Once again, today, there was no chemo treatment due to "bad blood." I can't seem to get my white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets to all cooperate at the same time. This week it's the platelets. So, instead, they gave me a shot to try and boost the platelets. I'll get another shot tomorrow, and then also on Saturday and Sunday. I'll have another blood draw on Monday to see if this is effective. We'll then just proceed as the blood allows.
My appetite has been pretty good lately and I'm gaining back a little bit of the weight I lost. The hardest part is finding things to eat that I can taste. The chemo affects (kills) my taste buds so I eat based more on texture than anything else. It's no fun to not be able to taste the good stuff now that I feel like eating again.
Tomorrow I meet with the E.N.T. specialist. Naturally, the nose bleeds have all but ended now. But my guess is that they're related to the Avastin and the delay in treatment has resulted in a break from the bloody noses. I highly doubt the E.N.T. doc will find anything wrong with my sinuses. BUT...as we all know...anything is possible!
Stay warm and ice-free! Although a little bit of snow might be pretty right now.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Going...Going...
Gone! Well, not completely, but almost all gone. After losing many hairs in Ma and Pa's shower over the weekend, it started coming out in handfuls yesterday. I had enough hair to make a small puppy, I think. So my very brave and wonderful husband took to the shaver and we cut it off with a #4 guard. I awoke to more hair on my pillow and in my shower today as well, so it won't be long before my head looks like my buddy, Josh VE's! As predicted, it has happened just in time for the temperature drop. All hats have been moved into a handy location and will become a daily routine now. My head is c-o-l-d without one! Still debating whether or not to get a wig. I guess time will tell.
Had a very nice weekend in MN, but it completely drained me. I pretty much slept the day away on Monday. Yesterday and today I got caught up on laundry but didn't quite make it to the Christmas decorations. Brian has been putting up lights outside and it's looking lovely. Hopes to get our tree this weekend. It will certainly add some cheer to my days. I LOVE this time of year with all the sparkle and colors. Sadly, even though my shopping list is nearly complete, I won't get to many stores this year and will mainly shop online. I'm one of those 'crazies' who likes the hustle and bustle of the holiday shoppers during this season.
Got to see my aunt and uncle, Jim and Kitty, over the weeked too. Jim made me a beautiful Christmas angel out of wood (scroll saw, I think?). I hope to get her framed with a piece of red velvet behind her. I'm truly touched that he thought of me and gave me this angel to watch over me.
Tomorrow I go back in for a blood check. If these past 10 days have been kind to me, then we should be able to proceed with this delayed chemo treatment. I have no clue what to expect so I'm not leaning one way or another. Chemo would mean more steroids so I may just log in at some bizarre, late hour tomorrow night to fill you in on the latest details.
Now back to my comfy recliner and warm afghan.
Had a very nice weekend in MN, but it completely drained me. I pretty much slept the day away on Monday. Yesterday and today I got caught up on laundry but didn't quite make it to the Christmas decorations. Brian has been putting up lights outside and it's looking lovely. Hopes to get our tree this weekend. It will certainly add some cheer to my days. I LOVE this time of year with all the sparkle and colors. Sadly, even though my shopping list is nearly complete, I won't get to many stores this year and will mainly shop online. I'm one of those 'crazies' who likes the hustle and bustle of the holiday shoppers during this season.
Got to see my aunt and uncle, Jim and Kitty, over the weeked too. Jim made me a beautiful Christmas angel out of wood (scroll saw, I think?). I hope to get her framed with a piece of red velvet behind her. I'm truly touched that he thought of me and gave me this angel to watch over me.
Tomorrow I go back in for a blood check. If these past 10 days have been kind to me, then we should be able to proceed with this delayed chemo treatment. I have no clue what to expect so I'm not leaning one way or another. Chemo would mean more steroids so I may just log in at some bizarre, late hour tomorrow night to fill you in on the latest details.
Now back to my comfy recliner and warm afghan.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Rejected
I went in to the clinic today prepared for "anything" they might throw at me. Good thing too, because my numbers are all out of whack again/still, so we could not proceed with any treatment. Instead I will once again benefit from the generosity of a stranger who took the time to donate their precious blood. Yes, another infusion for me tomorrow.
On the upside...I did not throw up even once last week! And also on the upside...we will be able to travel over the river and through the woods to MN for Thanksgiving and I won't have any of the chemo stuff in my system to mess me up. Brian will have to drive the whole way again though. Driving has been removed from my list of things I'm capable of doing safely.
As far as the bloody noses go, I'm going to be seeing an Ear, Nose & Throat doctor just to confirm there's nothing else going on in there and that the problem really is related to the Avastin. I fear the "nose hose" after seeing Brian go through it how many times! But, as always, I'll do what I have to do to rule out other complications.
BIG thanks to Penny and little miss Mary for hauling me around today. Once Mary realized I wasn't just the babysitter and that Momma would be sticking around, she stopped crying and was happy to share her crayons with me. She was adorable therapy this afternoon!
In case I don't get back to the computer before the weekend, I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. It is amazing all the goodness in our lives for which we can be thankful. Each of you is a blessing in my life and I cherish you all!
On the upside...I did not throw up even once last week! And also on the upside...we will be able to travel over the river and through the woods to MN for Thanksgiving and I won't have any of the chemo stuff in my system to mess me up. Brian will have to drive the whole way again though. Driving has been removed from my list of things I'm capable of doing safely.
As far as the bloody noses go, I'm going to be seeing an Ear, Nose & Throat doctor just to confirm there's nothing else going on in there and that the problem really is related to the Avastin. I fear the "nose hose" after seeing Brian go through it how many times! But, as always, I'll do what I have to do to rule out other complications.
BIG thanks to Penny and little miss Mary for hauling me around today. Once Mary realized I wasn't just the babysitter and that Momma would be sticking around, she stopped crying and was happy to share her crayons with me. She was adorable therapy this afternoon!
In case I don't get back to the computer before the weekend, I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. It is amazing all the goodness in our lives for which we can be thankful. Each of you is a blessing in my life and I cherish you all!
Monday, November 13, 2006
My Monday Routine
Today I had my second dose of the Taxol. All went as expected with that part of things. It was nice to have my parents there to sit with me. They were able to meet my wonderful nurse, Brenda, and of course she and Dad "hit it off" right away when she commented on the Packer game and he informed her that we're Viking fans. Then he managed to spill his mostly full cup of coffee on the floor while I was in with the doc, so she was all over him after that. Many laughs today.
My platelets are borderline "good", as is my hemoglobin. But, naturally, we can't have everything in sync, so now my white blood cells are low. What the hell?!? The next three days I have to now go in and get an injection of Neupogen to try and build those white cells back up. (Just when I think I'm done with the needles.) I have a ride for Tues already as long as Brian ends up working where he thinks he will. I may need a "phone-a-friend" for Wed and/or Thurs for a ride, though, depending on Brian's schedule and how I'm feeling. I don't see much driving in my immediate future, however. So you never know...my number may just come up on YOUR caller ID.
I feel like I have been munching ever since I got home! Highly, highly unusual for me. We think it's the steroids. It seems to help take the jitters away too. And I'm actually consuming calories. I gained almost a full pound last week! (this after, last week, hitting the 30 lb weight loss mark since August)
It's amazing to me how much of a difference it makes having people around. It wears me out, to be sure. But just the chance to have a face-to-face conversation and get an actual warm body hug is HUGE! It makes the walls of my house seem to expand a little more again. Certainly there are times when I am not up for it at all because I have so little stamina. But those other times it is a welcome relief. ...and then I nap!!
Today was a mostly good day. Tomorrow should be nudging toward the good side as well, before the Taxol effects really kick in again on Wed and Thurs (if last week was any indicator). I didn't really get a good day last Tues, but we think we've solved that particular problem.
I had lots of fun emails today. Thanks a bunch for those! And I bought a hat today while waiting for my prescription to get filled. The hair is hanging on yet, but now the clock has started ticking...tick, tick, tick.
Ok, I think that's it for now. Let me know if I've left anything out. Hope all of you are wonderfully well!!
My platelets are borderline "good", as is my hemoglobin. But, naturally, we can't have everything in sync, so now my white blood cells are low. What the hell?!? The next three days I have to now go in and get an injection of Neupogen to try and build those white cells back up. (Just when I think I'm done with the needles.) I have a ride for Tues already as long as Brian ends up working where he thinks he will. I may need a "phone-a-friend" for Wed and/or Thurs for a ride, though, depending on Brian's schedule and how I'm feeling. I don't see much driving in my immediate future, however. So you never know...my number may just come up on YOUR caller ID.
I feel like I have been munching ever since I got home! Highly, highly unusual for me. We think it's the steroids. It seems to help take the jitters away too. And I'm actually consuming calories. I gained almost a full pound last week! (this after, last week, hitting the 30 lb weight loss mark since August)
It's amazing to me how much of a difference it makes having people around. It wears me out, to be sure. But just the chance to have a face-to-face conversation and get an actual warm body hug is HUGE! It makes the walls of my house seem to expand a little more again. Certainly there are times when I am not up for it at all because I have so little stamina. But those other times it is a welcome relief. ...and then I nap!!
Today was a mostly good day. Tomorrow should be nudging toward the good side as well, before the Taxol effects really kick in again on Wed and Thurs (if last week was any indicator). I didn't really get a good day last Tues, but we think we've solved that particular problem.
I had lots of fun emails today. Thanks a bunch for those! And I bought a hat today while waiting for my prescription to get filled. The hair is hanging on yet, but now the clock has started ticking...tick, tick, tick.
Ok, I think that's it for now. Let me know if I've left anything out. Hope all of you are wonderfully well!!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
I feel icky, oh so icky
Just thought I'd update you on what these new drugs are doing for me...I think the title says it all. It has been a long, difficult, emotional week for me. The new chemo drip is even more harsh on my body than the chemo pills were. That was to be expected though.
Can't begin to tell you how much I need and appreciate the support and good thoughts from all of you. It makes each moment that much more tolerable. What an amazing group of people I have surrounding me!
Can't begin to tell you how much I need and appreciate the support and good thoughts from all of you. It makes each moment that much more tolerable. What an amazing group of people I have surrounding me!
Monday, November 06, 2006
Please Disregard My Last Blog
Here's the way things really happened...
I had a miserable weekend of pain/discomfort, nausea, and nasty bloody noses. The plans for a group of eight of us to try and dine out on Sunday night fell through because I was in bed all day. Remind me to never, ever try and predict upcoming good days again. It always seems to fail, for one reason or another.
To make matters worse, still feeling crummy today I went in for my rescheduled appointment. Platelets had increased only barely enough to make treatment possible. BUT, it turns out that a drop of 103 points is a very small number after all when we look at how many courses of the chemo pills I've had, so we started the Taxol today. It's a fairly low dosage, but in two to three weeks my hair will at least start thinning, and will most likely eventually all fall out now. (Just in time for winter. brrrr!) I will remain on the Taxol for an indefinite period of time. It all depends on how well it does or does not work for me. I will get receive the Taxol once a week, most likely on Mondays.
I really feel cheated! I commited the cardinal sin of hoping for the best, but not preparing for the worst. My optimism got the best of me and I felt really let down that I didn't get my "human" days.
Why am I still mobile and functioning at 9:45pm? Because they gave me steroids with the treatment so my brain is fairly wide awake I guess. That, and when I got home I napped from 6:30 to 7:30 since the blood pressure cuff woke me up every time I would start to snooze at the clinic today. HUGE thanks to Gordy and Romaine for getting me and my truck back home!
That's all for now.
May you all have sweet dreams tonight.
And remember to VOTE tomorrow!!
I had a miserable weekend of pain/discomfort, nausea, and nasty bloody noses. The plans for a group of eight of us to try and dine out on Sunday night fell through because I was in bed all day. Remind me to never, ever try and predict upcoming good days again. It always seems to fail, for one reason or another.
To make matters worse, still feeling crummy today I went in for my rescheduled appointment. Platelets had increased only barely enough to make treatment possible. BUT, it turns out that a drop of 103 points is a very small number after all when we look at how many courses of the chemo pills I've had, so we started the Taxol today. It's a fairly low dosage, but in two to three weeks my hair will at least start thinning, and will most likely eventually all fall out now. (Just in time for winter. brrrr!) I will remain on the Taxol for an indefinite period of time. It all depends on how well it does or does not work for me. I will get receive the Taxol once a week, most likely on Mondays.
I really feel cheated! I commited the cardinal sin of hoping for the best, but not preparing for the worst. My optimism got the best of me and I felt really let down that I didn't get my "human" days.
Why am I still mobile and functioning at 9:45pm? Because they gave me steroids with the treatment so my brain is fairly wide awake I guess. That, and when I got home I napped from 6:30 to 7:30 since the blood pressure cuff woke me up every time I would start to snooze at the clinic today. HUGE thanks to Gordy and Romaine for getting me and my truck back home!
That's all for now.
May you all have sweet dreams tonight.
And remember to VOTE tomorrow!!
Friday, November 03, 2006
Crazy Daisy
After receiving two units of blood on Tuesday I definitely felt like my head was reattached to my body. It was a huge help that way, as well as giving me a little boost of energy and helping my vision. The latest blood draw shows my hemoglobin is up to 11. Still lower than the minimum of 13 we would like to see, but much better than the 8.4 I was at.
On Thursday we drew labs for my treatment, and to find out where my tumor marker is at. Red and white blood cells were ok, but now my platelets are low, so I couldn't receive treatment today as scheduled. I'm on hold until Monday now and we'll see what the numbers are then. That was totally unexpected! I also have my follow up visit with the oral surgeon on Monday.
Since I didn't have treatment today, I won't start my chemo pills until at least Monday either...if I start them at all. We may or may not switch to the Taxotere chemo drip on Monday. That seems slightly less likely now that we have my latest tumor marker number. Get this.......it dropped 103 points!! My assumption is that we will go at least one more round doing what we're doing and hope to see a downward trend. My new number is 3765.
This should be a good weekend for me. With only the anti-nausea pills and the Fentanyl from the pain patch in my system, I could almost be feeling like a human being.
So while we've had a minor set-back with the platelets and not being able to stay on the treatment schedule, the tumor marker is down a bit (funny how a number like 100 is now "a bit") and we can all be thankful for that.
Enjoy this sunny, albeit CHILLY afternoon!
On Thursday we drew labs for my treatment, and to find out where my tumor marker is at. Red and white blood cells were ok, but now my platelets are low, so I couldn't receive treatment today as scheduled. I'm on hold until Monday now and we'll see what the numbers are then. That was totally unexpected! I also have my follow up visit with the oral surgeon on Monday.
Since I didn't have treatment today, I won't start my chemo pills until at least Monday either...if I start them at all. We may or may not switch to the Taxotere chemo drip on Monday. That seems slightly less likely now that we have my latest tumor marker number. Get this.......it dropped 103 points!! My assumption is that we will go at least one more round doing what we're doing and hope to see a downward trend. My new number is 3765.
This should be a good weekend for me. With only the anti-nausea pills and the Fentanyl from the pain patch in my system, I could almost be feeling like a human being.
So while we've had a minor set-back with the platelets and not being able to stay on the treatment schedule, the tumor marker is down a bit (funny how a number like 100 is now "a bit") and we can all be thankful for that.
Enjoy this sunny, albeit CHILLY afternoon!
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