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.