Yesterday morning I flew to LA. I had never been to LA....so, I was a little nervous. I wasn't sure what to expect. I think I was afraid that I would get mugged or something... I was able to find my way pretty good...and I took a shuttle and a taxi...first time in a taxi.
I got a PET scan and will hopefully hear the results from that pretty soon. Hopefully it will show that the chemo is working. If this chemo isn't doing its job, they will want to try something else... They would like to see the disease shrink as small as possible before the high dose chemo...the smaller the better my chances to remain cancer free.
I will have to return to LA for my stem cells to be harvested...still not sure when exactly but the doctor said it will be when my blood counts have recovered after chemo. My bone marrow will have to be checked again before the harvesting to make sure that the cancer hasn't moved into my marrow. As long as my marrow is clean, the stem cells will be harvested from my blood. This process may be able to be done in one day, but will probably take a day or two. They will take out blood, spin it to remove the stem cells and give me back the rest of my blood. After this...I will be able to do the high dose chemo at any time.
The high dose chemo will be about a week of different chemos given, rest one day, and then injecting the stem cells on the next day. She said my body will be fighting and I will probably be in the hospital for a few weeks...and I will be getting blood. I will lose my hair and my fertility. boo! :( I will be on a diet of all cooked foods. After my blood counts are high enough, and probably pretty stable, they will release me from the hospital, but I will have to remain in the area, with someone looking after me, for another week or two.
Not really looking forward to being away from my family for that long...but I want to have this cancer gone for good and that is my best chance....
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Cycle Two, Almost Through
Tomorrow will be my last chemo of my second cycle. It will be nice to have a week off...then on to cycle 3. I think...
Yesterday I actually gave myself my Neupogen shot...and I didn't pass out. :) I was sitting down just in case...ha ha...I'm such a wieny!
I finally have all the details of my appointment and travel plans for Monday's trip to UCLA. I went ahead and bought the plane tickets yesterday because I didn't want the cost to go up anymore than it already had. It went from $34 one-way to $60 while I was waiting for some answers. I got an early flight because I thought they would schedule the PET scan in the morning but.... Today I finally got a call and they scheduled the scan for 1:45 and told me to go to the appointment with the doctor as soon as I am through with the scan. My doctor's appointment was originally scheduled for 2pm and now I probably won't be at the office until about 4pm. Hopefully my flight out is late enough...it should be...I hope.
I am planning or hoping that this doctor will answer my questions...I need to start writing them down....
How and when will the stem cells be harvested?
What chemos will be involved in the high dose chemo?
How long will I have to be in the hospital?
Will I really lose my hair with the high-dose chemo?
Will the h-d chemo really make me infertile?
What are the additional risks/side effects that come with this treatment?
I'm sure I'll think of at least a few more to add to the list...
Yesterday I actually gave myself my Neupogen shot...and I didn't pass out. :) I was sitting down just in case...ha ha...I'm such a wieny!
I finally have all the details of my appointment and travel plans for Monday's trip to UCLA. I went ahead and bought the plane tickets yesterday because I didn't want the cost to go up anymore than it already had. It went from $34 one-way to $60 while I was waiting for some answers. I got an early flight because I thought they would schedule the PET scan in the morning but.... Today I finally got a call and they scheduled the scan for 1:45 and told me to go to the appointment with the doctor as soon as I am through with the scan. My doctor's appointment was originally scheduled for 2pm and now I probably won't be at the office until about 4pm. Hopefully my flight out is late enough...it should be...I hope.
I am planning or hoping that this doctor will answer my questions...I need to start writing them down....
How and when will the stem cells be harvested?
What chemos will be involved in the high dose chemo?
How long will I have to be in the hospital?
Will I really lose my hair with the high-dose chemo?
Will the h-d chemo really make me infertile?
What are the additional risks/side effects that come with this treatment?
I'm sure I'll think of at least a few more to add to the list...
Sunday, January 22, 2012
5 down...??? to go
It is kind of strange to be going through treatment and still not really know how much longer I have with this chemo or when I will start the high dose chemo. Hopefully most of these questions will be answered when I see the UCLA doctor on the 30th. Now I not only have an appointment to meet the doctor, but they also want me to have a PET scan there the same day. I was trying to make travel plans, but since I don't have a time for the scan yet I haven't been able to do that. Hopefully I will know tomorrow so that I can get my plane tickets. I decided that it would be easier for me to fly to LA on my own than trying to drive by myself or trying to take the whole family, I think it will be easier and faster to just fly alone.
Today is my least favorite day in my week of chemo treatment....I usually feel fine, great even, the day of chemo and fine the next day. But today...it is the day when I feel the most...yuck! I don't even really know how to explain it...nauseous, tired, just...not good. I know this is still much better than what other people going through chemo experience...And my hair seems to have started to thin just a bit...just feeling some loose hairs on me. I wish I had the bald Barbie...If you haven't already joined the movement on Facebook or signed the petition to Mattel, look into it. I think the bald Barbie could do a lot of good.
Today is my least favorite day in my week of chemo treatment....I usually feel fine, great even, the day of chemo and fine the next day. But today...it is the day when I feel the most...yuck! I don't even really know how to explain it...nauseous, tired, just...not good. I know this is still much better than what other people going through chemo experience...And my hair seems to have started to thin just a bit...just feeling some loose hairs on me. I wish I had the bald Barbie...If you haven't already joined the movement on Facebook or signed the petition to Mattel, look into it. I think the bald Barbie could do a lot of good.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Why me?
While I know that I didn't do anything to "deserve" getting cancer...I can't help but wonder sometimes...why me? What made me get cancer? And not just once, but twice? What am I doing wrong? Does something make me more susceptible?
Hodgkin's Lymphoma typically occurs in people between the ages of 15-40...I was 25 the first time and 29 the second time. It is more common in males...well, I'm a female and I still got it. A family history? No. Infectious mononucleosis? Well, I did have mono when I was 15. Did that really increase my chances of getting this cancer? It often occurs in same sex siblings. My sister had mono and she didn't get my cancer. (Thank you Jesus!) What made me....weaker?
Was it because I drank some alcohol? I've never been too crazy with that, but I have had my moments. Was it because I was a smoker? I smoked about a pack a day for about 6 years. Did that help lower my immune system?
I sometimes think that I must have gotten cancer (the first time) when I was teaching elementary at Dimmitt schools. That was a horrible year for me. I had a 45 minute commute one-way, and went from New Mexico time to Texas time. I was depressed and lonely. I ate terribly...and smoked a lot. I felt like a complete failure. That year made me hate teaching...I don't think I will ever go back to it. That is when I feel like my body was weak...that cancer snuck in....but, that is just my theory. It probably happened later....
Hodgkin's Lymphoma typically occurs in people between the ages of 15-40...I was 25 the first time and 29 the second time. It is more common in males...well, I'm a female and I still got it. A family history? No. Infectious mononucleosis? Well, I did have mono when I was 15. Did that really increase my chances of getting this cancer? It often occurs in same sex siblings. My sister had mono and she didn't get my cancer. (Thank you Jesus!) What made me....weaker?
Was it because I drank some alcohol? I've never been too crazy with that, but I have had my moments. Was it because I was a smoker? I smoked about a pack a day for about 6 years. Did that help lower my immune system?
I sometimes think that I must have gotten cancer (the first time) when I was teaching elementary at Dimmitt schools. That was a horrible year for me. I had a 45 minute commute one-way, and went from New Mexico time to Texas time. I was depressed and lonely. I ate terribly...and smoked a lot. I felt like a complete failure. That year made me hate teaching...I don't think I will ever go back to it. That is when I feel like my body was weak...that cancer snuck in....but, that is just my theory. It probably happened later....
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Second Round, Second Cycle---Take two
I drove to have my chemo on Thursday and to my surprise found that my treatment day had been moved to Friday...so now I will be getting chemo on Fridays. I didn't so much mind that the day had been changed...I just wish I would have known about it before making the almost hour round trip to the VA clinic and back home. Oh, well....
So, I went back on Friday, had my labs drawn, talked with my oncologist and had my chemo. My labs all looked really good. The doctor asked about side effects...if I was noticing any hair loss, etc. I told him that I hadn't noticed any hair loss, which I didn't really expect too since I didn't lose my hair with the ABVD treatment from the first time. The only side effect continues to be the numbness in my fingers and toes...more so my fingers. I asked if the second part of my treatment, the high dose chemo, will cause me to lose my hair, which he said he thought it would...not permanently of course...but...boo!! I still have a wig that my brother and sister-in-law bought for my the first time I had cancer. I am thinking about getting my hair cut the same style as the wig early, so maybe it won't be as big of a shock for the girls. I asked again about how long I would have to be at UCLA for the treatment...he said 2-4 weeks depending on whether or not there are any complications like infection. I can't imagine being away from my family that long. I have never been away from my girls for more than a few hours....what am I going to do? What are they going to do?
I have an appointment scheduled to meet with the UCLA doctor on the 30th of this month. Hopefully she will be able to give me more in-depth information and expectations for treatment and recovery...I just want to be through with this.....and never have to hear "You have cancer" again....
So, I went back on Friday, had my labs drawn, talked with my oncologist and had my chemo. My labs all looked really good. The doctor asked about side effects...if I was noticing any hair loss, etc. I told him that I hadn't noticed any hair loss, which I didn't really expect too since I didn't lose my hair with the ABVD treatment from the first time. The only side effect continues to be the numbness in my fingers and toes...more so my fingers. I asked if the second part of my treatment, the high dose chemo, will cause me to lose my hair, which he said he thought it would...not permanently of course...but...boo!! I still have a wig that my brother and sister-in-law bought for my the first time I had cancer. I am thinking about getting my hair cut the same style as the wig early, so maybe it won't be as big of a shock for the girls. I asked again about how long I would have to be at UCLA for the treatment...he said 2-4 weeks depending on whether or not there are any complications like infection. I can't imagine being away from my family that long. I have never been away from my girls for more than a few hours....what am I going to do? What are they going to do?
I have an appointment scheduled to meet with the UCLA doctor on the 30th of this month. Hopefully she will be able to give me more in-depth information and expectations for treatment and recovery...I just want to be through with this.....and never have to hear "You have cancer" again....
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
I did end up having some minor complications from my low potassium level. My right arm felt like it was asleep and weak until I got some potassium in me...scary stuff.
My third chemo went well and I was done early. We ended up leaving to drive back home for a visit after my treatment. It is a 12 hour drive that we split into two days so that it won't be as hard on the girls. Our first night there the youngest started throwing up and within the next day or two, we all threw up and had the stomach bug. This might sound horrible, but for a little while I was more worried about me getting sick than about my daughter throwing up. I just didn't know what the result of me getting sick with my lowered blood levels would be. Luckily, I got over it quickly. Well we all did, except for my youngest daughter. She threw up a few more times throughout the week, so we took her to the clinic and they prescribed an antibiotic. Now we are home and happy to be...it's always nice to get home.
Tomorrow I will begin my second cycle of chemo...
My third chemo went well and I was done early. We ended up leaving to drive back home for a visit after my treatment. It is a 12 hour drive that we split into two days so that it won't be as hard on the girls. Our first night there the youngest started throwing up and within the next day or two, we all threw up and had the stomach bug. This might sound horrible, but for a little while I was more worried about me getting sick than about my daughter throwing up. I just didn't know what the result of me getting sick with my lowered blood levels would be. Luckily, I got over it quickly. Well we all did, except for my youngest daughter. She threw up a few more times throughout the week, so we took her to the clinic and they prescribed an antibiotic. Now we are home and happy to be...it's always nice to get home.
Tomorrow I will begin my second cycle of chemo...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)