Brief Update

I am recovering quickly and well from the pulmonary embolism that I had right before the semester started. I'm having a lot less pain these days, and now all we are trying to do is get my Coumadin levels stabilized.

I'm also recovering well from the last cycle of chemo. My blood labs are starting to come back to normal finally, as well as my energy levels.

I'm already at the end of my third week of my final semester in the nursing program and looking forward to graduation in May. School has been keeping me quite busy, and I expect it will be that way for the rest of the semester. Don't expect to see many updates in the meantime.

Have a great weekend all!

One more setback.....

....but I'm on the mend again. Last Friday I went to the hospital with what I thought was a kidney stone. It had been hurting for a couple of days, but I foolishly put off going to the hospital because I had some school orientations to go to on Thursday and Friday. Well when I got to the emergency room I found out I had a pulmonary embolism. I was very fortunate that it was deep in the right lung base or it would have been much more serious and could have caused a lot more damage.

I stayed in the hospital for 2 days, and was released on Sunday. That was a very short stay for a PE, but the doctor was willing to release me then because they knew that the cause was my cancer treatments and also, I was able to administer my own injections of heparin to thin my blood. I had some incredible pain while I was hospitalized and also yesterday, but today I am feeling much better. I think I am going to recover from this rather quickly.

Tomorrow is my first day back to school for my last semester of the nursing program. I am looking forward to being finally finished and back in the workforce. I'm also hoping that I don't have any more health problems this semester because it is going to be a busy semester with little time for more setbacks.

Have a wonderful week!

Moving on

I'm still recovering from my last cycle of chemo, but I'm getting a little more energy everyday. School starts again next week so I'm going to need that energy. I've had one orientation for the hospital I will be precepting for so far this week, and two more to go, today and tomorrow. Everything is starting to get back to normal finally.

It's really nice to be done with all the cancer treatments. My oncologist tells me it will be about six to nine months before my body is back to 100%. I'm hoping it won't take quite that long, but if it does, I suppose I will just have to deal with it. At least they got all of the cancer out of me and I'm considering myself to be cancer free.

I will be having my next surgery to reverse the colostomy in late March. The recovery from that surgery is supposed to be minimal and I should be ready to get back to work after Spring break.

Well with school coming up next week and the cancer gone, I probably won't be updating the blog so much anymore. I'll let you know if something good or bad happens, but otherwise I'll likely be overwhelmed with school. Take care all.

It's a beautiful day at the coast

Well I had my followup colonoscopy yesterday morning to check out the bleeding and the gastroeneterologist says it is nothing to worry about. Just a little tissue damage at the surgical site, but nothing really out of the ordinary. I told the nurses not to give me too much sedation because I had lots of plans for the day and I didn't want to be too out of it. I went to see the doctor on Wednesday for the consult, and they got me in on Thursday for the procedure! There are some perks to having cancer I guess. I sure get quick followup and medical care for everything.

My mother and I took off from the hospital for the Montara hostel. We are celebrating the end of chemo and the absence of cancer. We got the Watch Room, which is the nicest private room they have. We've got a wonderful view of the ocean from the bed and it is quiet, except for the waves crashing against the shore. The weather here is unusually warm! I woke up at 7:30 and went outside to sit by the lighthouse in my pajamas and wasn't cold. This place is magical.

School starts in less than 2 weeks, so I've got to get busy when I get back home, but for now I'm just going to enjoy being with my mother and relaxing at the ocean. Have a wonderful weekend!

Chemo is done.....

...and I don't feel so bad this time around. I've figured out the secret to surviving chemo. Watch 4 seasons of House, sleep about 14 hours per night, crochet 2 scarves and one afghan. Sit on your butt and try not to do anything at all and it will all be over with sooner than expected. Oh and drink lots and lots of iced tea.

Seriously though, I am feeling much better this time through. It has been hard, but I haven't done much at all for a whole week besides the aforementioned. The mucousititis is pretty much non-existent and I think that iced tea has been helping with that. It is the one drink that I can get down past the slight soreness in my throat. I only slept 12 hours last night and am wide awake already. I think I'm on the downside of treatment finally but I am going to take it easy today too.

This is going to be a great week! My mom and I are going to the Montara hostel on Thursday for a couple of days at the ocean, and then when we get back, I finally meet Chris' mother and sister. They are coming out from New York for a short visit.

I've got tons of stuff to take care of before the Spring semester of school starts, and I think it's about time I start taking care of a few of them. It is just so hard to get things done when I have no energy or motivation while on the chemo. I also still have to get my Christmas tree taken down, but that may have to wait a few more days. It's baby steps for me right now and if I overdo it, I'll be down for a few days.

It's promising to be a beautiful week here in sunny California. Weather is warming up slightly. That always helps with my mood too. Have a wonderful week all!!!

Almost Done

Well I've seen my PCP and oncologist. Next stop is the gasteroenterologist for a pre-procedure consult next Wednesday. Then I should be having another colonoscopy at the beginning of February to make sure that my symptoms are not a sign of the cancer returning. I don't see how it could be with all the chemo I've been going through, so I'm hoping for the best.

I've also emailed my surgeon and she will try to get me scheduled to have the colostomy reversed over my Spring Break from school at the end of March. Hoping to fully be back to normal shortly thereafter.

So far this cycle of chemo is going fairly smoothly. I'm a little tired and nauseous, but nothing too bad so far. I've been doing my best to take it easy and I'm almost halfway through the third season of House. I've gotten some reading done, and also lots of crocheting. Just today and tomorrow to go for chemo treatments.

Weekends coming soon, so have a great one.

Last Cycle started

I just started my fourth and hopefully last cycle of chemo yesterday. I go everyday this week until Friday. I have learned how to deal with the cycles finally and have plenty of DVDs, books, and crocheting to do this week. Sitting on my butt and not overdoing it is the key to recovering faster from the chemo.

I have just come off of a wonderful 2 weeks of spending time with family and friends. Christmas and New Year's were both awesome! Then I took a few trip to hostels on the coast, and a couple of fabulous trips to San Francisco. I really felt almost like my old self with just a little more pain than I used to have. I took lots of rest stops and everything was fine. It was so nice being able to spend so much quality time with my family and friends. That is what I have been missing the most since I started the cancer treatment.

Yesterday I woke up with a new symptom that I am hoping and praying is not a sign of my cancer returning. I saw my PCP yesterday and have an appointment with my oncologist today. I am also hoping to get an appointment with my gastroenterologist in the near future for a follow up colonoscopy. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I'm hoping that this isn't anything serious. I can't afford to get further behind on bills and school.

I'm hoping you all have a wonderful week! Take care.

3 down, 1 to go

Well I've just finished my third round of chemo. I'm a little tired, but so far not too many other horrible side effects. My mood is good and I've watched so many movies this week. I've been taking it super easy all week long so that I will have the energy to do all the exciting things I have planned for this Christmas season.

My last chemo cycle will be in January. As of right now, I am planning to take the winter intersession off from school so that I am fully recovered and ready to go for the Spring semester. And then on to graduation in May!

I'm also planning to have the colostomy reversed over the Spring Break, but that too is subject to change. I'm thinking it would be a good idea to be ready to go to work as soon as I graduate, rather than still having health issues to take care of.

Well my Christmas tree is up, and plans are to have Christmas at my house this year. Now I just have to get the gifts wrapped. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Best week in months

Well I've just had the best week since I found out I have cancer. I've been feeling almost like my normal self again. I've had energy, and I've been joking and smiling almost every day since Thanksgiving. It really makes me feel like I am going to truly survive the cancer treatment and return to my normal life.

Next Monday, the 8th, I start the third cycle of chemo. I've done so much this past week so that I can really take it easy once the treatment starts up. I plan to sit on the couch, watch videos and DVDs, and eat homemade applesauce and potato soup. I'm going to really take it easy this time through so that hopefully the recovery period will be shorter.

Classes are almost done for this semester. I can't believe how fast the semesters fly by! I'll be done with cancer, chemo, the ostomy, and school before I know it.

I'm really looking forward to this Christmas. It is going to be a simple one this year without all the extravagent gifts. Tomorrow my tree goes up and I can't wait to get out the ornaments and decorate.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Finally feeling good again and more...

Well once again that last round of chemo kind of kicked my butt. I was so tired and got to the point that I was starting to get depressed with all of this cancer treatment. My oncologist suggested that I talk to my primary doctor about anti-depressants so I did and that has really helped. I guess it is fairly normal for cancer patients to get depressed with everything we have to go through.

Well I'm feeling much better now but I've had a really busy week so I haven't had time to do some of the things I normally do. Last Monday I finally finished up my 5000 word paper that was due for my nursing class. What a relief to have that done. Now I just have to wait for the grade, and I'm hoping I did well on it.

Then along came Thanksgiving and I went on a cleaning spree. It was nice to finally have the energy to get some very needed cleaning done. My boyfriend and brother came over for Thanksgiving and we had a wonderful time. I hope everyone else had a good Thanksgiving too. I spent Friday recovering from my cleaning spree and Thanksgiving because I still get kind of tired with all that extra energy expenditure, but Saturday I was back to cleaning. I cleared out lots of space in my kitchen and bedroom and have lots of stuff to donate to the Salvation Army tomorrow.

Today I've been catching up on homework for my race and ethnicity class. I've made a huge dent in my homework and will definitely be caught up before class tomorrow. This semester has flown by and I'm glad that I've been able to keep up with it.

I didn't realize how devastating cancer could be before going through it myself but I am almost through with the chemo treatments. Two more cycles to go, one in December and the last in January. I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of it though. I just have to be sure to take it super easy during the week that I have chemo and then wait about 5 days afterwards before I get any sort of energy back.

I'm beginning to look forward to the Christmas season now. My mother, sister, niece, and I have plans to spend a few days together celebrating being together with family. That's what Christmas is all about anyway if you ask me.

Have a great week!

Round 2 is finished

Just a quick update. I finished the second round of chemo last Friday and I've decided chemo really is no fun at all. I finally feel better again today. I spent the last few days trying to force myself to eat and drink because I didn't want to end up in the hospital again. The chemo really took it out of me this time, but I only have 2 more rounds to go. I'm thinking I am going to make it through this after all. I just have to make it through January now, and that's right around the corner.

Halfway through Chemo Round 2

I started feeling much better last week. I guess my body really needed some extra time to get over the surgery and chemo. Lots more time than I expected.

I started my chemo week last Monday. So far so good. I feel a little more tired than I had, but not too bad so far. The only real problem I have is with the Decadron they give me before the start the chemo infusion. It's a steriod and one of the side effects it has on me is that it makes it difficult for me to stay asleep, even with the sleep medication my doctor prescribed. Oh well, it's only for one week.

Last Saturday I got to see my niece. She came up from college for the weekend and we had a very nice visit. I got to eat at my favorite Mexican restaurant, and we sat around and talked, looked at photos, and discussed photography. She has decided to minor in photography.

Sunday, Chris and I went to the Fungus Fair at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. We also took a short walk down the Embarcadero so I could take some photos of the Bay Bridge and stuff. It was really nice being able to get out and do a few things. We also ate at the Delancey Street Bistro at Brannon and Embarcadero. We got there between lunch and dinner, so they only had a limited menu available, but the food was excellent and the prices for San Francisco were great. I would definitely go back there again and again. Oh and free parking on Sundays. That's definitely a plus in San Francisco!

After my chemo treatment today, I am going to the beach to watch the sunset with one of my cancer buddies. We both need to start getting out more and doing some fun things. This cancer stuff has been going on too long for us now, and it is really starting to affect our moods. It keeps getting harder and harder to stay positive with all of the side effects and time we have put into fighting this awful disease.

Looking forward to the weekend, but have a great rest of the week.

Feeling Good!

Hello again everyone. This has been a very good week overall. I had class all day on Monday, and in addition, I spent a lot of time walking all over campus. I finally gave in and decided to drop my History of Religion class. After all the time I spent in the hospital, I was really feeling too far behind to ever catch up. It was an online class and Kaiser doesn't have internet access at the hospital. That's really about the only bad thing I can say about Kaiser though, so I'm not complaining.

Tuesday I was pretty tired from all the walking the day before, but I gave myself the day off and let my body recover from all the exercise. I watched the election results roll in all day as I dozed in and out of sleep. Overall I was very happy with the election, but I'm wondering what people were thinking on some of the issues and that's all I'm going to say about politics.

Wednesday and Thursday were fairly productive. I got a lot of studying and reading done, and it was nice. Friday, however, was fantastic! I really almost felt like my old self again. I was able to go and volunteer and it didn't wear me out. Then afterwards, the volunteer department had a fabulous holiday luncheon for all of the volunteers. The food was great, as was the company.

I did have an appointment with my oncologist yesterday too. We discussed several things, but I was really happy to find out the the 6 mm spot on my lungs has not changed in the past 4 months, which pretty much rules out any chance of it being cancerous. We also discussed this next round of chemo that I will be starting on Monday. This time we are going to be proactive about monitoring my WBC counts to make sure I don't end up in the hospital again. I also had to let the doctor know that if the chemo puts me in the hospital again, I don't think I have it in me to finish the last two rounds. All of this is preventative anyway, and not curative, so sometimes with cancer treatment, the negative outweighs the positive and it's just not worth it anymore. Besides, I'm already cancer free.

I'm really looking forward to seeing my niece today! She went away to college in September, but she's coming to the area for a quick weekend visit. We're going to have lunch and play with her new camera. Should be lots of fun. Well actually, it will definitely be lots of fun.

Have a fantastic weekend!

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!!!

Sunday again

It's been a little over 3 weeks since I had surgery now. I am slowly adjusting to all the changes in my life. I guess I should start out with the good news, the surgeon got the pathology report back and there was no sign that the cancer had spread and it appears that they were able to get all of the cancer out. Some days I have trouble remembering the good news, but overall I'm doing fine.

I can't believe how weak I am, but then I've never had major surgery before and didn't quite realize what to expect. I am working on getting some strength back by walking every morning. I started out walking 10 laps around my pool and I am now up to 25 laps. I also try to get out of the house at least once a day to do something.

I have home health nurses visiting me 3 times a week. The abdominal incision started pulling apart very slightly shortly after they took the staples out. There were three little spots that had to be repacked to make sure that they healed correctly. As of last Thursday, I only had one spot that was still slightly open.

One of the nurses that visits me one of those days each week is a WOC nurse (Wound Ostomy Continence). She is wonderful and has provided me with a ton of resources. I have to admit that when I awoke from surgery to find that I had a temporary colostomy I was devastated. I have struggled to keep it in my head that it is only temporary (6 months), and I am trying to see the positive in this. I know that it will have a positive effect on my future nursing practice for sure.

Tomorrow I start chemo again. I have to go in 5 times a week for one week out of each of the next four months. This is to kill any of the stray cancer cells that may still be floating around in my body before they have a chance to take hold or form a new tumor. I'm not too worried about the chemo because it is the same drug that I had last time when I did the chemo and radiation and I don't think that it caused me any major problems. I'll probably just have some slight nausea and a little tiredness, but that's okay. It's more of an inconvenience than anything else, having to go to the hospital and wait while they infuse it.

I have returned to school for the fall semester, but I am not doing the same nursing classes and clinicals that the rest of my classmates are doing. I have 2 upper division GE classes that I need to get out of the way in order to graduate, and a critical thinking nursing class. One of the classes is online, and the other two only meet on Mondays so my schedule is quite manageable. I am still planning on being able to graduate in May of 2009 with a few of my classmates that did not consolidate their last 2 semesters.

I guess I had a lot to say since I haven't been on to update my friends in quite some time. Okay now it is time for me to get serious about studying and stop procrastinating. Have a great week everyone and I will do my best to do the same.