. The nurses stayed right by my side and everything was O.K. So, the next milestone is next Tuesday for my long treatment with two drugs. Hopefully, this drug today doesn't knock me back down and delay things next week. If all goes well, chemo next Tuesday followed by Neulasta injection on Wednesday....and then I will be HALFWAY THROUGH! Hope this has everyone up to date. Linda

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sunday afternoon

Hi everyone. It's a rainy & miserable Sunday. Alan & I are going for a ride just to get me out of the house. We try to go when he comes home from work, but by the time he gets home & we head out, it is usually dark when we get to our destination. Last week one night, we rode out to Lake Milton & all we saw was a dark frozen lake. Maybe, we'll try that one again today. Then, we'll stop to get something to eat (like a baked potato full of potassium.) Our Trailblazer probably thinks it's a restaurant since I'm not allowed to go in anywhere, we always eat in it. One day, I will actually be healthy enough to go inside somewhere among people. Yay! I can't wait. I'm hoping my counts come back up enough to receive chemo on Tuesday. Wish me luck, Linda

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Tuesday-1/19/10 No chemo today

I went to get my chemo and after drawing the blood for my counts and chemistries, the counts were too low to receive chemo. My WBC's and platelets, especially were very low. The plan is to take another week off, get the Gemzar next Tuesday, and then the following week, the Gemzar & Cisplatin. After that, a shot of Neulasta which stimulates growth & maturity of white blood cells. Only problem with that-the bone, joint, & muscle pain and other side effects that come with it. Although, I am quite disappointed, I know we have to keep things safe. This will extend my treatment time. Oh well, what's a little bump in the road now? I've been up & down mountains! Linda

Friday, January 15, 2010

Friday night ~ aren't drugs wonderful?!



I spent four hours at UPMC today. I got my usual, Kytril, Ativan, Decadron & rescue fluids. Today, they added Potassium. I feel pretty good tonight, I guess that's relative to how I usually slog through my days. They really want me to try to continue with this Cisplatin. It is VERY strong, harsh, and rough. Although, it is a sister drug to Carboplatin which I had preoperatively-this one is called the "wicked sister." I had thought of asking the Dr. to cut back the dose but my nurses today really spent a long time with me and are highly encouraging me to try to stick this out. They said it is the "Gold Standard" of drugs for my diagnosis, my insurance policy against recurrence, etc., etc., etc. So, here I go again. Nine more weeks as of next Tuesday. Then I come home from chemo and make a huge X on that day on the countdown chart. This is going to be a long Jan., Feb., & March. Tomorrow, we are going to try to ride up by Lake Erie if I can tolerate it. Then we will get a Wendy's baked potato (potassium) to eat in the car. AAhhhhhhh, what an exciting day! I can't go in anywhere because of my counts so the SUV is our restaurant.  :)  Hope your weekend is exciting as mine. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Linda

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Thursday night

As you know, I have been feeling terrible. I had some labs done today and as expected, my counts are all quite low. Platelets are half of what they should be, WBC'S & RBC'S are low. The most concerning thing is my Potassium. It is quite low. I have to go tomorrow for 2-3 "passes" of potassium. Each dose takes over one hour, plus I will get fluids and other meds. I will most likely be there 3-4 hours. I am glad to take care of this because I am hoping it will help some of my symptoms. Chemo is closed Sat. & Sun., and next Monday they have something going on so I wouldn't be seen until Tuesday. I would probably be in quite a mess by then so tomorrow will be a good day, I hope. Keep you posted. Linda

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Tuesday night

I had the week off chemo to try and get my WBC, RBC, & platelet counts back up. I know they must be extremely low because I can barely hold my head up. My legs feel too weak to carry me and my arms are, also, very weak. I sleep for about 12-14 hours and struggle to get out of bed. Then, I make my way downstairs & start drinking water to avoid dehydration. Eating is a HUGE problem-weight continues to be an issue. Midway through the day, I have to go back to bed for a couple of hours. I showered & washed my hair & it was like running a marathon. Kara dried it for me, but will come back tomorrow to use the curling iron. Too much at once for tonight. I am still battling nausea. I keep switching my meds out trying to get the nausea under control. I go between Zofran, Ativan, & Compazine. Tonight, my ribs are giving me the vise-like feeling in my side, so I am taking a pain pill, too. The pain has lessened from a 10 to a 3-4-bearable.  I know this will pass. It's just very hard right now. I need strength, energy, pain relief, nausea relief, and an appetite. I'll also take some sunshine. Anyone have any of the above? Send it my way. So, as of today, I'm 1/4 of the way done with chemo. Sure is going s-l-o-w! Good night, Linda

Friday, January 8, 2010

Chemo woes

Very tired, very weak, battling nausea. Four hours of  rescue fluids & meds. today. All I want to do is lie down. No appetite. Temporary, right? This chemo course is MUCH tougher than the first. I am also having hearing issues-I feel like I'm underwater, my head feels totally foggy & fuzzy. My ears are buzzing & high-pitched sounds are distorted. That should all subside post-chemo. Karen, thank you for the Handel's bucks...very sweet of you.  Goodnight, Linda

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Dr.s Visit Today

All went well. Everything going according to plan. My CT scan of chest showed NO changes, NO new disease. YAY! Next scans not for three months. I'll see surgeon again at that time. Alan & I ate at the hospitality shop at Jameson. He said he forced down many meals there feeling sad, worried, & anxious. So, today was a happy meal :) Another super thing, I am not nauseated today. I am going to keep drugged up on my anti-emetics all week & try to head it off. "A good offense is the best defense." Kara, love the pix of the girls and Siesta Key. You know that is a driving force for me to get back there. Can't wait! Linda

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Two weeks down



Hi Everyone,  This is a picture of my oncology nurse, Tammy. I am covered with a throw that Shawn & Jen got me for Christmas. It is an exact likeness of their dog ,(my grand-dog), Cooper. They felt it would be comforting to me. It was. In this picture, I just had my blood work drawn and was waiting for the results before they hooked me up to my meds. The WBC was quite low, marginal. I had to wait until they did a differential and performed their calculations and decided it was safe to administer the chemo. My pre-medication consisted of: Aloxi 215 mcg. (anti-emetic that stays in your system for 5 days), Emend 150 mg. (anti-emetic), Ativan (anti-emetic, relaxer), and Dexamethasone 20 mg. (steroid.). I received about 1500 cc of 9% saline prior to chemo. I then received Gemzar (chemo), followed by Cisplatin (chemo). After this, I received another 1000 cc of 0.9% saline. Since the Cisplatin is notorious for nausea/vomiting, and with my history, they are being very aggressive with my meds.We were there for SIX hours.  I will take an Emend tomorrow morning when I get up and Thursday morning as well. This drug is supposed to be superior for post-op N&V & post-chemo N&V. I'm counting on it. I told Alan even if I am sick tomorrow, he has to drag me to the surgeon's appt. I have many questions that I am finally ready to have answered. So we came home & did our ritual of marking off another week completed in this 12 week journey. Now, I am hoping for a quiet night and uneventful week. I may not be able to sleep tonight due to steroids, but I barely slept last night due to nerves. Hoping to crash around 9:00 p.m.
Keep warm,  Drive safe, Linda

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Good Riddance 2009

I believe that last year was the worst year of my life. Even before I got diagnosed, I was feeling terrible for months. Now, I just want to look ahead. I know that 2010 will be a super year. Once I recover from this last course of chemo, get stronger, & stop having so much pain, I'm going to celebrate. I have to gain my appetite back & gain some weight back. We are never content with things. I lost over 40 # since I got sick and now I just want to be able to eat & gain weight. Before, I always wanted to lose weight. AAGGHHHHH! I got new clothes for Christmas because nothing fits. I was using safety pins to gather the waistband of my pants! I did not make any resolutions. I just want to be healthy & well. Nothing else is important. To all of my loyal followers, those that comment and those that don't: you have been huge lifesavers. Some of you have just been so consistent from day one. You'll never realize how much you help me. I have so many angels in my life-my family, friends, neighbors, church members, co-workers. When I get through all of this-look out. I have a CT of my chest tomorrow @ NSH, six hour chemo on Tuesday @ UPMC Cancer Center, & lung surgeon appt. at The Lung Center on Wednesday. Such an exciting week. I'll try to post soon, just trying to keep positive on how I'll be feeling after that chemo. Have a great day & stay warm, Linda