Happy Halloween!

Things keep getting a little better everyday. I guess it's baby steps, but I'll take any improvement I can get right now. Monday I returned to school after a long absence due to the hospitalization. It was a long day, but I survived it. That was the most activity I've been able to tolerate all week, but I feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel now.

We are starting to get some rain and clouds here. It will be nice to see Northern California turn green again. Hopefully it will continue for a little while longer.

I am beginning to adapt better and better to the colostomy. All of my surgical wounds have healed too. I think that this experience will definitely make me a better nurse in the long run. I'll have so much personal experience to draw upon. I'm even thinking that I would probably make a very good WOC nurse after this is all over with.

I was supposed to be finishing my second round of chemo this week, but following the hospitalization my doctors did not think that was advisable. I have another week for my body to continue healing up and then will return for chemo on November 10 through 14. That will be my second of 4 rounds, and now it is looking like I will be finishing up the chemo in the middle of January. I hope this round doesn't knock me on my butt like the last one did, but I probably had the last chemo too soon after surgery and my body didn't have the resources to deal with it.

Have a happy Halloween all and take care.....

Getting better, Saturday

I thought I should write a quick note to let everyone know how things are going. I am beginning to feel better today and get some strength back. I think part of my exhaustion upon arriving home had to do with all of the interrupted sleep over the course of my extended hospital stay. I've gotten 3 nights of good sleep and am beginning to feel like a person again. What a relief! I was really starting to get pretty down about all of this cancer treatment and just not feeling good, but things are finally looking up again.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! I'm gonna try and do the same.....

Finally Home!

Well I've just returned from an extended stay at Kaiser. Got home yesterday after 10 days in the hospital from a surgical complication. I was having some pain from a fluid pocket that was pressing on my lower spine and I had gotten dehydrated. Eveything was going right through me regardless of how much I drank. I've still got a few issues that Home Health will be helping me with, but I feel much better.

It was hard staying in the hospital that long. Once they got me rehydrated in the emergency room, I was ready to go home but they knew I wasn't ready. My kitties missed me so much and I missed them too. They are still demanding attention, even after I've been home about 24 hours.

Just wanted to give you all a quick update. I'm going to take a break and maybe take a nap now.

Getting better again....

I've turned the corner again. After a good night of sleep and a little more time away from the chemo, I'm starting to feel much better. Today I'm actually able to hold down more liquids and some more solid foods. It actually doesn't hurt to eat today. Wow! Who knew rice tasted so good! I'm actually feeling like I might be up to actually doing something today. Yippee!

Well that's all for now. Just thought I'd let everyone know I'm doing much better than I was last time I posted.

I can't wait until this is all over with........

Well I have finished round 1 of my 4 post-surgery rounds of chemo. I now have 3 weeks off of chemo before I get the next round. Let me tell you that this round of chemo really ended up knocking me on my butt. I was doing good up until Thursday of last week, still energetic and eating whatever I felt like eating. Friday things started going downhill.

This time the chemo has me totally exhausted. Part of that of course may be the fact that I'm having it so soon after my surgery, but I really need to get on with the treatments. School and the economy are basically my driving factors right now. I can't afford to stay unemployed much longer the way things are going these days.

I'm having trouble keeping food down, and the only food I can keep down is not really all that healthy for me. You know vanilla ice cream, Sprite, cheddar cheese, and mashed potatoes isn't the best diet, but I'm hoping that will change soon. I can't even stomach the thought of green vegetables and fruits right now. I'm sure part of the exhaustion I'm feelling is dehydration too. I'm used to gulping down a 1/2 liter of propel or water, but right now I'm lucky to hold down sips of Sprite and propel. That and the chemo is giving me diarrhea too which also adds to dehydration.

I've had to stop my walks around the pool over the past couple of days too. I'm a little shaky on my feet right now and I sure don't want to fall in the pool at this time of year.

I'm trying to keep my spirits up, and I know that this part of the treatment and its side effects will soon pass. I'm sure I will be more upbeat in a couple of days and I will try to post again then so you know that it's not all bad over here.

Have a wonderful week.

Almost Finished with 1 Round of Chemo

Well this past Monday I started the chemo again. I'm having the same side effect that I had last time at the beginning when I started the 5-FU drug.....I'm waking up super early in the morning after only 5-6 hours of sleeping and I can't get back to sleep. I also have the slight queasiness that I wouldn't quite call nausea, but the Zofran seems to be controlling that pretty well. Today I've been up since 4 AM. I've already done 35 laps around the pool (walking), fixed breakfast, and started studying.

I went to see the surgeon again yesterday to see if she could figure out why I have been having rectal area pain over the past couple of weeks. She has no idea what is causing it, but I do get to go for yet another CT scan that may shed some light on the situation. The surgeon did remark that she was really impressed that I had already returned to school so soon after surgery. Aside from that pain, everything else seems to be healing up nicely and I am fairly pain-free otherwise.

I can't believe it has already been almost 4 weeks since I had my surgery. This has been the week that my energy level seems to be increasing the most. I feel like I'm almost ready to return to the gym, but I will be taking it really slowly when I do. It's supposed to start raining out here this week too and right now I really don't feel like doing my walking outside in the rain.

Well once again it is time to stop procrastinating and get back to the studies. I need to get some reading done before I go in for my chemo this morning. Weekend's almost here though....have a great one!!!