January 7, 2020

November 2019 Getting a Cold, Fainting,Emergency Room

Getting A Cold


The Sunday before Thanksgiving I got a cold.  As the week went on it turned into a bad cold.  I was congested and coughing day and night.  I had already decided not to go to Atlanta for Thanksgiving and THANK THE ALMIGHTY GOD that I did. I was very sick and weak.  In the bed and not moving much. I had decided to try Whole Foods for Thanksgiving Dinner.  I was exhausted when I picked the meal up.  I had NO desire to eat any of it...let alone warm it up...and I didn't.  Thanksgiving came and went and David brought me a plate which helped bring me back to life.  It was memorable.

David decided to go out of town for the weekend and I just prayed I would survive.  I mean I was thinking is it possible to survive Chemo and then die from a  cold? That would be tragic.

Fainting in the Grocery Store


Sunday after Thanksgiving and I needed to pick up a few things from the grocery store...like cough medicine and more tissues.  I had about 10 items on my list.  I had on leggings, a black t-shirt, felt hat (no wig) and grey hoodie.  I had the hoodie on over the hat going in the store and just decided to keep the hoodie on while I shopped.

As I was going around the store I noticed how tired I was.  I was leaning on the cart.  Not really pushing it but leaning and pushing. I got up to the check out line and was exhausted.  I remember taking one thing out of the cart and then the cashier helped take everything else out.  I was grateful.  Then I watched as he started to scan the items.  I felt like he was moving in slow motion. I was thinking OMG I'm not going to make it. I took out my store card and the money I thought it was going to cost and put it on the counter. All of a sudden I got SO hot.  It was the same type of hot that I felt during the MRI the week before.  I took off the hoodie and put it and my purse on the empty counter. I remember thinking I need to put my head down.  So I put my head on my purse...

...the next thing I heard was "Ma'am, Ma'am are you alright?"  I was on the floor. I had fainted.  All I thought was "Oh Boy! This is bad!" She called 911 but in the meantime there were some fire department guys shopping and they came up to check me out. I looked up at the manager who I knew because I went to that store often and she was asking me if I was alright and telling me that I had fainted. I told her I was alright.  She said she couldn't let me drive like this and needed to call 911.

November 2019 Neulasta, Disability, MRI, Surgeon from Heaven

Neulasta


This time the Neulasta half dose put me down like the full dose.  I was in the bed again for two days almost unable to move. Too painful to remember how painful....just remember it was shocking to be so sick.

Disability Paperwork


After Chemo ended Short Term Disability has been a bear.   They only approve it from doctor appointment to doctor appointment.  Then you have to call and get an extension and send in medical records.  Also got an email from Leave Administration and from the Insurance company about Long Term Disability and that seemed like even more red-tape. I have to get back to work before January 25th or it will go into LTD.  Pray. I still wonder how guys in the yard get through all these deadlines and paperwork.  There definitely needs to be more help....a coach....to assist employees through this process. It's hard to do all of this while you are sick.

Surviving the MRI


I had the follow-up MRI.  I remembered that I had to stay completely still for thirty minutes and that hadn't been a problem for me.  When I got in the tube my nose was running and I couldn't do anything about it but watch it drip in the tube.  I was doing pretty good but all of a sudden I started to get HOT.  I mean deathly hot. I thought I was going to pass out.  I finally said something and they stopped the machine, came in the room and started taking the blanket off of me, my hospital socks, lifted up my gown from my back and ran a fan to cool me off. I was sweating profusely.  I felt better and we continued but it was scary.

November 2019 Last Chemo Treatment and Ringing the Bell

Doctors Appointment

This was my last oncologist appointment for a while...a month.  I saw the nurse practitioner again and we talked the chemo side effects.  I still had the mouth sores and sore throat for days.  Also a new side effect spots on my hands and over my body.  I don't recognize my palms. The neuropothy in my feet go from getting better to "why won't it just go away".  

We talked about surgery and getting the port taken out at surgery.  Apparently the oncologist gets a say in IF the port can be removed during surgery or if they think it needs to stay in, Their office will look at the MRI and advise.  That was a shocker.  I just assumed...still I'll continue to believe things will go as planned in my head until further notice.

Radiology Appointment


I had a consultation with a radiologist.  I have to have radiology if I get a lumpectomy. Okay great. The radiologist was SMART.  He gave me the rundown on my cancer, tests, chemo drugs, surgery WITHOUT looking at notes.  He'd studied the notes and remembered them.  Impressive!

He told me that it would be EVERYDAY for 4-6 weeks depending on the results of the pathology report. EVERYDAY...but it would only take 10-15 minutes and I wouldn't get sick like with Chemo. Maybe I'll be tired but not sick. Okay. This seems like the last step in the process and then it is just check-ups. We will see. 

Last Chemo Treatment & Ringing the Bell


Getting to the LAST Chemo treatment was a PROCESS. It started in July the Summer and ended in  November in the Fall.

Before this session I gave a lot of thought about the gift I would give my Chemo nurse.  She and I talked about "eventually" she was going to retire.  I found her a Nurse retirement cup on Amazon. It's something I thought she would appreciate.

My son went to this last session with me.  I really appreciated his support. When you are used to doing things yourself it's powerful to learn who loves you.  Love is about moments.  Being there when the moments count.  I told my son he was a great son. 

October 2019 3rd AC Chemo Treatment, Neulasta and Estate Documents

3rd AC Chemo Treatment


Another chemo treatment down. The chemo room was almost empty when I got there. That was a first. The lady who is a crafter was happy to see me. She had made some snack holder and wanted to show them to me. Other than talking to Loretta it was uneventful.

This is the next to last Chemo treatment so my nurse Brenda talked to me about ringing the bell the next time I come and what to expect. I'll ring the bell, they will take my phone to take video and a picture, I can invite others, I will get a certificate. That is interesting to me.  I wonder who came up with ringing the bell as the way to end this part of the Cancer Process.

Getting AC is not bad it is the after effects that's a bear and is wreaking havoc on my body.  This level of tired is beyond anything a human should endure. It is so bad if I walk (slowly) upstairs to get something I have to lay on the bed to rest before I go back downstairs. Since being on AC I've walked around the block once and had to rest on the benches to make it around.  I haven't walk around again because I don't want to pass out.  The exhaustion is real.


Neulasta Shot and After Effects


Well, I thought after the last shot verses the patch that I had found a way not to be balled up in pain...not so.

Somehow after this Neulasta shot I was in the same level of muscle pain as the patch.  I thought I was going to be okay until Thursday afternoon and my muscles ached and locked up. I was in a ball for two days again!  My nurse also told me even after my last chemo shot that I should get the Neulasta shot so I don't get sick.

O-k-a-y, so one more shot of this ridiculous drug.  It is on my list to research it  later.  I can't do it now because I'm not trying to buck the "system".  I'm afraid what I'm going to find is that some company came up this way of keeping the chemo shots on schedule (OR MONEY COMING ON A ROUTINE BASIS) for this cancer treatment "system"....however it literally incapacitates those taking it.  NEULASTA IS WORSE THAN CHEMO! 


There is one cancer treatment lady I met early on name Marie.  She has the same type of breast cancer that I have and going through the same treatment plan. She wasn't there so I got concerned. I texted her to check on her and she said her white blood cell count was too low for Chemo mostly BECAUSE her insurance company did not approve the Neulasta.  Okay...deep. Again this Neulasta keeps the money flowing into the system and I don't think its necessary but will delay treatments like it did Marie.  I mean delaying treatments by MONTHS because instead of getting a chemo shot every other week it would getting  a hit monthly.  Again...I'll research this AFTER this is all over.

January 6, 2020

October 2019 2nd AC Chemo Treatment,Costs and Politics

Follow-up to 1st AC Treatment and Neulasta


Before I can write about the 2nd AC Chemo treatment I need to talk about the Neulasta patch.  I'll have to some research on Neulasta because it is WORST than chemo. The next morning after the patch activated I could hardly move.  

I could hardly get out of bed.  Every muscle in the core of my body hurt.  If I moved it hurt. The next day about the same, it hurt to move.  Between the Chemo, Neulasta, Nausea medication it was a two week hell ride. I learned that not all Chemo drugs are the same. 

Doctor's Appointment


So, you have to go to a doctor's appointment between treatments.

The doctor was unavailable so I saw the nurse and went though the process of explaining how things were going. It feels like a check the box type of thing, but I am focusing on being kind during this process.  Just be kind and be aware of how difficult that can be at times.  Just go and be kind to everyone you meet that is my mantra.