Chemo

 

I said I would post again to bring you all up to date with what is going on here. While chemo is not the most pleasant thing to write about, it has been my life the past couple of months so I’ll fill you in on that. In order to get it all started I first had a minor outpatient surgery to get a port in my chest. My treatments all go through the port rather than a vein in my arm. They feel this is safer due to the strength of my chemo. Since my cancer is stage four and has spread from the ovaries to the colon, they are hitting it up fairly hard. I am currently having chemo treatments every three weeks and each treatment lasts almost a full day. I receive two different medications administered separately. The first one takes a little over three hours and the second one is a bit faster. I always have blood work first and then see the doctor. After that the chemotherapy gets started. I don’t need to tell you how scared I was, especially for the first treatment. I had seen family members go through this but it is a bit different when it is yourself.

                                           My view during chemotherapy

The actual treatments were not as bad as I had anticipated other than lasting for so long. The cancer center I go to has many chemo rooms and each room has four chairs for patients. I kind of like having two or three other patients there to visit with when I feel like it. The chairs recline so we can take naps which I sometimes do. They provide snacks, drinks and in my case lunch since I’m there all day. Before the treatments are started, they load you up on strong anti-nausea medications plus other meds to prevent side effects. These medications do help quite a bit. I always take something to read as well as a puzzle book to work on and there is a TV if you are interested. My son, Chris, drove me to the first treatment and I have been driving myself since then. I hope I will be able to continue driving since my husband Tom is no longer driving. The day after the chemo I go in to get an injection that helps keep my white cells from dropping too low. I also go in once a week for blood work. 

The truly difficult part of chemo for me starts the second night after the treatments. In my case I have terrible aches and pains along with a weakness I have never felt before. I have plenty of medication at home for nausea and it helps most of the time. However, I ended up in the hospital for a week a few days after my first chemo treatment. I was in so much pain plus I had a severe colitis infection.

I managed to stay out of the hospital after the second treatment but all of the discomfort I felt the first time just seemed worse. I also started feeling numb in my fingertips and toes which is related to chemo induced neuropathy. I have learned to not plan anything for at least a week after each chemo treatment because I am just barely able to function during that time.

My hair started coming out a week after the first treatment and by now I just have a little fuzz on my head. It is hard to see and experience that. I ordered some chemo hats to wear although I rarely leave the house these days. We are having groceries and most other items delivered which helps.

So yes, chemo is rough, very rough, but as long as I can manage I am going to fight this with all I have. There has been a time or two that I was so low I wondered if I could continue but I know I have to, so I will.

I’m sorry this is such a downer of a post but as I said, this is my life right now. Maybe if someone else going through this reads my post it will help them to not feel so alone. Or if someone has a friend or family member going through this it will help them to understand what their loved one is dealing with. At any rate, I appreciate you all being here.

 

Hello!

 

It’s been a little over a year since I’ve written a post, but I promise I have not forgotten any of my blog friends. However, I don’t blame you if you have forgotten me and I understand since I haven’t been around. I don’t want to be one of those bloggers that just disappears so I thought I would post an update on the past year. 

It’s been a very busy year with the highlight being that I became a great-grandmother last summer! My granddaughter Annika and her husband Nick had a beautiful, 9-pound 10-ounce girl in July. Her name is Juniper Lark and she is such a happy baby, always a joy to be around. I would post a picture but her parents do not want any pictures of her on the internet and I totally understand that. I love having a little one in the family again! 

Another highlight of the year was that my grandson, Gavin, graduated from the Fire Academy which is part of a two-year program in an area community college. He first earned his emergency medical technician (EMT) certification and then went into the Fire Academy program. He is now working as a fire fighter for the City of Independence. Of course, we are all very proud of him!

Tom, Gavin, and myself at his graduation.

Tom has been doing okay although he still has health and mobility problems. He is still using his walker and I’m happy to say he has not had a single fall since he started using it! Our sweet cats, Sophie and Zeus, turned nine this year and they are still bringing us much love and happiness!

Sophie & Zeus

Most of 2024 has been a very good year for us until December when I got hit with some health problems. I have been diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer that has spread to the colon. On December 16^th I had some severe stomach pain to the point that Tom called an ambulance to get me to the hospital. After a CT scan they discovered I had an almost complete blockage due to colon cancer. I had surgery and ended up getting a colostomy (which I hate!). They did not remove the cancer yet because they want me to have chemo first. After many more tests in the hospital it turned out that the cancer had started in my ovaries and from there spread to the colon. I spent over a week in the hospital and came home on Christmas Eve. I think I was in shock most of December after receiving such an unexpected diagnosis. Just to make things fun, I came down with covid a couple of days after I came home from the hospital.

Since then, life has been a blur of medical appointments and a second hospitalization last week after my first chemo treatment. I came home last Sunday after a week in the hospital with colitis. I still have pain from the colitis but I’m trying to get to feeling better as my next chemo is Thursday, March 6^th. I had two medical appointments yesterday and hopefully no more until my all-day chemo appointment next week.

I know, I’m 72 and these cancers are stage four, but I am not giving up! I’m trying to stay positive and keep fighting! Despite that, I sure could use any prayers and healing thoughts! No matter what happens, I feel incredibly blessed in my life especially by my wonderful family!

I’ll try to post again when I can and fill you in on everything a little better. I send you all my best, I've missed you!