The nurse had just removed my IV access to my port, and she noticed that my cheeks were nice and rosey like a peach. After a few minutes my face was bright red and I was hot and flushed. They went and got the Dr. and main chemo nurse and they checked me out. I wasn't having difficulty breathing and my lungs were clear but the red patches were going down my neck and chest. Sooooooo, they had to restart my IV access to my port (which was not numb this time) and ran fluids in me and told me I wasn't going anywhere for a while. After about an hour I felt better and they said I looked a lot more normal (whatever that is). I finally got home around 5pm, long day.
The nurse did pass me a note while I was waiting to leave and it said my CA-125 today was.....22 !!!!!
My fellow chemo pt. Tammi was not there today to dance with, so I had to do it in my mind. I think that counts. More answers to prayer. Please pray that the chest x-ray and CT scan come out good tomorrow.
Thanks for caring. Deb
Monday, January 30, 2012
Chemo #19
Well, back to reality, sitting in the chemo recliner. I had an appt. with Dr. Harrison first today before chemo. Dr. Downey is on vacation. The exam was negative again which is good. He says I can call the office on Wed. to find out the results of my CT scan, and chest x-ray which I have tomorrow at 10:30am. I am having these done at the West Pavilion of Spectrum Health. I have not been there before, but it is off M-6. I have to start drinking the barium tonight between 8-10p, goodie , goodie, and then the next bottle tomorrow am.
My labs values that I had done Sat. were all good, except I am a little low on Potassium, so they gave my some IV today. My orders are to eat a banana everyday. I can do that easily, love 'em.
They won't know anything about surgery at least until they have CT results, and maybe they won't decide until treatments are all done after Feb.20. This "no control" of my future is not easy for me.They seem to think I need to talk to someone. I don't really think I need someone to tell me that "my feelings are completely normal", but I guess I will go one time to see if they can give me some tips.
I must admit going from the spot where you don't know if you will live to see Christmas to the point now, yes, I guess I will be around a bit longer is kind of hard to know how to act and think.
I will see Dr. Downey again on Feb. 20. I am getting the two different chemo drugs today. It has been awhile since I got the Carboplatin, the platinum based drug which gives one the metallic taste. I have not missed that one bit!
Just showed the chemo nurses my pictures on the computer of Hawaii, they have both been there and they want to go back. When I told them the good deal we got on tickets, I think they both said they are going to start keeping any eye on airline prices.......
My brother Ken and his family were in Honolulu for a few days after we all left, and he said they ran into some NFL players that were in town for the Pro Bowl, and he posted picture of them with some "big" dudes.
Stan has a conference in Orlando the first week of March. He made reservations for the Contemporary Hotel at Disney World because he needs to be there. If I can go along, I may try and do that. I know a lot of the wives that go to those conferences because we have been going to these Sullair events for many years. I know they will be surprised to hear about my diagnosis. We have had lots of good times in the past.
My orchid has lots of blooms on it and I do think of Hawaii and all the orchid plants and gardens we saw while being there. Thanks again Kris........
My labs values that I had done Sat. were all good, except I am a little low on Potassium, so they gave my some IV today. My orders are to eat a banana everyday. I can do that easily, love 'em.
They won't know anything about surgery at least until they have CT results, and maybe they won't decide until treatments are all done after Feb.20. This "no control" of my future is not easy for me.They seem to think I need to talk to someone. I don't really think I need someone to tell me that "my feelings are completely normal", but I guess I will go one time to see if they can give me some tips.
I must admit going from the spot where you don't know if you will live to see Christmas to the point now, yes, I guess I will be around a bit longer is kind of hard to know how to act and think.
I will see Dr. Downey again on Feb. 20. I am getting the two different chemo drugs today. It has been awhile since I got the Carboplatin, the platinum based drug which gives one the metallic taste. I have not missed that one bit!
Just showed the chemo nurses my pictures on the computer of Hawaii, they have both been there and they want to go back. When I told them the good deal we got on tickets, I think they both said they are going to start keeping any eye on airline prices.......
My brother Ken and his family were in Honolulu for a few days after we all left, and he said they ran into some NFL players that were in town for the Pro Bowl, and he posted picture of them with some "big" dudes.
Stan has a conference in Orlando the first week of March. He made reservations for the Contemporary Hotel at Disney World because he needs to be there. If I can go along, I may try and do that. I know a lot of the wives that go to those conferences because we have been going to these Sullair events for many years. I know they will be surprised to hear about my diagnosis. We have had lots of good times in the past.
My orchid has lots of blooms on it and I do think of Hawaii and all the orchid plants and gardens we saw while being there. Thanks again Kris........
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Respective Perspective
Stan here. Wanted to take just a moment to make a comment on the Hawaii Trip. We purchased the tickets in June, long before Deb was diagnosed in early August. At that time we bought trip insurance for the reason that we were not sure if we would go if Deb's mom and dad could not go. Of course like many things after the cancer diagnosis I would have thought that there is no way we were ever going to make this trip, but as time has passed it looked more and more possible, and sure enough the next thing I knew we were on the plane. Overall Deb did well and felt pretty good during the trip. Not quite like old times with the energy level and a little more tired at the end than before, but still she did amazingly well and we did most of the things we would do normally, just at a little slower pace. One of the medical rules was "no sun" so she had to carry an umbrella during the times of exposure to sun but that did not seem to slow things down much.
Permit me to make a few observations about the trip. Things that just kind of hit me and fall a little into the category of "wow" or "I just did not know that".
I had heard all the stuff about tropical paradise and all that but I was not thinking that anyplace could be as nice and have a more perfect climate. Other than some pleasing moments of rain it seems like you wake up everyday to a gentle breeze and a temperature that ranges from 75 to 82. In checking with some of the locals this is how it is all the time and for me this was over anything I have ever thought of. It just kind of hit me that weather is not one of the considerations in the state of Hawaii and it took a few days for this to sink in.
The flowers and the green beauty of the Island we were on, Kauai, is stunning. It was amazing to me how many movies have been made and how many scenes you see where you think "I have seen this before" and then you find out it was used for some popular movie. The miles of sea that surround all of these Islands are also amazing in their color of blue and their activity. On our deck we could see whales and when you ventured anywhere you could see surfers catching a wave. It is really striking in the beauty of it all.
On the next to last day there we took a trip to the neighboring Island of Oahu. Like many other guys, I watch the history channel and I wanted to see Pearl Harbor. Deb, myself, her dad, and Nancy's father Elmer went along on the 1/2 hour flight and then an all day tour of the Island on one of these 24 passenger buses with a guide. We caught a good break as the guide we had was excellent and had the most interesting way of explaining the culture and the scenery. One thing that struck me about Pearl Harbor was the fact that they have a memorial to all the submarines that went down or were lost during World War 2. It has always seemed to me that serving on one of these things takes some special bravery and to my surprise the memorial had 52 granite stones each with a story and the names of the people who were lost on those 52 subs during the war. 3500 in all. As I read the stories most of them were lost at sea and nobody knows really what happened. Several of them where lost on the way home after the War. We also saw some of the other memorials but the sub one really hit me. It was a great day for all and one of the finest tours I have been on.
We also had several tours of Kauai but we did those by ourselves in the rental van. I did the driving on those and we had a good chance to see the sights and sounds of the many scenic attractions on that Island. It is known as the green Island and it lives up to that in every way. You do not have to drive very far before you see the surfers and the nonstop waves that come in all of the time.
One other thing I will mention is that our entire time was made better by the nice hospitality of Jim and Nancy. They really know how to organize and entertain. They hosted several nice meals along with keeping things organized with all of the room and travel arrangements. Lots of work on their part but it sure helped everyone have a great time.
It is a long trip but it was worth it. It has always been on Deb's bucket list and we did it and made it home in one piece. It was the first destination wedding I had attended and we will never forget and will always be thankful for the chance to spend time there.
Deb here:
Thanks Stan for adding your thoughts. I had lab work done today in preparation for chemo on Monday. I have my CT scan and chest x-ray done on Tues am. I don't anticipate knowing the results until I see the Dr. the next Monday. I have lost almost all my eye lashes and eye brows. It is a strange feeling looking in the mirror and seeing someone you don't recognize. It doesn't look like returning to work is going to happen. This reality is kind of sad to me.
It was so fun to return home to our newly painted kitchen, thanks to Alden and Mary. They did a great job!! We love it.
Permit me to make a few observations about the trip. Things that just kind of hit me and fall a little into the category of "wow" or "I just did not know that".
I had heard all the stuff about tropical paradise and all that but I was not thinking that anyplace could be as nice and have a more perfect climate. Other than some pleasing moments of rain it seems like you wake up everyday to a gentle breeze and a temperature that ranges from 75 to 82. In checking with some of the locals this is how it is all the time and for me this was over anything I have ever thought of. It just kind of hit me that weather is not one of the considerations in the state of Hawaii and it took a few days for this to sink in.
The flowers and the green beauty of the Island we were on, Kauai, is stunning. It was amazing to me how many movies have been made and how many scenes you see where you think "I have seen this before" and then you find out it was used for some popular movie. The miles of sea that surround all of these Islands are also amazing in their color of blue and their activity. On our deck we could see whales and when you ventured anywhere you could see surfers catching a wave. It is really striking in the beauty of it all.
On the next to last day there we took a trip to the neighboring Island of Oahu. Like many other guys, I watch the history channel and I wanted to see Pearl Harbor. Deb, myself, her dad, and Nancy's father Elmer went along on the 1/2 hour flight and then an all day tour of the Island on one of these 24 passenger buses with a guide. We caught a good break as the guide we had was excellent and had the most interesting way of explaining the culture and the scenery. One thing that struck me about Pearl Harbor was the fact that they have a memorial to all the submarines that went down or were lost during World War 2. It has always seemed to me that serving on one of these things takes some special bravery and to my surprise the memorial had 52 granite stones each with a story and the names of the people who were lost on those 52 subs during the war. 3500 in all. As I read the stories most of them were lost at sea and nobody knows really what happened. Several of them where lost on the way home after the War. We also saw some of the other memorials but the sub one really hit me. It was a great day for all and one of the finest tours I have been on.
One other thing I will mention is that our entire time was made better by the nice hospitality of Jim and Nancy. They really know how to organize and entertain. They hosted several nice meals along with keeping things organized with all of the room and travel arrangements. Lots of work on their part but it sure helped everyone have a great time.
It is a long trip but it was worth it. It has always been on Deb's bucket list and we did it and made it home in one piece. It was the first destination wedding I had attended and we will never forget and will always be thankful for the chance to spend time there.
Deb here:
Thanks Stan for adding your thoughts. I had lab work done today in preparation for chemo on Monday. I have my CT scan and chest x-ray done on Tues am. I don't anticipate knowing the results until I see the Dr. the next Monday. I have lost almost all my eye lashes and eye brows. It is a strange feeling looking in the mirror and seeing someone you don't recognize. It doesn't look like returning to work is going to happen. This reality is kind of sad to me.
It was so fun to return home to our newly painted kitchen, thanks to Alden and Mary. They did a great job!! We love it.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Hawaii was wonderful, but we are tired!!
Right after this picture was taken, a huge wave came and got us all wet!! It was so funny, this is my Dad, my sister Krista, my brothers Ken, Jim and me at Hanalei Bay 
Dinner at the Beach House after watching the beautiful sunset
Krista and her cute new wardrobe addition.
Even got my Mom to try on the grass skirt!
Four of us toured the island of Oahu, including Pearl Harbor
Stan will write more about our trip this weekend. We are both having major jet lag.....
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Wedding was Wonderful!!!
Aloha, will give you an update on the wedding yesterday. The wedding went off without a hitch. The weather was perfect, we sat outside for the wedding. There were 65 people there, quite amazing when you think everyone had to travel here from faraway places, Seattle, Australia, Dubai, San Fransisco,Chile, The Netherlands, Oklahoma, Chicago and Michigan, etc. The wedding was at a restaurant called Plantation Gardens http://pgrestaurant.com/html/home.htm and it was only a few minutes away from our Resort, which is called Koloa Landing, Poipu Beach, on the south side of Kauai.http://www.koloalandingresort.com/ There were beautiful orchid gardens and koi ponds that we walked through to get to the wedding. We had the whole restaurant all to ourselves.We ate outside on this huge rap-around porch at the restaurant. (Website has photos of the wedding location with chairs and porch where we had dinner.) The bride was gorgeous and the whole wedding party looked great. I will post pictures when I get home. Oh, yes...Krista found a Hawaiian wrap/shawl at a roadside stand when we stopped for Shave Ice. She tied two corners together on each side to make a shrug jacket to resolve her wardrobe catastrophe.
We are sitting outside on the fourth floor of our villa looking out over the ocean, and we are seeing lots of whales breeching. It's amazing....... I have to pinch myself that I am really here. We have done lots of sightseeing, saw this double waterfall yesterday that has been in so many movies, Jurasic Park, The Descendents, etc,. and many more. I am feeling really good which I am so thankful for. I thank you all for your prayers that we are able to be here. Hope you are all doing well..........Again, Aloha, Deb
We are sitting outside on the fourth floor of our villa looking out over the ocean, and we are seeing lots of whales breeching. It's amazing....... I have to pinch myself that I am really here. We have done lots of sightseeing, saw this double waterfall yesterday that has been in so many movies, Jurasic Park, The Descendents, etc,. and many more. I am feeling really good which I am so thankful for. I thank you all for your prayers that we are able to be here. Hope you are all doing well..........Again, Aloha, Deb
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Aloha from Kauai
Hi Everyone, Of course when does my computer decide to stop working?? Of course when I am on vacation in Hawaii. I was going to post some pictures, but they will have to wait. We are having a great time. The weather is absolutely perfect. 80's everyday. I am having the hardest time staying OUT of the sun. They say with chemo, you have to be very careful not to burn. We drove up to this big canyon today. Amazing. Just got back from a wonderful dinner at the Beach House. Fresh seafood.... yum. Tomorrow is the big reason for us being here, the wedding is at 3:30pm. Will give you an update tomorrow. Our villa is amazing. I have been feeling so good. I just get kind of tired walking, but so happy to be here with my extended family.
Hear the weather is pretty tough in Michigan, Mieke has been giving me the update. Take care, Deb
Hear the weather is pretty tough in Michigan, Mieke has been giving me the update. Take care, Deb
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Out trip has begun!!
We have made it safe and sound to LA. We are spending the night near the airport and flying out tomorrow at 9:10am. We are traveling with my Mom and Dad. We plan to arrive in Kauai at 1pm tomorrow. My brother's whole family is already there and plan to pick us up at 1 pm. They say our resort is wonderful. Can't wait to see it!!The weather sounds perfect, low 80s every day. I feel really good so far, My dad's liver enzymes all checked out real good on Monday also, So thank the Lord for making this trip for all of us so special to celebrate Kyle and Rachinda's wedding on Sat.
I have taken my Ambien for sleep, we plan to meet them in the lobby at 6:30am to get to LAX by 7a.
Aloha my dear friends, Will try and give you a daily update on out trip. So far I have received an emergency call from my sister who forgot the mail part of her wedding ensemble. I told her don't worry, I have lots of things she can wear, Even some real "Aloha" wear.........Stay tuned to what Krista wears..Deb
I have taken my Ambien for sleep, we plan to meet them in the lobby at 6:30am to get to LAX by 7a.
Aloha my dear friends, Will try and give you a daily update on out trip. So far I have received an emergency call from my sister who forgot the mail part of her wedding ensemble. I told her don't worry, I have lots of things she can wear, Even some real "Aloha" wear.........Stay tuned to what Krista wears..Deb
Monday, January 16, 2012
Chemo # 18
I was only able to have one of the chemo drugs today because my white count is still too low. So, I was only there for 2 1/4 hrs. The good thing about this is that I will hopefully feel better this week for our trip. Jackie took me today, and then we had to quickly get back to Holland, because I had a noon appt. at the dentist. I cracked a tooth and needed to have it fixed before we left. My wonderful friend Maria was kind enough to come in on her day off to give me a temporary crown. Soooooooo, now I think there are no more appts I need to go to before we leave.
I had a wonderful visit with an old friend Don who was home for a few days from Florida last week. He brought me the most beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers. It was so nice catching up with each other.
Lori R. brought dinner over on Sat. night with a fresh pecan pie. You are too kind Lori, it was all delicious. You faithfully send me a facebook message every chemo day with a prayer. I love it!
Tonight we met some friends for dinner at the OBI and then went over to see Jim and Lori's new house. They were our neighbors two doors down for 24 years. Their new house is awesome. It is very contemporary. Randy and Laurel were there too and together we enjoyed Pink Squirrels for dessert, listened to their new piano play for us and enjoyed the fireplace. I loved the heated floors. You did a wonderful job designing and making your new home very special. We miss you near by though.
Mieke had a great first week student teaching 4th grade at Lincoln Elementary in Zeeland. She loves the kids. She was able to teach alone today for the first time.
I feel pretty good tonight. Tomorrow I have to finish packing. We decided to only check one bag, so I need to condense a bit...........
I read Gilda Radner's book this weekend. They gave it to me at the chemo room. It was interesting. She died of ovarian cancer in 1989. It is interesting how many similar thoughts I have had with her. It reinforced to me how you have to keep hope alive and think positive. What do you have without that?
I had a wonderful visit with an old friend Don who was home for a few days from Florida last week. He brought me the most beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers. It was so nice catching up with each other.
Lori R. brought dinner over on Sat. night with a fresh pecan pie. You are too kind Lori, it was all delicious. You faithfully send me a facebook message every chemo day with a prayer. I love it!
Tonight we met some friends for dinner at the OBI and then went over to see Jim and Lori's new house. They were our neighbors two doors down for 24 years. Their new house is awesome. It is very contemporary. Randy and Laurel were there too and together we enjoyed Pink Squirrels for dessert, listened to their new piano play for us and enjoyed the fireplace. I loved the heated floors. You did a wonderful job designing and making your new home very special. We miss you near by though.
Mieke had a great first week student teaching 4th grade at Lincoln Elementary in Zeeland. She loves the kids. She was able to teach alone today for the first time.
I feel pretty good tonight. Tomorrow I have to finish packing. We decided to only check one bag, so I need to condense a bit...........
I read Gilda Radner's book this weekend. They gave it to me at the chemo room. It was interesting. She died of ovarian cancer in 1989. It is interesting how many similar thoughts I have had with her. It reinforced to me how you have to keep hope alive and think positive. What do you have without that?
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Waiting for the Snow Storm...
First I want to thank everyone for their kind works of celebration with me for the latest test results. I thank God for answering our prayers. The chemo is working. Today I got calls from Spectrum Health and I scheduled two important appts. First, is my CT scan and chest x-ray which will be done on Tues. Jan. 31. Please pray that the chest x-ray is clear, that they don't see any cancer in my lungs. I guess I pray too that they don't see any cancer on my CT scan, but the Dr. said, even if it looks clear, they still will probably want to take a second look surgically to remove whatever they can.
The second appt. is with the Spectrum Genetics Clinic on Tues. Feb. 14. They first talk with you to see if you are a good candidate to have the testing, If I am they proceed with the blood draw and do the testing, etc.
That morning before my genetics appt. I have my 9 month appt. with Dr. Kryshak, my thyroid cancer dr. who regulates my thyroid medicine. I think it will be my last appt with him. I will have my primary care dr. regulate that. I just want to see him once to see how chemo and this new cancer may effect my dosage etc. I'm sure he will say I need to continue seeing him, but not so sure that is true. Any thoughts out there? He has only changed my dosage one time in all these yrs.
The clean for a reason person was here for a couple hrs. again this am. That is such a nice service they provide. They really only concentrate on the downstairs, living area, where you may have people in to visit, and you don't want it to look too "lived in".
I attended my second Calvin Series simulcast today at Christ Memorial Church. The speakers are so interesting, and you always learn something you didn't know before. I would strongly encouraged anyone to attend them. They are all over the US and the world I guess, at different churches.
I am definitely feeling the effects of the chemo today. My energy has dropped and thinking about going on a treadmill and returning to work is not quite as appealing as on Monday.
I am praying for my niece Libby who has a follow up appt with her oncologist. I hope and pray for a good report Lib!!
If I don't get snowed in tomorrow, I look forward to breakfast and lunch out with friends. Tough life huh??
I continue to get cards from special people, mostly from my church.Thank you so much, they mean a lot.
The second appt. is with the Spectrum Genetics Clinic on Tues. Feb. 14. They first talk with you to see if you are a good candidate to have the testing, If I am they proceed with the blood draw and do the testing, etc.
That morning before my genetics appt. I have my 9 month appt. with Dr. Kryshak, my thyroid cancer dr. who regulates my thyroid medicine. I think it will be my last appt with him. I will have my primary care dr. regulate that. I just want to see him once to see how chemo and this new cancer may effect my dosage etc. I'm sure he will say I need to continue seeing him, but not so sure that is true. Any thoughts out there? He has only changed my dosage one time in all these yrs.
The clean for a reason person was here for a couple hrs. again this am. That is such a nice service they provide. They really only concentrate on the downstairs, living area, where you may have people in to visit, and you don't want it to look too "lived in".
I attended my second Calvin Series simulcast today at Christ Memorial Church. The speakers are so interesting, and you always learn something you didn't know before. I would strongly encouraged anyone to attend them. They are all over the US and the world I guess, at different churches.
I am definitely feeling the effects of the chemo today. My energy has dropped and thinking about going on a treadmill and returning to work is not quite as appealing as on Monday.
I am praying for my niece Libby who has a follow up appt with her oncologist. I hope and pray for a good report Lib!!
If I don't get snowed in tomorrow, I look forward to breakfast and lunch out with friends. Tough life huh??
I continue to get cards from special people, mostly from my church.Thank you so much, they mean a lot.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Great News!
Got a call from the Dr.s office today, my CA-125 level was 32 yesterday!! The normal range is below 35. I am so happy.
I had a wonderful day at IKEA with Rumy and Jackie. With the beautiful sunny weather it was a great day to travel. We also stopped at Marshalls and Trader Joes. Have not been there in much too long. Got a case of Two Buck Chuck. I felt so good today, wore my "long" wig all day and almost forgot that I was "sick". I walked more today than I have in a long while. So my conditioning for return to work has officially begun. Met my Mom and Nancy in the cafeteria for lunch. So much fun talking and planning for Hawaii trip next week.
We dropped Rumy off at home in Lansing, helped her rearrange a bit and put out some of the things she bought. She made us a wonderful dinner, appetizers, stuffed pork chops and salad from Trader Joes. So fun. Ross had to be at Grand Valley with the GRS for a rehearsal and then a performance at noon tomorrow, so we took his suit along, and he will be spending the night here tonight. Will save himself an extra trip.
Got a surprise when I arrived home, a beautiful orchid plant sent by my sister Krista. She wrote in the card, " Just a touch of Hawaii as you prepare for the trip!" It will bloom for 8-12 wks. so I will get to enjoy it when we return to remind us of the flowers of Kauai. I love it!! Thanks so much, you are the best!
I had a wonderful day at IKEA with Rumy and Jackie. With the beautiful sunny weather it was a great day to travel. We also stopped at Marshalls and Trader Joes. Have not been there in much too long. Got a case of Two Buck Chuck. I felt so good today, wore my "long" wig all day and almost forgot that I was "sick". I walked more today than I have in a long while. So my conditioning for return to work has officially begun. Met my Mom and Nancy in the cafeteria for lunch. So much fun talking and planning for Hawaii trip next week.
We dropped Rumy off at home in Lansing, helped her rearrange a bit and put out some of the things she bought. She made us a wonderful dinner, appetizers, stuffed pork chops and salad from Trader Joes. So fun. Ross had to be at Grand Valley with the GRS for a rehearsal and then a performance at noon tomorrow, so we took his suit along, and he will be spending the night here tonight. Will save himself an extra trip.
Got a surprise when I arrived home, a beautiful orchid plant sent by my sister Krista. She wrote in the card, " Just a touch of Hawaii as you prepare for the trip!" It will bloom for 8-12 wks. so I will get to enjoy it when we return to remind us of the flowers of Kauai. I love it!! Thanks so much, you are the best!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Not bad for a Monday
Hi All!
I really like Dr. Downey. He is the partner of Dr. Harrison who did my surgery and I have been seeing every 3 wks. Dr. Downey answered all our questions, sat down, spent a lot of time with us and I will definitely be switching to be under his care. This is what I learned today:
I could only have one of the chemo drugs today, my platelets are still too low, 51 and they need to be 70. Hopefully next Monday they will be up there and I can then receive the two drugs. My Hgb was up to 10.5! What a difference a little blood makes. I feel so much better, even wore a wig today with a little makeup and big earrings. The nurses didn't recognize me! but said I looked good
I asked about the genetic marker testing, and he said I should have that. I will have that done at Spectrum. If I am negative, Mieke will not be at any more risk than anyone else. If I am a carrier, she will need to follow their recommendations.
He said I will have my CT scan and possibly a PET scan the last week of Jan. He did say that even if they did not see any evidence of tumors, there is still a strong possibility that they would do surgery to debulk whatever they can.......possibly in March or April. I will be off all chemo for 6 wks. prior to any surgery.
I need 7 more chemo treatments, ( for a total of 8 cycles). That will take me until the third week of Feb.
He encouraged me to try and go back to work. I need to go back before Feb. 2 or I loose my position. They can't hold a job for more than 6 months. I am going to talk with my manager very soon. He encouraged me to try and start conditioning by walking more and even go on a treadmill because I will be really tired, and feel like I "hit a wall" after my first day. Hopefully I can transition into it slowly. I am very excited about this, because sitting around has not made me feel like a very productive member of society. Please pray that this can all work out.
I am going to play Bunco tonight with friends.. I will take my Purell with me and use it often!!
Thanks Helen for the great dinner Sat. night, I am so glad you felt like cooking some extra for us!
Tomorrow, I am catching a ride with Stan to Lansing. We will pick up Rumy and go to IKEA!! That should be good "conditioning" for returning to work, don't you think??
I really like Dr. Downey. He is the partner of Dr. Harrison who did my surgery and I have been seeing every 3 wks. Dr. Downey answered all our questions, sat down, spent a lot of time with us and I will definitely be switching to be under his care. This is what I learned today:
I could only have one of the chemo drugs today, my platelets are still too low, 51 and they need to be 70. Hopefully next Monday they will be up there and I can then receive the two drugs. My Hgb was up to 10.5! What a difference a little blood makes. I feel so much better, even wore a wig today with a little makeup and big earrings. The nurses didn't recognize me! but said I looked good
I asked about the genetic marker testing, and he said I should have that. I will have that done at Spectrum. If I am negative, Mieke will not be at any more risk than anyone else. If I am a carrier, she will need to follow their recommendations.
He said I will have my CT scan and possibly a PET scan the last week of Jan. He did say that even if they did not see any evidence of tumors, there is still a strong possibility that they would do surgery to debulk whatever they can.......possibly in March or April. I will be off all chemo for 6 wks. prior to any surgery.
I need 7 more chemo treatments, ( for a total of 8 cycles). That will take me until the third week of Feb.
He encouraged me to try and go back to work. I need to go back before Feb. 2 or I loose my position. They can't hold a job for more than 6 months. I am going to talk with my manager very soon. He encouraged me to try and start conditioning by walking more and even go on a treadmill because I will be really tired, and feel like I "hit a wall" after my first day. Hopefully I can transition into it slowly. I am very excited about this, because sitting around has not made me feel like a very productive member of society. Please pray that this can all work out.
I am going to play Bunco tonight with friends.. I will take my Purell with me and use it often!!
Thanks Helen for the great dinner Sat. night, I am so glad you felt like cooking some extra for us!
Tomorrow, I am catching a ride with Stan to Lansing. We will pick up Rumy and go to IKEA!! That should be good "conditioning" for returning to work, don't you think??
Thursday, January 5, 2012
More energy today
Had my two units of packed red blood cells yesterday and I believe I could feel it today. It was not as hard to get up off the couch. Had some blood work done today, did not hear the results yet. I should get a call tomorrow. I guess they wanted to make sure my platelets did not continue to fall and they started going up.
Mieke and Aaron came over for a while this afternoon and helped me get most of the Christmas decorations down. They were a big help. It is kind of sad for me when it's time to pack up Christmas, but in another way, it is nice to get rid of all the clutter and get back to a cleaner look.
Tomorrow when it's supposed to reach 46 degrees, I will take the lights off the bushes outside.
I am having a hard time thinking about waiting until the end of the month to know what my future involves, surgery, no surgery??? Job, or no job??? I sure am glad we have the trip to look forward to keep my mind off contemplating the future.......
Mieke and Aaron came over for a while this afternoon and helped me get most of the Christmas decorations down. They were a big help. It is kind of sad for me when it's time to pack up Christmas, but in another way, it is nice to get rid of all the clutter and get back to a cleaner look.
Tomorrow when it's supposed to reach 46 degrees, I will take the lights off the bushes outside.
I am having a hard time thinking about waiting until the end of the month to know what my future involves, surgery, no surgery??? Job, or no job??? I sure am glad we have the trip to look forward to keep my mind off contemplating the future.......
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
No chemo today........Blood tomorrow
Hi, got home from up north yesterday around 4pm. Finished watching the great win by MSU!! Go State!! We had a nice time up north. There was beautiful big snow flakes all weekend, just like I had requested. There was about 8 inches on the ground when we left for home. Stan, my Dad and my aunt all went snowmobiling. I just was not up for it. Now, I know why. My hemaglobin today was 8.1, the lowest it has been so far. I could not stay awake for the Rose Bowl last night so went to bed early. Had a restless night, didn't feel so good today. My platelets are very low too, 29. So the plan is to receive two units tomorrow at Holland Hospital, recheck my Hgb on Thurs to see if chemo on Monday is happening. The nurse kept asking if I was having chest pain, I said no. I did have all the other side effects of low Hbg, tachycardia, (fast pulse), shortness of breath, and tired feeling. So I am back on the couch, watching videos. Stan is coming down with a cold, so I am keeping my distance from him. I did finish the book "Unbroken" this weekend. He was one strong dude. It was not an easy read for me, but did end happy. (Ross had told me that) Hope you all had a great weekend! I'm looking forward to a little boost from some oxygen in my blood tomorrow. Deb
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