Tuesday.....

....and I'm 3/4 of the way through the first stage of treatment. Went to see my oncologist yesterday and it was all good news. Since I haven't had any nausea, vomiting, neutropenia, etc., I most likely will not have any. She says I've got good bone marrow and that keeps replenishing my blood. Yay!

Radiation and chemo have been making me tired though. I've had to have a few nights with 12 to 17 hours of sleep, but then I wake up the next day more energetic again. Today was one of my days to sleep in, so I'm expecting to be more energetic tomorrow.

I'm still trying to walk to most of my radiation appointments and I get to the gym a couple of times on the weekends. I'm sure that has really helped too with the side effects and my good energy levels, considering.

I will be due for surgery in late August, but at the moment I have an appointment for September 5. I am really hoping I can get that changed so that I don't miss another semester of school behind all this cancer stuff.

I'm really enjoying my volunteer position in the infusion clinic. I think it's going to give me a lot of good experience that I would otherwise be missing out on while I take care of the cancer. The nurses are all really nice and they appreciate the help that they get from the volunteers.

Thursday and I'm getting tired.....

Well I've made it halfway through week 4 and I'm starting to feel the effects of the chemo and radiation. I'm much more fatigued this week than I have been previously and I am starting to be much pickier about food too. I slept for about 17 hours last night, but I feel pretty good now.

My mother, sister, and niece are all coming over for Girls Game Night tonight. Last time we had a game night it was a blast. We laughed so hard it hurt a few times.

I don't really have too much to write today. Maybe once I get this chemo pump off tomorrow I will feel like writing more.

Relay for LIfe and other stuff

So Saturday was the Relay for Life in Fairfield. I ended up with a team of 11 and most of them were there at the beginning. It was great being out there visiting and raising money for the American Cancer Society. The relay started off with a survivor ceromony and lap. They read off all of the names of survivors and then we walked the first lap together. Over 150 survivors had registered for this Relay for Life.

I walked 6 and a half miles throughout the day and was exhausted by the end. My sister came out and did over 13, while my boyfriend did just over 10. I can't even remember how many my niece and her friends did, but altogether we walked a lot of miles in our fight against cancer.

We stayed until the end of the Luminaria Ceremony. They had luminarias set up all the way around the quarter mile track and also on the bleachers spelling out "REMEMBER". The luminarias were all dedicated to someone who had had cancer and they lit them with glowsticks. Survivors and caregivers spoke at the ceremony and then a bagpipe player came in to slowly lead the group of us survivors around the track. It was a very intense and emotional lap as all of the supporters watched us make the lap.

I was amazed at the number of young people out there supporting the fight against cancer. It is really neat to see them involved in something so important. The Relay for Life also had lots of activities for smaller children like facepainting, beadworking, and tie-dying shirts, all free. Participants had lunch, dinner, and breakfast on Sunday provided too. I will definitely try to start a group earlier next year and be more prepared.

I slept in on Sunday. I was completely exhausted and I suspect only partly from the Relay for Life. I think the chemo and radiation is finally catching up with me physically and emotionally. I went to get my blood work done yesterday too and the levels are still within normal limits, although they are getting more and more toward the low end of normal. After I got my blood checked I went to the ER for a suspected bladder infection but they found no signs of bacteria in the urine so I'm guessing it is a side effect from either the chemo or radiation drying out my skin. I'll talk with oncology later today.

I'm going to try and walk to radiation today but if this fatigue doesn't go away I may be driving for my last two and a half weeks. I have to go to get hooked back up to the pump today too and then hopefully out to Sac State to get my paperwork turned in so I don't get dropped from the nursing program.

Have a great week and I'll try and do the same.......

Thursday again.....

My routine kind of fell apart this week. I didn't walk to radiation on Wednesday because I had the "Girls' Night" the night before and didn't want to leave them alone for that long. Then this morning for the first time in a while I didn't wake up at 4:30 AM.

I had to go in early for radiation this morning because I started a new volunteer position at Kaiser this morning. I will be helping out in the infusion clinic on Fridays once I finish training. I think that will help me to stay in the practice of giving patient care so I don't feel as far behind my nursing class when I return to the full schedule next Spring. Besides, it just feels nice to volunteer.

The chemo pump has not been as irritating this week as it was. I guess I'm finally getting used to carrying it around. I still occasionally get the lines hung up on things, but not as bad as before. I'm just tired, but the chemo week will be over tomorrow again and I'll have the weekend free of it. My blood levels have started to drop, but not as fast as I'd expected so I'm still in the lower end of normal for WBCs, platelets, and H&H.

I'm really looking forward to the Relay for Life this weekend. I went out and talked to the American Cancer Society yesterday about what to expect. I formed my team late and didn't get all of the original instructional emails that had been sent out. I'm going to try and get a tent set up tomorrow afternoon so we will have a place for anyone on our team to spend the night. It all sounds like a lot of fun for a good cause and I'll probably try and get an earlier start on the event next year.

The Zofran I'm taking for nausea is awesome! Not a bit of nausea this week and I really haven't to curtail my eating habits too much. My tongue is a bit sensitive though, but not too bad yet. I'm over half way through this first part of treatment with no major bad side effects. I'm getting my kidney checked out tomorrow and hopefully the doctor can figure out what is keeping it from draining like it should.

Have a wonderful Friday and weekend!

Tuesday and I'm back on the chemo pump.

I went in yesterday to get hooked back up to my portable chemotherapy pump. It's the beginning of week 3 and I'm almost halfway through the first phase of treatments. Woo Hoo!! I've been a little queasy all along and had tried two medications for it so far but yesterday they finally prescribed Zofran and my stomach is so happy. Not a bit of queasiness since they prescribed it and I even had some pepperonicis on my salad yesterday. I am beginning to get some pain on my fingers and toes though. They almost feel like I've scalded them or splashed hot oil on them. This is one of the possible side effects that they told me I might experience from the chemo. I'm just keeping lotion on them as much as possible so they don't start peeling and really hurting.

Today my boyfriend's daughters and my niece are coming over. They are all spending the night so we can sit around and make photo album scrapbooks, watch movies, eat popcorn, act goofy, and have a fun "Girls' Night". I figure I better do it now while I can because weeks 4 and 5 of chemo are supposed to be the worst.

I'm still working out at the gym on the weekends after I get the pump off and walking to my radiation appointments during the week. I've noticed that my endurance is not what it was pre-treatment, but it's still pretty good. The blood levels haven't dropped too much yet and I'm not anemic or neutropenic yet. Maybe next week.

Relay for Life is this Saturday through to Sunday. I now have 8 teams members with plenty of space for others to join in. I have to go and pick out my Relay for Life campsite tonight over at Solano Community College. I kind of joined this fundraiser a little late so I don't have the time to do it right, but next year I'll start earlier and really do it up. There's still time to make donations to help support cancer patients and the search for a cure and if you'd like to donate to my team follow this link: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeCaliforniaDivision?team_id=325049&pg=team&fr_id=4390

July 9 I had an ultrasound done on my right kidney to see if my doctor could determine the source of my right-sided pain which was my original complaint about 9 months ago before they found the cancer. She called yesterday to say that I have hydronephrosis which is basically fluid backing up into my right kidney but I am really concerned because of the nephrotoxicity of the chemotherapy if I have any kind of renal compromise. My doctor is trying to get a urology referral but in the meantime I am very concerned. I don’t want to do any damage to the right kidney and I'm hoping to get this checked out as soon as possible. I'm working on getting this put into the proper perspective so I can get my positive attitude back, but for now I'm a little down.

I just have to remember that I am really blessed that this happened at a point when medical treatments have come so far. It is so nice not to have to be hospitalized for all of my cancer treatments. Have a wonderful week and I will do my best to do the same!

It's Friday and I'm free.....

...of the chemo pump that is, at least until Monday. It's been a much better day for me. Not nearly as irritable. The weather has cooled down and the wind is picking up and carrying away some of that awful smoke. I've also had more energy again today.

I took the really long route walking to my radiation appointment this morning. Then on the way home, I walked past a garage sale raising money for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. I got home and decided to start my own Relay for Life team. Relay for Life is one way that the American Cancer Society raises money to fight back against cancer. My friend Doug and I have decided to form a team and would love to have people join the team. If you can't join the team, but would like to make a donation to the team, “Debi’s Friends”, then you can use this link for donations: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeCaliforniaDivision?team_id=325049&pg=team&fr_id=4390

After being released from the pump, I went to the gym to work out on the treadmill for a bit. Even though I have more energy than I had over the past 2 days, I really can tell the difference that the treatments are taking on my body. I wasn't able to walk as long or as fast as I could just a couple weeks ago. Once I got home, I had to jump in the pool too. Just enough to say I did it, but it really is wonderful not to be connected to that chemo pump!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember....attitude is everything, so pick a good one!

It's Thursday and week 2 is almost over!!

I only woke up at 5:30 yesterday, and was out front pruning roses by 6:30. Kristy came over and we dyed my hair. I figure it's a good time to experiment, just in case it all falls out. It's quite a bit darker than I'm used to, but all of the greys are gone. How fun!

The weather here has been well into the 100s for a few days now. The air is full of smoke from all the fires burning around California and the sunlight is coming through a little bit pinkish. I'm really looking forward to the weekend and being able to get into the pool again. Wading just doesn't quite get it for me and I can't get my chemo port wet.

I've been quite a bit more tired Wednesday and Thursday than I was before. The radiation therapists say it's because of the radiation. I'm still walking to the radiation appointments, but I've noticed my pace has slowed down. I've also been a bit irritable. It's that darned chemo pump that I have to carry with me everywhere I go. The IV line keeps getting caught on cabinet door handles and anything else you could possibly think of.

Today I noticed that the inside of my mouth has started peeling a little bit too. They told me that would be one of the possible side effects of the chemotherapy. It's probably about time to start watching my diet a little better so that I don't eat things that will really irritate my mouth. So far my appetite has been great and I haven't really been nauseous. Just an occasional slightly upset stomach.

Yesterday was the day that my blood levels were supposed to reach their nadir. It was the 10th day of treatment. Last Sunday when they checked my blood levels, only my platelets, hemoglobin, and hematocrit had begun to drop, but all were still within normal limits. I'll be going in for more blood work this Sunday and it will be interesting to see what my lab values are then.

I've saved lots of easy things to do for this part of the week when I have less energy so I think I'm going to start working on that stuff now. I have to study for my CPR re-certification, and then I think I'll make a few scrapbook pages. Life is good.

I've made it to week 2 of chemo and radiation.....

....and this week is going fantastic so far! I seem to have lots more energy and I've regained all of my good spirits. It has really helped me to focus on what I can do instead of what I can't and to be grateful for all that I can do and am allowed to do while undergoing my treatment.

The nurse that hooked me up to the chemo yesterday did a fantastic job and it is so much more comfortable than last week. That's not to say that the nurse that did it last week did a bad job, but she had to work around the healing incision and the allergic rashes I had developed to the transparent dressings.

I've managed to figure out a way to completely cover the chemo port on my chest so that I can take a quick shower without getting it wet. That has also helped to lift my spirits. Also the weather is heating up here again and my pool is finally getting warm, thanks to the bubble cover and 100+ temperature. Yay! I can't swim with the chemo pump on, but that's okay because I'm more into the sitting in the warm water and talking to friends than swimming.

I've been waking up super early these days. This morning I was up at 3:40 A.M. and since it's supposed to be another hot one today, I thought that would be a great time to make some homemade banana nut bread. I made one batch with my mom's famous banana nut bread recipe and then I tried a second batch with wheat flour instead. This cancer stuff is really making me look at the way I've been eating for several years and I've been making lots of subtle changes to my diet and my life.

I've got more visitors coming today so I'm going to try to straighten the house a little before I walk to my radiation appointment. I've scheduled all of those appointments in the morning so I can walk there before it really heats up. Not only am I not supposed to get sweat or water in my port, but in addition, almost every medication they have me on says to avoid sunlight or at least wear sunscreen. I'm doing the best I can at that.

Have a wonderful and blessed day!!!

Happy 4th!!

I got the chemo pump discontinued this morning. Won't have to carry it around with me all weekend. I will get it hooked back up on Monday again for week 2 of chemo and radiation. It's amazing how much better I feel not having to carry that around with me everywhere I go. I ran into my doctor at the hospital and she said I could swim and take my showers this weekend. I am so happy and oh how I hate taking baths!

Anyway I just realized that I had mentioned the spot on my lungs in a previous post. The spot is still there and although they cannot rule out cancer with the CT scan, they don't believe that is what it is. I will have to have a follow up CT in a couple months to monitor the spot and in the meantime the clinical trial is out.

Happy 4th of July. Enjoy the fireworks.

one week almost down

Chemo and radiation started last Monday, June 30th. That first day was the worst so far, but it might have had something to do with having the port placed surgically on Thursday right before Molly showed up. Then Friday we were off to San Francisco for a few days of "relaxation" before I started my treatments. We returned home on Sunday and then it was an early start on Monday for the first of the radiation and chemo treatments.

Radiation is not all that bad. I just go into the office and lie on the table. Then they position me and start the radiation. I have just about enough time to listen to one complete song on my iPod and then it's over. I'll be going for the radiation treatments 5 days a week for just a little over 5 weeks.

The chemo is another story though. First I was allergic to the transparent dressings they used, and the one that they finally found that I can use is extra sensitive to moisture. I was just a little upset to find out that showers and going to the gym are out while I undergo chemo since anything, including sweat, that gets under that dressing goes straight to my heart. I get a continuous infusion of the chemo drug delivered via a small pump that I have to carry with me constantly. They will take me off the pump on Fridays though so at least I won't have to carry it around 7 days a week.

Molly flew home very early on Tuesday morning. It's great to have such a wonderful best friend like her to come out and see me through my last days before treatment and the first round of treatment. I got up a few hours after Molly left and walked to my radiation appointment. It's just over 3 miles round trip to the radiation oncologist and as long as it is cool in the mornings I can do the walk without sweating too much. Besides the exercise is a good way to keep the fatigue at bay.

Well tomorrow is the 4th of July and I'm not going to try and go anywhere this year. Sure I'm feeling pretty good, but I do get a little tired and queasy at times. The pool is clean and getting warm so we will just have to celebrate the 4th at my house this year.