Bye Bye Red Devil

Yesterday afternoon, I received the last dose of Adriamycin (aka The Red Devil) and Cytoxan. I am thankful that there are such powerful drugs out there to treat my cancer and to give me a much better chance of being a survivor, but I am just as thankful that phase of treatment is done, and we can move on. God willing, I will never have to go thru that particular treatment again. Everyone tells me these drugs were the toughest drugs in my schedule, and I am the type of person that if there is something tough I have to do, bring it on and get it done so I don't have to think about it. So I am thankful the hardest part was first.

My visit at the clinic was a little more eventful then we had initially planned, since unknown to myself, I was still running a low grade temp when they checked my vitals. I felt fine (or as fine as one going thru chemotherapy can feel), other then that nagging tenderness in my lower abdomen, and the fact that the lump under my arm had returned and was also very tender. The oncologist feel both issues of tenderness were of no coincidence or worry, but he did feel inclined to repeat the work-up I received at my local hospital earlier in the week. He truly felt I was fine, but being that he'd just had a patient come in with a septic (infected) port, he wanted to check and make sure that was not my case, as well. They also ran a urine analysis as well, to continue keeping an eye on my abdominal pain. I have heard nothing of the test results, which I assume is a good thing.

So in another two weeks we head to GF for more chemotherapy. I will be receiving two new drugs (Herceptin and Taxol) and since both run a higher chance of allergic reaction I will have to receive each drug on two consecutive days, so my reaction to each drug can be monitored clearly. This means my husband and I will probably have to leave the kids again for a couple of days and the way the timing falls it means I will also miss the two older kids' Spring program. Initially, this made me very sad and angry, that cancer could take that away from me, but I got over it and choose to realize there is so much more that it hasn't and can't take away.

After this initial dose of the two new chemotherapy drugs, the remaining eleven doses can be given together on a weekly (every Friday) basis. And our understanding (maybe more of an assumption and a wish at this point) is that those doses can be done at our local hospital. It makes setting up childcare so much easier if we don't have to add four hours to the time frame we are gone for travel.

3/4 of the Way Done With Double Dose Chemotherapy

Friday, I had my 3rd and second to last dose of the double dose chemotherapy. We had to go to GF to meet with my oncologist and have the treatment. Other then having a hard time finding a way to get across the red river, the trip was uneventful. In two weeks, I will have my final dose of the double dose chemotherapy! Then we are on to the next type of chemotherapy administration, which should last about three months.

My oncologist said my chest xray from urgent care last weekend looked just fine... nothing to worry about. I don't know what made the difference, if it was the breathing treatment or the antibiotics, but my cough is 95% better, which is a relief. My asthma is also well under control. I kind of think I had some sort of bacterial infection going on, as it took 4-5 days after starting antibiotics for my cough to go away.

I am very exhausted after this last treatment. I can sit up for small periods of time, but am most comfortable lying down and resting. My husband and the kids are gone for the weekend, as his grandmother unexpectedly passed away. This is very sad news, and it was very hard for me to stay back while he and the kids attend the funeral, but we all knew it was best for several different reasons. Grandmother Darlene will be greatly missed and I am so sorry I will not be able to attend the funeral.

It Feels Good to Feel Good (or at Least Better)

I'm finally back to pretty much full energy. I really think this last round of chemo was a little easier on me. I don't know if it just felt easier 'cause I knew what to expect, or if my body truly didn't react as badly. The nausea was not nearly as bad, however, the tiredness was probably worse. I have decided, though, that feeling like I need to sleep all the time is easier to deal with then feeling like I have to vomit all the time. My next chemo is on Friday in GF.

Having the two youngest in daycare last week went very well. They seemed to love it. They rush to the door to leave in the morning and rush to my side when they get home. I get lots of hugs and kisses and playtime when they come home. I can tell they have missed me (and I them) but I can also tell they had a wonderful time at daycare. Their provider is amazing and I can rest well knowing she is taking wonderful care of them. And the reality is, I needed every moment they were at daycare last week to rest and recuperate.

Last Friday morning, I went in to have my blood levels checked. Everything checked out fine, as far as I know, but I discovered my body does not like the Heparin that they use to "flush" my port with after blood draws. It makes me very dizzy and light headed... drops my blood pressure down very low. I had to lay down for 15 minutes or so after the Heparin was administered before I felt that I could walk w/o passing out. A very minor inconvenience... I'm still thankful for my port.

We had a nice weekend with family, celebrating my two oldest's birthdays with family and Easter, as well. I did end up having to visit the doctor (urgent care) on Easter, as my asthma was flaring up and my meds were not helping at all. I ended up getting my blood work rechecked (everything was fine except I had very low blood sugar - I figure that just gave me a good excuse to eat extra Easter candy :-) ), having a nebulizer treatment (which help my asthma improve so I can maintain with my prescription meds at home), having a chest xray (which the doctor phrased "I think it looks okay" and suggested I have my oncologist look at it due to the fact my lungs looked grainy... probably from chemo), getting a shot in the butt (ouch!) of antibiotics, a take home prescription of antibiotics and a prescription for cough syrup with codeine (which apparently helps my cough but makes me vomit violently w/in a few minutes of taking it). I'm avoiding going to bed tonight, as I haven't quit decided if I should take the cough syrup which helps me sleep better after I've vomited a few times. Vomit or cough? Vomit or cough? I'm leaning towards vomiting, as I really like my sleep and I can't sleep if I'm coughing all night long. At least the vomiting only lasts a few minutes and then I can go to sleep.