New Year, New Chemo

Happy New Year to all!! I hope everyone had wonderful Holidays. We had a very nice Christmas and a very quiet New Year. Henry came home on Christmas and was home through New Years Day. Jenna was home for Christmas too, she hadn’t been home for six months so it was really nice to see her. Shari, Kurt and the kids came over for Christmas too, lots of fun.

Henry and I went to see Lynette again a coupe of weeks ago to have more photos done. Lynette has posted some of my favorites on her web site. Please take a look. http://www.soulumination.org/kristingallery3.html Click on “more Kristin” to see the rest.

I went in for my first round of Taxol and Herceptin yesterday, the first of 12. I'm now going once a week, every Wednesday. Everyone I've talked to has told me this round, the Taxol and Herceptin, is much easier that than the previous round. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

My new chemo process began at midnight, when I had to take my first round of steroids. My second round was at 6:30 in the morning. The steroids are supposed to help minimize the side effects, but also with this round help to minimize the possibility of an allergic reaction to the Taxol.

Mom and I got to the hospital at 11:30, I had my blood work done (WBC 5,700, yea!) and saw my Doctor. We got to the chemo unit about 1:00 and into my room at 1:30. I think the drug list got bigger yesterday...Ativan (to relax), Zofran (for nausea), Decadron (more steroids), Benadryl (In case I had an allergic reaction to the Taxol), Pepcid (again for nausea), Taxol & Herceptin (the actual chemo drugs). It was a long day at the hospital, luckily I slept through 2 of it (ativan and benadryl makes a good sleeping pill). We left the hospital at 6:30. Long day…

I didn't have an allergic reaction to the Taxol, I guess it's rare, but they prepare for it just in case. The nurse sat and watched me for the first 20 minutes of the infusion and took my blood pressure every 15 minutes through the whole infusion to be sure I wasn’t having a reaction. My Doctor told me that if I didn't have a reaction over the next couple of weeks she would cut back on the amount of steroids I'm being given. This would be a thrill for me because they make me pretty shaky.

I feel pretty good today, but I usually feel pretty good the day after chemo. I’m hoping the crash won’t be so big this time, or maybe I won’t even have one, since the drugs are supposed to be easier on the system…fingers crossed again.

I think I’ve sufficiently filled eveyone in although I’m sure I’ve missed something.

Happy New Year again to all. I hope 2008 is a fabulous year for all of us.

Love and Peace

Merry Christmas

I'm feeling much better and I'm very grateful that I don't have to go in for my next treatment for another week. Can't ask for much more than that this Christmas!

Henry is with his dad tonight and will be home tomorrow for Christmas. I am really looking forward to spending Christmas with him and my family and friends.

I hope you all have a great day no matter what you do.

Merry Christmas and much love!

Chemo Crash

I hate chemo crash...I'm exhausted.

I did really well on Thursday I even went and did a little shopping. Then I started to crash on Friday, I can't even really tell you what I've done the past couple of days. I really hate this time after the chemo, because I'm exhausted, but I can't sleep and I'm agitated (I think that's from the steroids). I've been going to sleep, but waking up shortly after and tossing and turning through the night. I'd like to take a nap during the day, but I don't seem to be able to go to sleep then either. So I just try to lie down and at least relax for a while. Today I did every bit of organizing I could do sitting in bed watching a movie.

I know this won't last long and I'll be on the upswing again soon, but this just really sucks this time and I felt the need to share.

I'm so glad to be done with this end of my chemo and to feel like I'm on the down side of my treatments. I have twelve more to go, but I really think it will go by much faster, as it will be once a week. Plus I've been told by so many people these next rounds will be easier than the first...I'm counting on this!

Thanks for being here and listening...

Last round of A/C...YEA!!!

I completed my four rounds of Adriamycin/Cytoxan today. It's a little bit of a milestone (ok, it's a big milestone) and I'm so glad to be done with it. The A/C is the stronger of the chemotherapy drugs I get, with more side effects, so I'm glad this part is just about over. It's only been a few hours , the only side effect that's kicked in is my aversion to water (it's a quick one). I'll tackle the rest of them as they com along over the next week or so.

I will start my Taxol and Herceptin on January 2nd. I will be getting those two drugs once a week for twelve weeks. I should hopefully be done with that by the end of March, at least that's the goal.

The chemo process seems to get shorter and easier each time, I hope that continues as I move on to the next phase. I adore the nurses, both in the lab and up in the chemo unit, they know exactly what I need (extra lidocaine, sensitive skin dressing and the drugs given over a longer period of time). I know I could never do what they do, because of the needles, but I wish I could just to give the comfort they provide.

I'm actually feeling pretty good today. My white cell count is at a completely reasonable number (4900), plus I'm all pumped up on steroids. I could live without the steroids, I hate the way they make me feel, but Dr. Ellis tells me it really helps the anti nausea medicine and I tend to believe her since I haven't had any. I'm thrilled about the white cell count, given my low of 500 a couple weeks ago, I hope to not have that happen again.

I am starting to feel a little tired, but not horribly. Mom and I went and had soup after treatment and saw a bunch of friends walking around Edmonds. You know, it's really nice to hear, "You look really great, you had treatment today?!?" It's especially nice since my eyelashes and brows have started falling out...I can still get mascara on them!

While we were in Edmonds we met (finally) Cathy Nilon who has recently written a children's book about chemotherapy called "Chemo Cat". http://www.chemocat.com/ We got the book in a very round about way (we live in a very small town) and I have been wanting to meet her. She saw me walking down the street and stopped to talk to me, having no idea who I was. We had a great talk, I hope to be able to spend more time talking to her.

It's taken me a couple hours to write this...my concentration is failing me as I become more tired. It must be time for bed.

I hope all is well with all of you!

Much love, K

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.

Mine was not as I had planned. We had planned to go to our friend's for a Thai dinner. Henry was with his dad and my sister and her family usually come over on Friday so we planned our traditional Thanksgiving for tomorrow.

I woke up feeling awful this morning. I had been in to see the doctor yesterday to have my white blood count done and it had gone all the way down to 500! My normal, non-chemo, is 5000 and it had been down to 1650, but 500 is extremely low.

I called in to the doctor today, and told him how I was feeling and he prescribed antibiotics again. However, he also told me that if I had a fever at all or was feeling really bad that I needed to call again. I'm a terrible patient...but I've not felt this bad for such a long time I didn't think it was a good idea to take any chances given my low blood count...so in I went to the hospital. I was given IV fluids and more antibiotics and a shot of Neupogen to boost my white cells. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my Thanksgiving at all, but I am really grateful they were there. I am so grateful for everyone of my doctors and nurses, they are truly wonderful.

I'm still not feeling very good, but I'm home and I happy for that. I even more happy that Henry came home this evening instead of tomorrow, I feel better when he's here.

So even though my day was not as planned or what I wanted to do at all, I'm still grateful for the day and for all of you.

Much love to all of you!

Number three done

Round three of chemo was on Wednesday. Mom and Shari went with me this time, it was nice to have both of them there for company.

Chemo went about an hour faster than usual. The nurses thought I was just there for a shot of Nulasta to boost my white cell count, so I got called in a lot earlier than normal and they started the meds a little sooner. All in all it was pretty uneventful...I guess I'm just getting used to the routine.

I felt pretty good on Thursday and Friday, except for the terrible taste in my mouth. The drugs seem to kick in after a couple days and make me really tired. I feel like I've hardly left the couch today! I feel like a slug.

My sister, Shari, had her annual "Check Your Boobies" party last night. It was a really good and very informative time. Check Your Boobies was started by a friend of hers who was diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age as well, it's a great organization, please check it out.

http://www.checkyourboobies.org/

I'm sorry I don't have all that much to say...I really just wanted to check in and let you all know I'm doing ok.

Take care of yourselves!!!!!

Just a little update

I wanted to thank everyone again for being here and for all your kind words and support.

The last couple of weeks have been a little rough. The side effects, although minimal in number, have packed a punch. Last week I had insomnia, this week I have the painful side effect of heartburn. Happily the insomnia passed after a couple nights of literally no sleep. Unhappily, the heartburn is taking a little more work, I tired all the usual over the counter remedies and have now gone on to a prescription, I'm hoping it works soon. In the last day I've developed a very strange tingling feeling in my nose, my oncologist tells me this is a side effect of one of the drugs, who would have thought!

I had to go in to see my oncologist today and have my blood work done, because I had a fever last night. Something I never would have considered calling a doctor about before... My white blood cell count had gone down from 6900 last week to 1650 today, not a really good sign. She put me on an antibiotic to try to get whatever it is that might be causing this. If that doesn't work, next week when I go in for my next session they will give me something else to help with my white counts. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for better white counts...I've got enough drugs in me.

My hair is completely gone now. I couldn't stand the little prickly/patchy amount that was left so my mom shaved it off for me yesterday. That wasn't something I ever thought I would say...I shaved my head...yikes! I swear it's still a new experience every time I look in the mirror, even though I've been essentially bald for a few weeks now. I miss my hair more now that it's getting cold, it kept my neck warm. I suppose it's a good thing I don't mind wearing turtlenecks.

That's about it for now. Much love to you all!!!!