Long, mostly uneventful week. Shots every day, and praise the Lord, no side effects!! I even FORGOT which arm they used last time, several times! How about that. And I hate shots. Sadly, I think that was one of the week's highlights.
Next goal, to get through a weekend, without speaking to my oncologist. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he's a nice guy to chat with, but I'd like to go a weekend without having to call him. Between you and me, he's hung up on this "you might be getting an infection" thing. I don't like his answer either. It's usually something to the effect of, when your temp/blood pressure/pulse gets to X point, don't call, just come to the hospital so we can give you some IV antibiotics. Now does that sound like fun? um, no. So far I've been able to avoid it. Keep praying on that one.
Right now, my immune system is at it's nadir point. Anyone know what that means? It means that I'm sitting here with only a few white blood cells to keep me company, and I better not let anyone cough on me. I went to the grocery store the other day, armed with my hand santitizer, and almost panicked when I couldn't find those sanitizing wipe things that are at the door of every market! I realized later that the man making the ice delivery had blocked them. Good thing I had my hand sanitizer with me. Of course, the child I took with me told me I was acting like a freak, but hey, better a little freaky at home, than non-freaky in the hospital right?
This week I have my cancer "beauty class". Bet you wish you could go. Actually, I'm looking forward to hopefully getting a little bit of pampering, and maybe some scarf tying tips. The nurse practitioner promised my hair would fall out at day 10 past chemo, and today is day 9. So far so good. My "drug info" sheet for the chemo says hair loss is from 3-6 weeks past 1st dose. So I guess it's just the excitement of waiting, from here on out. Just hoping I can find some cute hats, and maybe some pretty earrings. I went out this week, but the hats I liked, I was told I looked like an American Girl Doll. Hmmmm, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. Still looking for cute earrings that don't make my ears turn red and itch :( ugh.
The other bit of excitement in talking to my oncologist, was the latest side effect from the chemo. Apparently I have "mucositis" or something like that. The lining of my digestive tract is swollen from the medicines, making it hard to swallow. Add another pill to the pile :) For someone who rarely took a tylenol for a headache, I've come a long way---I guess.
Thanks for your continued prayers for me and for my family. We have been SO very blessed by expressions of love through food, phone calls and notes of encouragement.
3 comments:
Thanks for the update Nancy...BTW, excellent use of new vocabulary in your post :-) Tip on earrings... try getting the ones they use to pierce ears... those are the only ones Claire can wear. Can't guarantee you will think they are cute, tho.
Hi Nancy,
This is Paul, Veronica's husband. I have to say that she was really upset when she heard that you had been diagnosed. This was the second time within a year that someone close to her has been diagnosed with cancer. On July 21 she stood by my side, stronger than I will ever be, and heard the doctor's words. My heart and prayers go out to those by your side. You will see in the coming days that they will be your rock. You and I have been invited to a party we didn't want to be invited to. My oncologist told me that I will go thru a year of hell so he can give me 50 more years with my family. That is what became my will and my strength to fight. I hope I'm not being a downer. You have a great upbeat blog going. I barely learned how to cut and paste. I wasn't savvy enough to create a blog. But I did (and still do) write, it is a great outlet. I still research and look online for cancer topics. If you get a chance go to www.gerson.org, there are some interesting alternatives or ways to help you thru your treatment. Fight on Nancy, we are soldiers on the same battlefield. My mom was a survivor also. Good luck and let's get together soon and enjoy some pizza, MY FAVORITE!!!!
Paul I'm so sorry to hear about your diagnosis!! Thanks for letting me know. I'll be keeping your family in my prayers.
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