You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'chemotherapy' category.
yesterday, nuggetdaddy and i dropped nugget off at grandad & grandmamie’s and then made the trek up to loudoun hospital where i was admitted and started my first day of eshap chemotherapy. i’ll be here at least until friday. my oncologist said he plans to keep me until he feels i’m well enough to go home.
nugget and nuggetdaddy will come up on wednesday or thursday and stay with friends in lansdowne until i’m ready to leave.
nugget is already missing her mama. she loved the video email, but cried for me tonight when we skyped. i had to call back after she got into her pajamas and sing her winnie-the-pooh songs while she jumped on the bed.
the nurses are great so far. the pharmacist = FAIL. it took foreverrrrrr to get my pain meds, and frankly they’re no better than what i take at home. one likes to imagine that at least while in the hospital, pain might be better managed. ahem.
moving on… it’s late and normal people are sleeping. the steroids coursing through my veins say to me, “hey, let’s party!” i think i’m going to turn on the tv and take some ativan shortly to see if i can trick my body into sleeping.
good night, all. we’re only $74 from goal #2! i really hope we can meet (& surpass) it while i’m in for this first dose of chemo!
. . . . . . . . . . .
in response to reaching the $3600 goal:
YEAH!!! you guys (and ladies) rock! i am SO touched by your genorosity. i hope you’ll continue to spread the word. feel free to pass along this link: http://bitsofmyself.com/help-me-make-a-stand/ it will give interested readers a taste of my blog and show them exactly how they can doante directly to my team.
want to search for my star in the constellation? check it out & pass it along! go to: http://www.standup2cancer.org/constellation-launch?op=search
. . . . . . . . . . .
i’m deep into day two now. feeling nauseated and in pain at times. a wicked headache sprung up on me. my face is a lovely shade of red from the chemo. it happened last time, too.
i didn’t get much sleep last night (but that’s a story for another day’s post) so i’m going to try for a nap now. wish me luck, since it’s shift switch time, and nothing good ever happens then.
there’s been much discussion over the arrival of my pain meds. i’ve been asking for them since 3pm. it’s now 10:07pm. i’m in pain, and now super irritated. grrr…
yesterday afternoon, nugget and i picked wild blackberries in the backyard and counted the first of our bloody butcher tomatoes in the garden. this memory alone could get me through chemo.
today, we met with the transplant oncologist at george washington university hospital cancer center in dc. the plan is for me to start chemo (eshap) on monday at loudoun hospital with my original oncologist and then go to george washington for the stem cell harvest & transplant.
unlike my last chemo (abvd), this one is administered in-patient over the course of 5 days. hopefully 2-4 cycles will put me in remission. each cycle will take 4 weeks.
once i’m in remission i’ll go back to dc for the stem cell harvest and transplant. i will spend 2-3 weeks in-patient at george washington. this will likely not happen until after my sister’s wedding in november.
my standup2cancer team has already raised $2,730. we’re even listed in the “top 50″ teams now! this fundraising effort is so very important to me in a time when i feel most helpless. please continue to help my family and me as we once again fight this horrible disease.
nugget is in no mood for me to be blogging, so away i go. goodnight, friends.
tomorrow, i’m having a ct scan with contrast, which means (lucky me!) i get to chug two nasty bottles of “banana smoothie” readi-cat barium. barf.
friday, i’m having a biopsy; more specifically, an endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration of mediastinal adenopathy. what a treat.
sunday, we’ll celebrate father’s day with my parents and grandparents with a barbecue at our house. that night my friend arrives from georgia.
monday, i’ll make a quick and early jaunt to the hospital for another pulmonary function test and muga scan. these are just pre-chemo baselines. then more friends should arrive. at least there are some bright spots to this weekend.
right now, i’m waiting for lots of doctors to call me back. i don’t like the oncologist we met with yesterday. i’d rather use my oncologist in northern virginia. i love him and his staff.
i still need to be sent to a national cancer center for evaluation. yesterday’s oncologist seemed rather ho-hum about that idea and looked at us as if we were asking for a first class trip to china.
thankfully my mother has been here daily, keeping things in line, cleaning, cooking and reminding me when nugget’s ready for a nap. that would be now, and so am i.
i still have to review the results with my oncogist, but my other doctors are pleased with my scan results. new pulmonologist said it was even better than the previous scan.
i’ll be calling my oncologist in the morning to make sure he has the report and to schedule a follow up.
met the new pulmo and gp today. pulmo is lowering my prednisone, yeah! said my lungs sounded great and looked good on the pet. new gp is very thorough and left my brain swimming. both are very nice, though!
tomorrow is the day of my, as my friends and i like say, “come to jesus” meeting with my oncologist. nugget and i will be making the trek up to nova and then are spending the night with friends.
i have no idea what the outcome will be from this appointment. maybe i’m done with chemo. maybe not. maybe i’m getting radiation. maybe not. i guess we’ll all find out tomorrow. i’ll be sure to post a quick update from my crackberry once tomorrow evening.
wish me luck. pray for me. chant. do it all, i need whatever i help can get.
SocialVibe