Thursday, May 26, 2011

It's been a week of nerves. I had PET scan Tuesday morning to see if the new chemo regiment was working. Everything went well test wise although some day they are doing to use me to light the city. For those of you not familiar with PET scans (Positron emission tomography) you are hooked up to an IV and they inject radioactive (tracer) solution into your body which attaches itself to the tumors and basically highlights them. Once you are injected you must relax (in a recliner) and not exert yourself (they won't even let you read because holding the book tenses up your upper muscles) for about 1.5 hours while the tracer circulates within your body. Once that is complete they pull the IV and you lie on a table and scans for 30 minutes on a machine that also does CAT (Computerized Axial Tomography) and it gives them a 3D image of what is going on. (Don't you all feel real smart now?) The reason my doc does a PET Scan vs. a CAT Scan is that a PET shows both hard (bones) and soft tissue whereas a CAT only picks up soft tissue. In my case I would have to have both a CAT and a Bone Scan in order to see what's happening. BTY - a PET scan is Approx $9,000 and a CAT is $3,000. Thank God for insurance! So anyway - the test went off as usual and it was a waiting game until yesterday afternoon when I had a doc appt before chemo.

As you could imagine it was a long 24+ hours waiting to hear the results. Well it wasn't bad news but it wasn't exactly good news. Just OK news. The scan showed that the bone lesions are reducing in size but the liver tumors increased slightly. Best news is that no new tumors were detected. After talking to the doctor it was decided to stay on this chemo regiment of the "industrial strength" chemo IV as well as the 8 pills a day chemo for two more rounds.

All and all I feel good except for fatigue. Not complaining - I could live with being tired.

As soon as I get more info I'll keep you all informed.

Thanks all for your prayers and support!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Happy Anniversary! I just noticed I started this blogg one year ago today. How time flies.

Doing OK on new chemo pills (Xwloda). It's a real pain to swallow 8 pills (12 counting all my other meds) a day but you have to do what you have to do. Beats a needle in my arm. No major effects except I noticed I'm a lot more tired lately. I'm also having a problem with heart burn so I'm being careful what I eat. I had the "industrial strength" chemo on Wednesday. Made it through OK. They also gave me Xgeva for the bone lesions so I have a real chemo cocktail going on in my body.

I am having another PET scan on May 24 to see if all this stuff is doing its thing. Keep your fingers crossed. Not sure what is next if this isn't working (beyond the obvious).

I can't believe it's been a year already. Time just flew by or so it seems. I've had a lot of ups and downs (mostly ups). The worst parts is having this constantly on my mind. I think that's why I try to keep busy so I don't have to think about it. But its always there. The worst is when I'm driving, especially when I'm caught in traffic and there's not much to do (I keep getting yelled at for doing my emails in the car). Imagine what it feels like to know you may not be around in a few months, a year or whatever time you have left. I know none of us know that answer but its different when you actually have a reason to know its very possible. It's very scary and nothing I wish on anyone.

An upside is that I've been reconnecting with all my old friends from SRB. We are planning a 40 year reunion. Some of us have been trading stories on Facebook and its fun to see who remembers what.

So keep healthy my friends and lets grow old together. Until I have more news to report I wish you all the best and hopefully we will have good weather soon.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Will spring ever get here??? I'm trying very hard not to wish the days away. It's funny how time is passing by so fast and all I want it to do is slow down. Next week is one year since I started this journey and it seems like yesterday in a way. Last year a year seemed so far away and its here already. I just want to take each day at a time and enjoy it to its best and not try to rush my way through it if that makes sense.

So far I've been tolerating the new chemo pills pretty well. Not found of swallowing 8 of them a day but you do what you have to do. Better then getting stuck daily so no complaints here. One of the side effects is very dry hands and feet so I bought two large containers (thank you Costco) of Cetaphil lotion and probably apply it 20 times a day. The only issue I have been having is a soreness in my right shoulder joint. Not all the time but if I'm in one position for too long a time and then try to reach for something I have a sharp pain. I think this may be from the new bone chemo I started several weeks ago because I've had it before the new chemo pills.

All and all no complaints. Just trying to keep busy and not think of the "bad" stuff.

Hope you all are doing well.

Friday, April 15, 2011

It's taken me a few days to get my head in order before I could sit down and write. As many of you know the results weren't what we expected nor wanted to see. Not only have the existing tumors increased in size on my liver and bones but there are more of them. I could tell the doctor was very disappointed in the results. She immediately started me on a chemo pill (Xeloda) which I take 8 (YES 8!) a day. Thank God for (good) insurance. She was a little hesitant in prescribing this med due to the cost and even offered the assistance of her nurse to help me get it through a pharmacy broker if my co-payment was too high. I was a little nervous at the pharmacy and asked what my co-pay was and it turned out to be only $50. HOWEVER, the prescription retail cost is $3,440 for a month supply. Unbelievable. How do people without insurance do it???? Side effects are what I would call typical - nausea, diarrhea, tiredness. Another problem is very dry hands and feet - so bad that there is a lot of cracking of the skin. I've already started rubbing lotion on my hands and feet to ward it off. Today is my second day and so far so good. I would expect in a week once I get a few doses down that I may see some changes but I tolerated the other chemo's so well I'm not that worried. This by the way this is in addition to the IV chemo I've been getting so no getting away from the hospital. I did ask why she wouldn't put me back on the Taxol since it seemed to do so well but her protocol is not to go back to something that she has used in the past until she tries something new first. I have trust in her so we'll see what happens. I am of course trying to keep my life as normal as possible. It helps that work is busy and I get to talk to a lot of people who don't know whats going on so I can act "normal" and pretend all is good. I really don't feel that bad to be honest with you. I do have some aches and pains but who at this age doesn't. My biggest complaint is my left ankle which some days feels fine and others I could hardly walk on it. I'll try to check in more often and let you all know whats going on. Until then - Thanks for listening! Doreen

Monday, April 11, 2011

What a wonderful weekend in Chicago. The weather was unbelievable - sunny and warm. It felt renewing to get outside and soak up some of the warm from the sun. This is the week..... I keep telling myself that I can't get all bent out of shape when I know a scan is coming but its hard not to worry. It's hard to explain but things in the past I took for granted and didn't think twice about, like twinges, aches and pains, are now amplified because I don't know if its the cancer growing and spreading. My left ankle hurt so bad Saturday night I could hardly walk on it. Even when I was off it it throbbed. Thankfully by mid-morning Sunday it was better. However, this morning my left knee was bothering me and it was hard to get up the stairs. Of course this could all be caused by the added chemo they put me on two weeks ago. Wednesday morning is my PET scan to see is the chemo is working. Please keep me in your thoughts. I'm hoping that by the time I have my chemo Wednesday afternoon that they will have the results. I'll let you know as soon as I know. Until then - Doreen

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Hi - Time is sure flying by quickly. I hadn't realized I haven't posted for a month. One reason is that there wasn't much to report. Chemo changed yesterday - they have now added a new drug to my regiment which is more aggressive on bone tumors. They name escapes me so I'll have to report on it in my next posting. So far the only reaction I have seen is more tired then usual (if that's possible) and a slight rash on both of my hands. I have found that when a new drug is introduced it takes a few weeks for my body to adjust and then it kind of settles in and I'm back to normal. Big news is that I'm scheduled for and ECHO (just a check on my heart to make sure its strong from all the crap they have been pumping into me) and a PET scan (to check tumors) on April 13. As you can imagine I'm starting to get a little nervous. Part of me wants to see whats going on and the other just wants to stick its head in the sand like business as usual. I'm of course hoping for the best but preparing (if that's possible) for the worst. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers - I need all your super powers to get me through this. I've been pretty depressed this week. My good friend of 30 yrs, Phil Venticinque, passed away last week Saturday of small cell lung cancer. He fought for almost 8 months and his body just couldn't take it anymore. Phil and I had many adventures over the years in both Mexico and China and I have many good memories. He will be missed. Until I have more news - Doreen

Friday, February 25, 2011

I'm sorry for the long lapse in making a post. My life is out of control with too much to do. Chemo has been rolling right along. Not much to report. We seem to have the IV/needle situation under control with several nurses I now trust. I can't believe its been almost 10 months since I started this journey. I asked one of the nurses if I have a record yet for how long I've been coming. I was told that they have patients who have been coming ten years (although not weekly). My reply - I wouldn't mind coming for ten years considering the alternative!

All and all I have no complaints. I'm still very tired by the end of the day and weekends are filled with catching up on rest. My friend Debby from Colorado sent me info on an organization "Cleaning for a Reason". They offer FREE housecleaning services for women currently undergoing chemo - once a month for four months. The service is provided by local cleaning services across the country. I registered but haven't used the service yet. If you know anyone who can benefit the website is www.cleaningforareason.org

I hope to post more in the next few weeks. My last scans were Jan 5 so I expect to be sent for more the end of March or sooner. I'll keep you updated so you can send me all that positive energy you all have going.