A time for everything

I'm finished with treatments - chemo and radiation.  I will start a new year with a focus on getting healthy and some form of normal.  2010 was a crazy year.  I have to accept that it was part of God's plan for me to get cancer.  I'm not sure why. I may never know.  But I know He also saw me through it.  When I think of this past year, I think of this passage from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.  It's one of my favorites.

To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;








A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;








 


A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;





A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
















A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace.



My sincere prayer is that 2011 is a wonderful year for every one of you, and that you are generously blessed with health, happiness, love, and peace.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Love, Susan

Merry Christmas!

I wish you all a very merry Christmas, filled with family, friends,

 love, laughter, and peace.  Celebrate Jesus' birth!

And CELEBRATE we did!

Last night was girls' night out...to the Melting Pot!  Mmmmmm.  Besides the fact that we ate so much we were about to bust, it was a great time!

I've had 15 radiation treatments and have 10 more to go.  So I'm over the halfway point with those.  And they're not bad - just makes my belly hurt but doesn't make me feel bad anywhere else.  I had my port removed last week, and the onday after Christmas will be my last radiation treatment. Then I'm done with EVERYTHING!  I have to have a follow-up scan every 4 months next year, but that's it.

After eating so much, we had to go the mall and walk it off   :)

(This pic was taken with my cell phone so it's not very good quality - sorry)

Thanks ladies - it was lots of fun!



HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I have so much to be thankful for but probably top of my list this year is the fact that I got a good report from my oncologist last week.  My CT scan was excellent - no sign of cancer. YAY!!!  And I'm done with chemo and feeling better all the time.  I have started my radiation treatments - 5 down, 20 more to go.  So far those are not making me feel bad - a little discomfort in my middle but nothing too bad...and I should be done by Christmas.  What a fabulous thing to celebrate!
My thankful list is long...for the many people who lifted me up in prayer; for my wonderful family who took such good care of me; for my amazing friends who supported and encouraged me, gave me gifts, made food, did jobs around my house that I couldn't do; for awesome nurses and doctors who were/are so caring and kind; for meds and health care professionals who have the ability to get rid of the cancer in me; and most of all to God for seeing me through this.
In this COLD weather, I'm also thankful for a warm house, warm clothes, electric blankets... and lets not forget the turkey, stuffing, pies, and other delicious food that I was able to enjoy yesterday.
I hope that I can remember to take time each day to think about my blessings and give thanks for them.
My sincere wish for everyone reading this is that you have a wonderful holiday season, that you are blessed with good health and are surrounded by love. 
Thanks for reading.  Love, Susan

Chemo is over!

Yay!  No more chemo!  Will probably start radiation in 2-3 weeks but everyone says that's no big deal.  Right now I'm all about getting back to feelin' good.
We had a little celebration Friday. 
My chemo nurses/angels (they're the best) Barb and Kara...

Toasting to my last treatment!

I'm trying to get my strength back... plan to go back to work tomorrow (Weds.).
Thanks for reading!
Love, Susan

Down the home stretch

Round 6 is under way.  Today I had blood tests done, got fluids, and saw 2 doctors - regular oncologist and radiation oncologist.  My hemoglobin was really good this time (10) so no need for blood transfusion.  There's still some debate about how soon I can start radiation...Dr. Gupta wants me to wait 3-4 weeks after chemo but Dr. Logan is okay with me starting sooner than that if I feel like I can.  The drs are going to talk to each other; in addition Dr. Logan wants to talk to the surgeons who took my tumor out.  She said she will give me about 25 low doses of radiation over a large area (front and back); then she may give me 5-8 higher doses that target a specific spot (what she calls "coning down"), if the surgeons can tell her specifically where the tumor was touching my back muscle and/or spine area.  So a lot is still up in the air, but my goal is to get it all done as soon as possible...within reason.
I just have to take a moment here to say that the doctors and nurses at the Cancer Center are wonderful!  I've liked Dr. Gupta all along and I just met Dr. Logan today and I really like her too.  She was very willing to answer questions and was very thorough and nice.  She has a southern accent which makes me grin.  And the chemo nurses, Barb and Kara, are just great.  They are always on top of things and do their best to get me done and out of there as quickly as possible.  They are always busy but still make sure that I'm comfortable.  Last round Barb even picked me up and gave me a ride in on Thurs and Fri morning because she doesn't live very far from me.  It's a full-service place, I'm tellin' ya.
From what I've heard, radiation is no big deal compared to chemo, so if I can get through the next week and a half, I think I'll be over the worst.  So pray me through this last round, please, friends.  Thank you again for all your kind thoughts, prayers, gifts, cards, help...everything.
Love, Susan

The view

First - I'm back at work and feeling pretty well.  Still low on vim and vigor, but you know...that's the norm for now. 
So, last Friday I had to get 3 more units of blood because my hemoglobin was low.  I was up on the 3rd floor of the hospital all afternoon and all evening - it was a very LONG day.  BUT, before you go feeling too sorry for me...

apparently the windows needed re-caulking or something, so for a while, this was the view from my window!  :)

Hey, if you have to lay in the hospital, this is the way to do it.

Update and sharing some pics from the weekend - World Equestrian Games!!

This is Thurs. of round 5 - not feeling that great right now, but that's the norm for this point in time....trying to just keep my mind off of it.  My hemoglobin was low again on Mon. so I'm getting more blood infused tomorrow.  So it will be a long day (chemo in the AM and blood after that) but I now know from last time that I will most likely feel better afterward, so that makes it easier to handle.  PLUS, after tomorrow I only have 1 more round!!  Woo hoo!  Say it with me - Woo hoo!! :)

Lindsey and I had a very fun day at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington on Sat.  Just wanted to share some photos...
The greeter at our very nice hotel - compliments of Sara & Matt.

and the complimentary Bourbon Balls. mmmmmm


The view as we entered the park
 

There were people there from all over the world speaking different languages, but it's obvious who this fan was cheering for.   The picture on the right is Lindsey's reaction to the "Restricted Area" sign and ropes keeping us a distance from the vet-check area.  She SO wanted to get down there to see what they were doing. 

At the first water complex on the cross-country course (I think this was obstacle #5),  the horse & rider have to first jump over this log into the water...

then jump this big fish in the water...

then this big, um, duck - I forget what it's called - after coming out of the water.

I just like this picture - after jumping an obstacle, they always kick it into high gear in order to try and make the ideal course time and not incur time penalties.

 
Thanks for looking - hope I didn't get carried away with the pictures. 
Thanks also for the continued cards, thoughts, and prayers.
Love, Susan

Headed to KY

Round 5 starts on Monday.  BUT FIRST....
Lindsey and I are headed to Lexington to see Cross Country day at the World Equestrian Games!!!!

I know some of you thought this was me on my horse, but it's not.

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading.

Love, Susan

Good Luck Tyler!

Wanna wish Tyler good luck in tennis sectionals - and all the Northwestern Tigers

The good things

There are some brights spots to going through chemo:

• No need for shaving legs or underarms
• No money is spent on hair products
• Getting ready in the morning takes less time because I don't have to wash & dry hair
• If I have a hot flash I can yank off the cap or scarf I'm wearing and my head cools off fast     (don't worry - I don't do this in public)
• Friends give you beautiful little rose plants like this one

Round 4 is done!!

Yes, now I am MORE than 1/2 way done.  Woo!!  And this one wasn't too bad at all.  I'll be happy if the last 2 go this smoothly.  My white cell count was pretty low this time so I'm mostly staying in - actually I've been in all weekend. :)  Hope to be back at work by Weds, though. 
And because a blog post is much more fun with a picture...
This was a Labor Day party - the 3-legged challenge is about to begin - and this is serious business in my family!

Thanks for reading.  Love, Susan

Sweet Jorga - and round 4 is underway

Lindsey is dog-sharing with 2 other vet students and Sat. was her turn to take care of Jorga.  We did a lot of walking around campus and with every step Jorga worked her way into our hearts.  She's very sweet and smart too. 

Round 4 is underway - I just got fluids today, so it was an easy day.  I talked to the Dr today about radiation, but don't really know much more than I did before...except that if I have it, we will wait a month or 2 after chemo is done...and I will talk to a radiation Dr when I'm closer to being done with chemo.

A message for my sistas:  Thank you so much for the sunshine basket!  I opened my first gift today and it was an adorable prayer pillow. :)

Thanks for reading!  Love, Susan

My amazing co-workers

So, Tom (at work) has been nagging at me leaning on me to start exercise-walking again...which is good - I need it, and I agreed to stay after work on Friday and do a lap around the parking lot perimeter.  It's 1 mile around, by the way.  Unbeknownst to me, he spread the word that this walk was going to take place - and that I was starting a new round of chemo on Monday, so all these people showed up outside my office to walk in support of me.  How awesome is that?!  I'm telling you - I have good people.  Thanks so much everyone.  It is really a boost to know all of you are "in my corner".  Love you guys!!

P.S.  Thanks to Mike for taking the picture - he walked too. :)

She's a pearl!

This is the view out of my front window last Sat.  Notice how bright it looks?  That's because my friend, Pearl, came out and washed all my windows!!!  I know, I am so spoiled.  Pearl, your name fits you - you are a rare find and one sweet lady.  Thanks so much!
And thanks to Sara for helping re-plant the flower basket. :)

Evening in small town USA :)

Well I DID get out and play around with my camera, so I'm sharing a few.  Love my f1.4 lens because I can shoot in low light...and I love the evening light.  These pictures were taken between 8 and 8:30 PM.  Seriously.

Oh...and my cat is certifiably crazy.  He got inside my car today when it was parked in the driveway - through the window that was down only 2 1/2 inches!  No lie - I measured.  I should have taken a picture of him sitting in there crying but I was too panicked to get him out.  Then you should have seen the interior (black/charcoal cloth)... covered with hair.  Oh Alfred, you're just a mess.
Thanks for reading (and looking)!  Love, Susan

Taking a chemo break :)

Hi all,
So I'm sort of on a little "chemo vacation"...that is, a vacation from chemo.  Because my next round was due to start on Sept 6th, but that's Labor Day, so Barb (nurse) said "we'll just wait another week".  That was good news to me.  Though I want to get it all over with, after last week I needed a break - mentally at least.  I pulled away from the hospital on Monday relishing the idea that I had nearly 3 full weeks before another round starts - and I should feel pretty good for most of that time.  
The blood transfusion was good for me - I was able to go back to work on Wednesday of this week and I worked the remainder of the week...and I plan to work full-time for the next 2 weeks as well.  I'm also hoping that this will give my middle some time to heal...because I still have a lot of discomfort in my incision/surgery area.  You would think that it's been long enough, but I can only guess that the chemo is preventing the normal amount of healing to happen. 
I'm also happy to say that my interest in life is returning.  :)  I'm thinking about going out with my camera tomorrow and playing around.  Just a warning...that means you'll probably have to endure some photos in my next post!
Thanks for all the cards and well-wishes that keep on coming.  Have a great weekend and thanks for reading.
Love, Susan

Round 3 done!

Well I have been woefully out of touch...I'm sorry.  Last week was kinda rough for me, but a lot of that was my fault I'm afraid.  The effects of the chemo were building up toward the end of the week and then I had the blood transfusion looming ahead, which I should have seen as a GOOD thing, but for some reason I got kind of freaked out by it and that made the emotional and physical symptoms worse (nervousness, jitters, upset stomach, etc).  Anyway, suffice it to say that I'm VERY glad to have last week behind me.  The transfusion was originally going to happen on Saturday; then we discussed doing it on Monday so I didn't have to spend a weekend day in the hospital; then the nurse suggested I get an early start on my chemo Friday and just go straight up to get blood after that.  That's what I did and - now that it's over - it was a good decision, it's just that it was a very long day and...well...I didn't start it in a very good frame of mind.  Poor Ginny drove me that morning and she had to help me pull it together.  I got chemo from 7:30 AM to about 12:30 PM, then went upstairs to "short stay" for the blood transfusion.  They infused 3 units at a rate of 2 1/2 hours per unit - so I was there until probably 8:30 or 9:00 PM.  They gave me Adavan (sp?) twice on Friday to help me relax, so I slept through parts of the day.
I DO think the blood was helpful - I feel pretty good today - I don't have so much of that wiped out feeling. Have to go the hospital in a little bit to get a shot of Neulasta.  
I gotta be honest, I'm a little worried about the fact that I lack any interest or excitement about anything.  I just feel so blah all the time...which isn't normal for me.  I know it's a beautiful day and I should probably go out for a short walk but I just have no motivation. Ah well, hopefully this will also pass.
Larry just pulled in to mow my yard...bless him.  Marjie please tell him THANK YOU once again.  I'm so grateful (still) for everything everyone has done and still does for me.
Thanks for reading.  Love, Susan 

Round 3, here we go

Today begins round 3.  I had blood drawn first this morning and it was analyzed quickly.  So when the dr came in to see me the results were back. My white cell count was good but the red cell count was low.  It was not low enough to postpone my treatments this week, but he wants me to have a blood transfusion.  It looks like that might happen on Saturday - I have to go to the hospital for that...in what they call "short stay". Yippee.
Anyway, today was fine - just got 3 liters of fluids after seeing the dr., so other than my belly feeling bloated, I'm okay.  I shouldn't wish time away...especially with the beautiful weather we're having, but I just want this week to go by quickly.
We got Lindsey moved into her apt over the weekend.  I'll try to post a couple pictures tomorrow.
Thanks for reading.
Love, Susan

Preparing for round 3

Round 3 begins Monday 8/16.  Some of you may not know...because I never really made this clear on my blog...but I am going to the Cancer Center at St. Joseph Hosp in Kokomo for my treatments now.  The Dr thought I handled it well enough when I was at St. Vincent (for round 1) that he said I could have the remainder of my treatments in Kokomo.  The best part about that is that I can go home at the end of each day.  The week goes pretty much like this:  I go in Monday, they draw blood, I see the Dr, then they give me fluids only.  Tuesday through Friday I go in about 9AM, they give me some fluids first, followed by pre-chemo drugs (anti-nausea, etc.), followed by chemo drugs, followed by more fluids, and then I can go home (typically about 3PM). 
I'm feeling pretty well today- of course it's the middle of my "week 3" right now so that's when I feel best.  But I'm trying to enjoy what's left of that feeling...trying to do normal things during the next several days, and trying to get myself mentally pumped up to start another round. 
We're moving Lindsey to her apt in Lafayette this weekend, so that should be fun and the time will probably go by fast.
Thanks for reading.
Susan

Graduation

This has nothing to do with cancer...nice break, huh?  But I said earlier I would blog about Lindsey's graduation and I'm finally getting to it. 
Here's my baby girl - graduating from Colorado State University.  She was a University Honors Scholar and Equine Science Honors Scholar with an Equine Science major and a Business Administration minor.  So proud of her.  In a couple weeks, she'll be starting Veterinary school at Purdue.  Woo!

And I thought you might like to see a couple of the babies at the horse farm where she worked.  They're all so cute.

Thanks for reading,  Susan

Moral of the story: when experienced people give you advice, listen to it.

I went to work for most of the day yesterday (Thurs) and felt good, but this morning woke up with a very sore throat and swollen/sore gums. I have to confess, I did some things I shouldn't have - like I flossed my teeth yesterday and like I haven't been good about using the mouthwash regularly. Ahhhh - why don't I listen to the voice of experience.  Beth told me...the nurse told me...
The dr called in some meds for my mouth and put antibiotics on hold in case this turns into an upper respiratory thing.  At first I was worried because I'm right in the middle of that 10-14 day low immunity period. But I don't think it's any kind of infection at all - just mouth sores. I'm feeling better as the day goes on and I got some work done from home on the laptop so it wasn't a complete bust.
It's a beautiful day out there and I have my windows open, which feels wonderful!  I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Thanks for reading,  Susan

My watchcat

He sits in "his" chair - arm propped up on the arm of the chair - and keeps an eye on me. When I'm feeling really wiped out like I have the last few days, I spend a lot of time in the rocking chair and Alfred does seem genuinely concerned about me.  Probably just doesn't want to miss the moment when I get up and feed him, but...

The REAL caretaker has been Lindsey - she's with me almost all the time and is always asking if I'm okay and if I need anything.  But she doesn't like her picture taken. :)  It really stinks that this has been most of her summer but she says she doesn't mind.

I'm hanging in there friends.  I think the last few days were the "bottom out" days - at least I'm hoping so.  I just want to shake this feeling of ...yuck...and being pulled down whenever I try to do something.  I went back to the cancer center today to get a Neulasta shot and to see Dr. Gupta.  He keeps telling me I'm doing very well and I'm superwoman and all that and sometimes I want to scream "No I'm not - I feel like crap".  But I don't. 

I lost that 14# of water weight - pretty crazy to go up and down that much in a few days.  It seems like the "getting over it" process is going a little faster this time - I hope I'm not just imagining that. 

I miss everyone.  I miss leading a normal life.  One of these days...

Thanks for all your cards, thoughts, prayers, calls, food, everything.

Thanks for reading.  Love, Susan

WARNING- scary picture!

I hope this doesn't scare anyone, but this is the naked (head) truth.  My brother-in-law shaved his head to be "on my team". Isn't he sweet?!

Well, only 1 day left of chemo in round 2.  So far I'm not feeling too bad.  I know I haven't reached my "bottom out" days yet, but I still think I feel better right now than I felt at this point last round.  Nausea is under control so far.  My only problem is all the fluids they're pumping into me - they're not coming out near as fast as they're going in.  Get this - between Tues and Weds morning I gained 10 pounds!!  And then this morning (Thurs) I was up another 4 pounds.  Yikes!  Can we start a new Biggest Loser contest right now?  'Cause I feel like I would win easily.  They are giving me some Lasix (sp?) - a diuretic - to help flush some of that out and it is helping, though not as much as I would like.  I feel kind of like the Pillsbury dough boy. 

Thanks for all the nice cards friends - you're the best!

Thanks for reading,  Susan

Round 2 is underway

Yesterday (26th) was officially the beginning of round 2 of chemo, although I actually didn't get chemo drugs until today...because the first day of each round (Mon) is fluids only.  That is to flush and prepare my kidney for the chemo.  So today was the first of 4 days of chemo. I go to the cancer center each day at 9AM, they hook the IV tubes up to my port, and they start with a bag of fluids only.  When that bag is empty they give me some pre-chemo drugs (mainly for nausea prevention), then they start the chemo drugs - one goes in from a big syringe; the other is in a bag - and when that bag is finished, they hang up another bag of fluids.  When THAT bag is empty I'm free to go home.  The whole process takes about 6 hours.  In that 6 hours, they're pumping a total of 5 liters of fluids into me.  That means quite a few trips to the bathroom...and I'm still all puffy everywhere.  The only part of this that bothers me right now is that my belly blows up like a watermelon and it's pretty uncomfortable.  But I'm trying to stay more...um, not really active but moving around more...staying flexible and not letting myself get all stiff and tense - I think that contributed to my back pain last time.  Lindsey and I went for a walk this evening.  It wasn't something that sounded great beforehand but I felt better afterward.  Plus we saw the most adorable puppy down the street.  :)
Lindsey and Mom stayed with me all day today, and Kris, Sara, and Dick came for visits too.  Having company made the day go faster for sure.
I can't get a signal at all in the chemo room, and I have a limited amount of time when I get home, so if I don't get your call or return your call, I'm sorry.  Please leave me a message and know that I appreciate that you're thinking of me, even if I don't get back to you right away. 
Beth - I loved going on vacation with you through the postcards!  Great idea!
Thanks everyone for reading.
P.S.  Larry's lawn service is top-notch.
P.S.S.  I'm still working on adding pictures to my blog - I have a couple I really want to post...and I think it will make it much more fun to view.  :)

Love this quote

God's will is exactly what you would want if you knew all the facts.

My friend Ginny shared that with me - don't know who actually said it, but I really liked it and wanted to share it on my blog.

Thanks for reading,  Susan

New Schedule

Well either I misunderstood the doc, or he changed his mind somewhere along the way regarding my treatment schedule...but it's going to be a little different than I originally thought.  He initially told me there would be 3 weeks between rounds, but I found out from the nurse that there will actually be 3 weeks from the beginning of one round to the beginning of the next.  That basically means that week 1 of each round will be spent getting chemo drugs, week 2 will be getting that out of my system (probably at home, unless I can shake off the effects faster than I did the first round), and week 3 should be my "good week".  Then I'll start another round the following Monday.  Today is the beginning of week 3 and I am back at work - feeling like a normal human being again finally!  Round 2 begins Monday, July 26th. Boy, chemo really does kick you in the butt!  There is a long list of possible side effects - some of which I didn't experience, but several which I did.  Suffice it to say that I have a new respect for the many people who have been through this before me...I didn't realize what troopers they were and I feel bad now for not being more attentive and... just aware of what they were going through.   
I cannot write a blog post without saying thank you again to the many people who have been so nice and have done so much to help me...I just can't even list everything, but for the food, house cleaning, shopping, lawn care, phone calls, thoughts, prayers, words of encouragement, gifts, cards...just thank you SO MUCH for everything.  My sister was reading some of my cards and she said, "Gosh Susan, you have a lot of people who really like you and miss you".  (Seemed a little surprised by that, but...).  And I replied, "I KNOW - I HAVE GOOD PEOPLE!"  I do. I have good people.  Much love to all of you.
Thanks for reading,  Susan

Round 1 goes to Susan!

I'm home and feeling pretty well.  The biggest issue right now is feeling SO weak.  Just walking from 1 room to another leaves me totally out of breath.  Man, it's hard to believe that I went from being a tooter to this.  (tooter is a Boyce term for really fit and in shape...like Tom & Kim).
Big thanks again to my family, who is taking such great care of me!  They've been taking care of my every need and keeping me supplied with great food.  Sara made some delicious soup yesterday and Mom made a rhubard custard pie.  The sad thing is that it's kind of wasted on me right now 'cause the tastbuds on the top of my tongue aren't registering anything.  Salty stuff is more appealing to me right now.  Brenda, I haven't tried salsa yet.  :)
I know I'm not out of the woods yet...the dr said the "bottom out" time in terms of white cell count being low is 10-14 days after my first chemo dose (which would be middle/late this week), but I feel stronger today than yesterday so I declare round 1 a success in my corner!  :)
Thanks for reading.  Susan

This is crazy!

I forgot to tell say this.  Last night they brought a chocolate chip cookie with my dinner...which I didn't request...and it sat on my little tray table all night and all morning.  I didn't even want to eat it - how crazy is that!  I was going to donate it to you Kim, but Jeff ate it with his lunch.  Anyway, that has probably never happened to me...:)
Thanks for reading,  Susan.

It's a better day!

Today was a better day, for sure.  The chemo doses are DONE and I'm now just getting fluids and mesna, which flushes the chemo through and protects my stomach, bladder, and kidney.  I have to stay at the hospital again tonight (: but should be able to go home tomorrow (Sun) morning.  So pray everything goes well tonight.
I feel much better though.  The nausea seems to be under control.  Kris convinced the nurse to unhook me for a little while so I could go for a wheelchair ride outside.  It was very nice...sun felt good.  I had several visitors today.  Thanks for all the thoughts, prayers, cards, calls, and visits.  ONE DOWN Y'ALL!!

Thanks for reading,  Susan 

Still pluggin away

Well, I've had 3 doses of chemo, 1 more to go today (for a while anyway).  Last night was not as good as the past couple have been - I think it's catching up with me.  My mind was working overtime last night so I couldn't sleep, then I had a bout with nausea and vomiting at about 3 AM.  They gave me some Adavan, which took care of the nausea and also put me to sleep so that was good.  Right now I just feel kind of - yuck.  Flu-ish I would say...achy and queasy.  All of which is to be expected but I'll still be glad to get it over with.  My dr is going to make me stay until Sunday I think - probably because I didn't handle the drugs as well last night.  Maybe I can work on him... :)  They did some blood tests this morning and he said those were all good.  Well, gonna walk the halls another time.  Woo.

Treatment schedule

This is a boring post, but for those of you who are interested in my treatment schedule, drugs, etc., it looks like this:

I'm staying here at St. V's this whole week for my first "session".  I have an IV in my arm and I'm getting plain fluid plus a drug called Mesna through that line 24/7.  The Mesna is to protect my stomach and bladder from one of the chemo drugs that is apparently hard on them.  At 11:30 each day, they start pre-chemo drugs which are to help with nausea...and there's an anti-inflammatory in there.  Those are put in through a port in my chest and take about 30 minutes to infuse.  At about 12:30 (assuming I'm available) they start the 2 chemo drugs.  The first is Adriamycin (I'm sure I'm not spelling that right)...it's red and it's in a big syringe.  She connects her syringe to a valve in the line that comes from my port and slowly pushes that drug through - it takes about 15 min.  The 2nd drug is Ifex (that's the short name for it).  It's in a bag which she connects to my port and it take about 3 hrs to infuse.  That's it for 1 day.  I'm getting 1 treatment per day for 4 days.  On the 5th day (Sat.) they want me to continue to get the Mesna to "flush" everything.  Hopefully I'll be able to go home sometime Sat.  I will wait 3 weeks before starting another "session".  I will get a total of 6 "sessions" of treatment, and the doctor seems to think I can get the remainder of them administered at St. Joe in Kokomo.  I would have to go to the cancer center each day during the week of treatments, but I could go home around 5 PM for the night.  That would be AWESOME!
Thanks again for reading! 

Busted on my first day!

The first day of my stay here at St. V's...I haven't had a chemo treatment yet...they've hooked tubes up to me but the nurse says I can go wherever I want - my pumps are on a pole and they run off batteries when I unplug the pole from the wall, so I just have to take my pal the pole with my everywhere.  My nurse gives me my pre-chemo drugs (anti-nausea, etc.) at 11:40 and says in an hour she will start the chemo drugs.  So Mom, Kris, and I go down to the cafeteria to eat lunch.  We probably didn't head down there until about 12 and it was pretty crowded so at 12:45 I look at my watch and say that we should probably head back up.  Kris says not be worry about it because the nurse got started late and she didn't think it had been an hour...so we finish eating and casually head back up (yes, I'm blaming this on Kris).  As I'm coming down the hall I find out that they've been looking all over for me and that my nurse is on the phone with security as I'm walking back to my room.  I pass another nurse in the hall and she says "Somebody's in trouble".  Yikes.  I'm now grounded to the 6th floor.  My nurse said she found out from the Charge nurse that since I'm receiving chemo drugs I'm really not supposed to leave this floor, but I wonder if it's because she's mad at me. 

Beginning of the journey

7/6/10

Hi all. Thanks for being interested in my blog. I thought this would be a good way to keep everyone up-to-date and to journal my thoughts.

So... to provide some background information, my cancer journey all started at the beginning of May (2010) when I began feeling a little pain in my lower right abdomen. It was just a small pain and initially it was only when I took a deep breath, but gradually it became more constant. On May 13th I stayed home from work because my mom was having gall bladder surgery that day. By the way, Mom is my hero. She bounced back from her surgery like it was an ingrown toenail or something. Seriously. She was taking awesome care of me after my surgery and it was only a week after hers. Superwoman.

Anyway, so I was at home on the morning of the 13th making vegetable soup because I knew Mom was coming home from her surgery the same day and I wanted to take soup to her house. So the pain became worse while I was on my feet that morning and felt like a burning sensation toward my back. When I was sitting in the waiting room at the hospital later that morning I mentioned this pain to my sister and nieces. Kris is a nurse, Erin just graduated from nursing school, and Emily is currently in nursing school at Purdue, so of course they all encouraged (actually pushed) me to get it checked out – which turned out to be a really good thing. At that point I thought the worst case scenario was that my appendix was infected and would have to be removed. I was kinda panicked ‘cause I was scheduled to fly out to Colorado the next morning for Lindsey’s graduation (I’m gonna blog about that in a couple days ‘cause I’m SO proud of her!).

Well, to cut to the chase…I had a very large mass in my right kidney, was told it was cancer, and that I’d have to have my kidney removed. I was still able to go to CO as scheduled (YAY) and had my surgery the following week, on My 20th.

I spent the next 4 weeks at home recovering from surgery, which was NOT fun, let me tell you. Whew! Having never had surgery before, I had no idea how painful it could be and was very unrealistic about what I would be able to do once I got home…which I paid the price for in the form of more pain.

I have to give a HUGE shout-out here to all my family and friends who took SUCH good care of me and did so much work on my house and yard and everything. Lindsey stayed with me for 2 weeks before she had to go back to CO for work. She took care of me AND painted my entire dining room, kitchen and entry way at the same time. Mom helped her with that as well as keeping us fed and helping me with about everything needing done around my house. Matt, Tyler, and Larry have made sure my yard stayed manicured.  My sisters, Kris and Sara keep close tabs on me and make sure I'm feeling okay and that I don't need anything.  My 'sistas' are keeping the prayers going up for me.  Kim also keeps close tabs on me and she and Bob spent a whole day at my house helping cross items off my list - including unclogging my bathroom sink drain!  Yeah, Kim did that...she's another on of my heroes.  I also have to thank my bosses at work, who are being SO understanding and flexible and caring...that has been such a relief.  I can't name everyone here but it doesn't mean I don't appreciate you.  Thank you to everyone who has been helpful and caring - including those who sent cards and are including me in their prayers.

After 4 1/2 weeks I went back to work - although that wasn't very steady due to doctor appointments.  Then today I started my chemo treatments.  I'm staying at St. Vincent's in Indy this week for my first "session", but the doctor said I should be able to complete my other treatments in Kokomo at St. Joe...which I'm EXTREMEMLY excited about. :)