My surgery is 3 weeks from today. Next Tuesday I’ll be seeing my radiation oncologist for a follow-up and then my primary care doctor for a surgical clearance. I’ve been compiling a list of things to tell them:
I’m noticing pain coming back. It’s not too bad but it’s noticeable, and it’s the same pain that I had before I was diagnosed. It’s a dull ache deep inside the pelvic area as if radiating toward my left-side perineum and tail bone areas. And it gets more painful the longer I sit.
I am definitely feeling the fatigue that they warned me about. It hits me all of a sudden to where I’m just so tired and worn out it feels like I can hardly move, and all I want to do is lie down and close my eyes.
Dr. Kemmis had said the radiation might make me go into early menopause and I think that’s exactly what’s happening to me. I’ve been having the hot flashes for about three weeks now. I call them heat waves! It’s the weirdest thing. All of a sudden I feel my body become warmer, and warmer, and warmer. It just grows like that in the span of about 10 seconds and then I’m so hot for a good 10 minutes or so. Then it just stops and suddenly I’m shivering. At first it was only occurring once a night. Then a couple times a night. Now it’s several times a night and starting to happen during the day too.
Last Wednesday I started feeling a rocking sensation. Not dizziness or spinning, just the feeling as if I were rocking and a little floating. And sometimes at night I wake up from another heat wave and then on the cool down I start feeling the rocking sensation, and then a feeling like I might faint, where the back of my head feels like I’m falling. It passes after a couple minutes.
Two days ago I started having some vaginal discharge. The nurse warned me that might happen. Well, it’s definitely happening. I noticed some “drops” of wetness in my undies but didn’t think too much about it. Then this morning when I got out of bed and was heading to the bathroom to get into the shower, something was running down my leg! No kidding, that’s how much this discharge was. I’d call it drainage! It didn’t feel like I was peeing, it just felt like water running down my leg. A perfect analogy is that it’s exactly like when my water broke when I was pregnant, except in that case it was a LOT more water. My husband kept telling me to hold it in because I was getting water all over the bed and the carpet. I told him there wasn’t any way for me to hold it in because there wasn’t anything I could clench to do that.
That’s what I mean. Tightening my bladder muscles didn’t hold it in. That’s why I don’t think it’s urine. I just don’t know what it is. I’m assuming it’s just water from my vagina, probably kind of like the water inside of a blister. Maybe the radiation caused a bunch of blisters that are now peeling and draining out all the water?? I’m just guessing here. I will definitely ask the radiation doc.
I went to work wearing a maxi pad and fortunately didn’t have the drainage as intense as it was this morning. On a break at work today I walked over to the Radiation Oncology department and asked if I could go back and talk to one of the nurses about some of my symptoms. They said sure and sent me back.
I said to the nurse, “So you said I might start having some vaginal discharge. Could you tell me what that’s supposed to be like?” She said it would be thin and watery but could have some gel-like substance mixed in, could be a little or a lot, maybe a slight yellow tinge, and could have a foul odor. I said, “Well that’s exactly what I have except for the odor, thank goodness. I thought maybe it was urine leakage but it doesn’t smell like urine. It doesn’t smell like anything.” She said it was just a normal side effect and that it would probably start to lessen and stop in the next few days. She told me to wear a pad and try to determine how much fluid I think is coming out and if it increases.
I was glad to hear it was normal and that it should stop soon. “So you're sure it’s not coming from my bladder? She said, “It’s not from the bladder, it’s vaginal. This is just something that happens, and it should stop soon. But keep an eye on it if it becomes a lot and let us know if it does. Check yourself for a fever which would be a sign of an infection.” So, it’s kind of bothersome to have all this drainage, but the good news is it’s not due to a damaged bladder!
Yuck either way. It’s so much wetness. I've been running to the restroom all day. I sure hope it stops soon.
When I started doing this blog to document my cancer it was a way for me to cope with the cancer and the changes since I didn’t know how bad it would get, but also a way to give detailed reporting to other new cancer patients who might be looking on the Internet for other people’s experiences. So again, this is why I’m giving details. No point in pretending. I believe in telling it like it is.
So now let’s segue to my next symptom. My period is about 12 days late. When I spoke to the nurse today and mentioned this she said the same thing that Dr. Witta had told me a couple weeks ago, that where the radiation was targeted it should not have reached my ovaries. So I told her that’s what the oncologist had said but that Dr. Kemmis (the radiation oncologist) had said that the radiation would very likely cause me to go into early menopause. She was a little surprised and said, “Oh he said that? Well then maybe that’s what’s happening. But you’ll have to wait and see. It could be possible that this is either your last period or that it’s just a temporary effect and you might get a period later on again.”
Great. I was really starting to enjoy the notion that I wouldn’t be having any more periods! Well, I’ll mention it to Dr. Kemmis next week and see what he thinks. I know that no one knows for sure and that I’ll just have to wait and see.
Let’s see, what else is on that list. Oh, I started having both a dull and a sharp pain in my right side this morning. I’d say it’s around the right ureter area. And then later I started having a dull ache around both my kidneys. Definitely worth mentioning. I’m still trying to remember to drink more water so I stay hydrated.
My fingers are doing much better, but they are still peeling and the third ends of all my fingers are smooth and still a bit swollen. It’s like I have no grip, no tread. Like, it’s nearly impossible to flick through papers or even turn a page in a book. I have such little feeling in them too.
Friday, November 28, 2014
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
I think I’m definitely having hot flashes. I have no idea if it means actual menopause or maybe just temporary menopause until the radiation is out of my body. My period is late by a week and that never happens. I mark my period on my calendar and can count the days to the next one. It’s always the same. I always can pinpoint the day by the calendar, and down to the hour by my symptoms. But this month I haven’t had the symptoms I normally get, and with it being a week late I’m thinking I won’t even get my period anymore. That would be fine with me! I finished all the antibiotics and now am no longer having any bloody pus coming out. I wonder if that means I did have an infection or abscess? If so, then I've had it a very long time, nearly a year off and on.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2014
It’s 4 weeks until my surgery. The surgeon’s office called to let me know they’d received and sent back the paperwork for my short-term disability. While I had them on the phone I asked if they’d ask the surgeon a question for me. I wanted to know if it would be possible for him to remove my external hemorrhoids since he’d be working in that area anyway. You know, two birds and all.
They got my surgeon, Dr. Strobos, on the phone and he explained that that wouldn’t be a good idea to do a full hemorrhoidal procedure because there isn’t much room in between the area of the hemorrhoids and the location of the tumor. And he said, “You’re going to be in so much pain anyway and I don’t want to cause you more pain.” (Ooh! Not something I wanted to hear!) He explained he'd be cutting the blood supply to them anyway and that might take care of them. "We can see how they look later on."
It was nice of him to go out of his way and take the time to explain it all. By the way, I don’t know if I mentioned it early on in my blog but this is the surgeon who everyone, including the first surgeon I consulted with, said is the best. He’s the one who is certain he can eventually reattach my colon without having to leave me with a permanent colostomy bag. Even the other surgeon admitted she wouldn’t attempt it because she isn’t sure she can do it. Something about how few centimeters they have left to work with after cutting and removing colon and part of the rectum. All this medical stuff is fascinating to me. I’m just glad I’m not a doctor. I remember asking him why he can do it when no one else can and he said, “Oh, it's just because I’ve had a lot of experience. I've just done so many."
By the way, to be medically and technically correct, I should explain that my type of surgery will be a "diverting ileostomy" not a colostomy. The difference is that a colostomy is an opening for the large intestine, while an ileostomy is an opening for the small intestine. Because my surgeon plans to reattach my colon some time after I heal from the cancer surgery, he will be making a temporary ostomy using my small intestine to expel waste. That makes sense, giving my large intestine time to heal up.
They got my surgeon, Dr. Strobos, on the phone and he explained that that wouldn’t be a good idea to do a full hemorrhoidal procedure because there isn’t much room in between the area of the hemorrhoids and the location of the tumor. And he said, “You’re going to be in so much pain anyway and I don’t want to cause you more pain.” (Ooh! Not something I wanted to hear!) He explained he'd be cutting the blood supply to them anyway and that might take care of them. "We can see how they look later on."
It was nice of him to go out of his way and take the time to explain it all. By the way, I don’t know if I mentioned it early on in my blog but this is the surgeon who everyone, including the first surgeon I consulted with, said is the best. He’s the one who is certain he can eventually reattach my colon without having to leave me with a permanent colostomy bag. Even the other surgeon admitted she wouldn’t attempt it because she isn’t sure she can do it. Something about how few centimeters they have left to work with after cutting and removing colon and part of the rectum. All this medical stuff is fascinating to me. I’m just glad I’m not a doctor. I remember asking him why he can do it when no one else can and he said, “Oh, it's just because I’ve had a lot of experience. I've just done so many."
By the way, to be medically and technically correct, I should explain that my type of surgery will be a "diverting ileostomy" not a colostomy. The difference is that a colostomy is an opening for the large intestine, while an ileostomy is an opening for the small intestine. Because my surgeon plans to reattach my colon some time after I heal from the cancer surgery, he will be making a temporary ostomy using my small intestine to expel waste. That makes sense, giving my large intestine time to heal up.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2014
The other day I was slicing onions and it was really burning my fingers. I had to keep stopping, shake off the pain, and suck my finger tips to ease the pain. Finally got the onions chopped. I won't do that again.
Then another day I was sliding off the bed and must have built up a lot of static electricity because I got one heck of a major shock on my thumb, right on the raw red tender part. God did that ever hurt!
I found some more "finger condoms" for lack of a better term, but that's pretty descriptive isn't it? It's exactly what they look like. Anyway, I found a pack that I like better than the "Finger Cots" I got at Walgreens. These new ones I found at Walmart by a brand called Flents, just called "Finger Covers". They're better and they're cheaper too. (Flents makes the eye glass wipes that I like and the finger splints that I wear at night for my "stenosing tenosynovitis", i.e. trigger fingers).
Anyway, I still lube up my fingers with plain ChapStick and then roll the little finger covers over and it heals me up in no time. The only problem is, when I take them off my skin quickly dries up again, especially when I wash my hands. I've been wearing the covers as much as I can, even out in public. I figure it's better that way so that I'm not picking up germs and who knows what. I sleep with them too. I just reuse them until they wear out, then put on new ones.
It's usually worse than this. Sometimes I have deep, wide open slivers in the creases of my fingers. The swelling has gotten a little better since I've been off the chemo.
Then another day I was sliding off the bed and must have built up a lot of static electricity because I got one heck of a major shock on my thumb, right on the raw red tender part. God did that ever hurt!
I found some more "finger condoms" for lack of a better term, but that's pretty descriptive isn't it? It's exactly what they look like. Anyway, I found a pack that I like better than the "Finger Cots" I got at Walgreens. These new ones I found at Walmart by a brand called Flents, just called "Finger Covers". They're better and they're cheaper too. (Flents makes the eye glass wipes that I like and the finger splints that I wear at night for my "stenosing tenosynovitis", i.e. trigger fingers).
Anyway, I still lube up my fingers with plain ChapStick and then roll the little finger covers over and it heals me up in no time. The only problem is, when I take them off my skin quickly dries up again, especially when I wash my hands. I've been wearing the covers as much as I can, even out in public. I figure it's better that way so that I'm not picking up germs and who knows what. I sleep with them too. I just reuse them until they wear out, then put on new ones.
It's usually worse than this. Sometimes I have deep, wide open slivers in the creases of my fingers. The swelling has gotten a little better since I've been off the chemo.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2014
We got a little bit of a snow storm last night and today but I still wanted to go to my appointment. I grew up in Colorado so I'm used to driving in snow, but I refuse to go more than 40 in snow. Even that's a little too fast, but people were flying by me on the freeway!
Remember Dr. Witta called me and he said he was free at noon today? When I showed up at my appointment I thought it was kinda funny that the receptionist told me, "He never sees anyone at noon." I guess this was his lunch time or planning period or something, but I told her that's when he asked me to come in.
He was happy I had completed my treatment and that I was doing so well. I told him the only real side effect was my still very dry, cracked, peeling finger tips. I showed him. He said that's the chemo, and that it would still last in my system probably for another three weeks or so.
He asked if he could look at me, if that was all right, and I said sure. I knew he meant looking at my tush. He left to get gloves and then came back in. Instead of me pulling my pants down and then trying to get up on the table, I just hopped up there and then slid them down. That's how much weight I've lost. All my pants are several sizes too big now. I need some belts! Or new pants!
He looked surprised and said, "Oh you've lost weight!" I was so grateful that he looked pleasantly surprised (I took that as a compliment) instead of lecturing me that I need to stop losing weight. When I first saw him, September 12, I was 144. I can't help that I'm losing the weight. I'm not trying to. Honest to God, I'm the laziest person in the world and I love to eat, so I have no idea why I'm dropping so much weight. Anyway, it was nice.
He just took a quick look at my back side where the radiation had been targeted and said there was only minimal redness but nothing concerning. He said taking into account that I'm still having a heavy bloody-pus discharge, having hot flashes followed by chills, and still having pain, he wanted me to get on an antibiotic to be on the safe side in case I do have an infection going on in there. He didn't want me to be going into surgery with an infection, and I agree! I'm more than happy to take an antibiotic just in case.
He explained in detail the course of adjuvant chemotherapy that I'd receive after my surgery and the reasons for doing it and so on. I am still totally on board with doing it. I told him I'd have to call my insurance company to see if my getting the treatment there would be in my Tier 1 network and whether it was offered at the hospital or not. I assume it is but I never know for sure. Dr. Witta said he understood, but that I would need to be followed by an oncologist at the hospital if that's the way I choose to go. I wouldn't mind being under his care for this of course, but I have to also take into consideration the cost, the drive, and the time. His office is a lot farther away than the hospital, and he said the IV treatment would take a couple hours at a time. I'll have to see what my options are and decide. WEIGHT 131.5
Remember Dr. Witta called me and he said he was free at noon today? When I showed up at my appointment I thought it was kinda funny that the receptionist told me, "He never sees anyone at noon." I guess this was his lunch time or planning period or something, but I told her that's when he asked me to come in.
He was happy I had completed my treatment and that I was doing so well. I told him the only real side effect was my still very dry, cracked, peeling finger tips. I showed him. He said that's the chemo, and that it would still last in my system probably for another three weeks or so.
He asked if he could look at me, if that was all right, and I said sure. I knew he meant looking at my tush. He left to get gloves and then came back in. Instead of me pulling my pants down and then trying to get up on the table, I just hopped up there and then slid them down. That's how much weight I've lost. All my pants are several sizes too big now. I need some belts! Or new pants!
He looked surprised and said, "Oh you've lost weight!" I was so grateful that he looked pleasantly surprised (I took that as a compliment) instead of lecturing me that I need to stop losing weight. When I first saw him, September 12, I was 144. I can't help that I'm losing the weight. I'm not trying to. Honest to God, I'm the laziest person in the world and I love to eat, so I have no idea why I'm dropping so much weight. Anyway, it was nice.
He just took a quick look at my back side where the radiation had been targeted and said there was only minimal redness but nothing concerning. He said taking into account that I'm still having a heavy bloody-pus discharge, having hot flashes followed by chills, and still having pain, he wanted me to get on an antibiotic to be on the safe side in case I do have an infection going on in there. He didn't want me to be going into surgery with an infection, and I agree! I'm more than happy to take an antibiotic just in case.
He explained in detail the course of adjuvant chemotherapy that I'd receive after my surgery and the reasons for doing it and so on. I am still totally on board with doing it. I told him I'd have to call my insurance company to see if my getting the treatment there would be in my Tier 1 network and whether it was offered at the hospital or not. I assume it is but I never know for sure. Dr. Witta said he understood, but that I would need to be followed by an oncologist at the hospital if that's the way I choose to go. I wouldn't mind being under his care for this of course, but I have to also take into consideration the cost, the drive, and the time. His office is a lot farther away than the hospital, and he said the IV treatment would take a couple hours at a time. I'll have to see what my options are and decide. WEIGHT 131.5
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2014
I called my oncologist's office today to check in. I wanted to make sure he was aware I had completed my chemo and radiation and that my surgery was scheduled now. I also wanted to ask him some questions. They said he'd have to call me back, and he did just a few minutes later. He's been wonderful, always immediately on the phone with me for personal contact, very knowledgeable, and remember how he helped me with my insurance company? I really appreciate him.
SLIGHT TANGENT HERE: I have been so fortunate and happy for the care I've gotten so far from my entire team of docs. I usually don't name drop but in this case they all deserve to have the recognition. Dr. Morales did my colonoscopy and he wasn't hesitant about coming right out and saying "You definitely have colon cancer." I'm glad he didn't shy away about admitting what he knew. Some docs don't want to give a diagnosis without biopsies and second opinions. I asked him what I should do, who I should see, and he said, "Call Dr. Witta, he's one of the best." That's my oncologist. He's warm and friendly, direct and confident, and well spoken. And he's always made himself immediately available over the phone, which I really appreciate.
Another of my docs was Dr. Reveille, the one who went out of his way to come to my hospital and to hurry me in for the endoscopic ultrasound the day after my colonoscopy. He was extremely friendly and I loved his confidence when he told me, "When I get in there I will know exactly what stage you're at." He was genuinely happy that my cancer was caught fairly early and in a perfect stage for treatment and cure.
My radiation doc is Dr. Kemmis at the hospital, and he said he used to work with Dr. Witta, so that was pretty neat. At first I thought he was too young and maybe a little arrogant because he didn't seem to have the same laid back nature that the other (older) docs had. But I quickly came to like him. He's sharp, and he makes me feel he knows exactly what he's doing. I love that. Everyone in the radiation department has been wonderful. I love that feeling. There's nothing worse than going in for medical treatment and not having a good feeling or rapport with the medical staff.
I have to admit that my impression of Dr. Kemmis at first was colored by the fact that he couldn't start my radiation treatment that very day. Turns out I was the one who was a little arrogant, thinking why the hell can't they just get me started?? Why do they have to act like they can take their time, like it's no big deal??
Turns out there was a good reason I had to wait a week and a half before he could start giving me the radiation. It takes time to get prepared for my exact dose of treatment. He works with a team of people to get the dosing exactly right. They worked fast and actually got me going much faster than normal. Maybe because I work there?? Or maybe just because I continually complained that I want to be started ASAP!! I don't know. All I know is that every time Dr. Kemmis or Dr. Witta said, "It's ok, we have time. It might be a few more weeks before you start radiation but that's ok. We caught it early. The tumor really isn't growing as fast as you think it is," I wanted to scream. If I had to hear stuff like that one more time I didn't think I could contain myself anymore. But Dr. Kemmis reassured me several times. He said, "If I had cancer, I'd feel completely confident with my treatment plan because I completely understand what goes into the preparation and why it's necessary. I wouldn't be anxious or nervous because I know exactly how your treatment is going to affect your tumor, how it's going to respond, and I know that this is completely curable." I kinda hated myself for a little while, feeling so utterly helpless and jumpy about everything. But once my treatment started I calmed down right away. Because I finally knew that something was being done.
I just couldn't stand to know that I had cancer and then not be doing something about it. It was killing me! Every day that I had to wait was pure emotional agony for me. That was nobody's fault but my own, and I know I felt that way simply because I had put off getting checked out. I knew a few months after my appendicitis last year that something was wrong with me. The bleeding, the pus discharge, the pain. I put it off for months, telling myself I'd get checked out, but then putting it off again. I think deep down I was afraid to find out, telling myself that if it was something really bad I'm sure I would have known. Boy did I feel stupid for having done that. I still regret it, even though my cancer was still caught pretty early.
SO BACK TO MY REPORT ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, ON THE PHONE WITH DR. WITTA: I wanted to ask some questions. I told him that lately I've been waking up in the middle of the night feeling feverish but I check and there's no fever. But I'm so hot I have to get up and walk around, but then I come back to bed with chills. I asked if I might be having hot flashes and going through early menopause. (Dr. Kemmis, the radiation doc, said the radiation could cause that). But Dr. Witta said he didn't think so because the radiation shouldn't have reached my ovaries, that at least it shouldn't be affecting me this quickly. He asked me questions and said he wanted to see me tomorrow if that was ok because he was concerned I have an infection or abscess. He said, "I'm free tomorrow at noon."
SIDE NOTE: For all my friends out there who share many of my same spiritual beliefs, some of you told me plain and straight that I was wrong for pursuing chemo and radiation in lieu of choosing to fight the cancer with alternative medicine through diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. But I feel completely confident with my decision. I'm not a doctor but I love medicine. And I am totally engrained in my belief and confidence in western medicine, and I stand by my attitude of being right on board with my doctors' course of treatment. It always felt right for me from the beginning and it still does. I know I'm not all the way through it yet, but I have so much faith in these guys that they know what they're doing. I have a way (as everyone does) of checking myself against my own sense of inner spiritual guidance, and I feel as confident as these docs do that things are moving along exactly as they are supposed to. I know I'm doing the right thing for me.
SLIGHT TANGENT HERE: I have been so fortunate and happy for the care I've gotten so far from my entire team of docs. I usually don't name drop but in this case they all deserve to have the recognition. Dr. Morales did my colonoscopy and he wasn't hesitant about coming right out and saying "You definitely have colon cancer." I'm glad he didn't shy away about admitting what he knew. Some docs don't want to give a diagnosis without biopsies and second opinions. I asked him what I should do, who I should see, and he said, "Call Dr. Witta, he's one of the best." That's my oncologist. He's warm and friendly, direct and confident, and well spoken. And he's always made himself immediately available over the phone, which I really appreciate.
Another of my docs was Dr. Reveille, the one who went out of his way to come to my hospital and to hurry me in for the endoscopic ultrasound the day after my colonoscopy. He was extremely friendly and I loved his confidence when he told me, "When I get in there I will know exactly what stage you're at." He was genuinely happy that my cancer was caught fairly early and in a perfect stage for treatment and cure.
My radiation doc is Dr. Kemmis at the hospital, and he said he used to work with Dr. Witta, so that was pretty neat. At first I thought he was too young and maybe a little arrogant because he didn't seem to have the same laid back nature that the other (older) docs had. But I quickly came to like him. He's sharp, and he makes me feel he knows exactly what he's doing. I love that. Everyone in the radiation department has been wonderful. I love that feeling. There's nothing worse than going in for medical treatment and not having a good feeling or rapport with the medical staff.
I have to admit that my impression of Dr. Kemmis at first was colored by the fact that he couldn't start my radiation treatment that very day. Turns out I was the one who was a little arrogant, thinking why the hell can't they just get me started?? Why do they have to act like they can take their time, like it's no big deal??
Turns out there was a good reason I had to wait a week and a half before he could start giving me the radiation. It takes time to get prepared for my exact dose of treatment. He works with a team of people to get the dosing exactly right. They worked fast and actually got me going much faster than normal. Maybe because I work there?? Or maybe just because I continually complained that I want to be started ASAP!! I don't know. All I know is that every time Dr. Kemmis or Dr. Witta said, "It's ok, we have time. It might be a few more weeks before you start radiation but that's ok. We caught it early. The tumor really isn't growing as fast as you think it is," I wanted to scream. If I had to hear stuff like that one more time I didn't think I could contain myself anymore. But Dr. Kemmis reassured me several times. He said, "If I had cancer, I'd feel completely confident with my treatment plan because I completely understand what goes into the preparation and why it's necessary. I wouldn't be anxious or nervous because I know exactly how your treatment is going to affect your tumor, how it's going to respond, and I know that this is completely curable." I kinda hated myself for a little while, feeling so utterly helpless and jumpy about everything. But once my treatment started I calmed down right away. Because I finally knew that something was being done.
I just couldn't stand to know that I had cancer and then not be doing something about it. It was killing me! Every day that I had to wait was pure emotional agony for me. That was nobody's fault but my own, and I know I felt that way simply because I had put off getting checked out. I knew a few months after my appendicitis last year that something was wrong with me. The bleeding, the pus discharge, the pain. I put it off for months, telling myself I'd get checked out, but then putting it off again. I think deep down I was afraid to find out, telling myself that if it was something really bad I'm sure I would have known. Boy did I feel stupid for having done that. I still regret it, even though my cancer was still caught pretty early.
SO BACK TO MY REPORT ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, ON THE PHONE WITH DR. WITTA: I wanted to ask some questions. I told him that lately I've been waking up in the middle of the night feeling feverish but I check and there's no fever. But I'm so hot I have to get up and walk around, but then I come back to bed with chills. I asked if I might be having hot flashes and going through early menopause. (Dr. Kemmis, the radiation doc, said the radiation could cause that). But Dr. Witta said he didn't think so because the radiation shouldn't have reached my ovaries, that at least it shouldn't be affecting me this quickly. He asked me questions and said he wanted to see me tomorrow if that was ok because he was concerned I have an infection or abscess. He said, "I'm free tomorrow at noon."
SIDE NOTE: For all my friends out there who share many of my same spiritual beliefs, some of you told me plain and straight that I was wrong for pursuing chemo and radiation in lieu of choosing to fight the cancer with alternative medicine through diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. But I feel completely confident with my decision. I'm not a doctor but I love medicine. And I am totally engrained in my belief and confidence in western medicine, and I stand by my attitude of being right on board with my doctors' course of treatment. It always felt right for me from the beginning and it still does. I know I'm not all the way through it yet, but I have so much faith in these guys that they know what they're doing. I have a way (as everyone does) of checking myself against my own sense of inner spiritual guidance, and I feel as confident as these docs do that things are moving along exactly as they are supposed to. I know I'm doing the right thing for me.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014
The fatigue is really hitting me now. I called in sick to work this morning because over the weekend I was feeling continuously more and more run down. I had a bad night's sleep, waking every couple hours feeling like I was feverish but not having a fever. I could hardly get out of bed this morning. Of course my supervisor said it was fine for me to stay home. I was planning on taking off Tuesday and Wednesday anyway, and she said that was fine too. So now I have the rest of the week off work until Saturday. Yay! I really need to get some rest.
I called the surgeon's office to see about scheduling my surgery since I haven't heard from them yet. They set me up for Monday, December 15, 2014. I'm getting nervous as it gets closer. I'm never in the mood for another surgery.
I stopped taking the Phenazopyridine pills because I'm no longer having any urinary tract pain or irritation. I'm still drinking my diet soda. So maybe now that the radiation is over with the irritation cleared up. Anyway, I didn't see the point in finishing out the prescription since I'm not having any more irritation.
I called the surgeon's office to see about scheduling my surgery since I haven't heard from them yet. They set me up for Monday, December 15, 2014. I'm getting nervous as it gets closer. I'm never in the mood for another surgery.
I stopped taking the Phenazopyridine pills because I'm no longer having any urinary tract pain or irritation. I'm still drinking my diet soda. So maybe now that the radiation is over with the irritation cleared up. Anyway, I didn't see the point in finishing out the prescription since I'm not having any more irritation.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2014
Today is my son's 19th birthday and he wanted to go out to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Hot wings are one of my favorites but I prefer CD's Wing's to B-Dubs. I had the garlic parmesan wings, could only eat 5 of them, and the hotness of the wings plus the spicy sauce really killed my finger tips which are still raw. It's not easy to eat wings with a fork so I suffered through it, ha ha. I love wings. Usually I can eat twice that much, but I think I filled up too much on fries because I was stuffed. I ordered 5 more of the mild wings to take home for tomorrow. Still not as good as CD's Wings.
LAST DAY OF RADIATION
Monday, November 3, 2014
Yay! Today was my final day of chemo and radiation. After my appointment today they gave me a "Certificate of Merit & Perfect Attendance" that said: Be it declared that Vicky Short has completed the prescribed course of radiation therapy with the highest degree of courage, determination, and good nature. We appreciate the confidence placed in us and the opportunity to serve you." It was signed by all the docs, nurses, and techs. I thought that was pretty cute and fun that they did that. Here's a pic of me!
Then I saw the nurse who takes my vitals once a week. I noticed my blood pressure has been lower than normal, so now it's actually normal. My weight has come down a little again. Everything else is normal and good. She explained again that I'd start feeling more fatigued now that the treatment was finished due to the accumulation of all the radiation in me now. The fatigue, she said, could last for a few weeks but since I've been so far tolerating everything so well, hopefully I wouldn't have any trouble with my bowels.
She also told me to continue with the Phenazopyridine pills at least another week or so. I'm still having some urinary tract discomfort but I honestly think it's more due to caffeine than the radiation. If I drink water, then the next time I pee it's fine, but when I have diet soda it really hurts to pee.
I then saw my dietitian and she gave me some notes on what to eat or avoid after surgery and said I could call her any time with any questions I had. I'm supposed to avoid raw fruits and veggies, especially anything with a peel. Even grapes. I noticed that the last time I had a salad, which I thought would be fine, I ended up with diarrhea. Not supposed to have too much grains or fiber. And again she reminded me to eat small amounts of food several times a day instead of a meal or meals. I still haven't been doing that. I typically feel pretty good just eating dinner, and I usually eat a normal-sized meal. I know I won't be able to do that after the surgery, but I figure I may as well enjoy eating now while I still can.
My radiation doc was on vacation, but last week he said he'd let the rest of the docs on my cancer team know I had completed the therapy and they'd get me scheduled for my surgery soon. I'm a little nervous thinking about the upcoming surgery, but I'm really relieved to be finished with the chemo pills. They make my mouth so dry and leave a weird taste on my tongue. I wonder how long the effects of the chemo will be in my system. WEIGHT 135.4
Yay! Today was my final day of chemo and radiation. After my appointment today they gave me a "Certificate of Merit & Perfect Attendance" that said: Be it declared that Vicky Short has completed the prescribed course of radiation therapy with the highest degree of courage, determination, and good nature. We appreciate the confidence placed in us and the opportunity to serve you." It was signed by all the docs, nurses, and techs. I thought that was pretty cute and fun that they did that. Here's a pic of me!
Then I saw the nurse who takes my vitals once a week. I noticed my blood pressure has been lower than normal, so now it's actually normal. My weight has come down a little again. Everything else is normal and good. She explained again that I'd start feeling more fatigued now that the treatment was finished due to the accumulation of all the radiation in me now. The fatigue, she said, could last for a few weeks but since I've been so far tolerating everything so well, hopefully I wouldn't have any trouble with my bowels.
She also told me to continue with the Phenazopyridine pills at least another week or so. I'm still having some urinary tract discomfort but I honestly think it's more due to caffeine than the radiation. If I drink water, then the next time I pee it's fine, but when I have diet soda it really hurts to pee.
I then saw my dietitian and she gave me some notes on what to eat or avoid after surgery and said I could call her any time with any questions I had. I'm supposed to avoid raw fruits and veggies, especially anything with a peel. Even grapes. I noticed that the last time I had a salad, which I thought would be fine, I ended up with diarrhea. Not supposed to have too much grains or fiber. And again she reminded me to eat small amounts of food several times a day instead of a meal or meals. I still haven't been doing that. I typically feel pretty good just eating dinner, and I usually eat a normal-sized meal. I know I won't be able to do that after the surgery, but I figure I may as well enjoy eating now while I still can.
My radiation doc was on vacation, but last week he said he'd let the rest of the docs on my cancer team know I had completed the therapy and they'd get me scheduled for my surgery soon. I'm a little nervous thinking about the upcoming surgery, but I'm really relieved to be finished with the chemo pills. They make my mouth so dry and leave a weird taste on my tongue. I wonder how long the effects of the chemo will be in my system. WEIGHT 135.4
27th DAY OF RADIATION
Friday, October 31, 2014
I started having a pinching, cramping pain on my right side low in my abdomen, and it started getting worse after my radiation appointment, creeping around my side to my kidney and then another sharp pain in my anal area. I started feeling very run down today and very sleepy.
I started having a pinching, cramping pain on my right side low in my abdomen, and it started getting worse after my radiation appointment, creeping around my side to my kidney and then another sharp pain in my anal area. I started feeling very run down today and very sleepy.
26th DAY OF RADIATION
Thursday October 30, 2014
Good news!! My landlord called me today to let me know they'd found a new tenant for November 1st. Wow, down to the last minute. I had assumed it wasn't going to happen. What a huge relief emotionally and financially to know that I'd made the right decision to move early and to know I can start paying some of my medical bills.
WEIGHT 132.8
Good news!! My landlord called me today to let me know they'd found a new tenant for November 1st. Wow, down to the last minute. I had assumed it wasn't going to happen. What a huge relief emotionally and financially to know that I'd made the right decision to move early and to know I can start paying some of my medical bills.
WEIGHT 132.8
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