Chemo #6 - Hopefully my LAST chemo...

Sorry for the lack of posts the past couple of weeks. Here's a breakdown, though:
**Chemo #5 was a doozy.

**My neutrophils (the emerging/immature white blood cells) were 0.03 at my nadir labs a week after. They're supposed to be at least a  4.0. I had been feeling pretty awful, and my infusion nurse, Sharon, said that was definitely why I felt so bad. I probably shouldn't have gone to work all week, but when I don't work, I don't get paid. It's hard to negotiate the gap between work & my health at this point because I'm so tired and it takes my body so much longer to bounce back from each chemo treatment.
I got lots of shots after my nadir labs to help my white blood cell count. They cause some bone pain, but since I switched to a different allergy pill, the pain is much more manageable.

**This past weekend, I slept. I woke up on Saturday morning, ate some breakfast and drank some coffee, then took a nap. I woke up in time for lunch, and took another nap. Then I woke up in time for dinner, and took another nap. I finally just got in the bed... Sunday was a repeat of Saturday. Sadly, I didn't really feel rested for work on Monday, and could have easily slept all day again, but I went to work anyway.

**Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent with the family. It was nice, and everyone got along well... We had so much delicious food for Christmas Eve dinner, but I didn't have the best appetite. I ate as much as I could though, because who can pass up beef tenderloin, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, mushroom/sherry cream sauce, and crepes? Not this girl.


Hopefully, I get an extra infusion for my white blood cells today during my chemo treatment so that I don't have the overwhelming fatigue I had after the last treatment. Hopefully, I can get out and walk some this weekend so I don't feel so home-bound and lazy. Hopefully, I can blog about some things over the next few weeks other than how I feel so tired and sick. Keep your fingers crossed!!

Chemo #5 - Penultimate Poisoning

Good news! My CT scan was full of truly, genuinely great things. My bones show signs of healing. The 2 lymph nodes - one under the muscle in my breast & the other in my armpit - are both significantly smaller. The tumor in my right breast is getting smaller also!  My oncologist, my aunt (Nurse Practitioner Extraordinaire), and I are completely thrilled especially because the results are so much better than expected. It's always wonderful to get such news from my oncologist. Let's hope it continues.

Mediocre news... The CT scan picked up some spots on my liver and a cyst on one of my ovaries. I say this is "mediocre" news because my oncologist is not concerned with either issue, but I'll get a MRI next week to confirm his suspicions. The cyst on my ovary isn't at all a concern, because it's plainly not cancerous, and it probably has been around for a while, and it likely caused much of my horrible painful cramps throughout the years. The spots that showed up on my liver would have clearly lit up on my PET scan before treatment started if they were cancerous, and they did not. It's highly unlikely that they sprouted up during my chemotherapy treatments when all the rest of the cancer cells have been responding well. 

My oncologist & aunt both said not to stress over either thing, and we'll do another MRI just to be certain.

Bad-ish news... I had Chemo #5 today, and one more left to go. I wasn't lucky enough to get to skip anything, but I'm really not even that upset about it considering the great news I got. Yes, I'll feel like crap for another week or two. Yes, it'll suck just a little more than last time. And yes, I'll get through it just like I did the previous 4 times -- by being my normal bad-ass self (with a little less cancer.)

Thanksgiving & Black Friday Traditions

The best thing about my immediate family is that we all genuinely enjoy each others' company. We get along well about 95% of the time. That other 5% is mostly due to us all being somewhat hot-headed and temperamental from time to time. Luckily, most of the time, only one of us has a bad attitude at a time.

MJ, Dixie the Jack Russell fur baby, and I showed up at my family's house on Late Standard Time, as usual. Mom & my sister were heading out the door to go to Thanksgiving lunch at an aunt's & uncle's house as we were walking in.  Dad was recovering from surgery so he stayed home and had the added bonus of a cute little dog to cuddle and nap with him while we were all gone. I got a mean case of chemo brain and made a wrong turn, which made me feel rather stupid and made us even later. We ended up being about 45 minutes late to lunch.
The food was delicious, and I stuffed myself silly.
I got to see some cousins & other family members that I rarely get to see. It was a really good day, and I felt pretty decent too.
All the activity of the day certainly wore me down, because I fell asleep before 9pm.

The following day was the dreaded Black Friday. After working retail for many years, I avoid shopping on this day. I find the violent commercialism utterly distasteful.
My mom, sister and I started the tradition of going for hikes instead. We normally do part of the Palmetto Trail, but this year, I just couldn't hike 6+ miles. We did about 2 1/4 miles instead, which was coincidentally about all I could handle. I passed out at 8:30 that evening, and I slept like the dead.

CT Ready

My breakfast this morning was "mocha" flavored Readi-CAT barium "smoothie."  The quotes are mine, not theirs.

My doctor's office gave me an instruction sheet to prep for the CT scan. It said to take the Readi-CAT 1 1/2 hours before the procedure. It was chalky and metallic-tasting, and might be misconstrued as "mocha" if I had completely forgotten what chocolate and coffee taste like. It was not the breakfast I was looking for.

The instruction sheet also cautioned that I might have to drink more Readi-CAT before the procedure. 

And, I probably should have taken an anti-nausea pill with it. 

I wasn't supposed to eat anything this morning, but I was so hungry when I woke up - borderline HANGRY - I was looking for loopholes...  Other than my "smoothie," I'm sad to report that there were none. I did drink 1/2 cup of coffee, because I figured *that* wasn't technically "eating" anything. I'm sitting here now, daydreaming of what I will be able to eat once I get this CT scan done. 

Update:
I had to drink another "smoothie" once they called me back to prep for the CT scan. It was equally "delicious;" it was also equally chilled.
It took 45 minutes to get my port accessed and to get set up for the CT scan.
The CT scan itself?? 7 minutes. The contrast dye was HOT going through my port. I felt like I was on fire from the inside, but not in a terrible way, because it was so COLD today. It also made me feel like I'd peed myself a little. I was warned about this sensation, and I assure you that I didn't pee myself today.

Lucky for me, the radiology people left my port accessed so that I could walk over to my oncologist's office for all my labs.

Blood work was good today. No shots needed!!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Lola's Chemo #4

This week, I had only about 2 days where I felt like myself. The rest of the time? I was simply exhausted. I have slept so much in the past 3 weeks, and part of that might be the fact that I was trying desperately not to get sick, trying to manage severe bone pain for 4 days, and trying to work through it all.

Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

That title isn't just my favorite Smiths song...

In the weeks between my chemotherapy infusions, I go to get lab work done & see my oncologist for visits. After my 2nd infusion, my aunt delightedly confirmed that she is also unable to feel the formerly lime-sized tumor that took up residency in my right breast. Today, my oncologist suggested that we get some scans done after my next infusion, and (in his words) "re-evaluate the course of treatment."

So, perhaps, my next treatment might be my last full chemo infusion. Cross fingers, everyone.

Mid Treatment, Nadir Blood Work!!

This week has been another rough week.
My vision, especially night vision, has been so foggy that watching TV is a chore, and driving is pretty much off the list. This symptom started from the first chemo, lasts about 5 days, and then fades, but as my treatments progress, I've noticed that this symptom (and others) are getting more pronounced, last a little longer and are just a little harder to deal with. Such is the nature of chemo, I keep reminding myself. "I'm halfway there" is my new mantra.

Happy Birthday, Lola!! Love, Chemo.

Thursday, I had chemo. I'm officially halfway through my 6 rounds, which means (for the math deficient people) I've only got 3 more rounds to go. My last round of chemo will be a belated Christmas present, much like this one was a belated birthday present.

Bring the Pain

I used to think I had a pretty high pain tolerance. I don't like taking pain medications, and most of the pain meds the doc gave me for my port surgery haven't been used. I took them for a day or so, when I was sore and for the anti-inflammatory effects. Once I realized that the full pills made me feel like I was drooling and my IQ had dipped into double digits, I cut them in half. I might have taken 3 full pills -- the rest were halved and staggered. I figure I can't function in pain, but I certainly don't look confident with a glazed look in my eyes.

More Chemo Aftermath

It turns out that the aftermath of Chemo 2: Electric Boogaloo was pretty widespread across this whole week.

I had a really rough week.

Thank You, and Yes, I Know I Should Be Sleeping Right Now....

Obviously, there are many things about cancer, chemo, and just being sick, that just absolutely suck. I know it, you know it, and I'd like to say that "we're all in this together" but we all know that's not absolutely true either. Granted, you all are praying/sending good vibes my way, and it's wonderful to know that I have so many people who think about me every day, and just want to know I'm doing OK.

Chemo, Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

Yesterday's chemo infusion went off without a hitch. I worked on some crochet stuff, and the last 45 minutes or so, took a drool-worthy, snore-inducing nap. It was wonderfully restful for me, but I'm not so sure how the other cancer patients felt about it.
I slept quite a bit once I got home, after Mom and I ran a few errands. Then, my sweet JBB arrived with peanut butter brownies, loaded with peanut butter chips, mini-Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and peanut butter drizzle. Those things won't see the light of day tomorrow. I promise you.

"Tell them you want the 'Telly Savalas'..."

Everything I read about cancer treatment (and the side effects thereof) said I could expect to lose my hair at about 14 - 17 days after my first chemotherapy infusion.

My first chemo was on 9/12... 2 Thursdays ago.

So, like clockwork, my thick, curly mane waited until Thursday to start falling out in earnest.

Sabbatical for Chef Lola

This week has been a long one. I haven't really done anything, and I'm pretty exhausted. The irony is that I've been waking up every hour, on the hour, every night this week. Waking up frequently isn't really new for me. Ever since I was a little girl, my sleep has been mediocre at best. It's a rare thing for me to sleep through the night, and honestly, I can't remember the last time I did.
Nevertheless, here I am... at midnight... writing.

So far this week, I've managed to work every day. I cooked dinner every night this week.
(Granted, I made sandwiches one night and basically re-heated something from the freezer tonight, but I'm counting it. I have high hopes for a gigantic pot of marinara sauce tomorrow night, which I will transform into myriad dinners through the first part of next week.)
But once dinner was cooked, and I finally got to sit down to eat, I've been ready to go to sleep.

I've got one week before I have chemo again. It's possible that this is my new baseline, and I'm OK with that, really.  It's also possible (or more likely) that I'll be even more tired for the next round. It also means that I need to be a bit more organized and efficient with planning my meals.
Luckily, everything tastes funky right now, so I'm not interested in cooking elaborate things for dinner.

I have several days next week covered with my marinara, but I'm looking for different "cook once, eat several times" types of dishes to make over the next few months. I need extra protein. Sadly, I can't tolerate anything remotely spicy right now either.

Any ideas, readers???

Water Water Everywhere

This weekend, I managed to walk 1.5 miles on Saturday and about 3 miles on Sunday.
My knees started hurting before I even finished Sunday, but I just figured I'd go home, put some ice on them, and carry on. Wrong answer.

I'm retaining water. This is also a new experience for me. A miserable new experience...
Everything aches. My knees, my ankles, my hands are all swollen and tight. I can't bend my knees past a 90 degree angle, and they're so stiff that I hobble instead of walk right now. My hands hurt if I try to make a fist.

My aunt is calling in a prescription for a mild diuretic. I would have my fingers crossed that it's all I need, but my fingers are too swollen to cross right now.