Happiness is being told, you don't need anymore Chemotherapy

                                   

Yesterday I met with my Oncologist, Dr. Tang.  After he reviewed my lab results, he said. "You are doing so well; you don't need any more chemo treatments."  That lasted about five minutes when he changed his mind.  Originally, I was scheduled for 6 rounds of chemo but technically I only completed 5 over the course of 3 months.  The very first day of treatment, if you remember was cut short because I had an allergic reaction to one of the drugs.  So, that being said I now have one more treatment in January.  I will still be getting maintenance treatments every six weeks for an indefinite time.  I can do one more chemo treatment standing on my head if I have to.  I'm so grateful to know there will be an end to the effects of chemo. 

I know it's a small thing but on the last day I will get to ring the brass bell that hangs on the wall in the infusion center.  And, best of all I will get to thank all the staff and nurses for being so kind and professional.  I absolutely know how fortunate I am to have done so well.  Not everyone has the same results as me.  My late husband, John had cancer and suffered through chemo and radiation simultaneously.  At the end of his treatment there was no improvement in his tumor and the end result was he passed away.  Also, I lost my son, Bob to cancer just 2 years ago.  I've been given a gift and I know it.  You may not believe in the power of prayer and that's O.K., but I do.  God has answered so many of my prayers over the years that I absolutely have faith in him. 

I will most likely post again after my last treatment and hopefully I can share a picture of me ringing that wonderful brass bell. Till then, stay well 💖💖

Walking a rough road

                                    

It's been a rough three weeks.  The extremely strong chemo drugs have wreaked havoc with my body.  The drugs can't pinpoint just the cancer cells.   Which  means some good things get wreaked.  This past week I had to make a trip to my primary Doc to get checked out because I was feeling so bad.  He was very thorough and ordered blood work, which showed a significant increase in my hypothyroidism.  Changing my thyroid medication should correct this new situation.  It seems like everyday something new pops up but I just have to roll with it.  I know there is light at the end of the tunnel.  The journey getting there can be rough.

Getting to the finish line

                                                                                   

        My last treatment was on Nov. 27th, according to my Oncologist I have either one more or two more treatments and then I will go into maintenance.  I won't tell you it has been easy because it hasn't been.  After this last round of chemo, I have been unable to function like I would like to.  The reason being my team decided to increase the dosage of chemo drugs and switch to every three weeks instead of every week.  I met with my Oncologist yesterday and he suggested we lower the dosage a little and see if that helps with my extreme fatigue.  My next round of chemo is scheduled for Dec. 18th.  It could be the last one or depending on some test results it could extend to January.  Whatever it is I am very thankful that I've gotten this far with minimal discomfort. 

      I want to thank my team for all the support you've given me.  My family has been here for me every step of the way.  Tracy, Denis and Don have gone above and beyond taking such good care of me.  Tom and Nancy have been encouraging as well.  And then there are my friends who have also been there for me.  I have even had complete strangers reach out to pray for me and wish me well.  I am one very lucky lady to have so many blessings, I know God is a huge part of it. This year Christmas may not be like years past, not as many cookies baked, not as much shopping done, and maybe not our usual Christmas dinner but it doesn't really matter.  There's always next year God willing. 💖

Turning a corner - week Nine

 

This was a hard week for me, bouncing back after treatment took longer.  This week was only the second time I went for chemo without Tracy.  My son-in-law, Denis came down with a nasty cold and passed it on to Tracy.  I'm happy to say they are both back in top form.  It was also the first time they missed an appointment with my Oncologist, Dr. Tang.  That was on Thursday.  We discussed my course of treatment going forward.  We decided that I would switch from chemo every week to every three weeks.  It will be a stronger dose.  But, it will give me a little break in between treatments.  While there, I was able to give Dr. Tang's nurse a blood draw from my arm.  This has been a problem so having it succeed was a plus.  It meant I didn't have to go to the Infusion Center and have it drawn from my port.  Why am I telling you all this detail?  I'm happy to say it will all make sense in a minute. 

Jump ahead to Friday night.  I was watching a Hallmark Christmas movie when my phone alerted me to a text message.  All of my appointments, test results and after office visit notes are organized on an app called MY CHART.  The alert was for my lab report from Thursday.  Back when I started treatment in September I had a CA-125 of 109.  This is the marker used to determine the presence of the Cancer antibodies in your blood.  One month after treatment my number had dropped to 69.  Dr. Tang was very happy with that result.  Now back to last night, when I opened the results of my blood work, I was surprised to see that my CA-125 has dropped to 31.  Since 38 is normal for women, 31 is awesome.  I'm afraid to get too excited but Denis said I can, because it's fantastic news.   I am beyond grateful for getting to this point in my journey.  I won't deny it has been the hardest thing I've ever done.  I couldn't have done it without the support of my family and friends.  I will truly have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Where do we go from here?  I'm not really sure because Dr. Tang hasn't seen the test results yet.  He usually reviews them on Monday morning before my chemo treatment.  I'm guessing my nurse on Monday will call him and a decision will be made then, how to proceed. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that maybe I won't have to get a stronger dose of chemo.  Keep me in your prayers, it's working!!  💖

Week Eight

                                                                            

Good morning everyone, yesterday I completed my eighth Chemo treatment.  I am pleased with how good I have been feeling.  The only thing I can complain about would be the length of time it takes at the Infusion Center.  There are many factors that contribute to a longer day.  The first hurdle to get through is your Oncologist has to review your lab report from your last blood work.  If anything is concerning, he or she will advise the nurse assigned to you on chemo day weather to proceed or not.  Once she is given the go ahead to proceed, then the order is sent to the pharmacy to prepare your medications.  This can be another hold up if they are extremely busy.  Also, I have to add that if there is a weight change the pharmacy has to adjust your dosage.  Once all that is done, your nurse can then proceed with treatment.  Please always ask what medications you are being given.  Most of the Nurses are good about explaining each step to you.  Never assume, always ask; especially if you are concerned about anything.  As I mentioned back on week three, I wasn't given any pre-meds before I was given the chemo meds.  I was very sick that week because of someone's mistake.

At this point in my treatment, My Oncologist has given me the option to switch from treatment every week to once every three weeks.  After consideration and discussion with my family, I have decided to switch and see how it goes.  It could mean an increase in side effects.  I won't know until I try, and I can always go back to every week.   This new schedule won't start until Nov. 20th, I will post how it goes.

The only other thing I did this week was, visit the Liz Inspiration Boutique.  This is a wonderful program offered to Cancer Patients who lose their hair.  I was shown an assortment of wigs at no cost to me.  The women who run this service are very knowledgeable and helped me pick a perfect wig.  They receive these wigs through donations, so if you are looking for some way to help Cancer patients, please consider donating. Their number is 732-232-3110.

Till next time, take care of yourself! 💓🟦

Feeling Vulnerable but brave

                     

Before

                                             

                                                                                    After

I had hoped this day would never come but no such luck! Over this past weekend, my hair began to fall out, slowly at first and then by Sunday morning it was driving me crazy.  The only solution was shave it all off.  I always considered my hair my best feature.  As you can guess making the decision to go bald was traumatic. I cried and cried some more. Good news was my son has experience with clippers.  He keeps his own hair short, so he knew how to do it.  The other good news was I had ordered a wig, anticipating the inevitable. You can see the wig below at the end of this blog.

So why am I posting this and putting myself out there.  When I started this blog, my main reason was maybe I could help someone else going through this journey.  The other reason was because my Son-in-law fights this battle every day.  It's his line of work, Cancer research.  I can't even tell you how invaluable it is to have him in my corner.  He goes to all my doctor appointments with me and my daughter, Tracy.  Doing a blog was his suggestion.  Tracy also goes with me to all my chemo treatments every Monday.  This isn't the normal procedure, but I have a hearing disability. We obtained special permission for her to be with me during treatment.  The infusion nurses are mostly ok with this arrangement. There have been one or two who give her a hard time about being "in the way" but she's a warrior and usually puts them in their place pretty quick. This is vitally important; you have to stick up for yourself especially if something doesn't feel right at any time. 

Let's get back to the hair subject.  My advice is "be prepared ahead of time".  There's a very good company called Paula Young Wigs.  Their wigs are good quality and affordable.  There are hundreds of choices and colors to choose from.  It took about a week and a half to receive my order.  The total cost of the one I chose was just over $60.00.  

RWJ/Barnabus also has a program called "Liz Inspiration Boutique" their number is 732-232-3110.  The first day in the infusion center, I was visited by Jane the Nurse Navigator.  She gave me this information.  The only drawback is, you have to wait until your hair is gone before you can get measured for a wig from them.  Apparently, the cost is covered by Medicare.  But don't quote me on that because I haven't called them yet to find out what it's all about.

I've now had six chemo treatments and for the most part, I feel really good.  Some of the things I've noticed, some foods taste different and not as good as before.  I don't get nauseous, but I do get heart burn.  Omeprazole or Tums usually helps. I also have noticed that the day of chemo, I have a lot of energy that evening.  That's due to the pre-meds I'm given to keep the nasty side effects from happening.  One of them is a steroid. After it wears off, I find I get tired more.  Luckily, I sleep very well.  I guess that's enough information for now so here is the much-anticipated last photo of beautiful me:

                     

                     Wig

💞

Week 4

 

I know I'm late posting this week.  Thankfully, it's because it was a pretty good week.  I didn't have very many side effects from the treatment.  Just some minor stomach rumblings.  I did experience some fatigue on Friday, but I think I did too much.  Since I don't have much to report this week, I'm thinking maybe I will only post once a month.  Unless, of course, I have something to report.  As long as things keep going smoothly, I can't complain.  I still have all my hair as well, yeah! 😁

I'll post again in a few weeks or sooner if anything changes.  Thank you for following my journey, I hope it's helping someone traveling this journey with me.  💘

Week three

Monday 9:30 arrived at infusion center for third chemo treatment.  Things got off to a slow start because I had to have blood drawn before treatment.  I sat around in the not so comfy recliner for two hours before treatment actually started.  Once the first bag was hung on the IV pole it took 30 minutes to run.  There's a little down time in-between each bag.  Last bag also took 30 minutes to run.  Then it takes a few minutes to disconnect from the IV.  I was free to go home. 

My Son Don picked me up and we were home by 1:30.  Somewhere around 3:00 I was hit with excruciating stomach pain.  I won't go into detail but let's just say once a trip to the rest room was over, I felt better.  I tried to drink lots of water and I had a little bit of soup at dinner.  I was feeling pretty good except for being tired.  I went to bed around 10:00.  I woke up off and on thru the night feeling mildly nauseous.  By 4:00 am I was throwing up.  My mistake was not taking the anti-nausea pill.  My excuse was, I was too sick to walk to the kitchen to get it.  I know, dumb reason.  Going forward each week I now know to not wait but take the medicine before it's an issue.  

Tuesday, the day after chemo.  I was so wiped out all day, all I wanted to do was sleep.  I was sick again in the afternoon after eating some leftover soup.  Finally, after the last bout I started to feel better.  I kept thinking to myself, I have to eat something, but what?  I asked google what foods settle an upset stomach.  I made some white rice that I boiled in chicken broth and ate that.  Then I ate a cup of applesauce and a few ginger snaps.  I also drank a cup of mint tea.  All things google recommended.  Good old google to the rescue!   

So, some lessons learned; take the anti-nausea pill before you feel bad.  Could I have eliminated the stomach upset?  I guess I'll know next week. Drink as much water as you can, it helps to flush out the chemo drugs.  I still have all my hair, I'm not sure when that will start falling out.  I have to tell you also, the nurses that work in the infusion center are angels sent from above.  They work so hard and have many patients to care for.  They are constantly moving and doing something for each patient.  They are always asking if you need anything, a warm blanket (there's a blanket warmer in the center) something to drink or a snack.  I only wish they had bottled water but all they offer is juice or ginger ale.  Did I tell you they offer sandwiches too?  Each day at 11:00 am they come around with sandwiches and drinks.  The sandwiches are always fresh and really good.

To sum up my third treatment, it could have gone better.  Most of the reason for that was because of me and my choices.  Now I know better.  As I take this journey I'll be learning things as I go and hopefully I'm also helping others who may be taking the journey along with me.  It's hard to open yourself up for all the world to see but if it helps someone else it's worth the embarrassment.  Till next week 💘

My fight against the big C

It's been a year since I've posted anything here.  I guess I didn't have anything to say.  Well all that has changed for me.  I'm fighting for a longer life right now.  Yes, the big C, Cancer has caught up with me.   

My story starts back in 2021 during our year of lock down due to Covid.  I went to my primary Doctor for a normal check up as I do every 3 months.  I'm type two diabetic, therefore my blood work gets checked on that schedule.  While there I told my Physician's Assistant I was concerned by some vaginal bleeding,  a concern when you're post-menopausal.  She suggested I make an appointment with a genecologist.  From this point I'm going to outline the time frame for you:

February 2021 - Saw a genecologist.

March 2021 -  had an ultrasound

April 2021 - I went back to genecologist for results and consultation.  Her recommendation was to have a biopsy.  I was told I would get a call to set up an appointment at the hospital.    

This is where things went wrong, I never got a call from anyone.  Also at this time (May 2021) I found out that my son Bob was diagnosed with cancer.  The next months were some of the worst of my life.  He passed away in September and I was devastated.   As you might imagine, I wasn't thinking about me and my health.  In other words, I blew it off.  I had plenty of excuses, must be covid related reason for hospital not calling was the one I used the most.

Jump forward to 2022 -  Another appointment with my primary.  He asked me about my original concerns regarding my  gynecological problems.  I told him I never got a call from anyone and I wasn't too thrilled with the Doctor I saw anyway.  He recommended another Doctor and urged me to make an appointment.  I did because now my discomfort has increased to add pain to the mix.

April 2023 -  First appointment with Dr. Sutherland.  His recommendation was a biopsy.  I agreed to have it done at Community.

June 28, 2023 -  Checked into Same day surgery and had the biopsy done.   

July 5, 2023 -  appointment with Dr. Sutherland for results.  Biopsy is positive for Cancer.  Referred me to Dr. Hackett for further treatment.

July 13, 2023 -  First appointment with Surgeon, Dr. Hackett.  He recommended complete hysterectomy.  

July 26, 2023-  Went to Community for pre op testing. 

August 8, 2023 - Checked into Hospital for surgery.  Things didn't go as planned.  My surgery was more complicated,  Dr. Hackett couldn't do the laparoscopic/robotic procedure.  My hystorectomy was done the old fashioded way.  My stay in the hospital was 4 days.  

August 16, 2023 -  Follow up appointment with Dr. Hackett.  My prognosis was not good.  My cancer has spread outside the uterus.  Dr. Hackett referred me to and Oncologist, Dr. Tang.  

 August 24, 2023 - First appointment with Dr. Tang.  I liked him right away because he didn't hold back on the reality of what I'm up against.  There's no cure but my condition is treatable to extend what time I have left.

  Sept. 8, 2023 -  Appt. at Community Outpatient dept. to have port implanted.  This is for easier administration of Chemo drugs.  The actual procedure took about an hour.  It was uncomfortable but I was mildly sedated and alert.

Sept. 11, 2023 -  Back to Community Outpatient dept. for a CT Scan.  This was to establish a base line for future scans.  Hopefully future scans will show improvement after receiving chemo.

Sept. 18, 2023 - First day of Chemo treatment.  Reported to Infusion Center at 8:00.  The center is very well run and everything was going smoothly.  Around 1:00 pm I had an allergic reaction to one of the drugs.  The staff were incredible and reacted immediately.  Treatment was cancelled and I was transported to the ER.  I was checked out there and it was determined it was indeed a reaction to the drug.

Sept. 25, 2023 -  Reported to Infusion Center to start again.  Everything went well this time.  A replacement was ordered  and I received my full chemo treatment.  I will be going every Monday for how ever long it takes to receive treatment.

This brings me up to date on my timeline.  So far I haven't had any side effects from my first chemo treatment.  Keeping my figures crossed to keep it that way.

I know this has been long, but hopefully even if it helps only one person going through something like me, it will be worth it.  

If I can give one good piece of advice it's this, Don't be afraid to seek treatment for anything abnormal with your health.  Your life could depend on it.

I will try my best to update my blog at least once a week.