Ups and Downs

 

My fight with this cancer continues and while it is a bumpy road, I'm determined to keep fighting. My third chemo was three weeks ago and six days after it I was once again back in the hospital. I'm beginning to feel like the hospital is my second home. It was for the same reason as before, colitis that caused more pain than I could handle. This time I had some pain pills at home but they didn't touch this pain. I know I must sound like a wimp for pain but really, I'm not. I usually handle pain fairly well. Something about this chemo seems to cause me to get a bad colitis infection several days later. They do like me to be on IV antibiotics for that infection, so at least hospitalization allows for that.

The original plan was for me to have three rounds of chemo and then another CT scan. The hope was that the cancer would have shrunk some making surgery easier. Then after surgery I would have more chemo. When I was recently admitted to the hospital a CT scan was done and it showed that the cancers had actually grown. That was not what I wanted to hear. I had another CT scan this week of my lungs and I’ll get those results next week. I see my oncologist April 22^nd so I should find out then what happens next. I’m a little discouraged to hear the cancers have grown despite the three recent chemotherapy sessions. However, I’m certainly not giving up and I’m willing to have more chemo if necessary.

I’ve been having three weeks off between chemo treatments but this time I have an extra week off. That helps me to have a longer break and start to feel a bit better. I still don’t have a lot of energy but I am feeling like doing a bit more for a change and that is nice!

I had a special Sunday after I came home from the hospital. My granddaughter Annika, her husband Nick, and my adorable great-granddaughter Juniper came over for a visit and they even brought lunch! It was such a blessing to be able to spend some time with them. Juniper is nine months old now and crawling. She has always been the happiest child I have ever seen and she spreads joy everywhere she goes! Family always lifts my spirits and reminds me how very lucky I am!

This coming Saturday we will be able to visit with my oldest son Chris, and his wife Kristi. We will also be going out to eat with them which is something I have not done in quite a while, so it will be a special day for me. Then the next day my other son Sean, who lives out of town, will be coming to visit us. Family is everything and Tom and I are certainly blessed by ours!