Author: KimJHA

Saturday started off good, but I quickly deteriorated.  My body started feeling too heavy to move, and I found myself nodding off to nap land multiple times in the afternoon.   I wasn’t hungry, and I have a feeling not eating contributed to how I felt on Sunday.  I never made it out of my PJ’s on Saturday, and by late afternoon could not even concentrate on knitting.  I took myself off to bed shortly after 8 PM.

I was having a hard time getting comfortable as well, I couldn’t sleep in the bed.  By 2:30 AM I moved myself out to the sofa as I didn’t want to wake up Hubby.  I slept a little better there, I think because I was able to surround my head a little better keeping my temperature better regulated.  Hubby woke up with a charlie horse about 3:30 AM, and I crawled back into bed for about an hour, but again found I was not comfortable, so went back to the sofa for another hour or so of sleep.

I woke up in time to feed the Toothless Wonder Cat at his designated time of 8 AM.  I promptly fell asleep on the lounge, and have no idea when the cat ate or when he left me to sleep.  I napped there for about an hour.  After that I decided I should get my watering done, and was exhausted, I mean shaking muscles exhausted by the time I was done.

I came in and curled up in my corner of the sofa and slept another hour.  I decided I really needed some protein so made myself a nice roast beef and cheese sandwich to get some food and protein in my.  Three naps later I finally finished the sandwich.

I roused myself long enough to take a shower and dress, then had to nap again before I could muster the energy to get my laundry out to the washer.

Things started to get better from there, although I still felt like my body was super heavy and it took a lot of effort to move.  I also noted as I was knitting I would have almost a tunnel vision feel, like my brain could not handle concentrating on more than one thing at a time.  And knitting was slow.  I was not able to knit at the same speed I normally knit.

The kids started showing up about 5 PM to celebrate The Darling Daughter and my birthday.  My youngest is now 30.  My parents are OLD! (LOL).  The Darling Daughter stopped and picked up pie for our dessert, and coffee because I asked for an Egg Nog Latte.  I was still tired, but no longer falling asleep every hour.  I was still having a hard time regulating my body temperature.  One minute I’m hot, the next my head and neck are cold.

I am also noticing the beginning feelings of neuropathy in my feet and hands.  I will be calling the acupuncturist on Monday.  My shoulders and lower back kind of ached, so I took an Advil, that seemed to help.

The air has been so dry, I have set up two humidifiers in the house to try and combat the drying out of my nose, making it bleed, as well as my fingers feeling like they are about to peel apart.

We ordered Chinese food for the gang and Hubby and The Middle Son went to go pick it up.  Diner was a lively affair, with everyone talking, and teasing one another, just the way I like it.  Once we were done eating, we broke out the pie for dessert, and candles were added so The Darling Daughter and I could make our wishes.  The Grandson wanted a candle to blow out too so I told him to ask his uncle to add one more candle for him.  Once we had sung “Happy Birthday” we all blew.

Gifts were exchanged as well as hugs and kisses.  It was a perfect night.  I quickly found myself too tired to continue to sit in the chair at the table so had to excuse myself back to the sofa.  I was better energy wise than I had been in the morning, but still feeling easily tired.

I was ready to go to bed by 9 PM and was quickly asleep after that.

Life is sleeping….

Thursday was the first cycle of phase 2, which was causing me much anxiety over how it would affect me.  For the most part, phase 1 was easy.  Other than the first night not feeling very well, and some minor temporary neuropathy, and being tired, chemo has been very easy on me.

My first infusion was scheduled for 10 AM, even though subsequent infusions are all scheduled later as this should go faster than phase 1 infusions.  Because there is the possibility of adverse reaction to the Taxol in the beginning of the infusion process the first cycle is scheduled early so they have time to deal with possible reactions.

Pre-meds taken the night before and morning of infusion are Histamine-2 blocker (Zantac), steroid (Dexamethasone); Benadryl and Tylenol.   The only one used to help prevent nausea is the steroid.  It actually has double duty, prevent the adverse allergic reaction to the Taxol and prevent nausea.

I had my bag packed and temporary tattoo, I was ready for this.  I was taken back into infusion room 2, and set myself up in a window seat.  I love the view from the windows.  I get to look west over Redondo Beach and see the ocean.  This day there was a layer of smoke over the ocean, and the air smelled of the fires burning throughout Southern California.

 

 

 

 

 

There was a question on my medical records, the nurses were not sure if I should be administered any anti-nausea drugs prior to infusion of the Taxol and then the Carboplatin.  They reached out to the NP that did our chemo teaching appointment – Deborah, and while we waited for her availability, they set up the access through my port, flushed the port and did a blood draw to submit to the study I agreed to be a part of that is researching a blood test to detect breast cancers, and set me up on a slow drip of saline. Mark (one of the infusion nurses), came and asked me what we had been told to take prior to infusion and if Deborah had said anything about administering any drugs prior to infusion through the port.

The nurses had questions about my temporary tattoo, what did it  mean?  This week it was “-cullis” for “Portcullis”.   I explained the word and told them they have the Google, they should look it up.  There was much fun and laughter that ensued as they scrambled to be the first to look up the word Portcullis.

It as decided to give me an additional infusion of Dexamethasone (steroid) while we waited on Deborah, prior to the start of Taxol.   Deborah arrived shortly after that and we reviewed my meds prior to infusion, and it was agreed we would continue with the infusion of the steroid and this would happen every treatment, to supplement what I take at home, and then the Taxol and Carboplatin would be administered.

 

First up, Taxol,  because of the possibility of severe reaction, the first infusion is done slowly and I am watched like a hawk for any signs of reaction so other drugs can be  administered to counteract right away.  Normally it would take about an 45 minutes to an hour to administer the Taxol, the first time takes almost two hours.  No reactions to the Taxol, so after the first 45 minutes, I was finally on the full drip strength.

 

 

I watched Outlander and worked on my knitting, while this new drug dripped slowly through my port into my system. When the Taxol was done, they set me up with the Carboplatin.  This would take 40 to 45 minutes to administer.  I continued to watch Outlander and knit while this drug completed it’s drip into my system.

 

I was finally done and my port was unhooked from the IV’s, I packed up my bag and away I went.  I wasn’t sure how I felt, no Neulasta this time, so nothing to finalize my treatment.  I was mentally checking my body, how did my tummy feel, the gut, my heart?

Hubby was waiting for me and away we went.  He wanted Del Taco, so we stopped there for some lunch before we headed home.  My tastebuds were still not back from my last cycle of chemo, so I added two hot sauces to my basic tacos in hopes I would be able to taste them.

I had some slight nausea/indigestion most of the afternoon and evening.  I could not eat anymore as my lunch remained in what felt like my throat forever.  It was bed time so off to bed we went.  I could not sleep.  I tried, I meditated, I read, I went through my relaxation techniques several times, nothing was working.  I finally fell asleep sometime after 12:30 as that was the last time I looked at the clock.

I was wide awake at 4:30 Friday morning.  Hot flash and chemo gut had me awake.  I tried again to get back to sleep.  Less than four hours of shut eye I knew was not enough.  Again, I went through my relaxation techniques, meditation and then finally resorted to reading.  Three hours later when Hubby was getting up I was still reading hoping to fall back to sleep.  I gave up.  I got up and got ready to feed the Toothless Wonder Cat.  I was hungry!  I made a fried egg and cheese sandwich, but could not finish it.  That was a good sign, I guess.

I fed the cat and fell asleep for a few minutes.  Guess a catnap is better than no nap.  Hubby had an appointment with our favorite Chiropractor/NP for a follow up on his tennis elbow.   I showered and got dressed while he was gone as we had plans to work on some holiday shopping after he was done.

I had the first batch of holiday letters to go out so we stopped at the post office so I could get those in the mail, before we headed to look for a few holiday gifts. I also needed some more ink for my printer and labels.  I picked myself up a new iPad case as I had dropped the last one and a couple of the corner casings that hold the iPad in the case had broken and my iPad kept slipping out.

We finished our few stops and headed to Burger City Grill for some lunch.  I was not very hungry so only ordered a burger.  I could barely taste it.  When you can’t taste your food I find I am not inclined to eat much.

I didn’t have to take any anti-nausea drugs on Friday, and had no other adverse symptoms from my infusion on Thursday.  Maybe I will get through the next 11 weeks with minimal issues.  One can hope.

I tried napping several times, but to no avail.  I was exhausted, and wanted to sleep.  I think it was all the steroids.

Finally about 8:40 PM Friday I felt like if I closed my eyes I would be able to fall asleep.  I quickly readied myself for bed, and hit the sack.  I was out in minutes.

Life is enjoying a good nights sleep

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I forgot to get my blood draw done.  It’s ok, I have some leeway, but I had to be there first thing this morning.  Happy Birthday to me!  But since I am a morning person now, no big deal.  I was ready to go to the lab before 7 AM which is the time the lab opens.  I had to wait a while as there were a ton a people that had already scheduled appointments for 7 to 7:30 AM.  I get the same phlebotomist every time.  I think she makes sure she does my blood draw.  This morning she was getting the paperwork set up and as she was asking me to confirm my birthday, she turned and gave me a big hug, wishing me a wonderful day.  How do you beat that?

I did tell her I would be coming in weekly now for 12 weeks.  She is such a wonderful person and I don’t even know her name.  She remembers where the blood comes out, and makes sure she takes care she doesn’t bruise me.  And she knows band-aids make me itch, so she always uses the stretch tape to hold pressure on the cotton once she is done.   She always has a smile for me and asks me how I am feeling.  One of the many angels in my life.

Once I was done, and back home, we got ready for my real birthday celebration – going to Disneyland.  We had reservations at Carthay Circle in Cal Adventure for lunch, and that would leave us enough time to head over to Disneyland Park so I can watch the Christmas Parade.  It’s an annual tradition, one that Hubby indulges me every year.  It’s the same parade, many of the same people in the parade, every year.  And I LOVE it!  I love the “Tin Soldiers, the floats, the dancers, the “ice skaters”, the gingerbread men and the reindeer.  I love it all!

We arrived a bit early so had time to walk a bit in Cal Adventure before our lunch reservation.  Hubby had a friend from his Support Group who was also celebrating her birthday today.  She and her husband booked two nights at the Grand Californian and we had made arrangements to save them spots for the parade.  We had a wonderful lunch at Carthay Circle, I just wish my tastebuds would have cooperated just a little bit and let me taste what I am sure was a wonderful Tri-Tip Steak with potatoes Concannon and blue cheese.  I could taste the blue cheese.

After we finished our lunch we headed over to Disneyland and staked out spots on Main Street and texted hubby’s friend to let them know where we were so they could find us after they finished their lunch.  I loved every minute of the parade, and enjoyed meeting my co-birthday celebrant and her husband.  We walked for just a bit after the parade, threw coins in the wishing well, took a picture in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, and then Hubby bought me a new Pandora charm – Cinderella’s Coach.  Love that man!

We headed home after that.

Another surprise happened this morning, The Oldest child called me to wish me happy birthday.  We talked for maybe 10 to 15 minutes.  He wants to try and get together for dinner one night, the two of us.  I told him I need to figure out how I will react to these new chemo drugs I start tomorrow and will get back to him.

When we arrived home I found flowers from Deda and her family waiting for me, and a gift from the Darling Daughter sitting on the kitchen table.  I have not opened her gift yet, I want to wait until we can be together to do this.  Her birthday is coming up, maybe we can do this on Sunday for family dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow is the first cycle of phase 2.  The unknown…  I don’t know why this phase is giving me more anxiety than phase 1 did, but there it is.  I am a little scared about how these drugs will effect me.   One day at a time, TCST.

Life is celebrating all the milestones and traditions

Monday was a recovery day.  I was still very tired from all the adventures of the weekend.  We did have to get to Costco to pick up the next round of prescriptions for phase 2 of chemo, and after a 2 hour nap by me after lunch, we did accomplish this task along with picking up a few items we could use to keep us and the Toothless Wonder Cat fed this week.

I finished the wristlet warmers, will post a picture of them once they are done drying.  (Hand wash and block to have the yarn to remember the shape you want them to be in when worn.)

Now the contemplation as I head into phase 2 of chemo.  The new unknown.  There is a bit of trepidation going into this new phase.  Blink is still there, a slightly denser area of tissue than the surrounding area of my breast.  It seems firmer the last couple weeks, not as mushy as it was just 3 weeks ago.  Is Blink fighting back?  It’s still a large area that feels slightly firmer than the rest of the breast tissue, how much will have to come out when we do the lumpectomy?  When my aunt went in for her lumpectomy she ended up having to have a complete mastectomy.  Will this be my fate as well?   How will I feel about this?f

How will the Taxol and Carboplatin affect me?  Chemo school told us that Taxol will make me tired, and it will have a cumulative effect on peripheral neuropathy.  How bad will this get?  I have mouth sores again from the last cycle of phase 1, will phase 2 make these worse?  Chemo mouth has kicked in again, will this just stay this way now?  How tired will I get?  Will my blood work remain good enough to continue treatment weekly?  I hate so many unknowns.  Hubby reminds me we take it one day at a time.

I can tell you right now with the ever changing consistency of  Blink, it concerns me that Blink has firmed up a bit since the 3rd cycle of phase 1.  I imagine the cells of Blink as malevolent dark gray beings delighting in finding ways to defeat the chemo drugs and my good cells.  I spend time every morning meditating, envisioning my healthy pink, gold, whitish, shining cells girding for battle, riding the steads created by the chemo drugs, charging into battle against Blink’s evil army.  I try to always see my army winning, but I’m not sure who is winning at this point of the battle.

There are times when I feel petty that I am so concerned with just me, there are so many others out there fighting bigger battles, but dammit, its my life on the line too, and I still want that long one.  The one where I get to see the progeny of my progeny grow, love, learn, marry, and have children of their own.  Where I get to see where we take ourselves as a people, how we grow, learn, expand our technology, go to Mars!  Explore space, explore the unknown in our own world.  I want to see all this, experience it, talk about how far we have come with my great-grandchildren.   I still want this, all of this, and more.

If I have to sacrifice my whole breast to get this, it’s what I will do.  Blink is not winning this war.  And that is what it is, war, and I will win.  I am Galadriel, I am Eowyn, I am Arwen, I am Mulan, I am Lucy Pevensie, I am Susan Pevensie, I am Rogue, I am Xena, I am Natasha Romanoff, I am Diana Prince, I am Merida, I am Hermione Granger, I am Jo March, I am Katniss Everdeen, I am Lisbeth Salander, I am Leia, I am Lilo, and I am Stitch, warriors and fighters for good they are all, all are in me, and I am strong.

And Blink whispers someone has to lose….

Life is holding on to your heros

My cousin and I went to have noon tea at a tea house we found in Old Town Torrance.  For noon tea, we were able to get the assortment of tea sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and Macarons and Sugar Cookies, and we each received our own pot of tea!  We were stuffed by the time we were done.

Chemo mouth decided to kick in full bore Sunday, and I worried  I wouldn’t be able to taste anything, but they had a great Earl Grey Tea that I could taste and it was one of the best Earl Grey’s I’ve had.  Two of the tea sandwich fillings were just to delicate for me to taste very well, but I was able to taste most everything else.  The scones were fantastic!  Not too dry, the perfect crumb and fresh out of the oven.

From there we headed to Redondo Beach to walk and stop by my favorite yard store where I can always spend WAY too much money.  Needed a nice contrasting yarn to go with the hand-spun yarn for the wristlet warmers I am making.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After exploring some of the cute little shops in the Redondo Riviera area we drove around the bend so Deda could see the drive we like to take, ogle the houses and take in the breathtaking coastal views.  Also showed her the Glass Chapel.  She loved it.  After that drive we stopped at the store to pick up what we needed for dinner.  Simple, fresh tortellini, Alfredo and Pesto Sauces, broccoli to chop up and add to the sauce, and sourdough boules.

Darling Daughter called in the morning, she wasn’t feeling well so would not make it to dinner.  Bummed, but I completely understand, don’t want anyone passing anything to me that will put me behind in my treatment plan.

By the time we were starting dinner preparations I was feeling all the activity from this weekend.  My body was starting to feel very heavy and if I sat still long enough, I know my eyes would quickly slide closed and not open for hours.

Dinner was lovely and we played Cards Against Humanity with the Middle Son and his S.O.  We had some good laughs during the game.

I made it to about 8:30 PM before I started to make my way to getting to bed.  I was falling fast.  I felt bad as Deda’s flight kept getting delayed, and I knew she and Hubby would have to stay up to take her to the airport, where as I would be dead to the world in minutes.

I said my good nights to all and sure enough, I was out almost as soon as my head hit my pillow.  I missed the Super Moon and final goodbye’s with my cousin.  Here is to hoping phase 2 of chemo doesn’t take me down to quickly and we an attend the family Hanukkah celebration here in a few weeks at my cousin’s house.

Life is being able to say goodnight when you need to

I am happily exhausted.  My legs feel like rubber and I know if I allowed myself at 6:30 PM, I would fall fast asleep right now.  We went to the Long Beach Aquarium and opted for a 45 minute behind the scenes tour.  I got the BEST selfie ever during this tour.  It started out being introduced to some young rays that had been removed from the display as they were just a little too stressed to deal with the ogling by the public.  They were very happy to have a small group of visitors and showed off for us like puppies.  That led to the best selfie ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also had the best luck of timing when the one of only two sea turtles in residence at the Aquarium decided to come up for air, while we were in the Tropical Reef portion of the back stage tour.  He usually sits down at the bottom for 3 to 5 hours before coming up for air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This lead to seeing baby Jellies and a host of other sea critters too small, sick or new to the aquarium and needing some special attention before they are ready to be on display.   We fed the Lorikeets too!  

 

 

 

 

 

And there was the otters, cannot forget the sea otters.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were other selfies and photo bombs too:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And we saw there the Aquarium personnel have created a garden of Milkweed for Monarchs to breed.  We saw them before they become the butterflies:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And we cannot forget the puffins, Jellies on display and the Sea Dragons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was so much more we saw, but didn’t want this post to be just pictures.  I am glad we took the time to do this.  So much fun and I am so thankful my cousin/sister who despite her back pain was a trooper for me.  Took breaks to sit, and used elevators instead of stairs a lot to make sure I didn’t exhaust myself too much.

After we tired ourselves out at the Aquarium, we walked over to The Auld Dubliner for some good Irish Pub fare to fill our empty stomachs.  I missed not having a good Whiskey or Ale with my Shepherds Pie Boxty, but it still tasted good.

I am sure I will sleep like a log tonight.

And I have exhausted my cousin…

 

 

 

 

Life is taking time to experience the wonders of our world (and naps!)

First let me put out there that Thursday was a good day.  I surprised Hubby with tickets to go see Thor: Ragnorak as I really wanted to see this in the theater before it was pulled.  Had a great time, but discovered I could not taste the popcorn on any taste bud, and of course my favorite “Squishy” flavor was not available, Blue Raspberry, so I had to settle for a small Root Beer, which I could also barely taste.  Despite the snacks being a disappointment, I still enjoyed getting out to the movie.

The shakes for this cycle have set in as well, along with the minor neuropathy.  I’ve pulled out my MELT method physical therapy balls and started the practice up again hoping it helps.  I even tried doing some of the pressure points while in the theater as I notice the almost numb feeling settling in when I am sitting still.  I think I need to reach out to the acupuncturist sooner rather than later and get a jump on this.  Now it’s just a problem to remember to make the darn call!  Damn chemo brain.

Friday my cousin flew back down for a weekend of Kimmy/Deda time.  She loves her new mermaid tail snug sack.  I had already planned for us to go see Coco Friday night, and we planned dinner at a restaurant we discovered close to the theater.  Good Stuff, and despite my taste buds crapping out, I still managed to taste some of my delicious breakfast served all day long dinner.  Krabby Cakes Benedict!  YUM!  Deda had a salmon special and I could taste the tomatoes and capers.  I really want to go back when my taste buds are cooperating.  I can just imagine how good Good Stuff will taste then.

We loved the movie, it broke my heart and then made it whole again and 2 times bigger.  I love how so many different cultures all remember their dead in similar ways.  I want to embrace them all.  Maybe because I know my ancestors are some of the “angels” that watch over me and have been my protection and guides in this lifetime.  They have been a comfort to me in times of sadness and need, encouragement when I have needed a silent push, as well as a kick in my rear when I have wallowed in my dark too long.  I cannot imagine my life here without their presence in the still times when I listen for them with my heart and soul.

Back to Kimmy and Deda time.  We had thought about heading to Catalina for the day, but I am still too tired for that kind of dedicated hours long trip.  And when we started researching boat rides, one price to be on deck, another higher price to be able to sit inside a cabin, rates for renting a golf cart so I do not have to walk too much, limited departure times from San Pedro and Catalina, we decided this would not be a good time for me to go.  The shakes make me tire easily when I am active, combining this with a forced all day trip to the island would not be fun.  So we decided we will go to the Aquarium in Long Beach for a few hours instead.  There are lots of places for me to rest and Lorikeets to feed!  And they have otters and penguins.  Can’t beat that!  We also made reservations at a tea house on Sunday for the two of us to go have a tea lunch.

Kids are going to be here for Sunday night dinner, and Deda doesn’t fly out until late so she will be here as well.  We have already planned the menu and will have the ingredients here and hopefully made so we can all sit and enjoy each others company.

Deda did give me a great compliment while we were watching the Ellen Show Friday.  There was a clip of the new movie The Shape of Water and Ellen had Octavia Spencer as a guest.  As Ellen was interviewing Octavia about the movie, Octavia made a comment about the Water Mans butt, and how shapely it is, and how nice it is to look at.   Deda turns to me and says “you really do pull off the bald beautifully.  Your head is the perfect shape, like the Water Mans butt in The Shape of Water.”   I loved it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also finished two more chemo hats for donation using the yarn sent to me by another cousin who had tons of hand spun yarns.  I am working on some hand warmer/wristlets with the remaining yarn from that skein.

 

I will update more later when I have more to talk about.  In the mean time, hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Life is remembering your roots

Day 3 of last cycle on phase 1 and I am exhausted.  Napped several times on the sofa, and struggled to remember to take the antibiotics on time.  I have a few more days left of the antibiotics.  The port is looking better as well, not as red.

I have gifts to wrap, but the thought of going to the garage to bring in the wrapping paper so I could start was just too much to handle.  The shakes are starting in as well, and they usually get worse before it gets better.

Looking forward to a visit from my cousin this weekend.  Wonder if I can talk her into seeing Coco Friday night.  I really want to see that movie.  The Grandson liked it so much he begged to go see it a second time.  It must be good.  I also want to see Thor Ragnorak.   Maybe I can convince Hubby to go see that Thursday.

I did finish one more donate project – a beaded scarf.  Thanks Cousin Pam for donating such lovely yarns to work with…

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did forget to keep beads from my stash in the shed to make some flower pins with to add to chemo caps.  I just could not face another trip to my shed to bring all the beads back in so I could finish the flowers.  Tomorrow is another day.

Not much else going on, making a To Do list for tomorrow, hoping I’ll have more energy to tackle what I just could not do today.

I am noticing it’s getting harder to remember tasks I want to finish unless I write them down when I think of them.  I really want a chalk board in the kitchen, I don’t understand why Hubby is so resistant to putting one up temporarily for me.  I need something that does not move (like note pads), that I can refer to on short term memory issues.  It is starting to get frustrating trying to remember things.

Today was also mostly cold feet and hot head day.  Along with hot flashes starting to kick in from the chemo.  Gotta love the days when you can’t decide if being naked wrapped in blankets that can be thrown off in a moments notice would be better than being fully dressed.  Could be dangerous to come visit unexpectedly here!

Life is taking is slowly

Not much to add for Saturday and Sunday.  Just normal days of laying around, conserving my energy for important things, like Sunday night dinner with the kids.  Hubby and I decided that would be tree trimming day with the Grandson, so we got everything set up for his arrival.  He could immediately start hanging the ornaments on the tree.

We told the Darling Daughter 4 PM would be a good time to show up so we had time to decorate the tree and then order pizza for dinner when The Boy and his girlfriend (the SO) would show up to join us.

They arrived at the appointed time and The Grandson did not disappoint, he was ready to lend his decorating expertise to trim the tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end there was one very light ornament to hang that the Grandson had picked out last year from the store, he hung it on the front of the tree and we noticed the tree was slowly going to topple over.  Hubby quickly went to the rescue and held the tree up and pulled that oh so very light ornament off and sure enough the tree stopped wanting to topple over.  It was the straw that broke the camels back.  Hubby rearranged some of the ornaments and they were successful in placing that last ornament without bringing the tree down.  And of course none of us got a video of this hilarity!

After dinner we broke out my newly expanded game of Cards Against Humanity.  We will not be able to play this with the Grandson around any longer.  He’s starting to pay way too much attention to what is going on at the table with the adults.  Figures, I just received 5 out of 7 expansion packs recently ordered.

Monday I was ready again to go for my chemo, bag packed, new temp tattoo in place, pills taken, ready to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After several of the chemo nurses and Deborah the Nurse Practitioner  all took a look at my port to make sure it was not still too inflamed to use.  We were a go!  Kissed Hubby good-bye and we started the premeds.  I try to always pick a seat near the window, and Monday in room 3, I had the best window seat.

Nurse accessed my port no problem, and we started the pre-meds – Olanzapine and Emend.

From there they do the push on the Adriamycin, they have to make sure there is plenty of saline fluid diluting the drug and check every 5 to 10 minutes for good blood return still happening from my port.

 

Once that is done I am given the drop of  Cyclophosphamide.  This is an hour and a half before it’s done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the girls from my support group also was in for her Taxol/Carboplatin infusion.  This will be number 5 for her, so we share notes as this will be the next phase for me as well.  She said being tired is her worst complaint.  She also has a two year old, so I can totally relate to being tired!  It was nice to have another face I know in the treatment room with me.

Once that was done, the Neulasta timed release application is put on the back of my arm.  This will be my last treatment of phase 1.  Glad to be done with this portion of my treatment plan.

Hubby was waiting for me when I was done, and we made a stop at Costco to pick up a few items, then headed home.  I was already feeling very tired, so made myself a quick omelet than took a good nap.  Was back in bed by 9 PM.  This cycle really seems to be knocking me out.

Tuesday morning was Chemo School to learn about phase 2.  Taxol will not contribute to nausea, but it will be a cumulative effect on peripheral neuropathy.  I am to keep them informed of the advance of any neuropathy.  Taxol will keep my hair falling out.   There is also the possibility of adverse reaction to Taxol, rash, swelling, possible respiratory issues.  Carboplatin on the other hand will contribute to nausea, and hair loss.  Deborah did say about week 4 or 5 I will really start to feel more fatigued than I do now.  They are also worried about my kidneys on this drug regime, so that will be monitored closely.  I will not receive Neulasta during this phase either, as the bone marrow is not affected as much as it is in the phase 1 drug regime.

My new pre-infusion regime will be for me to take Dexamethasone the night before and the morning of treatment.  Take Zantac the night before and the morning of treatment, Benadryl 1 hour prior to treatment and Tylenol 1 hour prior to treatment.  I can also take Olanzapine instead of Zofran the night before treatment and 2 days after treatment.  There will be no pre-meds administered through my port.

Taxol will take 1 to 1.5 hours to administer and the Carboplatin will take 30 to 60 minutes to administer.

Deborah did recommend acupuncture to help deal with the neuropathy.  There is a gal in my Support Group that highly recommends a acupuncturist that is very close to where our group meets.  I got her information and will try there.  The neuropathy can last up to 6 months after treatment ends, and there are over the counter supplements I can start taking after treatment ends – B6 and Alpha Lipoic Acid.  She also said adding cushions in my shoes may help with nerve damage prevention.

She also said day 3 or 4 body aches and pains may set in, I can take Advil for short periods of times to help with combating the pain.  And last but not least, the Carboplatin may cause ringing in the ears.  Like I don’t already have that!

Phase 2 is still set to start on December 7th.  Another run to Costco to pick up the new Rx’s will be in the plan.

We did have to run to Costco again after the teaching appointment but not to pick up new Rx’s as they would not be ready yet.  We did pick up some Turkey for the Toothless Wonder cat, more honey to be used in honey tea and a couple of gifts.

Once home I ate lunch and then took another nap.  This cycle has really worn me out.  We went to Support Group on Tuesday night, and Hubby was glad I didn’t fall asleep during group.  I was back in bed shortly after we got home, and asleep soon after that.

Life is dealing with the tired and shaky

 

 

 

 

First let me start off with how thankful I am for my family.  It was so nice to have them here taking over my kitchen, cooking up our Thanksgiving feast, and then all sitting around the table eating and talking after a day of bonding over the cooking of the food, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and football.

My little brother in South Carolina was texting us early in the morning as his youngest son was in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.  His High School was picked two years ago to be in this years parade.  Their middle son graduated last year and had the invitation to come back and participate in the parade, but opted to stay home.  So our mom, my sister-in-law and the nephew went up to New York for this great event.  My brother was giving us the live action blow by blow.  We had to wait three more hours for the parade to be broadcast here, so we knew what to watch for when the parade finally aired.  First time in years we have actually watched the parade.

They managed to keep the chaos in the kitchen to a minimum, and turned out a fantastic meal.  Dinner was wonderful and having all the family here was beyond happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was kind of sad to say goodbye, as we would not have our normal day at Disneyland this year with them.  Instead I would be off to Cancer Care to hopefully receive my last infusions of phase 1 of chemo.

Friday morning dawned bright with no clouds in the sky.  It would not be as warm today as it was yesterday.  I set myself up for infusions today.  Took my pills, including the two antibiotics, fed the cat early, put on my temporary tattoo and made sure my chemo bag was ready to go when we had to leave.

We arrived a little early due to no traffic, and Kristen the Nurse Practitioner was ready to re-evaluate my port before we would start treatment.  She agreed it looks better today, but still not good enough to use.  We could try finding a good vein in my arm, but she was worried if we added chemo to the mix it might slow down or even stop the antibiotics getting rid of the infection.  It was decided I needed to be rescheduled for Monday.   I took a deep breath and tried very hard to not be disappointed.  When we meet with the Nurse Practitioner next Tuesday for Chemo School we will have to ask if this delay will effect the timing of phase 2 start on December 7th.

Because I wasn’t able to watch my two episodes of Outlander during treatment today, I decided to watch them at home, with a nice nap in between.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life is taking it one day at a time