Chemotherapy - Session VIII

Wella wella yeah. Just got back from my EIGHTH chemotherapy treatment. Yesssssss! That means I am now 2/3 of the way through! Only four more treatments! Yes, I'm psyched about that.

Today went well..... especially since I didn't get checked in until I had already been there for three hours. Here's what happened - when I got to the waiting room, there was no one at the desk (kinda weird cause there's usually two people there). So I put my check-in papers in the check-in basket and have a seat. Then my nurse for the day (Patty) came in and picked up my papers, commented that it was weird no one was there to check me in, and took me back for my blood draw. While she was doing that I told her that my port was kinda bothering me. It was hurting when the tubes moved - which is pretty often actually. So she checked it. There are three "points of entry". One is the main line into my chest. And two are stitches holding the port in place. The stitches are what were bothering me and they looked pretty red. She said "well, they aren't infected - but they are mad!" That made me laugh. I don't know why my stitches would be mad at me, not sure what I did. Anyway, it was decided to take out the stitches (ouch) and let that area heal. So I now have this sticky thing that has a clip to hold everything in place. Feels muuuuuuuch better. Doesn't look so great, but awe well.

Wow - did that make any sense? I'd put a picture up, but not sure anyone wants to see all that! hahaha!

What else? Well I guess on my last post I mentioned, I finally got my energy back. The 2nd week went well... much better than the first! I decided this week to go back to my old medication regimen and deal with the "jittery" side effects from the steroids instead of being knocked out for 5 days.

Recap...

• Wed 7/30 to ??? - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  
• Tues 8/5 Pedicure! and then HH Birthday Celebration with Johnny
• Wed 8/6 Hang out with Beth Roberts - a lil' bit of shopping!
  
• Thu 8/7 Movie with Darren - Incredible Hulk
• Fri 8/8 Lunch with my friend Lisa G and then - ROLLER DERBY w/Mondo, Marvin, Donna, Lisa R & Johnny! Fun!
• Sat 8/9 My brother Mario's Summer BBQ - hangin' out with the family Rocks! But getting kinda worn down by this time...
  
• Sun 8/10 Bridal Shower, BDay BBQ and then hangin' out with Yvette O
  
• Mon 8/11 Darren's first day of school! 7th Grade! - Walk at the park with Beth R and then Starbucks... mmmmm - Lunch with Yvette S - BW3s w/Lindy, Brooke, Regina & Mondo. And the crazy balloon guy.
• Tues 8/12 Walk at the park - Lunch with Fabian

PS - I died my hair black somewhere in between there...

Some pictures...

Matthew, me & Mondo

My cousin Dario & I went to PF Chang's before Comedy Works (Fri 8/1)

Jamiee & me - celebrating her brother Johnny's Bday

Johnny, getting a tan or blowing out candles. Happy Birthday!

Noticing the "good stuff" -
[x] Super Patty - She's an awesome nurse. She wasn't even supposed to do my blood draw, but she did it anyway. She's way attentive and responds to all my questions, requests and concerns.
[x] Company - My friend Linda Chisholm (from my small group) came and spent the day with me. It was awesome to catch up with her and hear about her trip to Sweden. And of course, she let me talk talk talk too. And she brought me lunch :o) Thanks Linda!
[x] Almost done - My chemo-friend Angelo was there and looked like he was doing better than last time. He only has one more treatment to go! Good for you Angelo!

My numbers -

		Range
	Actual	Low	High
WBC	9.1	3.5	11.0
HGB	12.1	12.0	16.0
HCT	35.7	34.0	47.0
Platelets	200	150.0	450.0
Neutrophils	6.0	1.5	7.5

A few pics... from the zoo

Just a few pics from the zoo trip, aka "Tommy BC's New Year's Eve Celebration" mentioned on post titled Why are my eyes leaking.

A few pics... from Chemo Session#1 and Family Dinner

Also, a few pics from chemo session #1 (probably duplicated below) but with additional photos of the family visiting for dinner afterwards.


Also, wanted to apologize on slacking off on noticing the goodstuff in blog form. Here's way to few to make up a bit...
Noticing the "good stuff" -
[x] Ice Cream & Iced Drinks
[x] Done with One!
[x] Blog comments - thank you Lori & Christina!!!
[x] Small groups at FM
[x] MY Band of Sisters
[x] Sheila - you rock!
[x] Mom, for everything
[x] anti-nausea medication
[x] The Zoo!
[x] Family dinners

Minor complications... Ouch! That hurts!

I just got home from the Franklin Medical Center where my outpatient surgery was performed. I am feeling really tired and the area of the incision and my arms hurt a bit, but other than that - doing well.

So, you know how before you go into surgery the doctor comes in and discusses the possible complications... like you have a 1% chance of the such and such puncturing your lung. Or you have a 1% chance of the blah blah blah...

"In this procedure we will create an incision just below your left collar bone. We will push a wire down the vein towards your heart. That's where we want it to be. Then we will push a catheter piece over the wire and pull the wire out. There is, however, a small chance that the wire will go toward your other arm or your neck - in which case we will need to redo the procedure."

Guess what... My wire started out where it was supposed to be. The doctor said it "tickled my heart". He knew this from an EKG? readout. Anyway, I guess at some point, it flipped around and started up towards my neck. This wasn't discovered until after an X-Ray was taken, after I had a few animal crackers and a drink of gingerale. So that meant, not only did the procedure need to be corrected, it had to be done without anesthesia. Yay!

Haha. It wasn't really that bad. They numbed the area a bit and since the incision had already been made, I just had to deal with the discomfort and pressure of the wire being taken out and reinserted. I'm not gonna lie, it hurt. But I was able to get through it just fine. The whole surgery team was sooooo nice and joked with me, which was just what I needed.

So, here I am at home, ready to pass out - but of course, not before I blog. I'm off for a nap.... sweet dreams.

Noticing the "good stuff" -
[x] Jello pudding pops
[x] My funny anesthesiologist, Dr Natalie Conrad
[x] Imperial Dragon Chinese Restaurant

And the winner is...

I heard from nurse Tracey this morning. My paperwork was submitted for participation in the Clinical Trial and I was drawn for the control group - which means I will not be receiving the additional chemo drug Cetuximab. That's the one that I mentioned in a previous blog titled "Freaked Out" cause um, I was freaked out about possible side effects...

So lets weigh the good and bad about this...

Bad

• The only bad I can think of is that should this drug end up being an effective preventative measure for recurring cancer, I will have missed out on taking it as a prevention drug (but it will still be available to treat recurring cancer, so... :o)

Good

• No rashy side effects on my face, neck and back!
• I will go in for treatment every other week instead of every week - already bringing my count of treatments down from 25 to 12!
• Being part of the control group means that I will be given the same chemo regimen that I would have received had I not signed up at all - but, since I am part of the study, one of the three drugs will be funded by the study! That is a huge financial consideration cause I'm told these drugs are pretty expensive.
• I'm still part of the study and will contribute to the findings that may affect a lot of people dealing with colon cancer in the future.

So really what I am trying to say is - I am okay with this.

Noticing the "good stuff" -
[x] Clinical Trials... a must if we're ever gonna cure cancer

Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?

Tired of me already? Haha! Too bad!

Cheers to another great day...

First, I was able to go to a lunch meeting to meet a potential candidate for the Board of Trustees of West Denver Prep. It was a very small group, but still a good meeting. I feel like I have been withdrawn from my activities on the Board and also on the Parent Council since I started this "I don't feel good" business, but I have no intentions of letting go. This school means too much to me. So hopefully I will be able to get back on track and get my head in the game again. Today was a good start.

Second, I had my pre-op appointment. I met with Theresa Capaci, PA. She is awesome! I had finished my initial intake and was sitting on the exam table waiting for her to come in. She knocked on the door and I sang "come in" and gave a big smile and "hello" as she walked in. My look must have said something like "So good to see you again" because she asked if we had met before and when I said no, she said "Wow, your so bright and happy - especially for what you are going through." And I commented, "Yeah, I think a lot of my friends think I'm crazy."

She went on to mention a guy who was recently seen on an episode of Oprah called Death and Dying. The guys name is Randy Pausch and he is suffering from pancreatic cancer - having been told by doctors he has only a few months to live. She said his philosophy on his time left (in a very small nutshell) is "Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore? Choose!" She said I looked like a Tigger. I feel like a Tigger.

Now, I don't believe for one minute I only have months to live. And the information given to me from my doctors is good enough to support I have great chances of not only living, but of being cured! The sad truth is, some people might hear the news cancer - and maybe they can't help but be Eeyore's. There was one in my chemo class in fact. She was an older lady and by herself. And every question or comment she made sounded exactly like something Eeyore would have said -

• "I already feel nauseous" (after hearing it may be a side effect of chemo and that drugs are available to combat the feeling).
• "With my luck, I will be the 1%" (of people who die from complications of a drug).

Yikes. It made me so thankful that I haven't got there - even if someday I do, thank God it's not the way I'm starting this journey!

Anyway, Theresa and I talked about my 'cute' surgeons and she even tracked down a chart with pictures so that I could point out the one I met on my first ER visit. Talking and laughing with her made me feel like I was reunited with a high school friend. She recommended a book "Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips" and just left me feeling warm and fuzzy and once again - amazed at the kindness of total strangers. I'm about fed up with co-pays I have to say - but today's was totally worth it.

About the surgery...
I thought I would be getting a local anesthesia on Thursday, but found out it's the real deal. General anesthesia will be administered to complete this surgery, so I will be out for the count. I think I'm feeling pretty good about that. I check in at 7am, surgery is scheduled for 8am and should last no more than an hour. Recovery about two hours and I should be home in the afternoon. All this to install a central line so that they don't have to poke my veins each time I go in for chemo. Praise God!

Noticing the "good stuff" -
[x] West Denver Prep
[x] nice people (who make me laugh is a perk)
[x] Tiggers for their bounce, and Eeyore's for making us thankful for Tiggers
[x] Anesthesia
[x] Blogspot! (haha! insert evil laugh here)
[x] Ms. Dai

Chemo Class...

So, I just got back from "chemo class"...

Mondo and Sheila met up with me and my mom and we grabbed a quick cup of coffee before we headed up to class. The nurse who held the class gave an introduction naming off my Oncology Team - including my doctor, nurses, pharmacist, dietitian and social worker. Then we watched a video. And then went over some information about chemotherapy in general. It seemed all very basic.

They gave us a list of symptoms to be aware of and I didn't leave before picking up a thermometer (even though I kept calling it a thermostat). I came away knowing that I have a team available to call 24/7 if I need to.

I also filled out the forms to participate in the Clinical Trial and should know within the next couple of days whether I will be in the Control Group or the Study Group. I saw a woman who was on her 10th week of receiving the same chemotherapy drugs that I would receive if I was selected to be in the Study Group. She looked pretty good to me considering the research I've done has been a little scary. Hasn't lost her hair and although her face had darker spots, she didn't have a horrible reaction.

Anh, it wasn't very exciting. But I will speak to my own nurse, about my own chemo drugs and side effects when I go in on April 30th for my first treatment.

Noticing the "good stuff" -
[x] being able to joke about it...
[x] lunch at Pete's Gyro Place...
[x] Colorado Mammoth!
[x] my new digital camera...
[x] good eyelash days (similar to good hair days, but when your eyelashes curl right and mascara goes on perfect :o)
[x] friends and family... always.