Pneumonia
Well, I guess I wasn't getting enough attention by not responding to treatment and having my abdomen blow up like a balloon. I've been on pain meds for a week, awaiting the as-yet-not-totally-decided new treatment which was supposed to start tomorrow. I know it is going to involve Rituxan and VP-16, but the other ingredients to the mix were still under discussion.
That is until my shortness of breath finally even got more than I could take without wondering (I have a high tolerance for discomfort, I guess) and my doc sent me for a chest x-ray. I have pneumonia, so treatment is postponed until next week at least. I am not a happy camper. But I don't really feel all that sick. Just achy. Time for more Darvocet.
Pulse ox was okay, no fever, WBC of 4, so I get to ride this one out at home on 2 antibiotics, at least for the time being. More news tomorrow after I see the doc again.
Monday, June 09, 2003
Pain Problem
These last few days have not been much fun. I've been having a lot of abdominal pain since last Wednesday. On Friday morning I talked to my doc and he said to stop being stoic, let someone else do the driving and take the pain meds. So I finally did that all weekend and now I'm getting ready to go in to get my counts done.
I think this chemo is not working at all. I'm sure the pain is from the nodes. I have an ultrasound of the kidneys scheduled for tomorrow and then I meet with my doc on Thursday morning to come up with a new game plan. The frustrating thing is that if my counts aren't high enough, that may delay any new treatment. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
These last few days have not been much fun. I've been having a lot of abdominal pain since last Wednesday. On Friday morning I talked to my doc and he said to stop being stoic, let someone else do the driving and take the pain meds. So I finally did that all weekend and now I'm getting ready to go in to get my counts done.
I think this chemo is not working at all. I'm sure the pain is from the nodes. I have an ultrasound of the kidneys scheduled for tomorrow and then I meet with my doc on Thursday morning to come up with a new game plan. The frustrating thing is that if my counts aren't high enough, that may delay any new treatment. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
Transfusion Profusion
One blood and three platelet transfusions in the last 6 days. This is not good. My counts should be bouncing back. I think (hope) the hemoglobin is, but the platelets are giving me a problem again. It's due to the chemo.
If I were feeling lots of benefit from the chemo, this would be a fair trade-off. However, it feels to me like the nodes in my groin are getting bigger and under my arms too. I can't tell what the nodes in my abdomen are doing, but my abdomen is pretty swollen most of the time.
I think I will call my chemo nurse today and ask about the ultrasound we had talked about doing after my last chemo. That should at least give us a clue what's happening around my left kidney, which had the hydronephrosis problem from nodes crimping off that ureter.
I wonder if I'll be switching to a new chemo regimen. If I do have to switch, I hope the new one has fewer side effects, not more.
One blood and three platelet transfusions in the last 6 days. This is not good. My counts should be bouncing back. I think (hope) the hemoglobin is, but the platelets are giving me a problem again. It's due to the chemo.
If I were feeling lots of benefit from the chemo, this would be a fair trade-off. However, it feels to me like the nodes in my groin are getting bigger and under my arms too. I can't tell what the nodes in my abdomen are doing, but my abdomen is pretty swollen most of the time.
I think I will call my chemo nurse today and ask about the ultrasound we had talked about doing after my last chemo. That should at least give us a clue what's happening around my left kidney, which had the hydronephrosis problem from nodes crimping off that ureter.
I wonder if I'll be switching to a new chemo regimen. If I do have to switch, I hope the new one has fewer side effects, not more.
Tuesday, May 27, 2003
Well, Darn!
Looks like the nice weekend I just had, I will be spending all of tomorrow in the aphoresis center (NOT my favorite place, as it is one big room, no windows and lots of lined-up chairs and blaring tvs).
My platelet count at noon today was down to 6 and my hemoglobin was down to 8.5 and I was exhausted from coming off prednisone. They decided not to wait to see if my HgB would rise again, since I'm approaching the nadir after chemo last week and wasn't able to have a Procrit shot lately.
So tomorrow, starting at 9:30 am, I will be sitting in an uncomfortable (too big) recliner chair, trying not to go nuts with daytime trash tv shows all around me (3 different tvs with potentially 3 different obnoxious programs running at the same time!) and getting 2 units of blood and 1 unit of platelets. Probably about 5-6 hours worth. Yuck. I'm still hoping there will be a cancellation in the chemo wing and they'll let me have my usual nice private bedroom looking out on the garden...
Well, at least being on prednisone last week helped me feel a lot better and this blood problem is directly linked to the low point post-chemo. Time to practice my bouncing back again.
Looks like the nice weekend I just had, I will be spending all of tomorrow in the aphoresis center (NOT my favorite place, as it is one big room, no windows and lots of lined-up chairs and blaring tvs).
My platelet count at noon today was down to 6 and my hemoglobin was down to 8.5 and I was exhausted from coming off prednisone. They decided not to wait to see if my HgB would rise again, since I'm approaching the nadir after chemo last week and wasn't able to have a Procrit shot lately.
So tomorrow, starting at 9:30 am, I will be sitting in an uncomfortable (too big) recliner chair, trying not to go nuts with daytime trash tv shows all around me (3 different tvs with potentially 3 different obnoxious programs running at the same time!) and getting 2 units of blood and 1 unit of platelets. Probably about 5-6 hours worth. Yuck. I'm still hoping there will be a cancellation in the chemo wing and they'll let me have my usual nice private bedroom looking out on the garden...
Well, at least being on prednisone last week helped me feel a lot better and this blood problem is directly linked to the low point post-chemo. Time to practice my bouncing back again.
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Happy Birthday to Me!
Today is my 51st birthday, the second birthday I wasn't sure I'd see, but here I am! The docs gave me a day off from the Cancer Care Center, because my WBC shot up enough I didn't need Neupogen today, and have scheduled my treatment for tomorrow so I can enjoy my birthday. It's going well so far!
I'll be heading out soon for a day of pampering myself. I'm even going to buy myself a new alarm clock/radio, maybe even with a CD player in it! What a luxury! I'm having tea and scones at the
Botanic Garden followed by a nice stroll through the flowers, weather permitting or maybe even if it rains! I have a rain coat. I have my spirituality and healing support group at 1:00. Some nice meditation and relaxation there. Then tonight my boyfriend Jack will take me out to the restaurant of my choice. Sounds like a lovely day to me.
Thank you all for your support over the past couple of years. This has been a tough go, but here I am. Who woulda thought?!? Your support helped make it so.
Today is my 51st birthday, the second birthday I wasn't sure I'd see, but here I am! The docs gave me a day off from the Cancer Care Center, because my WBC shot up enough I didn't need Neupogen today, and have scheduled my treatment for tomorrow so I can enjoy my birthday. It's going well so far!
I'll be heading out soon for a day of pampering myself. I'm even going to buy myself a new alarm clock/radio, maybe even with a CD player in it! What a luxury! I'm having tea and scones at the
Botanic Garden followed by a nice stroll through the flowers, weather permitting or maybe even if it rains! I have a rain coat. I have my spirituality and healing support group at 1:00. Some nice meditation and relaxation there. Then tonight my boyfriend Jack will take me out to the restaurant of my choice. Sounds like a lovely day to me.
Thank you all for your support over the past couple of years. This has been a tough go, but here I am. Who woulda thought?!? Your support helped make it so.
Saturday, May 10, 2003
Coming out of Hiding
Okay, I guess I've hidden out long enough. I've been having a lot of abdominal pain and have symbolically crawled into a cave and pulled in a rock after me--at least emotionally. I've been avoiding most social interaction--except with Jack, of course. But I should at least bring you (whoever reads this besides me) up-to-date about my status.
I was supposed to get treatment last Monday, if my platelet count was up to 50, but my prediction about the likelihood of that was correct. Platelets were only 21 on Monday. I was sent home til Thursday when I got my counts rerun--again with the stipulation that I could get treatment if my platelets were up. They were slightly down instead, at 18. My HgB, which had been up to 9 on Monday, had also dropped again to 8.2.
I had also been experiencing increasing pain and swelling in my abdomen. After having Reiki energy work with Ruth and another sound and vibrational healing session at the Cancer Wellness Center, I was feeling somewhat better on Friday morning. If I hadn't been, I would have been hurried in for an obstructive bowel series, which didn't sound like much fun to me. I also had a lymphatic massage from Darek at the Lymphatic Therapy Center on Friday. That seemed to help a lot too.
Some of the help was also due to the fact that I hadn't eaten much solid food from Wed through Friday morning. Since I was feeling so much better, I started eating more, and now feel swollen and achy again. Damn. Well, Lestingi is back on Monday and I can always make my favorite doc-on-call's weekend more exciting if need be. I seem to eat a lot more when I'm at my own apartment than when I'm at Jack's. Not a good trend to follow right now, it seems.
I'm scheduled to go in on Monday to get my blood counts done again, and determine if I'm going to need a platelet or blood transfusion. On Tuesday I have an 8 am appt with Dr L and will likely be getting treatment after that. He wanted to avoid giving me treatment with low blood counts when he was going to be out of town for a week, but now that he's back, he'll probably go ahead and then keep a closer watch on me.
On the plus side, I already have 8 of my 15 students' final grades calculated, with their stuff all graded. Grades are due by noon on Wed, but I hope to have them ready to turn in by Monday or Tuesday morning at the latest. Seems likely that I'll be in treatment Tuesday, one way or another, so I'd like to have that accomplished beforehand.
I dropped Jack off at the airport this morning and he's on his way to California and a trip with his brother to San Diego. I hope they have lots of fun. I should have some fun too, since I'll be back in the predni-Zone maybe on Tuesday... Wish me luck!
Okay, I guess I've hidden out long enough. I've been having a lot of abdominal pain and have symbolically crawled into a cave and pulled in a rock after me--at least emotionally. I've been avoiding most social interaction--except with Jack, of course. But I should at least bring you (whoever reads this besides me) up-to-date about my status.
I was supposed to get treatment last Monday, if my platelet count was up to 50, but my prediction about the likelihood of that was correct. Platelets were only 21 on Monday. I was sent home til Thursday when I got my counts rerun--again with the stipulation that I could get treatment if my platelets were up. They were slightly down instead, at 18. My HgB, which had been up to 9 on Monday, had also dropped again to 8.2.
I had also been experiencing increasing pain and swelling in my abdomen. After having Reiki energy work with Ruth and another sound and vibrational healing session at the Cancer Wellness Center, I was feeling somewhat better on Friday morning. If I hadn't been, I would have been hurried in for an obstructive bowel series, which didn't sound like much fun to me. I also had a lymphatic massage from Darek at the Lymphatic Therapy Center on Friday. That seemed to help a lot too.
Some of the help was also due to the fact that I hadn't eaten much solid food from Wed through Friday morning. Since I was feeling so much better, I started eating more, and now feel swollen and achy again. Damn. Well, Lestingi is back on Monday and I can always make my favorite doc-on-call's weekend more exciting if need be. I seem to eat a lot more when I'm at my own apartment than when I'm at Jack's. Not a good trend to follow right now, it seems.
I'm scheduled to go in on Monday to get my blood counts done again, and determine if I'm going to need a platelet or blood transfusion. On Tuesday I have an 8 am appt with Dr L and will likely be getting treatment after that. He wanted to avoid giving me treatment with low blood counts when he was going to be out of town for a week, but now that he's back, he'll probably go ahead and then keep a closer watch on me.
On the plus side, I already have 8 of my 15 students' final grades calculated, with their stuff all graded. Grades are due by noon on Wed, but I hope to have them ready to turn in by Monday or Tuesday morning at the latest. Seems likely that I'll be in treatment Tuesday, one way or another, so I'd like to have that accomplished beforehand.
I dropped Jack off at the airport this morning and he's on his way to California and a trip with his brother to San Diego. I hope they have lots of fun. I should have some fun too, since I'll be back in the predni-Zone maybe on Tuesday... Wish me luck!
Friday, May 02, 2003
11 is better than 1, but not by that much!
My platelet count today was 11. That is an improvement over last Friday's count of 1, but not good enough to go through the weekend without a platelet transfusion, as it should be 150-450. This is getting old fast. Also, my doc is on vacation next week, when I'm supposedly due for my next round of the whole R+CVP chemo. That will only happen if my platelet count is 50 or above. How likely is that???
I think the big chemo will be delayed for a week to allow my counts more time to recover. My HgB is 8.6, which means that I would probably also need a blood transfusion sometime if I got the full chemo at that level. It would drop below the acceptable limit of 8.0 almost for sure.
My WBC is 3.6, which means the Neulasta shot has been holding out pretty well. The trick is to get the next treatment before my WBC drops too far because of the Neulasta wearing off. I can't get Neualsta again until 24 hours after I get the next big treatment. It's a balancing act--waiting long enough for the platelets and HgB to recover, but not too long or the WBC will drop too low with the Neulasta wearing off.
Just think of me as a tightrope walker... and I've ALWAYS been so graceful. :-)
My platelet count today was 11. That is an improvement over last Friday's count of 1, but not good enough to go through the weekend without a platelet transfusion, as it should be 150-450. This is getting old fast. Also, my doc is on vacation next week, when I'm supposedly due for my next round of the whole R+CVP chemo. That will only happen if my platelet count is 50 or above. How likely is that???
I think the big chemo will be delayed for a week to allow my counts more time to recover. My HgB is 8.6, which means that I would probably also need a blood transfusion sometime if I got the full chemo at that level. It would drop below the acceptable limit of 8.0 almost for sure.
My WBC is 3.6, which means the Neulasta shot has been holding out pretty well. The trick is to get the next treatment before my WBC drops too far because of the Neulasta wearing off. I can't get Neualsta again until 24 hours after I get the next big treatment. It's a balancing act--waiting long enough for the platelets and HgB to recover, but not too long or the WBC will drop too low with the Neulasta wearing off.
Just think of me as a tightrope walker... and I've ALWAYS been so graceful. :-)
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