April 17, 2009
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Still Standing
I'm still standing this morning. On my feet AND on HIS Word!!!
Chemo was okay yesterday. I felt like I had 7-up fizzy stuff for blood after I arrived home. I laid in bed for a while listening to music and realized the chemo might not be the only reason I was feeling fizzy (or shaky) inside. I had undergone anesthesia drugs, surgery to place that POCKET WATCH SIZE (only a slight exaggeration in size!!!) in my chest after a failed first attempt, AND my body had just received cell killing drugs - all within 24 hours. I guess that's reason, enough, for a physical body to feel shaky and . . . well . . . just plain weird.
After a few hours resting, I was ready for dinner and took leery and cautious bites of my food. No ill effects, although I chose to push the onions aside.
If you are faint of heart, scroll past these next pictures of my "chest and neck wounds" - blurry and untouched but how I look today in one of my beautiful new nightgowns with bruises and stitches abounding across my clavicle & neck areas.
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The crescent sutures and lump is my port. Although everything from there, up to the nick on my neck, is swollen, the size of the port is clearly NOT the size on a small coin (not even a quarter). I took a pain pill last night at Jesse's insistence. He wanted me to sleep well. AND, I DID wake up once to use the restroom, thinking my upper chest ribs felt sore. Then I realized it was the port area that was aching. Not enough to take another pain pill and I did go back to sleep and slept until 6:30 this morning.=================================
OKAY - everyone can look again!
I still have lots of pictures to share, but I'll punctuate my pictures with yesterday's chemo experience.We arrived at the 10am appointed time and I was handed a calendar for the rest of April and what appointments they have set for me. I glanced at April 16th's schedule (yesterday) and GACK!!! they had me scheduled for FIVE HOURS OF CHEMOTHERAPY!!! Mind you I had eaten a banana & a handful of cashews for breakfast, had NO food with me (they offer crackers & juice, but that does little for one with low blood sugar problems), I had nothing with me to read, no music to listen to (I CAN bring my boombox and headphones next time), and I currently have my "monthly" and came with what I was wearing and nothing more. Talk about unprepared! Somehow I had in my head (but you know how my head is these days!!!) that chemo took about an hour. Well, technically it does, but that doesn't included the other things like hooking me up to the IV, hooking up the anti-nausea bag (30 minutes of solution), pushing some other drug through me (20 minutes) that makes your urine red, and yet another bag of the once a month bone rejuvenation medicine (another 30 minutes). In all, I waited an hour to be seated and then a little over 3 hours for all of those bags I mentioned. We were gone by 2pm - 4 hours after I arrived.
Stephanie with her JanaLyn and Nikki's Jaiden (the cousins).I had a WONDERFUL chemo assistant and was blessed to be seated in a chair away from everyone else, which afforded me some privacy. I requested a Bible over the magazines they offered and that was my reading material (not a bad choice!). I told Jesse to go ahead and leave and I'd call when I was almost ready to leave. As the chemo assistant (Pam) pushed the 3 vials of "red stuff," I was instructed to chew on ice the whole time to avoid mouth sores. The coldness is helpful in keeping mouth sores from forming. I "haphazardly" turned to PS 103 (Bless the Lord oh my soul . . .) and came to and stopped at, verse 5: "Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things" THANK YOU GOD!!!! I meditated on those words while I sucked on my ice chips.
A much needed break with Leapster games in hand!!!!
Sometimes you just gotta do whatcha gotta do!
(Jaiden, Rissy, and JoAnn)Upon being disconnected from all of the IV's and my needle and tubes that had been left in after surgery, I was told to drink LOTS of water to flush out the chemicals and to expect my urine to remain red for a few days. I came home and drank 3 quarts of water before going to bed and my urine is clear today. I guess they don't anticipate people following their instructions implicitly. I am a stickler for rules and believe rules are in place for a reason and try, my best, to follow them. I need to drink 1/2 a gallon of water daily, and my medicines make me thirsty (they loaded me up with 4 new RX's), so I don't think drinking will be an issue.
Sister-in-law, Angie, comforting daughter, Kathleen, who didn't want to leave our home.The girls have their therapy appointment today and I will go with them and have my "build your white blood cells back up" injection while we are on that side of town. They say they can give it in the abdomen or arm and, since I'm a side sleeper, I'm going to brave the abdomen stick. JoAnn said she has received injections there and they aren't as bad as they sound. PLUS, Pam told me the needle was a very small one. Surely, with all of my excess abdomen, she can pull a pound of flesh, pinch it, and give the injection with me being harmed by a mortal wound!
Annamarie, Jaiden, Luci, & Rissy with various stages of toothlessness!
I can't think of much more to tell about surgery or yesterday's chemo experience. I'm healing. I'm not hurting as much as I anticipated (I usually have worse expectations and am pleasantly surprised by my imaginings not coming to pass) and I feel no nausea . . . not yet. I was advised to take the nausea pills as directed and not wait for the nausea. But, Pam said I should take the medication at the "first sign" of nausea. Hummm . . . who do I listen to? One who has undergone chemo (friend, Ellen) or Pam who only "administers" the medication????? I'm leaning toward taking it BEFORE nausea sets in. The anti-nausea bag they first hung is supposed to be good for 72 hours and Pam *did* reiterate she was giving me some really hefty, strong drugs. Ellen - your advice is sounding pretty good and better all the time!!!JanaLyn calls the girls her sissies (since she is an only child) and Jaiden called them her sisters (another only child). Once Jaiden and JanaLyn realized they "spoke the same language" they were the best of buddies!
Cousins, Jaiden and JanaLyn.I hesitate, again, to post a "Today's To Do List" as I certainly hadn't anticipated yesterday's events in any way, shape, or form. Talk about letting go - ME, the micro-manager and control freak! What a different world I'm learning to live in and adapt!
Chirper's loving my "down time" and has stuck close to my side, as I suspected he would do. What a sweet little friend to have - always ready to kiss and give me smiley eyes with his purrs of comfort!
Some Things I'd LIKE To Do Today:
* Change the sheets on our big bed
* Wash the sheetsSurely, with help, that's doable . . .
Be Blessed ~
Comments (15)
I like how you changed your list to what you'd LIKE to do. You're a typical mom - go, go, go - and an awesome one, I can see by the pictures and how your family is all working together. I always hated when people would say to me, "Don't worry, it'll all get done," and I thought yeah, by ME!! It's not true though, what needs to get done will get done. I so wish that I could come help out. I'm in St. Louis if you want to come up here and rest.
Take care of you.
Glad things went well yesterday! Now that you know more what to expect, I'm sure it'll be easier to plan for! (((HUGS)))
Praying you continue to feel "good" today. That's so wonderful that the Bible was your reading material yesterday. Much love, Jill
Oh my Cherylyn, I was praying for you last night and read Psalm 103 -- this morning, I wrote the opening verses as my Facebook status! Thinking of you -- do enjoy your day, get your rest, and know you're in His hands
Glad things went ok even though you weren't prepared for that long. Hoping you can rest and won't get too naseaus.
Love,Tina
Cherlyn, thanks for your sweet comment. I really appreciated it. It's fine if you don't always get comments left--I know I don't either, but I always care! Sounds like we have a LOT in common (including the C/S) and maybe that's why we feel such a connection even though we've never met! God bless you--your sweet spirit is such an inspiration to me--you are one classy lady under fire! Keep us posted as you can. . . .
I'm sorry, I wish I'd have thought to warn you about how long chemo actually takes! My center had individual TV's for everyone, and I always brought a book and my MP3 player. Plus a HUGE glass of tea or soda. And I always ate lunch before chemo. (hence my inability to eat at Olive Garden or McAlisters now!
)
My chemo techs always told me to take the anti-nausea meds regularly for the first 4-5 days, starting the very next morning after chemo, whether or not I felt sick. I didn't one time, and I really felt it. What exactly are your chemo drugs? Mine were Adriamycin (the one they call the Red Devil), and Cytoxan. I can't remember exactly what it is that makes your urine red, but I had that too, and mine never was really RED. More of a pale pink that lasted less than 24 hours.
Your port incision looks just like mine. Mine is only a little larger than a quarter, and really doesn't bother me all that much, unless Mister Chaser (my 2 year old nephew) pushes on me too hard when he's huggin' me! LOL I'm glad your pain in not as drastic as you expected. Mine wasn't either, and I was even AWAKE for the surgery to put it in, just "relaxed" with some kind of drug. LOL
Continuing to pray.
Love ya!
@momi26kdz -
Yesterday I had Aloxi for nausea (good for 72 hours - THEY SAY), Adriamycin, Cytoxan, Zometa (once a month to grow new bone), and today I had Neulasta for white cell rebuild. Sounds like we have similar plans.
I was given Percoset at the hospital for post surgery pain and another prescription yesterday for the bone pain the Neulasta causes for a few days. The pharmacy wouldn't fill the second Percoset RX because I just had one given the day before. I took an extra strength Tylenol when I got the injection today and she said to take it again. If it didn't control the bone pain, take the Percoset. I have Compazine to take WHEN the nausea first starts and Reglan for reflux, which is taken 30 minutes or so before eating. Also something twice a day for a few days after the treatments - I'm thinking it's a steroid but I don't have it close by to give you the name.
Man, I never thought I'd be comparing drugs with anyone! This is a whole different world for me! Thanks for everything, Ellen. You've been a real help - you truly have!
Peace to you....
@cherylyn_p -
I wound up being allergic to the Compazine.....it messed with my vision in the worst way. So watch for that. The Reglan did wonders for me. I had Aloxi and Decadron. I didn't have to have the Zometa or Neulasta, so I won't be any help there.
I'm glad they gave you Percoset. They gave me Darvocet post-surgery and they may as well have given me sugar pills, for all the good the Darvocet did.
Continuing to pray. You know you can ask me anything!
{{{hugs}}}
They gave me a Compazine prescription, too, 'in case of nausea'. I got it filled but never even took one of them--didn't have a problem with that, for some reason. Your port area looks like mine, too. They gave my injections in the arm of the Neulasta. I don't remember having too much trouble with it, but it did hurt getting it! Hope you continue on not having too severe side effects. One thing I did have a 'problem' with was food not tasting right for about a week after my treatments. I really developed a love for spicier foods during the time I was getting treatments.
Praying for you. You didn't need a mastectomy, did you? Glad you are doing ok. The treatment should work. I've never heard of it not working. Mary.
@mrsgrovine -
No, Mary, I DO need a mastectomy. They are trying to shrink the cancer in my back bone and lymph node/s. The plan changes all the time and the "newest" plan, according to the surgeon, is to have 4 rounds of chemo, an MRI to see if tumors have shrunk, then double mastectomy. Then, 4 more rounds of chemno.
Don't go to the bank on that!!! I was feeling like I wasn't listening because I remained confused after talking with the two doctors each time. Seems they are winging it and I have to let go of planning anything NOW to help my family's care later. We just don't know *what* will happen *when* and I DO so covet all prayers. Thank you!
@momi26kdz -
Haven't used the Compazine yet. I'm exhausted from spending the day at Stephanie's. I slept for almost 2 hours and then we rented and watched "Fireproof" (excellent), but sitting on the sofa for so long made me weary.
They wanted to give me Loratab (sp?) but I don't do well with that. Percoset makes me feel like things are tickling me while I sleep, but not like a drug allergy itch. I just find myself brushing imaginary hairs or "things" all night away from my face, etc.!
@cherylyn_p - I definitely will be praying.
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