Category: Cancer Update

18 November 2023

Again, yesterday was a rough day. I did manage to clean the pool filter and the pool deck and patio deck as my per usual Friday morning chores but it wiped me out.

Joel showed up at the house a little after 1 pm and we waited until about 1:15 to head to the cancer center. After he dropped me off, it was a little after 2:20 they took me back for the infusion. It wasn’t busy but my nurse Pat (hurray!) had four or more patients. I don’t know if she asks for me or what but I’ve consistently had her as my nurse for the last 4 visits and I’m not complaining.

I told her about the communications between Dr. Jellinger and Dr. Velez and that she might see an order for a steroid. She didn’t but did the connection to the port, and collected blood for testing.

My blood test came back better than I expected. My white blood cell count was back to normal and was dead center of the range for normal. That relieved me of the idea of an infection. Pat immediately started the saline and magnesium (yes, I was low again) and went off to check on her other patients.

Later, I texted Dr. Jellinger about my morning dose of prednisone. He asked if Dr. Velez had prescribed any steroids. When Pat came back around, I asked and she confirmed that he suggested 50 mg. By that time, Dr. Jellinger said if I wasn’t to get an IV of steroids, to simply take 5 more mg when I got home and take 10 tomorrow. Pat and I discussed it and she said with 50 mg I wouldn’t sleep a wink tonight. We decided top follow Jellinger’s lead on the issue.

I didn’t think I was going to get out before 5 pm and texted Keith that. However, Pat started fast pumping the saline into me and I was done a little after 4:30. As I got up out of the chair I stumbled and Pat came rushing over. It’s the neuropathy in my feet. I’m clumsy. She gave me a hug and promised things would get better. Just as I was leaving, someone rang the bell to signify they were through their cancer treatment.

I have to admit, I felt pretty good after the hydration. I’m not sure if it was the hydration or if that extra dose of prednisone Jellinger told me to take kicked in. I’ll take either one. My next treatment is on November 28th and it will be a Herceptin treatment.

I texted Keith I was ready and headed outside. Keith pulled up to the entrance a little after I got there. He then took me to Walgreens to pick up the new prescription of the 5 mg tablets of prednisone and drove me home. I let him and Joel have a few of the Cuban sandwiches and then I had two more for dinner.

On my doorstep was a container of chicken soup from Chris and Judith. According to Chris, the soup consists of 5 hours boiling chicken necks, chicken bouillon, bay leaves, a little tumeric & ginger powder, herbs of provence, salt, pepper, minute drizzle of pomegranate & molasses, onion, garlic, leek, potato, turnip, carrot, celery, courgette, mushroom, small bottle Fat Tire Ale, water.

Believe me, it’s delicious. Just what Dr. Jellinger ordered. I really liked how he cut the potatoes in quarters and had fat slices of mushrooms. This is the second time I’ve had this soup and love it.

Today I’ll attempt to change linen on the bed, wash clothes and clean house. There’s always extra stuff to do to prepare for Thanksgiving and Wade’s arrival. I’ll take it a little at a time and rest a lot between tasks. I don’t feel great this morning but thankfully I don’t feel as badly as I did yesterday morning.

Stay tuned!

11 November 2023

It’s not been a good day. I can’t tell whether it is due to lingering effects of Taxol or new effects of Herceptin. Fatigue is the most common complain with Herceptin and I have that in spades. However, most of what I feel today also falls into the Taxol effects. In any case, it’s been a rough day.

I did manage to barely clean the house. I stripped the bed and changed linen. I emptied garbage cans, removed and shaked out rugs, vacuumed, and mopped. I also managed to clean the bathroom. I also managed to clean the bathroom. In between each step was sit down and rest. I got the laundry started and finally finished it up around noon. Then it was nap time.

Actually, today there was two nap times. I needed both. I ordered Chinese from DoorDash for dinner tonight. I spent $50 on the meal but I should get three meals out of it. I just didn’t have the energy to cook anything.

Today is Veterans Day. Today is the eighth anniversary of my having Rocky put down. I still miss that dog. He was great.

I posted on Facebook photos of my Dad, Archie, Uncle Ray and me as a Veterans Day tribute. To some extent, it’s a strange holiday. I guess it’s better than Memorial Day but not by much when we still have to send people off to war.

I’ve included photos of Archie and Dad in civies and Uncle Ray in military dress. You’ve already seen enough photos of me.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. I need it to be. Catherine has offered to take me to breakfast. Everything with me is on a day-by-day basis. Fortunately, all my friends recognize that and are not too upset when or if Ihave to cancel.

Stay tuned!

10 November 2023

OK, maybe I overdid it yesterday. I got one section of the kitchen cabinets completely emptied, cleaned and put back in some semblance or order. I did it in two sessions. The lower cabinet I did in the morning, the upper that afternoon. That only leaves five more sections to complete – plus cleaning the refrigerator, the stove, the dishwasher, etc.

This morning I was just OK. I didn’t have the energy boost of yesterday but I did manage to clean the pool filter and wash down the patio and portions of the pool deck. The rest of the morning was spent unloading and loading the dishwasher, making the bed, paying home owners insurance ($5971).

Today is hydration infusion. Pat is my nurse again. I passed on Dr. Fingado’s praise to her. She is so good at what she does. Looks like I’ll be here a couple of hours. There was no blood test today so I don’t have to wait on the labs before treatment. Pat went straight to the saline and magnesium IV’s. Hopefully, today’s infusion will give me a little more energy. I need to finish those cabinets.

Fortunately, Citizens decided to renew me and I didn’t have to go insurance shopping. With home owners + flood insurance + Broward tax and it getting to the point I’m putting aside the every month the amount of of a house payment, or at least it seems.

For some reason, the last two days have been good for me emotionally. I’ve always had ups and downs but when I heard the peripheral neuropathy might be permanent, it put me in a little bit of a depressed state. Yesterday, when it seemed to abate a little and I got some of my balance back, I’m up again. I even ordered a new pair of Solomon boots from REI in hopes that I’ll be able to go back on the trail again.

I even booked a massage appointment with 5 Points Massage. I used to do these once a month and I think they really made a difference. I’m always relaxed and in a better frame of mind after each massage. I’ll have to play it by ear. He’s used to working me over one way and I don’t know what I can take and what I can’t take right now.

Note the watch cap and jacket. I also have gloves handy. The saline and magnesium is at room temperature (around 72°F) going into my 98.1°F blood. No wonder they provide heated blankets here.

Stay tuned!

7 November 2023

Yesterday was a mess. I had an ophthalmologist appointment with a new practice scheduled for 2:30 pm. I didn’t feel up to driving so I used Uber to get to the appointment and back. That’s a whole different story. I still have problems every time I use Uber. For some reason the app on my phone froze as I disembarked at the practice and it kept it open for the entire time I was at the ophthalmologist.

The next problem was the practice was running 1 and 1/2 hours behind. My 2:30 appointment saw me go in around 4 pm. By the time I was finished and got home, it was 5:40 pm.

First, the ophthalmologist. She was very thorough with the exam. Of course, a technician did the refraction and dilation. At least I felt the technician competent with the refraction. My right eye was a little different from my glasses prescription but strangely, I saw better with my glasses so there was no need for new glasses.

The overall conclusion is that my eyes were causing me problems because of dry eye due to chemotherapy. She recommending “artificial tears” or some lubricating product like that.

I now have to make the decision to stick with my old ophthalmologist or go with the new one. The old one has no real waiting problems. They do more tests on my eyes with mapping, photographs, peripheral studies, etc. which could just mean that want to bill that to Medicare. On the other hand, I am diabetic and I do probably need for some of that to be done. The new ophthalmologist wants to see me in a year’s time while my old one wants to see me every 6 months. I’m thinking I’ll stick with the old one. All things considered, I got basically the same treatment with an hour and a half wait. Also, the new one is part of a chain of practices. The old one is not.

When I used the Uber app to get home, it was still locked with the last ride. I had to reboot the phone to get a new ride home. I kept telling the guy don’t take I-95 but he insisted on following his GPS. You can guess the result. I-95 traffic at 5 pm. Also interestingly, the ride home was cheaper than the ride to the practice.

Today was my first infusion session of just Herceptin (and of course magnesium which is always low). Pat was my nurse and she put in clearance for everything before the blood tests came back.

The blood test results were as usual. The only real difference was with RDW (red blood cell distribution width). Mine was high and can be a result of anemia, which I have. Dr. Velez wasn’t too concerned about it.

He stopped by and kept telling me every three weeks I would feel better and better. I keep waiting. At least I was able to drive myself this morning and didn’t have to depend on the kindness of friends or Uber.

This was the quickest I’ve done the therapy. I was taken back just before 9:30 and was finished by 11:30 am. I was home by noon. I like that type of schedule!

I asked my cousin Jimmie about what to use for dry eyes since I know she has that problem. She’s on a prescription drug but she recommended a non-prescriptive TheraTears. She also alerted me to the recalls of numerous products for dry eyes. Fortunately, TheraTears doesn’t seem to be on the recall list and I ordered some from Amazon.

If you are keeping up, I have a 10 am appointment with my hand doctor tomorrow, Thursday I have a fasting blood test at 8 am and Friday is a hydration. Nothing like your week being taken up with medical issues!

Stay tuned!

27 October 2023

I seemed to have gotten plenty of sleep last night but for some reason my Apple Watch didn’t record anything. I do remember a few dreams but I also remember going to the bathroom a lot.

I figured since I felt good yesterday (I did trim the Heliconia) I would feel even better today but it was not to be. I was lethargic all day, woozy, and weak. Even so, I did managed to clean the pool filter and wash down the pool and patio deck. Then I went back to bed. I had little appetite but did snack on something before the hydration infusion.

Somewhere in all this, Michael texted me a photo of a plant requesting an identification. Everyone who knows me knows of my botanical background. What they don’t know is I have no idea about horticulture. In any case, I have a secret weapon. There are two plant apps out there that if you take a photo of the plant, they will attempt an identification. They are fairly accurate.

More accurate is the new iPhone camera and app. If you take a photo of a plant with the iPhone, the new iOS will attempt to identify the plant. I find it very accurate – probably not 70-80% correct on identifications. However, the photo Michael sent was taken from a distance. When I downloaded the image and enlarged it, what looked like flower buds eventually showed some of the flowers in full bloom.

I took a photo of the enlarged image showing the blooms and the iPhone properly identified it. Now the secret to my success is out – I cheat.

The trick is to know when the identification is wrong and find the correct one.

Joel arrived early to take me to the cancer institute so we made a trip to CVS to pick up a prescription first. Then it was on to the center and they took me back at exactly 2:15 – my scheduled time. I have Casey as my nurse again and I really like her. She’s very personable. I’ve already started the saline and magnesium infusions. It’ll be two or three hours before I’m finished. That means Joel will be taking me home during rush hour.

The CBC with Auto Differential came back as usual with normal white blood cells, low red blood cells, hematocrit and hemoglobin. The Complete Metabolic Panel came back normal except for high glucose (non-fasting). Apparently my liver enzymes have all returned to normal. No so, my magnesium, although it is better today than Wednesday. On Wednesday, it was 1.2 and today it was 1.6 – still low but better.

I assume it’ll be a sleepless night. I don’t sleep well the nights of infusions. Presently, I have hydration infusions scheduled every Friday until January and Herceptin infusions every three weeks until January (but that will continue probably until August of 2024).

Stay tuned!

25 October 2023

Today started worse than yesterday. I was weaker, more tired, and simply felt worse. Fortunately, they scheduled me for a hydration today at 11 am. Joel was going to pick me up at 10:15 but he actually arrived before 10. He needed to be somewhere later so I suggested we go ahead. We made it to the cancer center by 10:15 am. I figured I would have a 45 minute wait but the Tootsie Rolls paid off – they took me in almost immediately.

Nancy is my first time nurse and technology confuses her. She couldn’t print the labels for the blood draw and had to have someone do it for her. Every time she has to regulate the pumping device, it baffles her. She started me on saline with phosphate (unbeknownst to me) and when the blood results came back, she realized the phosphate of my blood was normal so she unhooked me from the saline/phosphate drip and hooked me up to pure saline which means we wasted about 20 minutes of drip time. Also, unlike one nurse, she didn’t drag the IV tubing across the floor! As it is, it’ll take two hours from now which puts me out of here around 2 or 2:30 pm. At least Joel will have time to take care of his errands before he picks me up.

Mia, the dietician stopped by and in discussion with her, I brought up acupuncture which Dr. Velez recommended. She’s a big advocate and provided me a list of Acupuncture/Massages services provided by Holy Cross. I didn’t tell her that Dr. Velez recommended a person at Hollywood Memorial.

I’m not sure insurance will cover acupuncture but the prices Holy Cross quotes on their information sheet are reasonable. For staff evaluation and first treatment they charge $155. Additional treatments are $95 for 60 minutes and $65 for 30 minutes. That’s doable. I plan to contact the one at Hollywood first and check with her on her rates and see if Medicare covers any of it and then, if I don’t go with her, I’ll do the Holy Cross one.

Dr. Velez briefly stopped by and asked how I was doing. When I told him worse than yesterday, he said this would be the last week I would be this way. I asked about keeping the already scheduled hydration on Friday, he said yes, the more the better.

My blood tests came back as usual but my magnesium levels were 1.2, the lowest they’ve ever been so I’ll get the full 2 grams today, as usual.

Stay tuned!

24 October 2023

Joel picked me up around 8:40 am and we avoided I-95 and made it to the Cancer Center around 9:15. They called me back to Dr. Velez’ examination room around 9:35 which was a few minutes early for the appointment. After all the vitals were out of the way, Dr. Velez showed up around 10:00 am with his nurse Danielle. I introduced Joel and the questions began.

I told him upfront that if I knew then what I know now, I would never have started chemotherapy. The last week has been one of the worst I’ve ever experienced. He was a little taken aback by that and immediately looked to see if I was dehydrated. He pinched the skin on the outside part of my hand and indeed it did stay pinched for a while – a sure sign of dehydration. I was a little surprised at that since I’ve been pumping Gatorade, Enterade, and coconut water like crazy. Of course, I’ve also been peeing like a race horse.

They decided to not wait until Friday for the next hydration infusion but to schedule me for tomorrow. Someone from scheduling will call me about the time tomorrow and Joel has already volunteered to drop me off and pick me up.

One of the first questions I asked was about the Dana-Farber protocol that required 12 infusions of Taxol. He said he understood but that the first infusion I had on June 5 with four drugs was taken into account. I have 13 more sessions of Herceptin scheduled every three weeks apart.

As to the question of further cancer screening, he said there were two screenings he could do. The first screening is covered by my insurance and tests for circulating tumor DNA for the cancer that was removed. That will be done tomorrow after the hydration infusion – a simple blood test. The test is put out by a company called Natera and the test is called Signatera. That will be done every 5-6 weeks. They will be looking for a 0.00 reading for circulating tumor DNA for my HER2 high risk cancer.

After completing my 13 sessions of Herceptin, I’ll be checking in with Dr. Velez every 6 months – probably for life.

In about a year’s time, they can do what is called a Galleri test put out by the GRAIL company which is not covered by insurance and runs $800-900 per test. It assays for 42 different cancers. I plan to take advantage of that test as well.

MUGA/ecocardiogram scans will be every 3 months. He has no issue with Jardiance from the endocrinologist and I asked if Dr. Jellinger could consult with him. He said yes, I had his phone number and Dr. Jellinger could call him anytime.

As to my sleep problems, he said Xanax is good for a few hours of sleep but that Temazepam was a better choice. It comes in 5mg, 15mg, and 30mg capsules and he recommended the 15mg. It will last longer than Xanax as a sleeping aid.

He was a big advocate of my starting massages again. When I asked about what to do on the left arm where the lymph nodes were removed and they no longer will take blood pressure on that arm nor allow injections, he said to tell the therapist to massage upward from the wrist to the upper arm, not downward. Otherwise it would be fine.

He looked over my list of symptoms from the Taxol treatment and said he was confident that 90% of them would go away or be abated to a significant degree. The $64,000 question was about the peripheral neuropathy. He hedged and said some people fully recover, some have residual neuropathy forever. He did recommend the simplest medicinal treatment first – 600 mg of alpha lipoic acid, sold at any vitamin store. When Joel and I left, we stopped at The Vitamin Shoppe (on the way back home) and they had it on sale from $47 for 120 capsules to $20. Perfect timing!

He said there were various other medicines we could try if alpha lipoic acid didn’t work but to try that first. He also asked if I was opposed to acupuncture. I told him I’d try anything to get rid of the numbness and pain. He recommended an individual associated with Hollywood Memorial where I have access. I’ll give the medicine a try first and then maybe schedule the acupuncturist.

I also talked about Dr. Fingado and getting steroid injections in my hand. He agreed that was OK.

As it is, I’m waiting for someone from Holy Cross to call to schedule my hydration therapy for tomorrow.

Joel drove me to Walgreens and I picked up the Temazepam (the pharmacist filled it right there) and the urinary ketone strips. It seems that when taking Jardiance, you may build up ketone levels in your blood stream. I now have to pee on a strip and match it to a chart to see if I’m accumulating ketones. If so, I have to let the endocrinologist know.

Dr. Velez promised me I would start to feel much better within a week’s time. I told him I would hold him to that and if not I would come looking for him with friends from East St. Louis and pay him an unannounced visit. I’m not sure he thought I was joking.

I now need to call Dr. Fingado’s office and schedule injections into my hands to alleviate the arthritic pain that keeps me awake at night. I’m getting tired of wearing gloves to bed to give me some warmth and pressure on my hands.

Stay tuned!

23 October 2023

A ton of bricks. That’s what it feels like has fallen on me. I would never have thought I would feel this badly six days after the last Taxol treatment. Any sleep I got last night was interrupted by bathroom breaks and increasingly achy arthritis in my hands. I’ve had arthritis in my joints in the hand for a few years now but never where both hands completely ached. I found a tube of Diclofenac gel 3% which is the strongest prescription form you can get and it helps for a few hours after application but that wears off too soon.

I called Joel this morning and canceled the ophthalmologist appointment trip. He was up early any way and I got to him at 6:30 am. Later, I called the doctor’s office and explained. I fully expected them to charge me a minimal fee for canceling on the day of the appointment but they didn’t say a thing and simply rescheduled me for November.

Next up was to cancel my wellness assessment. I had managed to schedule it the same day as a hydration infusion within 30 minutes of each other. Again, that was easily accomplished and the wellness visit is now also in November.

Because of the arthritis in my hands, because of them weaning me off steroids from the infusions, and because I’m at a loss of what to do, I called the doctor I use for arthritis injections of steroids, Dr. Fingado. His office is supposed to call me back today. Hopefully he’ll have some solution to my arthritis problem. I just can’t get any good sleep at night with the arthritis.

Additionally, when Dr. Jellinger, the endocrinologist, prescribed Jardiance, neither he nor I discussed me coming off Metformin, the drug I use to control diabetes. I left a message with his nurse Farah to get back to me.

This is getting complicated. I can’t imagine scheduling all of these things without my cell phone which transfers all dates to my computer at home, my iPad and Apple Watch. It’s too confusing.

I’m totally unsteady on my feet. The vertigo is worse but I can handle that but I constantly grab onto things to keep from falling around the house. When I take a shower, I never let go of the grab bars – the best thing I ever did was getting those installed.

My feet and hands feel cold. I guess that’s the numbness. I can’t tell if the numbness has abated or not. Sometimes it seems like it is getting better and other times it seems the same. At least it’s not getting any worse.

Joel has agreed to pick me up tomorrow around 8:45 am for my 9:15 appearance at Dr. Velez’ office. As I’ve mentioned, I have a whole list of questions for him. Let me know if you think of any others!

1. How will the Herceptin affect me. I’ve been told fatigue is the biggest problem. Does the fatigue last a few days or the entire 3 weeks?
2. Since the mastectomy, I cannot have blood pressure taken on that arm, nor blood drawn. I want to start my monthly massages again. What do I tell the massage therapist?
3. How often will I get echocardiograms/MUGA scans?
4. When will he start screening me for other cancers? There’s a blood test for many cancers and Dr. Burgers told me that Dr. Velez was a big believer in that.
5. I still have problems sleeping. Should I take Xanax for that or is there a better sleep aid product?
6. How will the possibility of adrenal withdrawl symptoms mentioned by Dr. Jellinger affect what Dr. Velez does?
7. How can I get Dr. Jellinger and Dr. Velez to communicate on my treatments since they work for different facilities?
8. Does Jardiance have any interfering effects with Herceptin?
9. Exactly how many Herceptin infusions will I have. It’s always stated “to fill out a year.” My first Herceptin was June 5th. Since then, I’ve had three additional ones. Divide 3 into 52 and you get 17. Subtract 4 and you get 13 additional infusions. Is that his calculation? Does my infusion stop in June or August when they restarted?
10. Prior to Taxol infusion, they gave me a precocktail of Pepsid, Dexamethasone, Benadryl and Zofran. They will no longer give me Dexamethasone and Benadryl but will they give me Pepsid and Zofran?
11. I have a list of symptoms since I began chemotherapy. Which of them does he predict will go away?
    • bloody nose (every morning)
    • runny nose all day long
    • petechiae
    • joint aches
    • vertigo
    • peripheral neuropathy
    • lack of energy
    • diarrhea/constipation
    • black stool
    • low white blood cell count
    • low libido
    • diziness
    • shortness of breath
    • bloating
    • taste bud damage
      
      More for my edification than yours, is a calendar of events since I started this process.

DATE	TREATMENT
14 April 2023	Mammogram that shows cancer
21 April	Biopsy with Dr. Burgers
24 May	Echocardiogram to prepare for treatment with chemo
5 June	Taxotere, Perjeta, Carboplatin, and Herceptin infusion
6 June	Injection to boost white blood cells
13 June	Hospitalization at Holy Cross with dehydration and kidney damage
3 July	First meeting with Dr. Velez after dropping Dr. Anauldt
5 July	Cleared for mastectomy with primary physician
13 July	Mastectomy with Dr. Burgers, overnight stay at Holy Cross Hospital
19 July	Second surgery pre clearance with primary physician
28 July	Consultation with Dr. Velez
31 July	Consultation with Dr. Burgers
4 August	Post-0p conference with Dr. Burgers with first surgery – scheduled second surgery
7 August	Second surgery to relieve fluid and tissue build up
10 August	Post-op with Dr. Burgers – second surgery
14 August	Post-op with Dr. Burgers
17 August	Post-op with Dr. Burgers – drain removed
21 August	Chemo Infusion with Taxol and Herceptin
23 August	Hydration Infusion
28 August	Taxol Infusion
30 August	Hydration Infusion
31 August	Post-op with Dr. Burgers
5 September	Taxol Infusion
6 September	Injection to boost white blood cells
7 September	Injection to boost white blood cells
8 September	Injection to boost white blood cells
12 September	Taxol and Herceptin infusion
15 September	Hydration infusion
19 September	Taxol infusion
22 September	Hydration infusion
26 September	Taxol infusion
29 September	Hydration infusion
3 October	Taxol and Herceptin infusion
5 October	MUGA Scan
6 October	Hydration infusion
10 October	Taxol infusion
13 October	Hydration infusion
17 October	Taxol infusion
20 October	Hydration infusion
24 October	Consultation with Dr. Velez

Stay tuned!

20 October 2023

I’m sure I’ve probably had a worse two days in my life but I can’t really think of them. The one time that possibly rises to the occasion was as a kid with the flu. Most people who think they have the flu simply have a bad cold. The flu debilitated me for two weeks. I was so weak, I couldn’t get out of bed for one week. Another possible time was when I was (later) diagnosed with Legionaire’s Disease while a freshman at Ole Miss. I would count my last hospitalization where Holley kept watch with my second surgery due to the mastectomy but I was so far under with pain killers I don’t remember that, I depend on Holley’s relating of the details.

I haven’t been able to drive for the last two days and if it hadn’t been for my friends, I would have missed three appointments. Keith carried me to the cardiologist, Michel picked me up for the blood draw for my wellness and delivered me home, Dianne delivered me to the hydration infusion and Barb picked me up, bought me soup, sandwich and strawberries at Whole Foods and took me home. If they didn’t have prior commitments, everyone jumped to pitch in. I am so appreciative.

Pat was my nurse again and I told her I was like a bad penny – I kept showing up. In talking with her, she said Herceptin would be much easier on me. When I asked about the numbness in feet and hands, she said some people got over it, some people had residual effects and some people never lost the numbness. If I had know that beforehand, I’m not sure I would have gone through chemo.

As it is, I’ve barely been functional these last two day. I can barely walk, I stumble all the time, my appetite is gone and, of course, the diarrhea is back. Also while talking with Pat, she signed me up for several more hydration infusions. She said it would make life easier. Dr. Velez had not done that. That’s the type nurse she is. If she thinks something should be done, she takes the initiative and does it even without thinking.

I had the soup Barb bought me for dinner tonight. The sandwich is for tomorrow lunch and the strawberries are for breakfast. I fully intend to do my best to recuperate tomorrow. The last two hydrations did not allow me to bounce back like the previous ones. I’ll take another Xanax tonight. I did get plenty of sleep last night but it didn’t do me any good physically – I was a wreck.

Farah, Dr. Jellinger’s nurse called in two prescriptions for me: prednisone and Jardiance. The prednisone is because Dr. Jellinger is concerned with adrenal drop if I come off Dexamethasone too early. I’m to take prednisone twice a day for 5 days, once a day for 5 days and then one every other day for 10 days. During one of those off days, I’m to report for a blood test to measure how much sterol I have in my system.

Because I am on Herceptin for a year, Dr. Jellinger is concerned about heart failure with me – an additional complication of diabetes. Jardiance not only lowers your blood sugar and A1c but also helps prevent heart failure. Dr. Tepper, the cardiologist, didn’t offer any resistance other than saying the effects of the drug have not been studied for any length of time. The bad news is the one prescription is over $100.

The one problem with Jardiance is urination. Farah told me I would be going to the bathroom more frequently. I told her that was not possible. She laughed and said I might need a catheter – she was joking. In any case, I’m to drink tons of water in the morning and during the day but not at night. Any time I have to urninate, I’m to use baby wipes on (as the blood draw nurse said today when she wanted a urine sample) my “manly parts.” There’s a risk of urinary infection otherwise.

Can you see why I think this is getting towards the ridiculous?

Hopefully, I’ll be better the coming week. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Sorry this has been such a downer.

Stay tuned!

19 October 2023

It was a very rough night. Everything hurt: hands, legs, feet. I didn’t get any real sleep all night. That last Taxol treatment hit me hard yesterday afternoon and I’m a slug today. So much so I put out a call for help from friends for the next two days.

Today I have to go see the cardiologist. I wanted to do telemedicine but apparently that’s not an option with this medical group. Keith is going to take me in for my 1 pm appointment.

Tomorrow I’m scheduled for a blood draw for my wellness check next Friday. I also have a hydration infusion scheduled for 2 pm. Michel will pick me up for the blood draw that morning (fasting, of course) and then Dianne will take me to the infusion appointment and Barb will pick me up from the infusion. I just don’t feel safe driving myself. I put out a messages blast and everyone responded if they could or could not make it. I really appreciate all the support I have from all these friends.

Now I just need the energy to get up, shave and shower and get dressed for the 1 pm today with the cardiologist. My endocrinologist wants me to raise several questions with Dr. Tepper.

Keith arrived a little early and we made it to Dr. Tepper’s office during their lunch break. We had to wait a while and even then, unusually, the meeting with Dr. Tepper went longer than usual.

Dr. Tepper is having back problems and also, like me, has peripheral neuropathy. We commiserated, he listened to my heart, checked the reports on my echocardiogram and MUGA scan and pronounced himself satisfied with how things are going. He also had no problem with the recommendations of Dr. Jellinger.

Keith drove me back home and I immediately crawled into bed for a nap. I’m still wiped out from Tuesday’s infusion. Hopefully the hydration tomorrow will help but I can’t help but be happy that the Taxol torture is over.

Stay tuned!