Monday, March 5, 2012

Just wanted to update you all since my treatment last week. Once again right after the treatment I came down with a terrible head cold. I was in bed all weekend with a bad headache, sinus pain and all stuffed up. Because my head hurt so bad I didn't have an appetite which made me nauseous, etc, etc. Spent most of the night (and day) in the recliner (I did notice that sleeping in the recliner prevents bed head so that's a good thing!). Feeling better today but tired from not getting a good rest. My best guess is that the chemo drops my resistance way down and I'm more susceptible to germs and viruses. This is the second month this has happened so we will see what happens after then next treatment. Thankfully Mark was around and helped me get through this.

As bad as I felt this weekend if this chemo is working I could go through things that are 100 time worse. Hopefully we will have good results after my CT Scan on March 20.

This new trial chemo I am on is called Hercepton DM-1 (I'd like to think the "DM" was named after me). I did some research on it and what I read seems positive. All I (we) could do is keep on moving forward and hope for the best!

Until I have more news I'll have my Dancin' slippers on for a few more days!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Hard to believe February is already over. Time has been flying by so quickly before we know it the 4th of July will be upon us. In a way I'm glad to see the dreary winter months pass by us quickly but in truth I want to savor each minute of each day not knowing what the future brings.

Chemo yesterday went well except I'm there longer due to Trial Study Protocol and the staff having to do take extra steps (i.e. waiting 30 minutes once I take my pre-meds before starting and having to stay 30 minutes after the chemo to watch for adverse reactions). Makes for a long day. Got there yesterday at 1:00 PM and didn't leave until 6:00 PM. My blood work came back with a perfect score. It looked better then most of the "healthy" people on staff. Liver enzymes are where they are suppose to be. Of course the one side of my brain is happy since it mean no problems in getting my treatment but the other side of the brain asks "is it working" since I haven't had any reactions. I have a CT Scan on March 20 so I guess that will tell the story.

I was bored yesterday so I took a picture of my IV. I was lucky to get Nurse Helene who not only is a super sticker but has the sweetest personality as most of the nurses in IV Therapy. You have to be a special person to deal with what they see day after day.

I was so happy to wake up this morning with no issues. The last few weeks I've been fighting a head cold which turned into an inner ear infection. I spent one day sitting upright in a chair with my eyes closed because my ear infection caused vertigo and every time I opened my eyes I felt as if I drank a couple bottles of wine. I couldn't focus and the room just kept spinning. Thankfully "Uncle Perry" came to the rescue and picked up a couple of prescriptions for me (Valium being one of them) which eventually stopped the vertigo. The one thing I have noticed is my immune system goes down after chemo and I have to be careful to stay away from crowds and people who are sick otherwise I pick up the germs pretty quickly. Of course I hate sitting still so instead of resting and taking it easy I keep going which usually lands me on my butt.

I wanted to thank all of you who continue to send me notes, cards, etc to keep my spirits up. They make me laugh and smile - especially all the references to Dancin"!

Until next time - I wish you all happiness and good health.

Keep on Dancin' ~ Doreen

Monday, February 13, 2012

Chemo on Wednesday was interesting - what I remember of it. Arrived to the hospital at 7:30 to check in and get prepared. Because this involves a study I now have my own nurse who just draws my blood and puts the IV in place. Once I was ready to go they ran saline for about 30 minutes before I was ready to start. Unfortunately they have to give the IV form of Benedryl in case of any allergic reaction. Benedryl make you drowsy and basically puts you out. In my case it also give me jumpy leg syndrome. Imagine laying there and not being able to stop moving your legs. AAARRRRR! Fortunately they have a drug they were able to give me that stopped it after a while. The chemo went for about 2 hours and then they watched me for an additional two hours to make sure there were no adverse reactions. During the time the chemo was being given they took blood samples several times to check liver function and platelet counts. I was good throughout the infusion and tolerated it well. As part of the study I also had to answer a questionnaire via computer on how I felt, etc which they gave me after I had the Benedryl so who knows what I put down! LOL All and all it was a pretty uneventful day. We finally got out of there about 2:30 and it was R&R for the rest of the evening.

The next morning I woke up with a terrible head cold. We thought at first it may have been a reaction to the chemo but it turned out the be a good old fashion cold. It basically knocked my on my butt all weekend. Thank goodness my super sister-in-law Cindy came to the rescue during the snow storm with DayQuil and NightQuil along with good old fashion chicken soup and crackers. It was the only thing I took that relieved the pressure. Feeling better today except for some fatigue.

Next treatment is scheduled for February 29. Hopefully it will be smooth as this one was.

Until I have more news......Keep on Dancin'!!

Tuesday, Februrary 7, 2012

Just wanted to keep you updated. I received a call from the hospital earlier this afternoon. They wanted me to know that I qualified for the trial and the computer picked me to receive the trial chemo as opposed to the standard protocol drugs. I have to be at the hospital tomorrow morning at 8AM to start. Since this is the first time I will be receiving this chemo they need to monitor me close to make sure I have no adverse reactions. Before, during and after the infusion I will have blood drawn to check platelets, etc. I also need to have Benedryl (the strong one that makes you goofy - they put it right in the IV) in case of any allergic reactions. I also need to be monitored for several hours after the infusion for any reactions. I'm a little nervous since I will be entering a new frontier that hopefully will help women in the future. I've been looking to find some good out of all of this and maybe this is it. Let's keep our fingers crossed. I'll keep you all updated as I go through this new adventure.

Until then I'll have my dancin' slippers on tomorrow. Keep me in your thoughts!

Remember to KEEP ON DANCIN' my friends!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Happy Birthday to me! Made yet another year. I for one look forward to birthdays and that number increasing only because it means I'm still with all of you. It's hard to get bummed about getting older when your wish is to get older. Hard to explain what goes through your mind. I've had so many good wishes today and I am truly blessed to have so many friends. Thank you all.

One more week until I start the new chemo. The hospital has pulled my tumor block and its on the way to Germany so they can confirm I qualify for the study. This week I have a Bone Scan, CT Scan (abdomen) and more Lab work to do in preparation. The best I could hope for is that this trial will buy more time. If anything hopefully it will help others down the road. I have to be thankful to all the women who in the past were on trials for the current chemo's I have taken over that last 21 months. Without patients agreeing to be in these studies we wouldn't have the variety of hopes we currently have in the form of chemo. There is still a chance that I will be accepted on the study but not get the trial drug. I have a 2 out of 3 chance of being picked (by a computer and most of you know my relationships with computers are not the best) to have the trial drug. If I'm not selected I will be given an FDA approved drug that my physician feels is the best for me at this stage. The study will compare those taking the trial drug versus those on a regular course of treatment. Either way it should prove to be interesting. I'll take you step by step along the way as I start this new journey. We could only hope it helps. We have to start somewhere.

Well I have on my birthday shoes and will continue to DANCE the night away.

Until next time - be happy, healthy and keep on dancin'!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Three steps forward one step back. It seems like a reoccurring scenario. Wednesday didn't go as good as we wanted it. The new chemo has not been effective and the tumors have grown and spread. At least we found out only after 8 weeks of the chemo rather then going months. To be honest I anticipated this mostly due to the fact that I've been feeling like my old self since switching to it. Hands and feet back to normal. Appetite back and energy level up. The topper was that my blood work came back the best its been in well over a year. Everything to normal. The new chemo just wasn't strong enough. The only saving grace is that I needed to have this chemo in order to qualify for the trial drug study. So Wednesday afternoon I ran around the hospital having lab work and an EKG done. Thursday morning I was back bright and early for an ECHO (heart study) and CT Brain Scan. Next week I'm scheduled for a CT Scan of my pelvis (this is the 3rd CT scan in a week - you would think they would get everything done at once), bone scan and more labs. I'm tentatively set up to start the trial chemo on Feb 8. All they need to do is to re-evaluate my tumor block. They actually keep the tumors removed from you, in this case from 9 years ago, in what they call a tumor block (wax like substance). the hospital is required to keep it in storage basically forever. In this case it will be sent to Germany (drug company sponsoring the trial is Rosch which is a German Pharmaceutical company) to verify that the cancer I have is the one they are studying in the trial. I am confident that this will not be a problem since the tumor has been evaluated by both RUSH and U of C hospitals once before. Good news is that the drug company pays for a lot of the tests and drugs. Once I get more into the thick of it I will let you know what is involved. Until then I just keep on going with a positive attitude and the fight continues.

Stay tuned for more updates and don't forget to Keep on Dancin"!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Happy New Year! Hard to believe that we are starting a new year already. The holidays just flew by with great times with both family and friends. It's times like these that make me even more determined to fight this beast. Luckily the new chemo I started 6 weeks ago has had minimal side effects. Besides fatigue the worst has been a weakening of the tendons/muscles in my right ankle which at times makes it difficult and painful to walk. This is a side effect of one of the medications I am required to take for the trial study. Besides that I feel good and have had more noticeable energy. I have a CT scan on January 24 and hopefully it will show that this new chemo cocktail is working. I can handle the ankle if the scan shows that this chemo is working. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

I've never been too much into new years resolutions. I've always tried to set goals for myself (thanks to my years at Bussmann and having to do yearly professional goals - thanks Ray!) and given myself time to achieve them no matter what time of the year. However, this year I am challenging myself to do something that will make a positive impact. Whether its volunteering or just leading by example I'm not quite sure what it will be but I'm hoping I have enough energy this year to accomplish it. I am hoping that some day my ramblings here in this blog will be able to help someone see sunshine at the end of the tunnel. That being dealt a bad hand doesn't have to result in having to stop your life in its tracks but to live each day to its fullest. I would rather have one meaningful year of living then two years of being miserable.

I hope all of you have started the new year on a good foot and that 2012 will bring great things to all of our lives.

Until I have more news later this month, put on those dancin' boots, run out in the snow and just KEEP ON DANCIN'!