Sitting in the waiting room waiting for chemotherapy. My friend, Jim, drove me here. I am not a morning person. So,getting up and moving is hard.
It is best to have everything ready. Wardrobe, meds, purse, coffee and keys. So you can jump in car and speed off to Early am Dr. Appointmt. Fun!
I spend most of my time at home or in my Dr. Office. Everyone have a blessed day. If you have Cancer. Keep up the fight. God bless!
First chemotherapy session of the New Year! Next week Two Blood tests, PET scan and a lumbar puncture with chemotherapy drug
I am praying one day I will be cancer free. I am on a 21 day procedure time frame. Until a new immunotherapy drug that works for me comes out. Traditional chemo is keeping me alive. Peace!
Fighting cancer day by day. Fighting cancer the long way day by day. My head is sore from lying on the pillow. No energy and fear of walking and falling finding solutions so no fear for me.
Admitted to two hospitals, and took two separate rides with completely different vibes on two ambulances.
I am still alive. Started to compare my visits and care. Not a good idea when your unwell. I am still alive. Fighting cancer day by day. The long haul. Knowing and thankful for the help and kindness I have received. Day by Day.
It has been five days in the Princess Ann Sentara Hospital. The kind staff have poked and tested me, and today I got the diagnosis.
I have Cancer. My cancer is located in my cervical and lumbar vertebrae. Tomorrow I will have a lumbar puncture with a Methatrexate inserted into the spine. It is a drug that has many uses. For me, Methatrexate is used as a chemo drug for the type of small cell cancer cells attacking my cells.
I have been fighting this disease since 2016. I am not surprised just dissapointed. The procedures I will have makes me sick but keeps me alive. That is all I want. To be here to experience love I have for the experiences I have yet to come. This new diagnostics is not a death sentance just a full time job.
I have just finished four chemotherapy procedures. Now, every three weeks I look forward to a Keytruda drip. The Chemotherapy side effects were brutal for me. Nausea, no appetite, aches and pains, mouth soars, exhaustion, emotional distress and bottom of the feet blistered. A whole lot of no fun. The good news my doctor assured me is the Keytruda drip has no side effects. A fate as yet to be seen. Yesterday I had a PET scan, and will find out the test results on Thursday. PET scans can detect cancer at the molecular level. I will find out if the cancer treatments are fighting to KILL the cancer cells infecting my body. I am waiting patiently for the test results, home bound in fear of catching the coronavirus.
The time has come for the medical industry to change my cancer treatment plan. I was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. It has been an interesting ride, and I am scared now that I have exhausted Radiation and Tarceva and Targresso cancer pills. I thank all the doctors , nurses and medical staff for treating me with kindness and respect. I also send my gratitude to Big Pharma for keeping me alive relatively pain free.
My spine is disintegrating one vertebrae at a time. I just finished a long round of Lumbar punctures. The doctor removes spinal fluid than replaces it with chemotherapy medicine. After he sticks a needle directly in my spine. My mind fears the procedure more than the procedure. The pain consists of a prick and when the needle is pushed.. inserted into the skin it feels as if a weight has been placed on you, and its heavy. Then when the needle enters the fluid of the spine one of your legs goes numb just for a second. Cool. The rest of the procedure is a piece of cake
I will know my fate in a few day’s. To keep fighting cancer is my job. This Lady is going no where. God Willing. PEACE
Living life with a life threatening disease feels like your engaged in a battle. In my minds eye I can see the enemy. The enemy are round cells that group together like dead grapes. Before I receive the test result with the bad news. I never think about the cells in my body. Never, and than I go about my business.
Lets name the strategies to win the battle necessary to beat the cancer cells into oblivion. Nuke them with RADIATION, remove them with SURGERY, just take a PILL or poison them with CHEMOTHERAPY. To name the most common medical procedures.
My personal favorite way to kill the enemy is PRAYER. Always, and then I go about my business.
It has been a bittersweet week. The best news is the birth of Luke and Willow. Hurray. The bad news is Bob had surgery to remove Cancerous lymph nodes in his face. Janet was hospitalized with PNEUMONIA. Bubba a kind and sweet soul passed away from a massive heart attack. I mourn his loss from the bottom of my heart.
Change happens every day, the consequences we label bad or we label good. After all the bad that happened this week I find it hard to digest bad news I received from my MRI result? I am praying for my friends and family. I guess adding myself to the prayer list is my only recourse because tears do not CHANGE anything.
PEACE
I have 12 day’s to get ready for my procedure. As I stated in yesterdays post, the last biopsey I had, my blood pressure dropped which made it neccissary to turn off the anestisia. I have been trying to figure out what I did wrong to make my bloopressure drop during the biopsy? In my google research (am I crazy?) I determined, (I am not a doctor.) The anestisia reacted to the medications I was taking? (possible reason) So, I am still taking the exact medications. What can I do other than follow my Doctors instructons?
I decided to juice vegetables and fruits and drink 8 glasses of water day to try and rid my body of built up toxins due to my daily drug regimine. I trust my Oncologist with my life, but his practice does not think that cancer and diet are corolated other than to keep weight on the patient…meat on the bones. I am not on a crazy weight loss diet. I am adding healthy foods into my system, and I feel good. I am also consuming fiber, lean organic protein and green tea.
I feel like I am being pro-active in my fight against the enemy, over active cancer cells. Even if my detox diet has no effect on the next biopsy, maybe I have found a healtier way to eat.
PEACE
I am participating in a 10,000 word writing challenge, and I am behind. Last week I could not concentrate, and I felt sick. I stayed in bed. So, this is where the challenge comes in. My particular certifiable disability has changed the way my motor skills and brain works.
It is hard to describe how my motor skills and brain has changed since I was diagnosed with lung cancer that metastizeed down the vertebre of my spin, but I wil try. . The cancer literally crushed…fractured 7 verebreas, and recently metastized down my right hip and femer. The nerve damage is significant and causes me alot of pain. I have lost the ability to open my right hand. I type with one finger. Second the nerve damage in my neck has changed the way I can prosses information. It feels like I have both a dominant right lobe and a dominant left lobe. Wierd…I know. so I can only type with one finger on the right hand or one finger on the left hand. When I try to type normally, or in my case two fingers typing in harmony I go crosseyed. I am workng hard to overcome these disabilities. That brings me to the 10,000 word writing challenge.
I still have a few day’s left to complete the challenge before me. The good news is I know writing is not about word count, but the quality of expression. I will never be an Edger Allen Poe. I write because I have too one finger and one brain lobe at a time, Please be kind. Peace!
stage4 