Well I have had two chemos since my last entry...hopefully Friday will be my last of this chemo, but I'm still not sure....
I did something unusual for me on St. Patrick's Day...I went out...had a girls night. It was so fun! We ate at the Hard Rock and went to see the Jabawokeez. Then we even went down to Fremont Street for a little while...I think everyone there was wearing green.. I even saw a guy with a green tutu on his head. :) Now I just need to go on a date with my husband. :)
Last week I felt better than I have felt in a really long time. I felt like I had more energy and I was so happy I could breathe again after that bronchitis. The only "bad" thing that happened was I had a rash that started on my chest, then spread to my arms and legs. It wasn't a bad rash...just a little annoying. I let the doctor know about and look at it on Friday at chemo. He said it looked very mild and to continue using topical cream and take Benadryl if needed. It is actually one of the side effects of one of my chemos. I thought it was kind of weird to show up now but...
I have my dental exam scheduled for the 3rd, so hopefully after the transplant team and the insurance get that information the transplant can be approved. I am pretty sure that I will be getting another PET scan soon; probably after my next chemo. They will want to make sure that my cancer is still shrinking (hopefully gone) so that the high dose chemo and transplant can move forward.
I try not to think about it...but it makes me so anxious. I'm not sure why...I wish I had a little better understanding of how I will feel...my limitations etc. This is something that is hard to research because peoples' bodies respond differently.... I guess it is time to start writing those questions down again and asking my transplant coordinator and/or doctor. I hate that I will be away from my husband and little girls for that length of time but I'm not sure I would want them to see me that way either...I don't like being seen as sick or weak... And I get pretty grumpy when I don't feel good... I'm just going to miss them so much!!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Bronchitis
Well since my oncologist and no one from his "office" got back to me I did end up calling and getting an appointment with my primary care doctor Thursday. He said he thought I had bronchitis and gave me an antibiotic, an inhaler, and cough suppressant to use if necessary. My fever finally went away, which I think made a big improvement on how I felt. My coughing became more controlled and productive...overall I feel so much better.
After I came home with my diagnosis I again tried to get ahold of my oncologist because I didn't really think that I would be up for chemo on Friday...or that they would want me to go. I called the VA and left a message, then tried calling the oncology office at the base hospital but for some reason neither of my calls made it to the right department. Since it seemed like my oncologists assistant wasn't passing on my messages anyway I decided to try another way. I called my case manager and let her know the situation and just asked if she could send him an email. She asked me to hold to see if she could get ahold of him and then transferred me to him...I was amazed! I had been trying to talk to him for over a week. But he said that we would postpone chemo and our appointment until next week and he would let everyone know. Thank you!
After I came home with my diagnosis I again tried to get ahold of my oncologist because I didn't really think that I would be up for chemo on Friday...or that they would want me to go. I called the VA and left a message, then tried calling the oncology office at the base hospital but for some reason neither of my calls made it to the right department. Since it seemed like my oncologists assistant wasn't passing on my messages anyway I decided to try another way. I called my case manager and let her know the situation and just asked if she could send him an email. She asked me to hold to see if she could get ahold of him and then transferred me to him...I was amazed! I had been trying to talk to him for over a week. But he said that we would postpone chemo and our appointment until next week and he would let everyone know. Thank you!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Fevered LA Trip 2
Since my last post I got to get a massage...it was so nice. She worked out the tension in the left shoulder, which not only helped with my pain but also my anxiety over it. I have still had a temperature...at least once or twice I thought that it had gone away. Sunday I was thinking that maybe I should go to the ER because I've had a temperature a long time and probably have some sort of infection, but decided to wait until after I came back from my Monday appointments in LA. I called my doctor's office again this morning. I actually got to talk to a person and she said she would contact the doctor to see what I should do. They had never returned my phone call from last week which the lady today said she had not heard. So I am waiting for instructions again. If I don't hear from her by noon I'm going to do something else...maybe try my primary doctor.
My trip to LA went smoothly. My flight left at about 6:30 and we landed early, I think about 7:15. I met a couple visiting from Australia while I was waiting for the shuttle. They were very nice and made me want to go visit Australia with their descriptions of it. I caught the 8:00 shuttle and made it to campus about 9. I got my chest x-ray out of the way first then went to the lab where they took....many tubes of blood. Good thing my hands were cold...I put them on my forehead. :) One of the tubes they had to put in a bag of ice...I forgot to ask why, but I thought that was kind of weird. Then I got an EKG, which was surprisingly painless and fast. I really didn't know what to expect. I went to my 11:30 Pulmonary appointment and got there before 11 but they took me back right away. At first the technician was going to have me sit in a little glass box, but after looking at my face said we could use a different machine. Thank goodness I have an expressive face! :) I HATED these tests. They are horrible...."take a deep breath" "blow, blow, blow"....I think I did poorly. The first test I had to repeat after taking puffs of Albuterol. Finally the breathing torture was through and I could move on. I was done about noon and my next appointment was at 1, which I decided to just wait for and then eat afterward. I got called back for my echo which was done in 15 minutes. The screen looked a little different than the other ones I have seen, and he did measurements which reminded me of my ultrasounds with the girls...I missed them. Then I went and ate and was able to get on the 2:00 shuttle back to LAX but my flight wasn't until 6:05. I asked if I could get on an earlier flight, which they said I could, but it would cost an additional $150 ... no thanks! So, I just waited and bought the girls each a present. There was enough daylight left during takeoff that I got to see the ocean when we were flying over it...Yikes! ;) I was so happy to be home and hug my family. Adrian had made dinner and it was yummy. It was nice to be home after a long day!
My trip to LA went smoothly. My flight left at about 6:30 and we landed early, I think about 7:15. I met a couple visiting from Australia while I was waiting for the shuttle. They were very nice and made me want to go visit Australia with their descriptions of it. I caught the 8:00 shuttle and made it to campus about 9. I got my chest x-ray out of the way first then went to the lab where they took....many tubes of blood. Good thing my hands were cold...I put them on my forehead. :) One of the tubes they had to put in a bag of ice...I forgot to ask why, but I thought that was kind of weird. Then I got an EKG, which was surprisingly painless and fast. I really didn't know what to expect. I went to my 11:30 Pulmonary appointment and got there before 11 but they took me back right away. At first the technician was going to have me sit in a little glass box, but after looking at my face said we could use a different machine. Thank goodness I have an expressive face! :) I HATED these tests. They are horrible...."take a deep breath" "blow, blow, blow"....I think I did poorly. The first test I had to repeat after taking puffs of Albuterol. Finally the breathing torture was through and I could move on. I was done about noon and my next appointment was at 1, which I decided to just wait for and then eat afterward. I got called back for my echo which was done in 15 minutes. The screen looked a little different than the other ones I have seen, and he did measurements which reminded me of my ultrasounds with the girls...I missed them. Then I went and ate and was able to get on the 2:00 shuttle back to LAX but my flight wasn't until 6:05. I asked if I could get on an earlier flight, which they said I could, but it would cost an additional $150 ... no thanks! So, I just waited and bought the girls each a present. There was enough daylight left during takeoff that I got to see the ocean when we were flying over it...Yikes! ;) I was so happy to be home and hug my family. Adrian had made dinner and it was yummy. It was nice to be home after a long day!
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