Off the Grid

So here's the short of it,

I'm beginning to surface this evening after a few days of nothing but sleep and illness.

And here's the long

Wow, I finally feel like I'm back in the land of the living.

For the last few days, I've been absolutely laid out! I've had ferocious diarrhea each time I try to eat or drink anything, and have slept almost 16 or 18 hours of every day. Today, my doctor called in a more potent anti-diarrhea medicine, and before it even got here I began to feel better - better enough to actually try to eat something. I think I've lost several days, I actually don't know how many. I don't really have anything to report except that long dark sleep of illness, waking only to turn and find a more comfortable place to fall back into sleep.

There of course have been short periods of time with my family trying to give me comfort and nourishment or short communications with friends or trying to get something to stay inside me long enough to provide sustenance.

I am hoping that tomorrow I'll be stronger and my brain will be more engaged in the world.

Thanks to everyone who has expressed concern.
I am so grateful to each of you for all your care.

So here's the short of it,
What a sleepy day.

And here's the long

This morning I woke up feeling a bit of nausea. I did exactly what all the doctors and nurses have been telling me to do, and took a dose of medicine. I wasn't nauseated - but I've slept almost all day long!

Alan is leaving in the morning for a visit with Shelley and Lou and Max, our first grandchild. A few months ago, we were planning this to be a trip we would take together. I'm sad that I can't go - but am glad that he is going.

I'm planning to take it easy - not get into anything heavy!

So here's the short of it,

I've been very tired today with some continuing flu-like symptoms.

And here's the long

I didn't sleep well again last night. Up at about 3 o'clock for nearly 3 hours. I just got on up and continued reading a wonderful book called The Middle Place . Thanks Wanda, it's just what I needed to get me through a sleepless night! I did finally go back to sleep and slept in very late for me.

Today I have been awfully tired, and I continue to have some flu-like symptoms. However, I'm not having any fever, so that's a good thing. I am alternating between chills and hot flashes. It seems that I can feel my skin, it's a very strange feeling. I have been faithful about taking my anti-nausea medicine, so that's not been a problem. I have had a bout with constipation that demanded prunes to solve, followed by diarrhea which was solved by the doctor ordered dosage of Immodium AD.

This afternoon Alan went with me for a very short grocery trip to bring in some things for next week. Just two bags of groceries and a very short time in the store and I was exhausted! I've not gotten the hang of an afternoon nap, but I'm going to keep working at that.

I think the thing that is most difficult for me right now is not going to the hospital to visit my Dad. I know he understands, and I know I'm doing the right thing, but I do so want to see him.

So here's the short of it,
I've had flu-like symptoms most of the day, but no fever.

And here's the long
Today I really began to feel the side effects of the treatment. I have alternated between having chills and feeling like I'm running a really high temperature. However, my thermometer shows that my temperature is really normal.

I thought I'd venture out so Liga took me to lunch up the road at Chili's, it was nice to have some girl time, but when we left I was really feeling dizzy. She had to let me hold on to her to make it to the car. Besides, nothing really tastes good anyway. So the lunch was wonderful because of the company!

I've banished myself from going to see Dad right now. I don't need to be exposed to any of the germs that might be up on the 6th floor. I really missed going to see him today, even though Mom and Steve brought me the news of the day.

I thought that this afternoon, I'd just go take care of my grocery shopping. I did not make it! I was way too tired and felt too weak. I did take a walk around the circle with Alan, but one trip around was plenty for me this time. Here's to hoping that I'll be stronger tomorrow.

Treatment Regimen

So here's the short of it,
It will take a year, 52 weeks ,to complete this part of the treatment. Yesterday counts as week 1 so I'm down to 51 weeks.

And here's the long
Every week for the next 51 weeks, I'll have an infusion treatment. My medicines are TCH, Taxotere, Carboplatin, and Herceptin.

Every 3 weeks I have a "long treatment" which has all of those medicines. That is what I got yesterday that took from 9:30 to 2:30 or 2:45. All together I have 6 of those treatments. The intervening weeks when I'm not getting all the drugs, I get the Herceptin alone. That one is much shorter. We'll know next week how that one goes. They monitor the rate of the drip and slow it down if necessary. Then after the "long treatments" are finished I continue to get the Herceptin drip weekly until reaching week 52!

Since I have an intravenous drip every week for 51 more weeks, I'm sure glad to have the port (even though it is still very sore and tender).

Last night I was up at 3:00 AM and my body just felt like it was buzzing. I took that as a very good sign that the drugs are doing their job. So I just sat in the den reading and feeling this amazing sense that the medicines were zooming about my whole physical body!

Today I am thankful that I have the privilege of living in a time when medicine can give me a year of treatments and kill any rogue cancer cells that didn't come out during the surgery.

1st Chemotherapy

So here's the short of it,
Today was my first chemotherapy treatment, and I did fine with it.

And here's the long
Alan went with me as a second pair of eyes for all things medical (he's phenomenal at that stuff), and more importantly as my trusted companion.

We got settled in at about 9:00 and Lori (my infusion nurse) spent a good long time telling me exactly what to expect. She loaded the IV up with a bunch of anti-nausea medicine, and with Benedryl to try and ameliorate the effects of the Herceptin. The benedryl made me quite drowsy, so I really had one of those drug rests for a good part of the morning. The infusion room is set up in such a relaxed way. Alan was able to sit with me and visit when I was awake enough. Lori was exceptionally attentive. In the early afternoon I had a little party! My brother Steve and his wife Pat and two of their grown daughters, Lauren and Sarah, and my Mom were coming to the hospital to visit my Dad, Gene, who is currently in the Intermediate care unit at Erlanger. Alan met them and brought them up to Dr. Schlabach's office and we got to sit and visit for a good little piece of time. Since there were not many patients there today they were able to pull up chairs and so there we were! I was not nearly so sleepy by that time so it was a good visit.

Ok, gory detail warning for those who want to skip this paragraph,
For some reason the medicines made me have to pee! I'll bet I had to empty my bladder 8 times while I was there. So the process was just to get up and trail my lV pole along and walk over to the bathroom. I know that having the port in was a big help in this part of the endeavor. I could actually use both hands for managing the zipper and button, and for pulling my pants up and down. When I've had IV's before, they like to put them in my hand and which would have made all that maneuvering much more difficult. Also, Alan brought me a canned diet coke because I was thirsty. Some of you sisters who have already been through this probably warned me about this....it just tasted like liquid aluminum (or my imagination of that).

By the way, even though it was an infusion and I'm not scheduled to see the doctor on those days, Doctor Schlabach came back and spent a little time chatting, it was very apparent that he was giving me the clinical eye to see how well I had tolerated the treatment. He thought that the standard treatment was a good choice for me, and he did tell me that by the time I am through with this treatment, there may be a clinical trial that would be appropriate for me regarding the Lapatinib or another targeted drug that is now in very early trials.

It's now 8 hours since I finished the infusions and I can certainly feel the medicines coursing through my systems. right now I can feel a flush in my ears. Earlier all across my chest, another time all across my lower back, through my gluts, and down the upper part of the back of my thighs! I've also got some of those minor symptoms now - chills, a little dizzy, but it's all OK, I'm fine right now.

I am thankful for the staff at the University Oncology practice. Every single person I have met there has been absolutely amazing.

So here's the short of it,
My port is in and I am fine.

And here's the long
I am home and awake. My port is in. It's a little achy, but I'm really fine. I was scheduled for 2:30 this afternoon and so of course, I couldn't eat or drink from midnight until after the surgery. Boy was I ever hungry about 12:30 or 1:00 this afternoon! My midnight yogurt and peaches were long gone!

Everyone on my surgical team was just great this afternoon. The OR nurse and the Nurse Anesthetist spent some time talking with me before the surgery and were just great. The OR nurse told me more about what was going to happen to me during the whole process than anyone ever hqw before. Dr. Witherspoon as always, was great; she stopped by just a few minutes before I went back to chat with me. She left the needle in the port since tomorrow morning I go in for my first chemo treatment tomorrow morning and apparently it would be a little too sore to put it in tomorrow.

So it was successful!

Last night and this morning were pretty stressful with stuff going on with Dad.
It's so hard to see my strong, outgoing Dad barely able to move his arms and on a ventilator. He is so brave, so patient, and so wonderful. Today I went to see him before my surgery and I asked him to say a prayer for me before I had my procedure. He did "say" a prayer.
More on Dad at his blog for those of you who are following.

Thank you for your support.