What a difference a day makes. I got out of bed around 4:45 am this morning and actually felt really good. I’m usually just OK after a chemo treatment but Julianne gave me a whole liter of saline and that seemed to make a difference. I think I can even tell a difference in the numbness of toes and fingers from the ice baths. I hope they continue these even when I go in for hydration on Friday. The use bags are painful but if it helps the numbness, I’m in.
Most importantly, in the last two days, I’ve had four bowel movements: 1 semisolid and three solid stools (I know, TMI). I haven’t gone three solid stools since my first chemo treatment on June 5th which put me in the hospital because of diarrhea. The only thing I can contribute the change to is the Metamucil. Soluble fiber is now my mantra!
My testosterone test came back in the low range of normal. My score was 194 and the normal range is 175-781. I’ll be curious if Dr. Velez decides to provide injections to boost the testosterone.
I need to head to Walgreens today to pick up the muscle relaxant. As you might guess, I had narry a muscle spasm after the treatment. I did have restless leg last night and downed a Xanax and 2 Advil and that quieted down by the time I turned in a little after 10 pm. I’ll definitely try the muscle relaxant if it calms down the spasms.
I managed 1.45 miles on my morning walk with a sprinkle of rain accompanying me on the walk with 98% humidity. It was pitch black at 5:30 am and there were very few house lights so I assume most people have their alarms set for 6 to go to work. It’s taken me years to get used to EST and EDT. I remember in Mississippi in the Central Time Zone how weird it was that national news came on at strange times, ball games started at weird times, and many tv shows were a little off kilter on the time due to the influence of the eastern US.
It got worse when I moved to Montana for a job with the Bureau of Land Management in the Mountain Time Zone. Strangely, as a consequence, Montanans often followed Ole Miss football since Ole Miss played a lot of night games during those years. It was pretty much the only option in the Mountain states and the team had a real following. I’ll admit that it opened some doors to me that would not have been open if I hadn’t been an Ole Miss graduate.
My plan today is do yoga, try to swim laps, get the prescription at Walgreens and then bundle up my old computer for recycling. If anyone wants it, I’ll be happy to send it to you. It’s an iMac 27 inch screen which they don’t make any more with at least 1 terabyte of memory. I’ll miss the 27 inch screen. The only real problem is Apple does not provide any iOS upgrades to the operating system and you are stuck with the last one they supported. Email or text me if you want it. Otherwise, I’ll ship it to be recycled.
We are on a timer and people forget to shut the timer off in the rainy season. Of course, when the rainy season is over, I’ll have to go around and check sprinkler heads that are stopped up from lack of use. It’s part of the homeowners game. Sprinkler heads always need work.
I hope this week is better than last week. When I broached the subject with Dr. Velez and I suggested the cumulative effects of Taxol, he just nodded his head. He’s scheduled me for my Taxol infusions through October 17 and then every 3 weeks after for Herceptin. I assume I’ll be getting echocardiograms about every three months to check for heart damage. At least, the week has started well.
I finally figured out what I did wrong in trying to transfer files from the old iMac to the new iMac. It was a simple solution where I had clicked the wrong thing. I left the house this morning with the files almost all done. After that, I need to decommission the old iMac. Anyone want it? I’m only going to recycle it if no one wants it.
They took me back around 9:20 this morning and Julianne is my nurse again. I really like her. She said she’s celebrating three years as a nurse this week.
Julianne inserted the IV to the port and then flushed it. She’s administering the saline and magnesium. The blood tests are next.
The CBC with Auto/Differential came back at 9:50 am. The white blood cells are still normal, the red blood cells, hematocrit and hemoglobin were low.
Neutrophils relative were high and lymphocytes relative were low – the usual. The lymphocytes absolute and monocytes absolute were both low – again as usual.
The Comprehensive Metabolic panel came back as usual with low sodium, high glucose (212) and low magnesium. I assume the high glucose is due to having had breakfast before I came. It tends to be high anyway because they keep giving me steroids during the infusion.
Saline and magnesium sulfate infusions.
The nutritionist, Mia from Sweden, came by and offered me some samples of Enterade, a new product that helps with diarrhea and other digestive issues.
She gave me 8 of these and the brochure on it. That’s really nice of her. It’s a relatively new product with lots of amino acids and helps with a myriad of digestive issues.
Dr. Velez stopped by just a little before 11 am. I had my four questions ready. As to the numbness, a clinal study found that dipping your toes and fingers into ice baths 15 minutes before the Taxol and 15 minutes after the Taxol stopped the numbness. We may even try that today.
As far as the muscle spasms, he’s prescribed a low dose muscle relaxant. I’ll probably pick that up later. The Nurse Navigator, Kathy, is now working on getting the echocardiogram scheduled. She got it scheduled for October 5th.
When I asked about scheduling after the October 3rd date, Dr. Velez sent Emma, the scheduling person, to work on everything after Oct 3rd. I may find the results of that today as well.
It’s now time for the Taxol infusion. I’ve already had my saline and magnesium IV’s. The Taxol should last 1 1/2 hours from now. That means I be sprung from this place sometime after 1 pm.
They decided to do the ice bath. First, they added water and when I tried my hands, I couldn’t keep my hands in very long. Another patient came by and said use only ice and not 15 minutes before the Taxol and 15 minutes after but instead to the ice bath for toes and feet all during the Taxol infusion. I had a bevy of nurses around me bringing me ice baths and towels, and a new warm blanket. They suggested I wear gloves. The problem is all the nurses have small hands and I wear large in glove size.
Even with just ice (and not ice water) it was torture keeping the hands and feet in the water, even for short periods of time. Everyone promises me this works.
Julianne decided to give me an addition 500 ml of saline to help with the dehydration. She’s pumping that in at the rate of 700 ml/hour so I should be done around 1:30 pm
Now it’s back to work on files on the new computer.
Stella was my nurse yesterday. They were a little late bringing me back and a little late getting started. Stella’s computer had died and she had to use other nurses’ when they weren’t on them.
The CBC with Auto Differential showed white blood cell count normal, red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit as low. Interestingly, only the Neutrophils relative were high and the lymphocytes relative, neutrophils absolute and lymphocytes absolute were normal. Strange.
The Comprehensive Metabolic Panel showed my sodium low, my glucose high (197) my ALT (SGPT)) as high (liver function) and total protein as low. That’s a little different from last time. For some reason, they didn’t check my magnesium level but gave me the full dose.
I finished both saline and magnesium IV around 4:15 pm so that was around 3 hours at the infusion center. It certainly made a difference from how I felt when I went in and when I came out.
While getting the infusion, someone completed their chemo and got to ring the bell.
I made it back to the house around 5 pm and UPS had not delivered my Apple Watch. Who knows when it will get here. They allow you to actually track the UPS vehicle but it never seems to get anywhere close to my house. Later, they sent me a notice it would be delivered on Monday. Perhaps.
Today is the first time I’ve felt the chemotherapy is cumulative. I slept eleven hours last night. Usually, the day after a hydration infusion, I have a burst of energy but not today. I didn’t do my morning walk and I probably won’t clean the pool filter today (I was supposed to yesterday). Hopefully, I can do a touch up house cleaning and get the clothes washed.
My peripheral neuropathy is worse. It started as just some numbness in the toes and now its spread to all the toes and the soles of my feet. I think I have some in my hands as well.
I continue to have bloody discharge from the nose. It’s not really a nose bleed like I had as a kid but a lot of blood when I blow my nose. I still have my eyebrows, at least. I don’t have to break out the sharpie yet.
Tuesday will be my 6th treatment with Taxol. Strangely, they have me booked only through October 3rd to make 7 Taxol treatments. I’m supposed to have 9. I’ll have to ask Dr. Velez about that. I assume they only book a specific number in case the situation changes. Taxol is the anticancer drug and I’ll be glad to be through with that with either 7 or 9 treatments. In reality, the every three weeks of Herceptin (monoclonal antibody) has some of the same side effects as Taxol (including diarrhea). Looks like I’ll be wearing adult diapers for at least a year.
Looks like napping during some football games is on the agenda for this afternoon. Stay tuned!
Another 3:30 am wake up. It’s not as bad as it sounds since I went to bed at 9:30. pm and got 6 hours of sleep. Actually, I only got up to pee and realized I had not taken my anti-nausea medicine (Dexamethasone) and figured better late than never. I also decided to dose myself with 2 Lomotil while I was at it. Today is Taxol only (unless the magnesium is low again) and I assume they’ll pump saline into me to hydrate as well.
Yesterday I got my new Covid booster at Walgreens. I was talking to the pharmacist and he said he was concerned he would run out. They had been allotted 60 doses and it looks like that will be gone by the end of the week. At least people are taking it seriously and getting boosted even though Florida’s Surgeon General is telling people not to get it unless you are old.
A friend flew to New York this past week to attend a former student’s art opening at a gallery. What a phenomenal thing for the student! His work in an art gallery opening in NYC! Catherine wanted to be there to support. Sadly, she came down with Covid after the event and later developed pneumonia. She’s now in New York University’s Langone Health. Everyone who knows the area, including U.S. News and World Report consider it one of the best hospitals in the nation. Hopefully, she’ll be home later this week.
The reason I mention this is that Holy Cross told me months ago that they are seeing a serious outbreak in Broward County and that the nurses are extremely concerned. When I was hospitalized and had a false positive, they put me on the Covid floor. Later when it came back as two negatives, the nurse said “We’ve got to get you off this floor before you get Covid.”
Also interesting is the cancer center where I get my infusions requires masks. If you walk up to the front desk and don’t have one, they hand you one. Yet people in the waiting room continue to not wear masks. I don’t think they realize the rule is not for them but for the people undergoing chemo. Because of chemo, our immune system is compromised and any little infection, much less Covid, could be a real problem for us. Then there are those that wear the mask over the mouth but not the nose. Duh!
I boxed up my old iPad and sent it off for a refund. What caused concern was both the new iPad and old iPad seemed to have the same name and when I went to remove the old iPad from the system, I also removed the new iPad. That reset the new iPad over again when I turned it on. I couldn’t merge the old with the new since the old was on its way to be “refreshed” and resold. Fortunately, everything was backed up on iCloud and I could manually re-install everything, albeit with a lot of time required.
I then had a person-to-person session with Megan at Apple who walked me through some features of iCloud, Photos, and the camera. A lot of what she covered I knew but I learned several new features on the new iPad that I figure I’ll be using. She also sent me a list of beneficial links about the new iPad. I’ll probably take advantage of that during today’s infusion.
5:46 am Just had a bout of diarrhea. I still felt pretty good so I decided to go for my morning walk.
6:45 am Finished my 1.5 mile walk. Venus was pretty obvious in the eastern sky.
Venus always reminds me of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Crossing the Bar.” He’s talking about his death but I love the phrase “Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me.” Venus, of course, is known as the morning “star” and evening “star.” For years I thought it was two different “stars” and apparently it fooled early astronomers. In my defense, I was a kid at the time. They had no excuse.
I was pretty done in by the walk and as I met my neighbor Mary Kay on my return, I noticed I was very dizzy. Well, dizzier than I abnormally am. I had my grapefruit half and second cup of coffee and then packed lunch for the infusion.
The infusion center took me back at 9:30 and Casey is my nurse today. I’ve met her before and she’s very nice. I left the ladies (and gentleman) at the check-in desk some Tootsie Roll miniatures. They were very appreciative.
9:45 am Casey has started the saline IV and magnesium IV and has drawn a blood sample for labs. I should have them back within 30 or 40 minutes if past practice is any indication.
10:01 am The CBC with Auto Differential is reported (that was fast!). My white blood cell count is good so I won’t be coming in for the three injections to boost my white blood cells. The red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit are low. Neutrophils relative are high, lymphocytes relative are low, lymphocytes absolute are low and neutrophils absolute are high.
10:25 am Comprehensive Metabolic Panel is reported. Sodium levels were low and glucose was high (217). Total protein was low. Magnesium, as usual, was low (1.4 with normal 1.9-2.7).
The dietician came by again and I asked about the Metamucil. She said it was a good idea. It’s a soluble fiber and it becomes a gel in the intestine and helps with diarrhea. Under certain conditions, Metamucil is a laxative but in my case, she said it would help. I’ll start with a dose every morning and she suggested I work up to two doses a day. I also told her I made her magic broth. She suggested mixing it with rice and that sounds appealing. I’ll try that tonight.
11:47 am The magnesium finished. Casey administered a full bag which hasn’t been done lately. Apparently, I was supposed to be getting the full bag all along but Casey caught the error. She administered the pre-cocktail of the usual: Benadryl, Zorfram, Dexamthasone, and Pepsid. Again, the IV Benadryl knocks me for a pleasant loop.
11:50 am Started the Taxol. It’ll run from approximately 1 hour so I may bet out of here around 1 or 1:30. They don’t seem to be too busy today.
1:00 pm Done! That’s the fastest I’ve been discharged from the infusion center – 3 1/2 hours. Casey ramped up the saline to 999 ml/hour (that was only a little left) and the Taxol finished in a little under an hour. I hope they can keep the pace. I’ve shown no adverse reaction (other than diarrhea) to the two medications so they speed them up.
I bid a fond farewell to the Bienes Cancer Center!
I sent Catherine at Langone Health a photo of me showing my port.
She sent back a photo of her IV pole.
I conceded the contest. Her IV pole has an extension! She has two monitors dispensing doses. I’d hate to be the nurse who has to regulate this.
When I got home, I immediately went to bed for a nap. The Benadryl really made me sleepy. I waked with a new set of A/C filters at the front door and a tote from the New Yorker. Just what I need – another tote. The back of the jeep is stuffed with them. I didn’t realize when I subscribed to the ezine that it included a tote. It does have a classy look. And I guess I can always use it. Some of the ones I have are getting old and I expect them to rip any time now.
By my reckoning, the rest of the day should be good and tomorrow as well. Wednesday and Thursday may be a different story and then Friday I have a hydration infusion and I’ll be bouncing off the walls, turn into a whirling dervish, and go on a cleaning binge. That’ll last until Sunday and then Monday I’ll be needing the saline with the chemo treatment.
Yesterday, I had one bowel movement with semisolid stool. Then at 3:30 this morning, I had a second. I thought everything was in hand and I had turned a corner. Then at 7 am I had an episode of diarrhea and it’s pretty much wiped me out (no pun intended). I haven’t gone for my morning walk, plan no yoga stretches and no swimming. In part, that’s because I’m expecting an Apple delivery between 9 am and 12:30 pm but the diarrhea just saps me. I guess it’s perfect timing for the hydration therapy this afternoon at 1:30 pm.
Yesterday was a good day even if I did suffer a little buyers remorse from all the electronics I purchased. I’ve always had a touch of that any time I make a big purchase but it soon goes away.
Holley and Jim invited me, Chris and Jude to the Marlin Bar at Islamorada Fish Company off Griffin Road. It’s found in the Outdoor World facility.
Jim kept trying to get me to take my photograph in the jaws of the shark. It is a popular tourist photo op. The Marlin Bar is quite nice and they have a great happy hour with $8 cocktails and a pretty decent happy hour food menu. We ordered way too much food. I had the coconut chicken and a California roll. Both were pretty much entire meals by themselves. We shared appetizers and great conversation. This group is a lot of fun and the conversation never lags. All of us have taught at one time or another at Broward College and so we certainly have some life experiences in common.
Holley and Jim dropped me off at the house and I was pretty wasted so I popped a Xanax and headed to bed. I still waked at 3:30 am but after the potty break I immediately went back to sleep until my alarm went off at 6 am.
Did you ever read encyclopedias for fun? I loved doing that as a kid. My first exposure to anything like an encyclopedia was the Childcraft set of books. On rainy days, I used to pore through the 15 volumes and it was where I was first introduced to the famous composers like Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, etc. as well as the animal and plant kingdoms. What little I know about art came from the same series.
Later, my parents bought a set of Encyclopedia Britanica and I steadily worked my way through the alphabet with them. They say as you get older, you revert to your childhood, so now I’m working my way through Larousse Gastronomique. It just might outlast me even though it’s a single volume. The big difference is I could read the other encyclopedias in dim light and not squint. Now I need bright lights and a magnifying glass to read the print.
UPS insisted they would deliver my iPad today before 12:30 pm. If that had happened, I would have been home to receive it. I think they stopped for lunch since the delivery van was at the same address for over an hour. I asked the neighbor next door to watch for the delivery and then take it into her house. I’ve never had anything stolen from the front porch but there’s no reason to take a chance with something that expensive.
I arrived at the cancer center at my scheduled time (1:15 pm) and was called back for the infusion shortly after 1:30 pm. Kenyda is my nurse today and she has parents that teach Anatomy and Physiology on south campus of Broward College. She’s also going to eventually go for her masters.
She flushed the port, took blood samples, and now we’re waiting on the blood tests to come back. I predict magnesium and saline but the blood test will tell. I’ve had two episodes of diarrhea today and feel lousy and have low energy. That makes sense since it is day four since the Taxol/Herceptin infusion. Nurses usually tell you it’s day three that is rough but for me it’s always been day four.
2:16 pm The CBC with Auto Differential just came back. My white blood cell count is normal for the first time. The red blood cell count is low (anemic) and well as hemoglobin and hematocrit. Neutrophils relative is high (body under stress) and lymphocytes relative is low (higher risk of infection). Monocytes relative is low and lymphocytes absolute is low (possible infection) along with monocytes absolute (more susceptible to infection).
2:38 pm
I just got hooked up to the saline and magnesium. The saline should take 2 hours and the magnesium can run at the same time so it should finish first. That puts me out of here around 4-5 pm. Trust me when I say I’m stopping at Winn-Dixie on the way home for a couple of bags of Tootsie Roll Miniatures!
3:06 pm The comprehensive metabolic panel came back with low sodium (135 with normal range of 136-145) and high glucose (294). Magnesium was 1.5 with a normal range of 1.9-2.7).
The dietician stopped by and had a chat and after her questioning, she seems satisfied with what I’m trying to do diet wise to help prevent diarrhea. She did give me a recipe for “magic” broth that is supposed to help replace electrolytes. Not only did she give me the recipe, she gave me kelp strips needed for the recipe. She said coconut water is excellent for electrolyte replacement. I like coconut but am not a fan of coconut water. I may pick up a couple of bottles anyway.
Now it’s just a waiting game to get the infusion over with in between numerous trips to the bathroom to pee.
3:40 pm The magnesium drip finished. Now only waiting on the saline to wind up.
I ‘found a fourth bathroom! I’m getting used to this place. Looks like I’ll be through by around 5 pm. I’ll stop at Walgreens to pick up a prescription and then head to Winn-Dixie.
Stephanie did get me out of the infusion center by 2 pm. I was happy to note that it only took 4 1/2 hours for three drug infusions. I only have one more of those to go with two drugs. The rest will all be one. The Taxol only took 30 minutes and the magnesium was 1 hour (she only gave me half the dose). The Herceptin took one hour so when I go on the every three weeks with program, I should be out of there in 2 1/2-3 hours. That’s great.
I always feel better after the infusion. Part of that is the hydration with saline they give me. I seem to tolerate the administration of the drugs pretty well. The nadir comes 3-4 days later.
Also good news is my white blood cell count is normal and I don’t have to go in three days a week for injections. I have been scheduled for a hydration infusion on Friday. Those always make me feel better. In essence, I’ve gone from four days a week at the cancer center to two days a week: one for Taxol and one for hydration. That’s a relief!
Another bit of good news was Dr. Velez suggested a 120 day prescription of Imodium AD would run around $30 with GoodRx but apparently I have great insurance and it only cost me $5.49 for 120 days script. I was more than pleasantly surprised.
Nancy and Michel are coming over and bringing Thai. I can’t wait to see them. I love their company and truthfully, I need the distraction from all my routine. The Thai doesn’t hurt either. I don’t eat anything too spicy these days because of previously mentioned issues, but spicy food is the only type that has any real taste for me.
Hope the update of the update helps understand what’s going on. Stay tuned!
The Xanax last night did the trick. I slept the entire night through and the alarm waked me at 6 am. I was a little ditzy when I first got up but the second cup of coffee did the trick. I arrived at the cancer center just a little after 9 am for a 9:30 appointment and they actually took me back early.
Stephanie is my nurse again today. She’s the one with great axenic technique. Sadly, I had to ask her name because I’ve had a different nurse four of the five times. I just start calling them senior lapses. She had no sooner gotten with a saline drip that Dr. Velez’ nurse Danielle appeared and asked about my well being. I told her it had been a rough few days. I also mentioned the telephone call from nuclear medicine during the week and asked about the echocardiogram. I showed her my log of medication/diarrhea.
Stephanie had no sooner gotten the port flushed and blood drawn when Dr. Velez stopped by. He said when the echocardiogram lab gets backed up, they often go through nuclear medicine and can get the same readings they need – hence the mystery of nuclear medicine vs. echocardiogram was solved. I suspect they also charge more in nuclear medicine.
Danielle and Dr. Velez both suggested a midweek hydration infusion and a cancellation of the Filgrastim injections. Apparently, they are satisfied with my white blood cell count (how I don’t know since it was low last check) but I’ll go with it. Dr. Velez also put in a prescription for Imodium AD. He also provided a printed coupon with GoodRx that supposedly gives me a good discount. However, my insurance seems to give even a better rate for prescriptions than GoodRx. I’ll check both. It’ll save significant money. The prescription is for 120 pills with 3 refills. The cost for 120 with GoodRx will be about $30. Over-the-counter cost was around $70.
Dr. Velez wants me to take Imodium AD every four hours and only use the Lomotil every 6 hours. I’ll still alternate until my diarrhea gets under control.
I’m waiting on the blood tests to see where I am deficient. I’ll know more what to expect today once they come in.
Stephanie started the magnesium drip already since she anticipates it being low.
10:20 am The magnesium did indeed come back low (normal is 1.9-2.7) and mine was 1.7.
The Comprehensive Medical Panel just arrived. Sodium was low, chloride was high, anion gap (checks acid/base balance of blood) was low, glucose was high (248), calcium was low and alkaline phosphatase (measures liver/bone health) was high and total protein (function of liver or kidney problems) was low.
CBC with Auto Differential showed white blood cell normal, red blood cell low, hemoglobin and hematocrit were low, neutrophils relative was high, lymphocytes relative were low, neutrophils absolute high and lymphocytes absolute were low.
Next up will be the pre-infusion cocktail of Benadryl, dexamethasone, pepsid, and zofram. Then I can start the Taxol then the Herceptin.
My IV pole with pre-infusion drug, Taxol and Herceiptin and saline solution. The small bag on the left is the magnesium. The middle ba is saline and the third bag on the right is Herceptin.
Stephanie started with the Herceptin. It’ll take around 30 minutes and then the Taxol will be an hour. They’ve upped the rate of the infusion since I’ve not shown any ill effects for the previous 3 infusions. Less time here.
Note the jacket. When you get infusions, you get cold. I’ve learned to automatically ask for a blanket and a pillow and I keep the jacket in my shoulder bag.
The Larousse Gastronomique did arrive yesterday and thankfully it was in English. I will need a magnifying glass to read it but it is everything I thought it would be. It is an encyclopedia, historical record, and recipe book, all in one.
The color plates are great also. This is chicory and endive types.The above map shows the wine regions of Burgundy, a barge tour I did in 2012.
Also yesterday, I noticed my night blooming cereus had bloomed.
The bloom only lasts one night and if lucky, is fertilized by a moth. This is what it really looks like in bloom. The aroma is amazing and permeates the night air. If I can smell it, certainly moths can. This photo is several years old but I stayed up all night to photograph the blooming. It was worth being hung over a little the next day in class from lack of sleep.
10:48 am Stephanie is admistering the pre-infusion drugs. Good stuff!
Maybe, just maybe I’ll get out of here around 2:30 pm. They stop the magnesium while the other stuff is dripping but they’ll finish that up after the Herceptin and Taxol. Stephanie decided to do the Herceptin first this time.
The Herceptin finished at 1 pm and now I’m back finishing half of the magnesium and the rest of the saline (for hydration). I feel pretty good at the moment – much better than when I first walked in. I might make it out by 2 pm. I won’t know what to do with the extra time.
Now, if only my appetite for something besides sugar kicks in. I don’t need a 248 reading for glucose.
I started out this blog as “Everything Fred” but realized as I wrote it was mostly about my cancer effects and treatment. You’re probably tired of reading about it but it is what it is..
It’s been a rough couple of days with the diarrhea. I’ve had six episodes of diarrhea in those two days and the volume of discharge is pretty stunning. The only good news is that it seems to have decided to allow me to sleep at night and get active during the day. Of course, that means I don’t get too far away from the toilet so I didn’t walk these past two days – nor do yoga – nor swim my laps. Even more distressing is that I seem to be gaining weight (without eating a lot) and my belly seems to be distending. I guess I’ll find out more on Tuesday with the next chemo.
Yesterday I was basically a vegetable. Today I was able to rake leaves, clean the pool filter, pool deck and patio and spray for weeds. Just as I was finishing up spraying it started raining, so the spraying was probably to no avail. I’m sure the weeds appreciated the shower.
As usual, Saturday is wash day and clean house day. The washing takes the longest time but that has to do with the cycle on the machine – each load takes 58 minutes. Of course, that’s a long cry from helping Grandma Searcy boil clothes in her old wash pot. I’m sure helping her was more romantic than reality, standing over a hot fire in summer.
I cleaned at the house. I just didn’t have the energy. I changed bedding, emptied trash, dusted, vacuumed, and mopped. The bathroom needed a hefty dose of Scrubbing Bubbles. That took me until noon and then I headed to bed for a much needed nap.
I was talking to my cousin Jo yesterday and we discussed who in our family had cancer. We couldn’t think of but a single person on the Agnew side of the family and the only person I could think of on the Searcy side was my Dad. He started with prostatic cancer and that spread to his lungs and his brain. As I was cleaning house, I remembered that Uncle Ray had some form of cancer, so it looks like it is more on the Searcy side of the family.
Most people ask me what the source of my cancer was. There’s absolutely no way to tell. As an undergraduate, we dissected a lot with specimens preserved in formaldehyde. Not only that, but back in the dark ages, we used acetone a good deal in experiments. Both Mother, Dad, and Archie were smokers and I got a good dose of second hand smoke. As a graduate student, I was exposed to vastly more quantities of formalin and formaldehyde and acetone. That continued as long as I taught. It doesn’t really matter since my cancer is gone and the chemo is designed to prevent its return.
The one thing I’m glad of is never having smoked. I think I’ve probably smoked three cigarettes and three cigars in my life but never took to it. When you live with smokers your entire early life, it tends to turn you off to that.
The handouts they give you at the cancer center caution against drinking. I do like a cocktail but with the chemo, alcohol doesn’t have a pleasant taste to me. I tried a glass of sparkling wine last night and ended up emptying the glass and then the bottle.
I continue having minor nose bleeds, my fingernails and toenails, which used to need trimming weekly, now only need trimming every two weeks. The edges of the skin near my fingernails seem to be splitting and getting sore. I have a sore throat every morning when I wake but it at least goes away during the day.
One benefit is I don’t have to shave nearly as frequently as before. It’s so strange to lose coarse hair all over your body. It’s a weird feeling.
Yesterday, I put in an order for a new keyboard from Apple. My old “magic” keyboard was sticking on the letter “m.” Yesterday, the “a” key started sticking. It’s kind of hard typing a sentence and not using an “a” or “m.” I paid the extra $9 for same day delivery from the Apple store at the Galleria. Of course, the delivery took place while I was getting my injection. I called the delivery person and persuaded him to leave the package at the door (Apple wants someone there to receive the package) and he agreed.
The new keyboard also has a number pad to the right side. I used to have this on the PC at the college and I learned how to use it without having to watch my fingers. It made entering grades much easier. It’ll take a little while to get used to the new keyboard but so far, I like it.
Sunday will be grocery day. Hopefully, the diarrhea will abate and life will get back to a little more normal. Stay tuned!
It started with 10 hours of sleep. I guess I was trying to make up lost sleep from yesterday but I went to bed around 9 last night and waked at 7 am. I took 2 Lomotil and was starting breakfast when I got that feeling. Breakfast was put on hold until the diarrhea passed. Again, the adult diaper saved the day, so to speak.
I can tell I’m weak and not feeling well so I don’t plan to walk (not sure I could make it without a diarrhea episode) and definitely not do yoga or swim. I’ll probably just lay low for today.
I’m not sure why I don’t feel well, whether because of Tuesday’s chemo (4 days out seems to be my nadir) or the Filgrastim the last two days or the flu shot yesterday. Maybe it’s an accumulation of all three. I already feel like I could sleep another 10 hours. I noticed my arthritis in the hands acted up last night to the point of having to take Advil. Then I had a minor nose bleed this morning. All things that could have something to do with chemo.
I just got a set of Medicare Summary Notices that encompasses my mastectomy and the follow up surgery that alleviated some swelling and inflammation. Medicare was billed $70,319.73. A great deal of that was modified to what Medicare agreed to pay. The overall result is that I may be responsible for $1,677.44 of that but I suspect my supplemental insurance will cover all of that. The strangest part of the costs was the complete removal of the breast was $7,330.34 but Medicare approved the whole amount but only paid $4,412.29.
The recovery room from surgery charged $3,991.00 and Medicare approved the whole amount. Several services were not approved but were probably re-billed and approved later. I can’t imagine trying to track down and trace all these expenses and give approval. I check over the summaries but it gets too complicated to figure out every little thing. I just hope for the best and only concentrate on anything that looks suspicious.
Today at 4 pm is my third Filgrastim shot. Then Tuesday is my day for both Taxol and Herceptin (and I suspect magnesium) infusions. It’ll be a long day on Tuesday. Again, if my white blood cell count is low, I’ll add in three more days of Filgrastim injections. Tuesday will be my fourth infusion of Taxol with five to go after that.
The chemo infusion with Taxol, magnesium and saline went well yesterday. Today was a different story. This morning I had two severe diarrhea episodes. Thank goodness for the adult diapers because the first came with no warning. If it hadn’t been for the diaper, I would have been washing sheets a little after midnight. The second one at least gave me some time to get to the bathroom. The diapers are worth not having to do midnight laundry.
I thought I would have another sleepless night after the two episodes (I was waiting on the next one) but the Xanax took over and I didn’t wake until 8 am this morning. True to form, I was a little hung over with the Xanax. Just as an example, after my morning computer binge, I shut the computer down. I never do that unless there is a thunderstorm in the area at the time. It could just as well be chem fog from yesterday’s infusion but there’s no way to tell.
It’s is currently 11:12 am and I just finished my morning walk. I usually never walk after 10 am but today was nice. The temperature was a balmy 84°F and the humidity was tolerable. Today is bulk trash pick up day and I was surprised at how much people were putting out for pickup. It seems to go in cycles with some months virtually nothing and then this month seems everyone is cleaning everything out. Looks as though old couches are popular for discard.
My old anthropology teacher at Ole Miss, Dr. James, always said you could tell more about societies by their tels (dig terminology for garbage dumps) than by just about anything else. Who knows what anthropologists will determine from our mount trashmores.
I’m also determine to do yoga and swim again today, Xanax be damned. I usually don’t swim after 10 am either. Not sure why my cutoff is 10 but it seems to work for me most cases but I really do need to get back into shape. My blood pressure is running a little high, even with medication and my glucose level is in the 200 range again. Of course, I had a dose of steroids yesterday. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Tootsie Roll miniatures I keep sneaking.
I texted Dr. Velez about the diarrhea and the possibility of a script for Imodium. He had already sent off the script for Lomotil but Danielle didn’t tell him about the Imodium. He said he would try to send a script but wasn’t sure insurance would pay for that. It’s worth a try if there’s a significant difference in price. I can’t always depend on the BOGO for Imodium. Perhaps it’s cheaper on Amazon. I also informed him I’ve doubled the dose of Lomotil and now take two every four hours and alternate that with Imodium every four, so both are on an eight hour schedule. It really gets complicated keeping up with it so I have a sheet I log everything down so I know which pills to take when. I also record each diarrhea episode. When the nurse or Dr. Velez asks, I just hand them the printed sheet.
I have an appointment at 4 pm for the injection to boost my white blood cell count and for the next two days at the same time. Looks like I need to buy stock in (1) adult diapers (2) Imodium (3) and Claritin. I’m not too sure how well the Claritin works on preventing bone pain from the injections but so far, any that I’ve had has been minor. At least it seems to help with my itching problem almost as well as Allegra.
Someone yesterday at the infusion must have completed their cancer treatment. There was a bell ringing and a lot of hooting and hollering and clapping. Congrats to whomever it was. I’ve a long, long way to go.
