So, is today a Good Day?

We have about 6 inches of snow on the ground and it feels like it means to stick around!  The girls are playing in the pep band for a bunch of volley-ball games tonight, or I’m sure they would be out on the trails with head-lamps in the dark

Chemo went kind of “normal” yesterday.  I got there on time, but my port in my chest refused to work and give blood.  After trying for about 20 minutes my nurse Kim ordered a drug called “Cath-flow” (I think that’s the name…..)  They put some in the port and leave it alone for a few minutes to let it unclog the port.  While that did its job, Dr Kelley did the chemo in my brain.  The pressure in my head is fine and the infusion went fine.  Once again, even though I got strong anti-nausea drugs before the chemo, I still managed to throw up!   Grrrrrr…..that just wears me out.  At least we know which chemo makes me sick since I hadn’t had the other one yet. 

About an hour later they got my blood numbers and it was fine for me to get my last chemo.  By the time that one was done I was feeling mostly just fine….didn’t want anything to eat, but didn’t feel sick anymore.

It is colder than I would like it to be, so I think I will start a little fire in the fireplace and have some tea.

I got my chemo on Monday.  I talked to the doc about my case of the trots and they told me to take an Imodium every time I had an urgent visit to the bathroom. I laughed at them and asked if they understood that I would have taken about 50 of them in one night?!?  They promised that things would “stop” before that, so I took them at their word….I only got to 6 pills!  I have had things under control since then.  Who would have thought you can take that much??

I keep trying to convince myself my eyes are getting better, but I don’t think they are honestly getting any better.  I am at the point where I can function, but I still can only use one eye or I see double.  I can use the  computer for a half an hour or so before my eye gets tired.  I am really beginning to wonder if this will be permanent. 

We got our first snow of the year day before yesterday and we are getting another little bit right now.  It is chilly to say the least.

No other big news here.  I have chemo again on Monday of next week.

I have had a most amazing case of diarrhea since Tuesday night.   If just that statement makes you want to go “Ewwwwwwww!”, I suggest you just stop reading NOW!

If I switch to a total liquid diet (did it 2 different days) my trips to the "library" cut down to once every 2 hours or so.  If I eat even simple things like toast or bananas, I ups my visits to about every 30 to 45 minutes.

I have lost about 5 pounds this week and NOT in a good way.  The doc ordered a test to see if I have this mutant bacteria called C-difficel (sp?) and the test came back negative.   Some day I will regale you with the story of “collecting my sample” for the test.  Suffice it to say here that there are some things humans are not meant to mess with, even while wearing gloves.

I am supposed to have chemo again tomorrow

This is no longer even remotely funny. 

I have used all my good fart and poop jokes. 

I am afraid to fart. 

I am sick of stomach cramps.

I can’t even go eat chocolate to make myself feel better!

Gotta run…..again…..

Good morning all-

Leave to me to declare a “hooky Day” and then wake up at 4am!  Both of the girls are sick; Katie has a nasty cold and Carol is still recovering from the stomach flu, so I told them to stay home and rest today.

I looked back over my last few blogs and they are depressingly similar:

“poor me…blah, blah, blah….this hurts, that hurts, this part of me seems to have quit working……”ad-infintium.  Even I’m sick of reading it!

My goal for today is to spend some time recognizing that, yeah, My day may not be perfect, but parts of it are still pretty wonderful.

WE had a beautiful day yesterday.  It was crisp and cold and really smelled like fall….kind of like wild berries in the woods and snow in the air with a hint of smoke as people fire up the wood stoves.

My chemo went well yesterday.  We did my regulard Abraxane and the Metholtrexate in the poprt in my brain.  The pressure in my CSF was normal (it was high during surgery, so we will be checking it for a while)  We also slowed down the infusion of the chemo in my head because I had been told it might help with the vomiting…..woohoo….it did J

While I was getting my chemo yesterday, a good friend of mine, Denise, came by to visit which is always nice.  Unfortunatly; she also had some bad news about a mutual friend Margie.

Margie’s sister lives in Florida and has just been diagnosised with cancer for the third time.  I don’t have a lot of details, but the tumor is large and spread in her abdomen and is interfering with her renal system.  One of her kidneys is at risk.  I will have more info soon, but please keep Margie and her sister in your prayers.  Margie is trying to get things organized so she can go down and be with her sister.

I also found out that my Uncle (really 2^nd cousin, but we always call him uncle) Jerry Bradford has Lung cancer.  The last I heard yesterday they are planning on removing one lung.  Please keep the whole family in their prayers.

I know I owe dozens of people thank-you notes and phone calls.  Please know that as soon as I can actually write a note without such a ridiculous amount of effort I will try and catch up.  I really should get the kids to take a photo of me typing….I sit in the recliner, pile blankets on  my lap until the screen is level with my nose, wear my eye pactch on my left eye with +3.50 reading glasses over them( the strongest I can find) I set the type size to 28, stick my arms out to the side like chicken wings and practice my hunt-and-peck…..I think it may loose something in the description, but I look like a true dork ;)

OK….I fear that a lot of this willl look like it has been typed by a drunken monkey.  If it is really making all my school-teacher friends crazy, please feel free to pull out a red pen……feel better?

Sorry I made you all wait for news!  We got back to the hotel at about3:30 and slept most of the afternoon and early.

I really prayed two nights ago to get rid of my anger.  It was just making me sick!  Got  to the doc for pre-op visit and long story short, w worked  almost everything out.  The rest we will deal with when I am feeling better….more news on that later.

Surgery went smoothly except one weird jump in BP which didn’t last. Only local, no general anesthetic so I got to come back to the hotel for the night.

There are already improvements.  My right eye seems slightly more clear, my pupil in my left eye  is beginning to react to light,

The Doc said that he removed over 20 CCs of CSF during the urgery because the pressure was so high, that is what causing headaches which seem to0 be gone for now THANK GOD!

I still have quite aa bit of pain from the incision, but that should go away in a couple of days.

OK….too tired for more

Thanks for the prayers