All has been going well. Last week I was feeling fine and took myself around to some craft stores and everything. Then, last Monday I went to chemo, and my nurse told me I needed to have a blood transfusion. That was a total surprise because I felt fine. Luckily it was outpatient this time. I still had to go to the hospital, but it only took 4 hours. So for the first transfusion I was in the hospital 7 days, the second one for 3, and the third one for 4 hours. Not bad!
Everything else has been going pretty steady, and I don't have a lot to report on. I have had to try really hard to stay hydrated, so I'm pretty much always drinking.
Coming off the steroids this week was really hard. It always makes me tired, but I just feel like this week I was especially tired. Yesterday I took 2 naps (I'm not much of a napper).
Also, Josh got me a Kobo (e-reader) for Valentine's day which was an awesome surprise! The first e-book I bought was Watership Down, and I'm already 10% finished. I'm LOVING the Kobo!
Monday I'm starting my 7th chemo cycle. Two more to go!!!
Showing posts with label Josh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Josh. Show all posts
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Still Hydrating
When I was at the doctor's on Monday for routine bloodwork my heartrate was high. I had to get an extra bag of saline (hydration). Everything's been ok since then.
All the chemo is finally caught up to me though. I keep running around wondering why I'm so tired and my mom and Josh keep reminding me that I'm on chemo, and it builds on itself. Before, when I would feel normal it would last for a whole day or more, but the time I'm feeling normal is less and less. I'm spending more and more time resting (of course, a lot of that is doctor's orders). I haven't been to work since before my first hospital trip.
I suppose it was a matter of time. I tend to push through things, but this isn't really something you can push through. On the bright side, I've been finishing small projects. On top of that, I've beat 2 video games and read 2 books (working on my third of each). I can't even tell you how many movie's I've watched (so glad to have Netflix).
It's nice to have time, but it was hard to accept it. Sometimes I feel like everyone's out living life while I'm stuck in the apartment filling the time. I'll just have to live it up double time when I'm finished with treatment.
All the chemo is finally caught up to me though. I keep running around wondering why I'm so tired and my mom and Josh keep reminding me that I'm on chemo, and it builds on itself. Before, when I would feel normal it would last for a whole day or more, but the time I'm feeling normal is less and less. I'm spending more and more time resting (of course, a lot of that is doctor's orders). I haven't been to work since before my first hospital trip.
I suppose it was a matter of time. I tend to push through things, but this isn't really something you can push through. On the bright side, I've been finishing small projects. On top of that, I've beat 2 video games and read 2 books (working on my third of each). I can't even tell you how many movie's I've watched (so glad to have Netflix).
It's nice to have time, but it was hard to accept it. Sometimes I feel like everyone's out living life while I'm stuck in the apartment filling the time. I'll just have to live it up double time when I'm finished with treatment.
Monday, January 2, 2012
A New Year!
I'm home from the hospital, and very thankful it was a short stay this time! I have tons of pictures from my excursion.
I was really greatful that the oncology floor was opened this visit. The nurses and techs on the oncology floor of Howard County General are all just great people and gave me really wonderful care last time I was there. They knew the little ins and outs of people receiving treatment and how to deal with all the oddball side effects.
They even wrote a little message on my white board, everyone remembered me!
I did get a blood transfusion again. I didn't need platelets this time though, which was great.
I was neutropenic again, because my white blood cells were so low. Going in I only had about 150 white blood cells. A good number for someone going through treatment is around 20,000! When you're neutropenic you can't have fresh fruits or veggies, and everyone has to be super careful when coming into contact with you. Lots of gloves and masks were worn around me.
During my transfusion there was a clot in my needle which is kind of crazy. Apparently that's something that can happen. I was glad it didn't go into my port, because that would have meant getting medicine injected in there and stuff, and I don't know, clots near your heart is never good.
A family friend had made us a couple chicken pot pies which was awesome, because we all know the luck I had with the hospital food last time. I was eating great all weekend.
So I had to spend New Years Eve in the hospital, which kind of stunk. I wasn't planning any crazy parties or anything, but you know, no one wants to be in the hospital on a holiday. My mom got some goodies for Josh and I so we could have some fun on our first New Years as a married couple.
It was fun to celebrate together. I was on pain killers, so I fell asleep pretty soon after the new year. The nurses got a kick out of our hats.
Although I went in the hospital because of a low red count, they wanted to keep me in there because of my low white count. Last week, before all this my blood counts were low, and my doctor put me on antibiotics to preemptively stop an infection. They worked. On Saturday one of the doctors told me that although my red count was good after the transfusion, if he'd sent me home then I would be back in 24 hours with a fever and infection, becuase I just couldn't fight it off myself, and I needed to wait until my white count was out of the danger zone. We were all expecting me to go home Monday.
Well, at 4:30 in the morning on Sunday I woke up in horrible pain in my back and chest. It was so bad I needed help getting in and out of bed to go to the bathroom. See, there's this shot they give me called Nulasta. What Nulasta does is tells your body to produce white blood cells, and white blood cells are produced mainly in the lower back and the sternum. It takes about 4-5 days to kick in, and my last Nulasta shot had been Wednesday.
Boy did I feel it.
But, it blasted me enough that my body produced enough white blood cells that I was able to go home Sunday! I'm still low, I think I was at around 3,500 whites when I left, but I'm still climbing.
I'm really glad to be home, and that all the doctors took pre-emptive measures so I wouldn't bottom out like I did last time, because that was pretty scary.
Oh, did I mention that I've passed my halfway point in my chemo schedule? I couldn't be more excited about that. This Wednesday I will be getting a PET scan which will tell us how well the chemo has been working, and I've got an apointment Friday morning with my doctor to see how it's all going! If the chemo has been 80% effective we will stay on this path. I can't wait!
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| Sleeping at the oncologist. |
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| Josh and I waiting at the oncologist for a hospital room. |
I was really greatful that the oncology floor was opened this visit. The nurses and techs on the oncology floor of Howard County General are all just great people and gave me really wonderful care last time I was there. They knew the little ins and outs of people receiving treatment and how to deal with all the oddball side effects.
They even wrote a little message on my white board, everyone remembered me!
I did get a blood transfusion again. I didn't need platelets this time though, which was great.
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| My mom is queen of sneaky sleeping pictures! |
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| My "fresh blood" as I referred to it! |
I was neutropenic again, because my white blood cells were so low. Going in I only had about 150 white blood cells. A good number for someone going through treatment is around 20,000! When you're neutropenic you can't have fresh fruits or veggies, and everyone has to be super careful when coming into contact with you. Lots of gloves and masks were worn around me.
 |
| I have no recollection of this picture being taken. |
During my transfusion there was a clot in my needle which is kind of crazy. Apparently that's something that can happen. I was glad it didn't go into my port, because that would have meant getting medicine injected in there and stuff, and I don't know, clots near your heart is never good.
A family friend had made us a couple chicken pot pies which was awesome, because we all know the luck I had with the hospital food last time. I was eating great all weekend.
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| Yuuuuumm! |
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| Like hats! |
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| Sparkling Cider didn't work out, so we toasted with Pepsi and Giner Ale! |
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| Almost Time... |
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| Happy New Year! |
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| I was still neutropenic.... so this was the best we could do for a New Years kiss! |
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| Hat swapping |
It was fun to celebrate together. I was on pain killers, so I fell asleep pretty soon after the new year. The nurses got a kick out of our hats.
Although I went in the hospital because of a low red count, they wanted to keep me in there because of my low white count. Last week, before all this my blood counts were low, and my doctor put me on antibiotics to preemptively stop an infection. They worked. On Saturday one of the doctors told me that although my red count was good after the transfusion, if he'd sent me home then I would be back in 24 hours with a fever and infection, becuase I just couldn't fight it off myself, and I needed to wait until my white count was out of the danger zone. We were all expecting me to go home Monday.
Well, at 4:30 in the morning on Sunday I woke up in horrible pain in my back and chest. It was so bad I needed help getting in and out of bed to go to the bathroom. See, there's this shot they give me called Nulasta. What Nulasta does is tells your body to produce white blood cells, and white blood cells are produced mainly in the lower back and the sternum. It takes about 4-5 days to kick in, and my last Nulasta shot had been Wednesday.
Boy did I feel it.
But, it blasted me enough that my body produced enough white blood cells that I was able to go home Sunday! I'm still low, I think I was at around 3,500 whites when I left, but I'm still climbing.
I'm really glad to be home, and that all the doctors took pre-emptive measures so I wouldn't bottom out like I did last time, because that was pretty scary.
Oh, did I mention that I've passed my halfway point in my chemo schedule? I couldn't be more excited about that. This Wednesday I will be getting a PET scan which will tell us how well the chemo has been working, and I've got an apointment Friday morning with my doctor to see how it's all going! If the chemo has been 80% effective we will stay on this path. I can't wait!
Friday, December 30, 2011
More Hospitally Adventures!
Well, in about 30-45 minutes I'll be back in the hospital. All my blood counts were low this week, and yesterday I kept getting dizzy. Thankfully my mom and husband had the foresight to make me call the doctor last night, because I wouldn't have on my own. They had me come in today to get my levels checked and they definitely want me to get a blood transfusion.
Thankfully, I will probably only be in there one night, maybe two, which is a far cry from the 7 days I was in last time. Also, the care I received in the Oncology ward was excellent, so I'm glad I'll be getting such great care again.
Sorry if there's typos here, I just downloaded the blogger app, and wrote this from my phone.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
I Am Iron Womannnnnnn
The past week has been up and down. I got to see a lot of my friends this weekend which was great. We hung out and I went around trying to be normal (I even won at duckpin bowling).
Unfortunately... my red blood cell count had been dropping the past couple weeks. This caused a lot of fatigue and dizziness. I found out Monday that I had to get an iron infusion because of this. (I'd been taking iron pills and they weren't helping). So I got it that done yesterday and it was a long day. We went in at 9 and stayed till 4:30. There was the initial test dose and then waiting an hour to make sure I didn't have an adverse reaction to them. Luckily I didn't. Next was the actual infusion which took about five hours (maybe a little more). It seemed brutal, but if it goes well it will keep me from getting a blood transfusion.
Unfortunately, I had woken up on the cranky side of the bed yesterday, and I really didn't want to be there. My mood improved as the day went on, which was good, and it really wasn't that bad. Josh came with me and was in it for the long haul. We tried to watch Once Upon A Time In The West, but I kept falling asleep, so we only got about 45 minutes in. We also played one of our favorite games, Gazillionaire. It was nice to spend time together, since he's been so busy with Black Friday/Post Thanksgiving Holiday hours at work.
It was such an exciting sight when the iron bag was almost empty, I took a picutre!
There was also a double rainbow we saw on the way home, which I thought needed it's picture taken! (You can only see the single here, it was a lot brighter and colorful in real life).
Today the chest pains have started from my Neulasta shot (the shot that makes me produce white blood cells). It kind of stinks, but I've got some good medicine to help with the pain, and a wonderful husband to make me lunch :)
Unfortunately... my red blood cell count had been dropping the past couple weeks. This caused a lot of fatigue and dizziness. I found out Monday that I had to get an iron infusion because of this. (I'd been taking iron pills and they weren't helping). So I got it that done yesterday and it was a long day. We went in at 9 and stayed till 4:30. There was the initial test dose and then waiting an hour to make sure I didn't have an adverse reaction to them. Luckily I didn't. Next was the actual infusion which took about five hours (maybe a little more). It seemed brutal, but if it goes well it will keep me from getting a blood transfusion.
Unfortunately, I had woken up on the cranky side of the bed yesterday, and I really didn't want to be there. My mood improved as the day went on, which was good, and it really wasn't that bad. Josh came with me and was in it for the long haul. We tried to watch Once Upon A Time In The West, but I kept falling asleep, so we only got about 45 minutes in. We also played one of our favorite games, Gazillionaire. It was nice to spend time together, since he's been so busy with Black Friday/Post Thanksgiving Holiday hours at work.
It was such an exciting sight when the iron bag was almost empty, I took a picutre!
There was also a double rainbow we saw on the way home, which I thought needed it's picture taken! (You can only see the single here, it was a lot brighter and colorful in real life).
Today the chest pains have started from my Neulasta shot (the shot that makes me produce white blood cells). It kind of stinks, but I've got some good medicine to help with the pain, and a wonderful husband to make me lunch :)
Friday, November 11, 2011
Blerg?
Last night Josh and I had our first "Why Me?" moment. I'm honestly surprised it didn't happen sooner and was good to get it all out.
We've both been styaing positive through all this for a lot of reasons. We're both positive people, everyon'es been saying that attitude is 80% of the cure, and honestly, I just don't see the point of being negative all the time. Man though, it still sucks to sit back and think about it. Especially the fact that I'm 2 months into my marriage, and instead of having a movie montage of setting up our apartment, cooking together and canoodling on dates, we've got chemo appintments, keeping medications in order, and dealing with sickness at random. It sucks.
But cancer sucks for anyone, and it happens to anyone. There's nothing I could have done to prevent this, it just happened to me. I believe it happened for a reason, I just don't know what it is yet.
Retrospect aside, I'm doing well. Josh and I had 2 date nights earlier this week which was great, we needed to spend some time together. My last round of chemo left me pretty wrecked, which was to be expected, but I know I'll bounce back in a few days.
We've both been styaing positive through all this for a lot of reasons. We're both positive people, everyon'es been saying that attitude is 80% of the cure, and honestly, I just don't see the point of being negative all the time. Man though, it still sucks to sit back and think about it. Especially the fact that I'm 2 months into my marriage, and instead of having a movie montage of setting up our apartment, cooking together and canoodling on dates, we've got chemo appintments, keeping medications in order, and dealing with sickness at random. It sucks.
But cancer sucks for anyone, and it happens to anyone. There's nothing I could have done to prevent this, it just happened to me. I believe it happened for a reason, I just don't know what it is yet.
Retrospect aside, I'm doing well. Josh and I had 2 date nights earlier this week which was great, we needed to spend some time together. My last round of chemo left me pretty wrecked, which was to be expected, but I know I'll bounce back in a few days.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Good News!!
I'm at chemo now with Josh, picking out which wedding pictures we want as prints. It is both daunting and fun!
Before chemo I had an apointment with my Oncologist this morning and he gave us some great news: My bone marrow is just fine. There are no problems with it and I wont need a transfusion or anything!! I know I had tons of people lined up willing to donate, which is just amazing! I'm super relieved that I don't have to go through all that!
Before chemo I had an apointment with my Oncologist this morning and he gave us some great news: My bone marrow is just fine. There are no problems with it and I wont need a transfusion or anything!! I know I had tons of people lined up willing to donate, which is just amazing! I'm super relieved that I don't have to go through all that!
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