Friday June 2, 2017
I’ll start this, but will
probably have to continue later. I’m at
the infusion center getting my chemo. I
thought I’d bring my computer today. The
guest internet is too slow to do anything there, so I’ll just work on
this. However, she just hooked up my IV
Benadryl, so it might be nighty-nighty here any minute. I usually get a little loopy feeling before
the “lights-out” hits me, I’ll probably have to go back and edit some later
along the way.
Today is a full day. I got labs drawn at 8:30, saw Dr. Haenel
(oncologist) at 9:15, started IV chemo routine at 9:45. When I finish here, I’ll go to PT at 1:30,
then radiation at 2:00. Not sure if I’ll
have time to eat before PT or radiation.
Guy often brings up some lunch and eats with me if it gets too late or
the treatments are too close together. I
have a friend who lives in Hutch and was a cancer patient, taking infusion for
a year here. She is going to come see me
about 11:00. I hope I’m not too groggy
or sleepy to visit with her. UPDATE: She did come, and we had a great time
catching up after many years. It really
helped to pass the time. I look forward
to her coming back again.
I asked Dr. Haenel this
morning if the chemo and radiation would destroy all this cancer or if it was
going to be a lifelong issue. She said
with the aggressiveness of this cancer, and because this tumor popped up while
still taking chemo, it would most likely be something I will deal with the rest
of my life. Bummer!!! I kind of expected this, so I wasn’t blown
away with her news. This means some kind
of cancer treatment – chemo – off and on.
Much will depend upon the scans that the KC oncologist takes on a regular
basis every 3 months. I also asked if it
would always show up on my head. She
said not necessarily – it tends to go to the lungs and/or liver if it
travels. Dr. Powers (KC) said he had
other chemo meds to use once this one I’m getting now is no longer affective. Dr. Haenel explained it this way: The cancer cells are a group of brothers or sisters. They are all alike, and as they
begin to be destroyed, a few of them decide they are going to break off from
the family and mutate into something that the chemo is no longer affective against. Then you have to use a different drug against
the mutations. SO, the bottom line is
that, barring a miracle from God, it looks like there is no CURE – here on
earth, at least. However, I’m praying
and believing for that miracle, if it is His will. So, that is what I’m asking you to pray for
me. I . NEED . A . MIRACLE!!! The thought of being tied to some treatment
center for the rest of my life is rather depressing, so I can’t concentrate on
that. As Anda, RN, told me a few weeks ago –
Live for the present. Those things that
you worry about in the future may never come to pass; you’re not out there yet –
don’t borrow tomorrow’s troubles. Enjoy
every good day you have right now. That
advice has stuck we with me, and I truly try to do that. I still do not know the actual long-term
prognosis for this – and I don’t want to know.
I’ll just take each day as I can get it, and for right now, it is going
pretty well. I feel blessed to feel as
good as I do. I pretty much have a
routine that I fall into now with only occasional disruptions or really down days.
I just heard a lady here
getting treatment say, “I’ve been coming here for 14 years – every 3 weeks!” She’s very friendly and been talking with
everyone here. She originally had stage four breast cancer. When she walked by me she said, “My hair used
to be like that!” (fallen out). Her hair
had obviously grown back in and was lovely.
She commented on the bright orange shoes I was wearing – “Wow! Those are HOT!!” I guess this is her home away from home. She obviously had made the best out of her
situation.
PT after chemo kind of
wore me out today. I don’t know if she
worked me harder, or if I was just tired, but when I got done, I was pretty
winded. All I had left was radiation,
and that went well. I’m figuring out how
to get my face into that hole a little more comfortably. It lasts around 15 minutes now, and that is
quite tolerable.
Last night my hair on the
affected side started coming out.
They
had said it would. It doesn’t bother me
anymore, because I plan to keep it shaved as long as I’m into all this so that
I can examine my head for new spots more easily. They don’t want me to shave the other side
yet, because it might change the space under the hood, and they don’t want to
run the risk of any movement under there, so I may look a little strange with
half a head of hair right now.
You can see the difference
from Monday to Friday after 5 days of radiation.
It is dryer and crusty around the edges. It has very little feeling to it now. I’m half way through the radiation treatments
now getting #10 today. The doctor said
it would most like just shrink and be absorbed back into the scalp. It seems to me, size-wise, that it has a long
way to go.
As for the top area, these
scabby “barbs” used to stand straight up, and they now are laying over on their
sides – or have shrunken somewhat.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Well, here I am back at
the infusion center getting my IV fluids.
I didn’t get far with this last week.
It was actually a pretty good week.
Just get a little weak now on Tues and Wed as I come off the steroids.
I finally got motivated to
start working on my quilt room this week.
I think that is a pretty good sign for me since I haven’t had much
desire until now. Well, I’ve had the
desire….just not the motivation to actually get up and do it. It is a pretty daunting task, I will
say.
In Alabama, I had the whole bonus
room over a two-car garage – and an alcove (closet without doors) stuffed full
of fabric, books, magazines, sewing machines, tables, and cabinets. When we left, I sold or gave away over half
of what I had – very painful, I might add!!
Anyway, with all these bookcases and little cabinets I kept, I think I’ll
get it all put away. I just hope there
will be room for ME in the room when it is all set up.
As I began to work in the
room, I discovered that all I could put away at one time was one big box. Then I had to sit down and rest. Yikes!
By the time I get through all those boxes I may be too old to do
anything with it!! I couldn’t believe
that after ONE box, I broke out in a sweat!!
ARGH! I have hot flashes related
to the steroids now and then, but these “cold sweats” happen when I’ve
overdone. That’s always my cue to go sit
down and rest. I try not to let it get
that far, but sometimes I get on a roll and don’t want to stop. Very frustrating to have that energy
level. I’ve been trying to walk more,
hoping to build up a little more endurance.
I don’t have another 40 years to get done what I want to do!
Yesterday, I finished my
11th radiation treatment – over half way, at least for now. They said I would have “at least 20
treatments.” This thing is really
drying. It doesn’t seem to be getting any
smaller. What I think is going to happen
is that it is just going to dry up and fall off. That is what happened to the one on the other
side of the flap. It just turned black
and hard, and the little shell-like thing just fell off. It was only about a 10th the size
of this one, but this one is getting really dry and crusty feeling.
The other issue I’m
starting to deal with now is the redness/sunburn effect of the radiation.
It is starting to get a little uncomfortable,
and I’m just over half way through. They
gave me a list of lotions/creams to use, but no real recommendation. Some are very expensive, and some are
cheaper. A couple of them can be ordered
from Amazon and have good reviews, so I may try them 1st.
The last two Sundays I’ve
played my keyboard. I really enjoy that.
Last Sunday, when I got there for
Sunday school, Pastor Ted said, “You are on your own this morning. I gave Melisa a break this Sunday.” OH! OK…..thankfully
I had prepared a prelude, postlude, and offertory – just in case I needed them. I’m starting to feel much more comfortable
playing now. It had been a long time
since I had played in church, and the 1st Sunday, I was pretty
shaky. Now, I can kind of relax and
enjoy it again. I really enjoy playing along
with someone. I’m much more of an accompanist
than a soloist.
Down the road from us, just
before you leave the neighborhood, there are several mulberry trees. The granddaughters discovered them while they
were here. I love mulberries!! When we lived out east of Hutch (before
moving to AL), we had a mulberry tree across the street from us in the edge of
a large field. I loved picking the
berries and making pies. The other day,
I rode my scooter down there with a pan in the basket and picked maybe a cup
full. Probably half of them fell out of my hands onto the ground as I
picked. ARGH! I need to go back and take a piece of plastic
to lay down on the ground. Then I can
pick up whatever falls there. I put what
I had in the freezer.
I need to get to the store
and get some more rhubarb to cut up and freeze.
Guy has an Alabama friend that has already purchased his deer tag for
this fall to hunt in Kansas, and I must make a strawberry rhubarb pie while he
is here. I made one while he was here
last year during turkey season, and I think I set a precedent. 😀
The weather here this last
week has just been SO nice. Sitting out
on our deck in the mornings and evenings is just pure joy. The boards we had put up block just enough of
the wind, leaving a little breeze to make it comfortable. We love sitting there, just enjoying the view
and watching Annie play in the yard.
In
Alabama, I guess it was the humidity that drove us inside after a while. I suppose as summer progresses, we’ll get
some humidity here, but for right now, we can just sit out there to our heart’s
content, listening to the birds.
Guy’s UTV’s brakes went
out a few weeks ago, and he had been working on it. He can take anything apart, fix it, and put
it back together. But this booger has
stumped him. I was in the garage yesterday,
helping him to bleed the brakes by pumping the brake up and down and up and
down. No luck! Now he thinks it is the master cylinder. He could order one for $29, but it comes from
China and would not be here until AUGUST!
Well, forget that!! I guess he’s
going to just go get one from the place he bought it - $111.00!!
I’m so excited for this
weekend!!!! My sister, Colleen, is
coming for a week’s visit. I have not
seen her since we left Alabama, nearly a year ago. She will come with me to treatments to see
all that makes up my life now. She will
be bringing one of her dogs – Smoke. I’m
not sure Annie remembers him, but I’m sure they will get acquainted
quickly. Mark brings his two golden retrievers
often enough that all we have to say is, “Heidi Abby,” and Annie runs to the
garage door. We had them last weekend, and
when Mark came and got them, she moped around for the whole evening. I think she was lonely. She used to growl at them every time they all
went through the door to go outside – just to let them know who was still boss,
but she seldom does that any more.
Wednesday, June 7, 2017 HAPPY 49TH ANNIVERSARY TO US!!!!
Well, I can’t seem to get
this thing published. Now here I am
nearly a week later. I’m feeling kind of
down tonight, so probably shouldn’t be writing on these nights. Oh, well, it is what it is. Wednesdays are right before I start taking my
steroids in preparation for Friday’s chemo.
So tomorrow I’ll be heading up again.
I woke up about
4-something this morning to go to the bathroom, and as I often do, I ran my
hand over this alien on my head, and it was WET! What in the world??? I turned on the bedside light, and this thing
had drained all over my pillowcase!!
As
I was in the bathroom, I discovered my third chigger bite – which are getting bigger. Then I got to thinking…….are these cancer
spots that are popping out on me?!?!??!
You know how thoughts can get plumb crazy in the night…..I decided they
had to be chigger bites, so I went back to bed making sure I was not lying on
the scab. When I woke up at 7:30, it had
drained on the other side of my pillow again There was a
dry red strip running from it. It has
continued to drain all day – not a lot, but there is serous drainage each time
I blot it. The radiation tech said that
was normal, so I won’t worry about it. I
guess that is part of the falling off process. I’m glad I have several pillow
cases so I don’t have to wash the one every night.
So far, my pink head is
not too uncomfortable. I ordered a
cotton wig liner that I can use when I wear my wigs. I’ve also ordered emu oil (which they
recommended) to put on the reddened part.
It will be here Friday. I think I
can tolerate it until then.
When my friend came to
visit me last Friday during my infusion, she loaned me this book.
I’ve just started it (can’t read for long periods
of time), but it is great!!! I can see
why she really got a lot of good out of it when she was taking her chemo. I’ve ordered my own copy. I can hardly read a book without marking in
it, so I wanted a copy of my own.
From Jesus Calling tonight:
“I am all around you, like
a cocoon of Light. My Presence with you is a promise, independent of your
awareness of Me. Many things can block this awareness, but the major culprit is
worry. My children tend to accept worry
as an inescapable fact of life. However,
worry is a form of unbelief; it is anathema to Me.
Who is in charge of your
life? If it is you, then you have good reason
to worry. But if it is I, then worry is
both unnecessary and counterproductive.
When you start to feel anxious about something relinquish the situation
to Me. Back off a bit, redirecting your
focus to Me. I will either take care of
the problem Myself or show you how to handle it. In this world you will have problems, but you
need not lose sight of Me.”
As always.....I remains in His hands....
