Hello everyone:
Today I spent the day in the hospital to get the results from my last check-up. Today is also Pete's and my anniversary - last year we spent it in the honeymoon suite on the hospital discount in London because the next day was the beginning of my 15 day stay in isolation - how time flies!!
Anyway, I had gone to the Owen Sound hospital near the end of September for my regular IV, but the doctors held off because of a toothache I had. I was also experiencing a lot of pain because I think I had pulled a muscle in my back. It had hurt so bad that at night I could hardly breathe - it felt like a vice grip around my rib cage. I could hardly hold up a pan of beans, drive the van or get out of bed. The next day happened to be my scheduled IV. When they heard my symptoms (which sounded a lot like the symptoms when I was first diagnosed) they wanted to do an MRI just to make sure all was O.K. I had also had some pain in my hips. When I was sleeping one night I had a dream that I was running in a race and came in dead last because my hips hurt. When I woke up, my hips were really hurting! (I was more upset that I lost the race than about the pain I was having in my hips - I had never in my life lost a race where I came in dead last!!) So the doctor sent me straight to X-rays after my appointment. The blood work I had done the month before (the full lab sheet of work) wasn't in yet so I had to wait till this month. That's why the blog was not written yet.
Today my oncologist came back from maternity leave. She was gone since March so it will be nice to have a regular doctor again. My MRI came back showing that everything was looking good on my spine. The X-rays on my hips didn't show anything. I had a tooth filled at the dentist last week, but I'm still having a bit of pain in my jaw bones. The doctor held off with my IV again just in case I go back to the dentist. I told her it feels like the bone hurts - not my teeth. Maybe it's my teeth that are the problem and it's making the bone hurt. It's hard to tell. Last Sunday my jaw was very achy so I massaged it, and while I was massaging I felt a peanut size lump by my right ear. It doesn't bother my unless I touch it. I didn't even know it was there. I mentioned it to the doctor and she thought it could be from the IV drug I take so that was another reason I didn't get the IV. In the meantime my protein and calcium are up, which isn't a good thing but the counts are so small that the lab couldn't even give the oncologist a number. The doctor wants to keep on eye on this so I went downstairs for more blood work to compare to last month's blood work. She said the counts could just be a increase and the next month's could be back to normal again. I also have to go for a CAT scan. They have held off with this test because there is radiation in CAT scans, but after MRI's and X-rays, they want a more thorough picture done. Depending on the results of my CAT scan and blood work, the doctor may send a letter to London hospital as to the next steps. If my counts go down, and the lump shows to be nothing, I'll just continue my regular routine at Owen Sound. Hopefully this makes some kind of sense. Sometimes I walk out of the hospital not quite sure of everything myself. It makes sense while I'm talking to the doctor, but when I have to share the story it comes out different.
Anyway, I'm not too worried. Everyday I continue with my activities and chores and regular routine. I feel pretty good. My pain isn't as bad anymore - I just take it easy. I didn't even play soccer with the adults against the gr. 7 & 8's (so they could prepare for the tournament this Saturday). My mind wanted to, but I listened to my body instead. (It took will power I tell you!!) I also hope to teach the gr. 7 & 8's drama for the next month and a half. I'm looking forward to it!
In the meantime I plan to enjoy my anniversary dinner with the family tonight! At the end of the month Pete and I hope to go on a trip and get away from everything for a bit. Things are going well and I'm looking forward to this trip more than my last year's trip to isolation
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Hello,
Well summer's over and the kids are back to school for their second day already! We had an awesome summer this year...much better than last year!! This year was like a gift for me and I had a completely different outlook on it. Usually summers in our household are - we'll work in the mornings and play in the afternoons. This year it was - we'll do what needs to get done and for the rest we're on vacation! I just absorb everything now, watching my kids play together, enjoying the weather, the camping, my health - but mostly just being with my family! This is the first time I wasn't ready for school to start again!
I've been so busy with summer and helping with the welcome evening for our new minister and his family, that I've neglected the blog! Usually if there is no news, it means its good news. I received the results from the biopsy's. My bone marrow from my hip came back with a small trace of the cancer cells (5%) from what was taken - this is how I understand it. The doctor said it was nothing to worry about, so I'm not. At the end of this month I go to Owen Sound for my monthly IV and than I do full blood work (check off all the boxes on the lab sheet) and a 24hr urine sample to make sure the levels (cell counts) haven't changed too drastically. As for the biopsy from my stomach I'll need another scope done in six months time from my last one to make sure my stomach isn't more irratated or inflamed. The pills I'm taking from the last scope are supposed to cure that though. Time will tell. In the meantime I don't think too much about my health, but just enjoy each new day as it comes. It's a nice way to live!
I can't remember if I told you about my IV's. I get them once a month and it's just a "maintenace" drug - nothing to do with the cancer - to help the calcium in my blood to stick to my bones and hopefully make them stronger. The IV lasts about 4 hours. Earlier this year I was asked if I wanted to have the IV put in and than go home with it. When I heard that I thought to myself, "but I have a really good thing going on here in the hospital". Usually I take a bag to the hospital with a good thick novel, a water bottle, a sandwich and lot's of snacks. Then the nurse will get me settled into a lazy-boy chair, recline me, get me a pillow and a handmade blanket, come back with a tray of cookies and ask if I want any coffee to go with that. Than they stick me with a needle and I'm "trapped" for 4 hours. Now they want to know if I want to take the IV home?! I said, "No thanks, I'm good right here!". There are no dishes staring at me, no laundry piles begging to be washed, no weeds wanting to be pulled up and no beds needing to be made at the hospital!...all good things can't last forever. When school ended in June I figured I couldn't leave my kids home alone all day while I go to the "spa". Sometimes there are delays at the hospital and I end up being there from the time I drop the kids off at school until I pick them up again. If I were gone all day it would leave the kids plenty of opportunity to get in fights! So in the end I decided to take the IV home. The lab fills a balloon with my drugs and place it in a plastic bottle. A long tube runs out of the bottle with a needle on the end. Now when I get to the hospital I'm put into the recliner (with out being reclined!) and they stick me with the needle, tape the tube up my arm so it doesn't dangle, place the bottle in my pocket, say "have a nice day" and I go home to my chores. After the balloon empties I pull the needle out and throw the whole contraption away. The next month I went back to get the same thing done again and they asked, "How did it go taking the IV home?" I said, "It's hard to get things done with always having to watch out for the tube or the bottle falling out of my pocket. Plus I don't want my meds to start boiling over the steaming pots while I'm cooking dinner!" They gave me a "prescrpition" to go out for dinner on those IV days. Of course I rushed home with this exciting new prescription, but Pete's not buying it. I told him I have to follow doctor's orders - very important! The kids seem to agree with the doctor too! Pete still isn't buying it. Anyway, now that school started again I wonder if I can get back to the "spa" way again! I'll probably just take the IV home and give myself a prescription for the day off.
That's it for now, the end of the month may produce some more news. So for now, enjoy getting into the new school, homework, making lunches -and for my family now- catechism routines! I hope you all had an enjoyable and safe summer! Thanks for all the many prayers that still go up for my family even though things here are relatively good. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Take care,
Pete, Sharon, Natasha, Heather and Shaun.
Well summer's over and the kids are back to school for their second day already! We had an awesome summer this year...much better than last year!! This year was like a gift for me and I had a completely different outlook on it. Usually summers in our household are - we'll work in the mornings and play in the afternoons. This year it was - we'll do what needs to get done and for the rest we're on vacation! I just absorb everything now, watching my kids play together, enjoying the weather, the camping, my health - but mostly just being with my family! This is the first time I wasn't ready for school to start again!
I've been so busy with summer and helping with the welcome evening for our new minister and his family, that I've neglected the blog! Usually if there is no news, it means its good news. I received the results from the biopsy's. My bone marrow from my hip came back with a small trace of the cancer cells (5%) from what was taken - this is how I understand it. The doctor said it was nothing to worry about, so I'm not. At the end of this month I go to Owen Sound for my monthly IV and than I do full blood work (check off all the boxes on the lab sheet) and a 24hr urine sample to make sure the levels (cell counts) haven't changed too drastically. As for the biopsy from my stomach I'll need another scope done in six months time from my last one to make sure my stomach isn't more irratated or inflamed. The pills I'm taking from the last scope are supposed to cure that though. Time will tell. In the meantime I don't think too much about my health, but just enjoy each new day as it comes. It's a nice way to live!
I can't remember if I told you about my IV's. I get them once a month and it's just a "maintenace" drug - nothing to do with the cancer - to help the calcium in my blood to stick to my bones and hopefully make them stronger. The IV lasts about 4 hours. Earlier this year I was asked if I wanted to have the IV put in and than go home with it. When I heard that I thought to myself, "but I have a really good thing going on here in the hospital". Usually I take a bag to the hospital with a good thick novel, a water bottle, a sandwich and lot's of snacks. Then the nurse will get me settled into a lazy-boy chair, recline me, get me a pillow and a handmade blanket, come back with a tray of cookies and ask if I want any coffee to go with that. Than they stick me with a needle and I'm "trapped" for 4 hours. Now they want to know if I want to take the IV home?! I said, "No thanks, I'm good right here!". There are no dishes staring at me, no laundry piles begging to be washed, no weeds wanting to be pulled up and no beds needing to be made at the hospital!...all good things can't last forever. When school ended in June I figured I couldn't leave my kids home alone all day while I go to the "spa". Sometimes there are delays at the hospital and I end up being there from the time I drop the kids off at school until I pick them up again. If I were gone all day it would leave the kids plenty of opportunity to get in fights! So in the end I decided to take the IV home. The lab fills a balloon with my drugs and place it in a plastic bottle. A long tube runs out of the bottle with a needle on the end. Now when I get to the hospital I'm put into the recliner (with out being reclined!) and they stick me with the needle, tape the tube up my arm so it doesn't dangle, place the bottle in my pocket, say "have a nice day" and I go home to my chores. After the balloon empties I pull the needle out and throw the whole contraption away. The next month I went back to get the same thing done again and they asked, "How did it go taking the IV home?" I said, "It's hard to get things done with always having to watch out for the tube or the bottle falling out of my pocket. Plus I don't want my meds to start boiling over the steaming pots while I'm cooking dinner!" They gave me a "prescrpition" to go out for dinner on those IV days. Of course I rushed home with this exciting new prescription, but Pete's not buying it. I told him I have to follow doctor's orders - very important! The kids seem to agree with the doctor too! Pete still isn't buying it. Anyway, now that school started again I wonder if I can get back to the "spa" way again! I'll probably just take the IV home and give myself a prescription for the day off.
That's it for now, the end of the month may produce some more news. So for now, enjoy getting into the new school, homework, making lunches -and for my family now- catechism routines! I hope you all had an enjoyable and safe summer! Thanks for all the many prayers that still go up for my family even though things here are relatively good. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Take care,
Pete, Sharon, Natasha, Heather and Shaun.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Hello!
Tuesday I went to Owen Sound hospital for the scope (tube) down my throat. I expected it to go a little differently. I've heard stories that it's not a pleasant procedure. I was expecting to sit on the edge of the hospital bed and be awake while the doctor scoped the situation out. I was told I would be slightly sedated so that things would be more comfortable. My friend brought me and I got into my gown. Next I had to answer a whole bunch of questions and then was brought into the waiting room where all the operations happen. I was thinking that this was all pretty official for a tube down the throat. The nurse came and brought me into the operating room and I was met by four people. I said "I get four people to put one tube down my throat?". I put on my hospital "shower" cap and little slippers. The anesthesiologist(?) tried putting an IV in my left hand while the nurses were giving instructions. The doctor than asked why I was there - why did I need the scope down the throat? How comforting! I had met with him already about this earlier. In the meantime I was getting poked in the left hand and I finally asked him to try the right hand (my usual) - it worked. The nurse put the blood pressure cuff on my left arm and my left hand started bleeding like a sieve from all the needle pokes! It was quite funny. The doctor asked me to come over on the left side of the bed, so I swung my legs over to get it done. That's when they told me I was being put out. The anesthesiologist said "This will go quick". I said "This is quick" and then I heard,"yep", and I was gone.
I heard "Sharon, we're all done and we are bringing you back to recovery". Altogether it took about 1/2 an hour. I woke up with a prescription on my stomach and I asked what it was for. The nurses said, "I don't know. Maybe this or maybe that." I said "Maybe you can find out for me". Apparently my stomach looked irritated and they had some pills for me to take. Of course I couldn't talk to the doctor - he was onto the next operation already! Had I known I would have asked a couple of questions before the procedure and asked to see the scope. When I asked the nurse questions she didn't have many answers. She looked on the computer and said that the doctor had taken a biopsy of my esophagus and one from my stomach. In 10 days I could call my family doctor for results. I have now had 3 biopsy's in one week. I am not too worried about any of these tests, whether they turn out good or bad. It doesn't play on my mind like it did last year when we didn't know anything.
In the meantime, the family has gone camping. Actually, I just came home to do a little laundry (it's raining out right now) and then we'll be heading back. It's very relaxing for me to be at the campground - it's good for me physically and mentally. I'm sure everyone enjoys the campground and it relaxes them. There is no stress and there are no deadlines. It's just a lot of rest and reading. The kids and I go biking a lot too!
Anyway, thanks for reading and keeping up to date. When I get results I'll fill you all in again.
Take care and have a good summer holiday!
Love from Pete, Sharon, Natasha, Heather and Shaun.
Tuesday I went to Owen Sound hospital for the scope (tube) down my throat. I expected it to go a little differently. I've heard stories that it's not a pleasant procedure. I was expecting to sit on the edge of the hospital bed and be awake while the doctor scoped the situation out. I was told I would be slightly sedated so that things would be more comfortable. My friend brought me and I got into my gown. Next I had to answer a whole bunch of questions and then was brought into the waiting room where all the operations happen. I was thinking that this was all pretty official for a tube down the throat. The nurse came and brought me into the operating room and I was met by four people. I said "I get four people to put one tube down my throat?". I put on my hospital "shower" cap and little slippers. The anesthesiologist(?) tried putting an IV in my left hand while the nurses were giving instructions. The doctor than asked why I was there - why did I need the scope down the throat? How comforting! I had met with him already about this earlier. In the meantime I was getting poked in the left hand and I finally asked him to try the right hand (my usual) - it worked. The nurse put the blood pressure cuff on my left arm and my left hand started bleeding like a sieve from all the needle pokes! It was quite funny. The doctor asked me to come over on the left side of the bed, so I swung my legs over to get it done. That's when they told me I was being put out. The anesthesiologist said "This will go quick". I said "This is quick" and then I heard,"yep", and I was gone.
I heard "Sharon, we're all done and we are bringing you back to recovery". Altogether it took about 1/2 an hour. I woke up with a prescription on my stomach and I asked what it was for. The nurses said, "I don't know. Maybe this or maybe that." I said "Maybe you can find out for me". Apparently my stomach looked irritated and they had some pills for me to take. Of course I couldn't talk to the doctor - he was onto the next operation already! Had I known I would have asked a couple of questions before the procedure and asked to see the scope. When I asked the nurse questions she didn't have many answers. She looked on the computer and said that the doctor had taken a biopsy of my esophagus and one from my stomach. In 10 days I could call my family doctor for results. I have now had 3 biopsy's in one week. I am not too worried about any of these tests, whether they turn out good or bad. It doesn't play on my mind like it did last year when we didn't know anything.
In the meantime, the family has gone camping. Actually, I just came home to do a little laundry (it's raining out right now) and then we'll be heading back. It's very relaxing for me to be at the campground - it's good for me physically and mentally. I'm sure everyone enjoys the campground and it relaxes them. There is no stress and there are no deadlines. It's just a lot of rest and reading. The kids and I go biking a lot too!
Anyway, thanks for reading and keeping up to date. When I get results I'll fill you all in again.
Take care and have a good summer holiday!
Love from Pete, Sharon, Natasha, Heather and Shaun.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Hello again:
I don't know if anyone is still peeking in on this blog, but here we go again. Last Wednesday I had another bone marrow biopsy. On my doctor visit last month my blood test showed some cancer cells floating around. The doctor wasn't sure if these cells were left overs or if the cancer is back - the only way to find out is by doing a biopsy. On Wednesday I went to Owen Sound hospital kinda dreading the situation. It's a 15 min procedure, but it can be a bit uncomfortable - it has a couple of seconds of intense pain once they are in the middle of your bone. The doctor asked if I was alright and I answered "yes, but I'm not looking forward to it". He than wanted to give me a pill for under my tongue to settle me. I told him I was fine and didn't want anything except for it to be done.
Like last time, the doctor rubbed some gel on the hip (on the right side between the butt and the back - almost feels like your lower back) and then the needle to freeze the area up in a few spots. After comes the thick needle that gets inserted into the bone. I felt a lot of pressure and then the pain comes when they extract the marrow. Last time I remember it hurting a lot more so when the pain was there I thought it's going to hurt more in a few minutes, but when I look over my shoulder the marrow was already going into the sample jar full of solution. It was over and wasn't nearly as bad a I thought it would be. All said and done it's not a procedure to worry about, it's just uncomfortable, mind you it wouldn't be on my list of top ten things to do on my day off!
The lab tech asked if I wanted to see the marrow. I always want to see things that happen to me or come out of me just because it's my body and I'm interested. The marrow was a red "stick" about an inch and a half long and as thick as a Q-tip stick. It gets sent off to Toronto were it gets tested. When the marrow comes out it also comes with blood that has "floaties" in it that get tested as well. Normally you get results in 2-3 weeks, but there is a back log of 4-6 weeks. This time around I'm not worried about it, what will be will be. I have been through it before and know what to expect. Also last time around the doctors did the basic treatment on me and it worked. Apparently they have many "goodies" out there that they haven't even tried on me yet. So in the meantime I plan to enjoy this summer.
Next Tuesday I go to the hospital to have a tube down my throat. In the beginning of the year I would occasionally have trouble swallowing liquids. I ended up doing a swallow test where I first had to swallow "liquid chalk". It was very disgusting and I almost threw it up over their high tech equipment! According to that test all looked good, but Tuesday is just a precaution follow up. They figure I may have a bit of scar tissue on my esophegus because of the radiation I had last July. I haven't had problems swallowing since that last test, so I'm not too worried about it.
I think the last time I wrote was in December when all my treatments were done and it was just a matter of resting. Things have been going pretty good - I still nap 3 or 4 times a week. I go to the Owen Sound hospital once a month for blood work and an IV to help the calcium floating around in my blood to stick to my bones. I have to do the IV for about 2 years - I've already done a good half year of it already. The doctors will keep on eye on the calcium because they don't want to give me too much of the drug, but they don't want to stop it too early either. This drug is good for all my bones of course, but the jaw bone is made up differently. The drug actually weakens the jaw. In the beginning of the year I had a toothache and went to my regular dentist. Once the dentist hears about the IV drug they back away from the situation in a real hurry. The jaw becomes so brittle that a root canel can snap a piece of your jaw off just like that. My dentist starts referring me to another and the oncology clinic stops my IV for a least 2 months prior to any denatl work. London hospital has its own dental unit for cases like myself and I figured I'd rather go to the London hospital where the dentists are familiar with the IV drug than go to some nervous local dentist. Pete came with me and the dentist did some X-rays that showed my teeth were fine except for a wisdom tooth pushing up against a back molar. The good news was that no work needed to be done to my teeth, the bad news was that they can't take out my wisdom teeth. It's too dangerous. Not only that, the dentist said 2 months isn't nearly long enough to be off the drug to be doing dental work. He said even if I stopped my IV now, the drug would be in my system for 6 years still! It's amazing what drugs do to you.
Speaking of drugs, I stopped my pain pills in April. Actually I ran out of them over the Easter weekend. I was supposed to be weaned off them, but once the weekend was over it had been 4 days already and my symptoms were minimal. By the time I got into see a doctor it had been 2 weeks and I was feeling great. I painted the office at work for Pete, weeded the garden and starting vacuuming again. After the two weeks were up it hit me. I was completely exhausted, napping every day - sometimes twice! I didn't have energy for anything and it hurt to do anything. The pain pills I was on were time released - I took one in the morning that lasted all day and one again at night that took me till the morning. I also had a break through pill that when things got real sore I could just pop one and within about 2 mins I was feeling relief for about 3 hours. Now I was on nothing and my body was in withdrawal. I would get the sweats on and off and be a bit restless, but the biggest thing was being totally exhausted. I wasn't sleeping properly at night so I started taking a sleeping pill and one break through pain pill just to take the edge off and give me a good night's rest. What a difference a nights sleep makes! Anyway, I wasn't getting much done in the house, I still had to get the kids back and forth to school on time (it was amazing that the kids even made it some days), supper was always a last minute effort - sometimes late and than the homework that always comes near the end of the year. I wasn't really keeping up and I had a lot of guilt with that. I didn't want to ask for help because others had the same things to do at their own homes, but after a couple weeks I almost asked for meals again (just for days that were too much). I had guilt about not keeping up and being so tired and some even asked if I was depressed (my mood was always ok). I said "I don't think so, but things are depressing. Is that the same thing?" Just as quick as the tiredness hit, it also went away. That was 6 weeks later. I still have pain in my back and hips, but I'm not on pain killers all day, so I have to take it easy. In a way it's a blessing in disguise that I'm off the pills. When I was on them I was always going full throttle, but didn't feel anything. Now that I'm off, I have to listen to my body and it isn't near to being healed. On the pills I was just abusing my body beyond it's limits and I probably prolonged it's healing. A personal trainer told me that my body will heal faster and truer to itself off the pills (something about the nerves being used to all the pain killers). Now I struggle a little with the things I can't do because my body can't handle it all. I have always been active so this is just something that will take time to adjust to - not always easy. I'm getting a good taste of what the elderly go through - and that is an eye opener! If I get into a rut of thinking of what I can't do I have to turn it around and think of what I can do and hopefully over time (maybe years) I will be able to do more.
My body also went through other things that tied in with the tiredness. I have a lot of memory gaps. I can be talking and than not know what I was saying. Sometimes I really have to think about someone's name - even if I know them. My brain can't handle too many things. For example the last 2 weeks the kids have had swimming lessons every morning and then they would have soocer at night. Doing that and having a nap in between was enough for me to think about. Such simple things - but it takes a lot of mental energy. Swimming is done, so life should be a bit easier now. A visit to the family doctor last month cleared up some things. Apparently I'm in menopause - that would explain the sweating and memory (the doctor said it's going to get worse). He also said that tests done at the hospital showed I probably wouldn't be able to ever have another baby. I had been taking a few pregnancy tests over the spring months - only to be negative. I had been so tired and my cycles had stopped, even the oncologists were doing some pregnancy tests on me. I was also told I might need my immunizations done again since chemo killed everthing off in my body. Lastly I had to get a full body x-ray done since that hadn't been done after my transplant (apparently that's mandatory - with a biopsy - that now is done). I told the doctor that I didn't believe in x-rays anymore since it couldn't find my cancer, but he said they needed it for their records. After about 15-20 x-rays (limb by limb) I told them that they now had a nice photo album of me! Anyway, that is a lot of changes to my body in a couple of months.
I'm pretty sure everything is up tp date again. I try to be organized in my day so that by afternoon everything is done (supper too) in case I need a nap. The kids are home and they are a great help, but I always hear them when I try to nap! We camped the first week out of school and it was so relaxing - my body didn't even hurt as much! We plan to camp some more.
I hope to update you again after Tuesday, but sometimes the idea of sitting here typing can be a lot to think about and my back does get sore sitting over a keyboard. No promises on being too regular, but I'll do my best.
Take care and thanks for the on going prayers!
Love Pete, Sharon, Natasha, Heather & Shaun
I don't know if anyone is still peeking in on this blog, but here we go again. Last Wednesday I had another bone marrow biopsy. On my doctor visit last month my blood test showed some cancer cells floating around. The doctor wasn't sure if these cells were left overs or if the cancer is back - the only way to find out is by doing a biopsy. On Wednesday I went to Owen Sound hospital kinda dreading the situation. It's a 15 min procedure, but it can be a bit uncomfortable - it has a couple of seconds of intense pain once they are in the middle of your bone. The doctor asked if I was alright and I answered "yes, but I'm not looking forward to it". He than wanted to give me a pill for under my tongue to settle me. I told him I was fine and didn't want anything except for it to be done.
Like last time, the doctor rubbed some gel on the hip (on the right side between the butt and the back - almost feels like your lower back) and then the needle to freeze the area up in a few spots. After comes the thick needle that gets inserted into the bone. I felt a lot of pressure and then the pain comes when they extract the marrow. Last time I remember it hurting a lot more so when the pain was there I thought it's going to hurt more in a few minutes, but when I look over my shoulder the marrow was already going into the sample jar full of solution. It was over and wasn't nearly as bad a I thought it would be. All said and done it's not a procedure to worry about, it's just uncomfortable, mind you it wouldn't be on my list of top ten things to do on my day off!
The lab tech asked if I wanted to see the marrow. I always want to see things that happen to me or come out of me just because it's my body and I'm interested. The marrow was a red "stick" about an inch and a half long and as thick as a Q-tip stick. It gets sent off to Toronto were it gets tested. When the marrow comes out it also comes with blood that has "floaties" in it that get tested as well. Normally you get results in 2-3 weeks, but there is a back log of 4-6 weeks. This time around I'm not worried about it, what will be will be. I have been through it before and know what to expect. Also last time around the doctors did the basic treatment on me and it worked. Apparently they have many "goodies" out there that they haven't even tried on me yet. So in the meantime I plan to enjoy this summer.
Next Tuesday I go to the hospital to have a tube down my throat. In the beginning of the year I would occasionally have trouble swallowing liquids. I ended up doing a swallow test where I first had to swallow "liquid chalk". It was very disgusting and I almost threw it up over their high tech equipment! According to that test all looked good, but Tuesday is just a precaution follow up. They figure I may have a bit of scar tissue on my esophegus because of the radiation I had last July. I haven't had problems swallowing since that last test, so I'm not too worried about it.
I think the last time I wrote was in December when all my treatments were done and it was just a matter of resting. Things have been going pretty good - I still nap 3 or 4 times a week. I go to the Owen Sound hospital once a month for blood work and an IV to help the calcium floating around in my blood to stick to my bones. I have to do the IV for about 2 years - I've already done a good half year of it already. The doctors will keep on eye on the calcium because they don't want to give me too much of the drug, but they don't want to stop it too early either. This drug is good for all my bones of course, but the jaw bone is made up differently. The drug actually weakens the jaw. In the beginning of the year I had a toothache and went to my regular dentist. Once the dentist hears about the IV drug they back away from the situation in a real hurry. The jaw becomes so brittle that a root canel can snap a piece of your jaw off just like that. My dentist starts referring me to another and the oncology clinic stops my IV for a least 2 months prior to any denatl work. London hospital has its own dental unit for cases like myself and I figured I'd rather go to the London hospital where the dentists are familiar with the IV drug than go to some nervous local dentist. Pete came with me and the dentist did some X-rays that showed my teeth were fine except for a wisdom tooth pushing up against a back molar. The good news was that no work needed to be done to my teeth, the bad news was that they can't take out my wisdom teeth. It's too dangerous. Not only that, the dentist said 2 months isn't nearly long enough to be off the drug to be doing dental work. He said even if I stopped my IV now, the drug would be in my system for 6 years still! It's amazing what drugs do to you.
Speaking of drugs, I stopped my pain pills in April. Actually I ran out of them over the Easter weekend. I was supposed to be weaned off them, but once the weekend was over it had been 4 days already and my symptoms were minimal. By the time I got into see a doctor it had been 2 weeks and I was feeling great. I painted the office at work for Pete, weeded the garden and starting vacuuming again. After the two weeks were up it hit me. I was completely exhausted, napping every day - sometimes twice! I didn't have energy for anything and it hurt to do anything. The pain pills I was on were time released - I took one in the morning that lasted all day and one again at night that took me till the morning. I also had a break through pill that when things got real sore I could just pop one and within about 2 mins I was feeling relief for about 3 hours. Now I was on nothing and my body was in withdrawal. I would get the sweats on and off and be a bit restless, but the biggest thing was being totally exhausted. I wasn't sleeping properly at night so I started taking a sleeping pill and one break through pain pill just to take the edge off and give me a good night's rest. What a difference a nights sleep makes! Anyway, I wasn't getting much done in the house, I still had to get the kids back and forth to school on time (it was amazing that the kids even made it some days), supper was always a last minute effort - sometimes late and than the homework that always comes near the end of the year. I wasn't really keeping up and I had a lot of guilt with that. I didn't want to ask for help because others had the same things to do at their own homes, but after a couple weeks I almost asked for meals again (just for days that were too much). I had guilt about not keeping up and being so tired and some even asked if I was depressed (my mood was always ok). I said "I don't think so, but things are depressing. Is that the same thing?" Just as quick as the tiredness hit, it also went away. That was 6 weeks later. I still have pain in my back and hips, but I'm not on pain killers all day, so I have to take it easy. In a way it's a blessing in disguise that I'm off the pills. When I was on them I was always going full throttle, but didn't feel anything. Now that I'm off, I have to listen to my body and it isn't near to being healed. On the pills I was just abusing my body beyond it's limits and I probably prolonged it's healing. A personal trainer told me that my body will heal faster and truer to itself off the pills (something about the nerves being used to all the pain killers). Now I struggle a little with the things I can't do because my body can't handle it all. I have always been active so this is just something that will take time to adjust to - not always easy. I'm getting a good taste of what the elderly go through - and that is an eye opener! If I get into a rut of thinking of what I can't do I have to turn it around and think of what I can do and hopefully over time (maybe years) I will be able to do more.
My body also went through other things that tied in with the tiredness. I have a lot of memory gaps. I can be talking and than not know what I was saying. Sometimes I really have to think about someone's name - even if I know them. My brain can't handle too many things. For example the last 2 weeks the kids have had swimming lessons every morning and then they would have soocer at night. Doing that and having a nap in between was enough for me to think about. Such simple things - but it takes a lot of mental energy. Swimming is done, so life should be a bit easier now. A visit to the family doctor last month cleared up some things. Apparently I'm in menopause - that would explain the sweating and memory (the doctor said it's going to get worse). He also said that tests done at the hospital showed I probably wouldn't be able to ever have another baby. I had been taking a few pregnancy tests over the spring months - only to be negative. I had been so tired and my cycles had stopped, even the oncologists were doing some pregnancy tests on me. I was also told I might need my immunizations done again since chemo killed everthing off in my body. Lastly I had to get a full body x-ray done since that hadn't been done after my transplant (apparently that's mandatory - with a biopsy - that now is done). I told the doctor that I didn't believe in x-rays anymore since it couldn't find my cancer, but he said they needed it for their records. After about 15-20 x-rays (limb by limb) I told them that they now had a nice photo album of me! Anyway, that is a lot of changes to my body in a couple of months.
I'm pretty sure everything is up tp date again. I try to be organized in my day so that by afternoon everything is done (supper too) in case I need a nap. The kids are home and they are a great help, but I always hear them when I try to nap! We camped the first week out of school and it was so relaxing - my body didn't even hurt as much! We plan to camp some more.
I hope to update you again after Tuesday, but sometimes the idea of sitting here typing can be a lot to think about and my back does get sore sitting over a keyboard. No promises on being too regular, but I'll do my best.
Take care and thanks for the on going prayers!
Love Pete, Sharon, Natasha, Heather & Shaun
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