Grandkids make for a happy 2010

Dylan and Christine with Tyler and Dylan with Jenna.

Oma with her 3-year old grandson Tyler.

A Happy New 2010

Christmas Eve Eve (12/23) I had Avastin treatment #7. Needed magnesium so was given 4 grams (2 hours) as well as the Avastin (1/2 hour). CA125 came back 9.9 pts higher than 12/3 so it's now 56.3. Bummer. Terri scheduled a CT scan for 1/6/10 to see what's going on. She said it could be a result of infection of arthritis and or the cold/sore throat/cough that I've been getting over. Whatever. I'll think about that tomorrow. Meantime I've gotten dug out of the 20+ inches of snow that fell last weekend which left the dogs and me house bound several days. The wide overhang of my roof allowed dogs outside and not have to do their business in shoulder-high snow. Nephew Jeff White walked in Monday and helped clear behind my car. Plows cleared the street Monday night so Dylan was able to get his low-riding car to the house and finish the driveway so we can get both our cars into the carport. Looking forward to Christmas day with brunch at the Campbells and dinner at friends of Dylan and Christine in the evening in Severna Park. May the new year be happy and healthy for everyone.

No Christmas Gift

No vacation this Christmas according to Dr. Im. I continue my Avastin treatments into 2010 with #7 scheduled for Dec. 23 as OPC and Drs offices are all closed on Christmas eve day. I'll have #8 Jan. 14 and #9 Feb. 4 before Dr. determines whether to continue on Avastin or not. My CA125 went up 1.9 points to 46.4 since the last treatment but Nurse Madeline said this isn't much of a variance. It's still not too far above the 0-35 normal range. My finger and toe nails continue to recover from not having chemo toxins pumped into my body. Hair is baby-fine, white and still not long enough to comb on top. I have more hair than 6-month granddaughter Jenna, but she's got me beat on eye lashes. She, like Tyler, is going to have killer lashes.

Got H1N1 flu shot when I had blood drawn

Monday wasn't a good day. A right click with my mouse helped overwrite a 26-page file I had been working on for months. Fortunately I had last year's version and a hard copy of what the file included. In a bummed out mood, I drove thru pouring rain and dark to get to Weinberg OPC to have my blood drawn. Luckily the H1N1 flu shot was available (I qualify in the impaired immune system category) so I got the vaccine. Combination of work, BCBS crap and shot kept me from sleeping last night so am operating on 2 hours' sleep. Received my 25-year pin at work today. As of Oct. 25, I have worked at USNA 25 years. Too bad I gapped from '86-99 or I'd have 38 years of federal service. Oh, well, at least I'm vested and have health insurance into retirement. Finished re-creating the lost file pages. Amazingly I think the new ones look better that the original s. It was a lot of work. Ugh. I hate when computers (and I hiccup). Thanksgiving will be at M&A's with a ham I'm par-boiling then baking while M, A and Dylan do the rest. A blessed holiday to all.

CA125 inching down

Had Avastin #5 Nov. 12. My CA125 measured 44.5 which is down 2.4 points from Oct. 22 but still higher than the "normal" range of 0-35. But down is good. My magnesium level was once again 1.5 which meant I didn't need to get mag by IV this treatment. That saves time. Nurse Franca put lines in both lumens of my port in case I needed mag in one line, but only needed to have the Avastin. Thus, I wrapped up everything and was on my way home by 2 p.m. Yeah!

On the way home stopped by the framers to help JoAnne pick out matting and framing for my mother's photograph which was taken by my grandfather in 1906 when my mom was 4 years old. Wearing a middie dress and stockings, Mom's holding a beautiful porcelin-faced doll whose dress and bonnet my grandfather tinted blue. The portrait will be hung in my back bedroom which I hope to use as a guest bedroom. I had Hugh paint the back bedroom a light blue to coordinate with the doll. Slowly Dylan and I are getting the house purged of basement excess and trying to put things back together. Megan is supposed to come and help decide what photos/art are hung where.

CA125 going down with Avastin

Forgot to mention that my CA125 went down 12 points to 46.9 (normal is between zero and 35) last time I went for my Avastin treatment Oct. 22. With good results from CT scan and CA125 I should be feeling good, right? Wrong. I have been hurting. My right knee was giving me a lot of pain and from the knee on down to my ankle was aching all the time. I popped Naproxen (muscle relaxer) and Tylenol with codeine (for pain) but felt like an old lady when I tried to get up from a sitting position. Even dug out my step-mom's uncle's cane.

Monday I went to Weinberg to have my blood drawn for labs (to keep tabs on how the Avastin is working on my blood). Nurse Karin asked me if I had an Ibuprofen. I had some at home but not with me. She gave me a 400mg Ibuprofen and by the time I got home, I felt much better. Last Ibuprofen I had prescribed from Dr. Im was in 2007 so e-mailed Nurse Terri for a new prescription for 800mg pills. Took one before I went to bed and slept like a baby. Yes, an old baby with creaky joints, but not waking numerous times thru the night to find a comfortable position! Yeah. Won't be running any marathons or running up and down stairs, but can walk more comfortably.

Good CT scan results

The 10/12/09 CT scan showed "stable exam with no evidence for metastatic disease." It noted a 2.3x1.7cm low density lesion adjacent to intrathoracic inferior vena cava is stable. Talking to Dr. Im yesterday at the OPC (outpatient clinic) he said that after the 4th Avastin treatment I had yesterday, I should plan on two more (the power of 3s) before he determines whether or not I can have a "vacation" from treatment. It might be a Christmas present.

Hair is veerrryy slowly growing back but is baby-fine. Jenna and I are matching baldies. I can see teeny-tiny eyelashes on me. Hers are longer and colored. The Avastin is letting my fingernails alone so they are looking better. Went to foot doctor to have my toenails "debrided."

On the home side, my kids and their spouses/significant other had an intervention. Cleared my house of excess papers, furniture, clothes, etc. after many trips to the dump with trash and recycling and to the Salvation Army for things to donate. SIL Hugh has painted the rooms in my house in colors determined by Megan and Deborah (with my ok). The white doors, trim and ceilings just pop! Am getting dark handscraped hardwood floors installed next week in place of wall-to-wall carpeting. Perhaps we'll put up the Christmas tree this year.

Avastin appears to be working

Drove to Weinberg for my 3rd Avastin treatment Oct. 1. RN Pat drew my file. She asked me to give her a urine sample for a kidney check. Sample and blood labs showed my kidneys are working well and blood counts are ok. Potassium was ok but low on magnesium so Dr. Im ordered 4 grams of magnesium (2gms/hour by IV). Good thing I had Pat put lines in both port lumens. Avastin #3 can go in at a faster rate so it only takes 30 minutes. Pat questioned why I needed pre-meds (steroids) with Avastin so only had to take a Benedryl and 2 Tylenols orally. When Pat pulled out one of my lumens, a little yellowish gunk appeared. She swabbed it and sent it to the lab. Terri called in an antibiotic for me just in case the gunk was an infection and the needle had pushed it thru the port.

CA125 came back 58.9 which is down 30.4 pts from the 89.3 on 8/20/09. Between 0-35 is considered normal. The two Avastin treatments gave me a 34% decrease. Yeah! To check cancer activity, Terri set me up for a CT scan Oct. 12 p.m., on the Columbus Day holiday, right after I get my blood drawn at Weinberg.

Got flu shot and blood drawn

Monday afternoon went to Weinberg where RN Gale drew blood for the labs and gave me my annual flu shot. Not sure if/when the H1N1 vaccine will be available and if I will be able to get it. No one seems to know. In the meantime I'm washing my hands like crazy and trying to sneeze into Kleenexes or into the bend in my arm if no Kleenex is available.

Renewed ID Card

September 15, 2006, just before my ovarian cancer surgery, I renewed my Common Access Card (CAC photo and fingerprint ID) which allows entry to the U.S. Naval Academy and other federal areas. Its expiration date was 9/21/09. At the time, I wondered if I'd expire before the card did. Yesterday I had to renew my CAC. The expiration on the latest card is 9/14/2012. My driver's license expires in 2014. I hope I'll be around to renew these two identity cards.

Avastin #2 treatment

Got second Avastin treament 9/10/09 at Weinberg. Nurse Terri Buzby put in lines in both lumens of my port just in case I might also need magnesium or potassium. Good thing as I was low on both and had 40 millequivalents of potassium (10meQ/hour) and 4 grams of magnesium (2gms/hour) so the bag of both took 4 hours by IV. Meanwhile I got the hour-long Avastin in the other lumen. Avastin was done at 12:54 pm but didn't finish mag/potass bag until 4:04 p.m. Have blood work scheduled for Sept 21 in afternoon with next Avastin treament on Oct. 1. The further I get from my previous Taxol treatments the less I feel of its cumulative side effects: edema in my ankles and feet and achy legs. Knees are still stiff after I've been sitting a while but that could just be old age. But I'm still getting older so that's a plus not a negative in my book.

Speaking of books, my neighbor accidentally cut my cable line while digging in his front yard. Because of the Labor Day holiday when no one works, I was off the grid--no phone (except cell), TV or internet--for two days. How quiet it was in the house. I read a lot of books and my newspapers.

Blood work ok

Oncology nurse Terri Rowley called me after she viewed the results of my blood work which was drawn and sent the their labs Monday afternoon, 8/31/09. She said my white and red cell counts were good. Only magnesium level a tad low. So she asked that I take 6 rather than 4 mag pills for the next few days. Next Avastin treatment scheduled 9/10/09.

Avastin is the new drug of choice

Went to Weinberg yesterday and found out that my CA125 went up to 89.3 (up 20.9 points). Dr. Im changed me to Avastin, which is not a chemo but an anti-angiogenic therapy--or a biological as RN Pauline called Avastin. It is supposed to cause the blood vessels to shrink from the cancer tumor, blocking the supply of oxygen and nutrients, and hopefully, causing the tumor to starve. Side effects are possible nosebleeds, high blood pressure, kidney malfunction, reduced white blood cell count which can increase chances of infection. The good news about Avastin is that, unlike chemotherapy which attacks all fast-growing cells whether good or bad, it only works on the blood vessels leading to the tumors. Avastin also doesn't attack hair follicles so I may have hair re-growth. I get it by IV once every three weeks. Then get blood work 10 days after each infusion to check that it's not doing damage to anything it shouldn't. A cancer killer that allows me to have hair, what a wonderful drug! Die, tumors, die! Hope it works.

Jenna (3 mo) and Tyler (2.75 yrs)

Megan and Alex took Jenna for her 3 month photos 8/15/09, added some of Tyler and then both. Tyler had a great time, telling me later over the phone about a wagon he got to sit on. He loves that they are going to the babysitter together. He reminds everyone she's his little sister. Isn't it great being a big brother!

Taxol 13

Wrapped up #12 series of Taxol 8/6/09 and have a "bye" next Thursday. Dr. Im is still deciding whether or not to continue Taxol #13 when I go back for chemo 8/20/09. Since Taxol is holding the 3 nodes static, changing to another chemo doesn't seem necessary. Don't know what a new drug might have in the way of side effects and don't know if it would even work. So think it will be a wait-and-see situation. Main side effect for Taxol is the neuropathy with my fingers and feet. Feet are more dangerous as I don't want to fall and possibly hurt/break something. So I'm careful when walking and/or going up/down stairs.

In Cynthia's memory

Yesterday when I went to have chemo took two boxes of donut holes from a Severna Park shop which makes them fresh nightly to the nurses at the Weinberg Outpatient Cancer Clinic. Labeled them in memory of Cynthia Foster whom I met in mid-September of 2008. We arrived on Thursdays at 9 a.m. so often talked in the lobby waiting to be called into an individual "cubby." Also made a cash donation in her name to the OPC where we developed our friendship. Her daughter asked me to notify another patient, Bonnie, of her mom's death. But when I asked Terri to tell Bonnie, Terri told me Bonnie had died more than a month ago. Bonnie, whom I met in January 08, had survived cervical cancer in 1983 and had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer 3C in 2004. Cynthia was also OVC 3C discovered in a 2005 CT scan of her gall bladder.

If you are a woman, have doctors take out ovaries when they do a hysterectomy. If you still have all these things, get a transvaginal sonogram and/or a CA125 blood test (normal range is 0-35) to try to locate ovarian cancer EARLY.

A friend lost her fight with ovarian cancer

Late Tuesday my cell rang at work. It was the daughter of my friend Cynthia Foster, who I often saw at the Outpatient Clinic at Weinberg. We were on similar chemo schedules. About a month ago her daughter came into the OPC and told me and several of the nurses that Cynthia was in the hospital at Mercy. I gave Cynthia's daughter, also a nurse, my cell number and e-mail address to keep me posted on how Cynthia was doing. Cynthia passed away Tuesday at home in Perryville after a 4-year battle with ovarian cancer. I wasn't expecting it. She frequently had to go into the hospital to have a stent replaced in her intestine but I thought she was stable as far as the cancer was concerned. Her death really blew me away. What a lovely lady. So please give those you love a special hug in her honor.

Continue Taxol while hosting Illinois visitors

My recent CT scan showed the the two paracardial nodes and one lesser sac node as stable. Dr. Im continued me on Taxol, series 12 on Thursday (7/23). The major project I've been working on at USNA (72-pages of bw photos plus a 4-color cover of plebes) went to the PAO Wednesday night. Copies of the Plebe Summer Book (a scrapbook of what the plebes do in 6-wks) are handed out to their parents at Parents' Weekend registration next Thursday morning. Fortunately the Public Affairs Officer had only one minor text change. I burned all the files onto a DVD and a CD and FedExed the files to the printer Friday afternoon.

That allowed me to enjoy the dinner Alex and Megan provided my twin cousins Sharen and Karen, who were in Annapolis from Wednesday-Saturday after touring DC for several days. Dylan and Christine joined us for dinner and got to see the Campbell's new LR furniture. Tuesday night I had dinner with Barb and Jim Kadlec who also came to the area to see Jim's sister and nieces in Balto and Richmond. Sunday night we briefly stopped to see Jenna and Tyler before having dinner in Ellicott City. The Kadlecs head back to Naperville, IL tomorrow. It's been a fun but very busy week.

Scan says I'm stable

Nurse Terri scheduled me 7/15 for another CT scan at Mercy. Dr. Im is trying to determine whether to continue on Taxol or switch to another chemo. Terri called today with results. The 3 cancerous nodes are stable. She said that is good news. Will probably continue on Taxol when I go for chemo next Thursday. I don't like that my CA125 numbers continue to creep up despite the scans showing the nodes aren't growing.

Jenna was 2 months old 7/15. She is 11 lbs. and 75th percentile in weight and 90th percentile in length. Obviously she's growing on her mother's milk.

Port oked; wrapped up series 11 Taxol

Port surgeon oked using my port 7/9 so got final in series 11 of Taxol. CA125 went up 7.4 pts to 70.1 so not sure if Dr. Im will have me continue with this chemo. Got magnesium and potassium by IV along with Taxol. Feet and ankles have been swelling so got a daily lasix which also leaches potassium. Need to eat bananas, raisins, etc.

Megan and troops returned from Boston trip on Saturday. I babysat Jenna and Tyler Sunday while Megan and Alex did errands. Tyler said, "Oma, I missed you." And my heart melted.

Stupidity rampant over the 4th

Picked up 7 Levaquin pills (one 750mg a day) and took one Wednesday after my aborted chemo treatment. Next day took the bottle to work, along with a bottle containing various daily pills (multivitamin, calcium, etc.). Thursday afternoon took my daily pill. When I got home I grabbed a pill bottle out of my briefcase thinking I was swallowing my multivitamin, calcium, etc. With 2 left I realized all were the same size. Oops. I had taken 3 Levaquin which meant I had taken 4 of the 7 on one day. Damn. Worried I would OD on antibiotics, I couldn't sleep that night. Didn't take one Friday, but took the remaining two on Saturday and Sunday. Monday I called Nurse Terri to confess my stupidity and ask what I should do. Do you have a rash? No. Are your kidneys still functioning? Yes. Any temperature? No. I must have a cast-iron stomach.

Went to the port surgeon this morning. He told me the "gunk" that came out of my lateral lumen which they cultured didn't grow anything. So I shocked my entire system and didn't have an infection after all. Am headed to chemo Thursday. Nurses will access both lumens of my port and, hopefully, both will have good blood return. If the port causes any more trouble, surgeon will take me back into surgery, take out the right port and put in a new port on my left side. We'll see.

Port infection; chemo postponed

Went to wrap up series 11 of Taxol yesterday (7/1). Inside lumen on my port gave good blood return but when the outside lumen was accessed, nurse Susan went to get another nurse to look at what was coming out. It was yellowish fluid. Not a good sign. So fluid was sent off for culture and the port was nixed for use. My white count was too low to get chemo so was given Avelox antibiotic and magnesium by IV in arm. Dr. Im's PA gave me a 7-day prescription for Levaquin, another strong antibiotic, and I have an appointment to see Dr. Fitzpatrick, my port surgeon on Tuesday. If there's an anomaly, it's bound to be me. Never a dull moment.

I'm babysitting Daisy while Megan, Alex, Tyler and Jenna travel to Boston to visit the Kriskos. Alex has a conference the early part of next week so M, T & J will visit with Deb, Hugh, Perrin and Andrew. I'll relax at home and perhaps take in a movie, something I haven't done for a while.

Status quo for now

Had #11B of Taxol yesterday (6/25/09) and 2 grams of magnesium. Voiced concerns re: CA125 going back up (not down as hoped) and the new 0.9cm nodule which appeared next to old stable nodule. So Drs. Im and Rosenshein are looking into switching to another drug. I'll wrap up series 11 before the 4th of July holiday and will probably start a new protocal after the holiday.

Am babysitting Jenna Saturday night while Megan and Alex go out to a nice dinner to celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary. Tyler will be entertained by Alex's 17-yr old nephew and girlfriend visiting from Florida. Happy 4th of July holiday to all.

CA125 going up

Thursday, 6/18, was the first day of series #11 of Taxol. They do a CA125 on the first day of each series; today's went up 10 points to 62.7, not a good sign. Bummer. I've been tolerating Taxol for the past 10 months and the number had gotten into the normal range 0-35 in late February. Then started going up and down, I thought, because I had pneumonia. After the pneumonia cleared up, I thought it'd go back into the normal range but that hasn't happened. I see Dr. Rosenshein, my surgeon, on Wednesday and head back for Taxol 11B on Thursday. May have another CA125 then. I'm concerned that the cancer cells have "learned" how to overcome Taxol. Cancer is very sneaky. Perhaps it's time to change meds. I told Terri to tell Dr. Im to find something that has a side effect of taking my hair as the only drugs which seem to work on the cancer cells are ones which take my hair. The three protocols which allowed my hair to grow back also didn't work on the cancer cells.

On the bright side, I babysat Jenna Saturday while Megan went to a wedding of friends (she did their invitations and church programs). Alex, who has been fighting a chest virus, stayed home to help with Tyler. Tyler came home from daycare Thursday with a fever. He no longer has a fever but continues to have a runny nose. Jenna took breast milk out of a bottle from me without too much fuss and dozed on and off until her Mommy came home to breast feed her.

Port check

After the infection last week in my port's incision I went to see Dr. Larry Fitzpatrick, the surgeon who had installed it last October. I've been on generic Kevflex since last Thursday and will finish this Thursday, a day I have a "bye" from chemo. Dr. Fitzpatrick checked the incision and said, because I was able to squeeze out the infection, it was probably only on the surface. After finishing up the antibiotic, I'm ok to have them use the port next Thursday for chemo. UNLESS I develop a fever and/or infection again. Then we'll probably have to replace this port with a new one. In the meantime, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

CT scan results

Wrapped up chemo treatment #10 Thursday 6/4 and got a copy of my CT scan results. The lower neck and breast parenchyma were "unremarkable." A 2x2cm soft tissue mass is in the right pericardium and a new .9cm nodule adjacent. Lungs clear. Spleen, liver, pancreas, adrenal glands and kidneys are normal. There is a 1.5cm lymph node in the lesser sac which is stable. So basically I'm either stable or unremarkable, two things Dr. Im felt were good. We're continuing chemo treatments 11 and 12 and then will reevaluate whether I can take a chemo break. Never thought I'd find one of my favorite words to be "unremarkable" but that means there is nothing to remark about. And that's good.

Couldn't use my port this week because I noticed a whitish pocket along the incision. Greenish yellow crap came out when I pushed on it. Cleaned area with iodine and put on bandaid. So nurse Elaine gave me chemo/magnesium via an IV into my left arm instead of using port. Put me on antibiotics. Have an appointment tomorrow morning with port surgeon to see what caused infection.

Dylan & Christine with Tyler

Dylan and Christine are favorites of Tyler, especially when they take time to read to him. They also take him to the playground nearby and walk Daisy dog too. What fun.

Double duty chemo/scan

Since both Dr. Im (chemo) and Dr. Polito (pulmonary) requested CT scans, Terri arranged that I get blood drawn for labs in Outpatient Chemotherapy (OPC) on my regularly scheduled Thursday (5/28) and then head to Mercy's CT scan unit. I had to drink contrast in orange juice, 4 cups spaced 20 minutes apart, before the scan which took from 11 am to 1 pm. When I got back to OPC, nurse Joanne had my Taxol (chemo) and magnesium bags waiting for me. Massage therapist Mia Harper treated me to a foot massage. Knowledgeable in massage for chemo patients, she lives in not too far from me so plan to avail myself of her services outside the OPC. Lunch arrived at 2 pm and I was out of Weinberg before Baltimore's rush hour traffic. Looking forward to a 3/4 hour massage scheduled with Mia in Annapolis during lunch on Monday.

Started series 10 of Taxol Thursday

My heart rate was lower this week, probably a result of destressing while holding my new grand child. Dr. Im ordered a new round of three treatments (10, 11, and 12) as they always like to do things in 3s. I was given 2 grams of magnesium along with the Taxol this Thursday. But my CA125, which had been 39.9 of 4/16, went up 12.8 points to 52.7. Bummer. Am scheduled for a CT scan next Thursday. Hopefully that will tell us what's going on. Meanwhile I'm going to enjoy Jenna.

Dylan will make a great uncle

While I babysat Tyler over the weekend, Dylan came by to take Tyler and Daisy to the playground on Saturday. He wore Tyler out playing soccer and then brought him back home where he was glad to take a nap. Dylan went to the hospital to meet Jenna. He held her for hours. What a great uncle!

The Campbell Family of 4

Tyler, 2.5 yrs, loves to kiss her hands and plans to be a great big brother. When Alex and Megan brought her home Tuesday, he got a new red, blue and yellow tricycle to ride with Daddy's help when Megan pushes Jenna to the playground in a stroller.

Jenna Marie arrived 5/15/09

A belated Mother's Day present, Jenna Marie Campbell, arrived 5/15 at 3:28 pm in Columbia, MD. She was 7.5 lbs and 19.5 inches long. She's got long slendar fingers and toes and I think she looks like Megan did when she was born. She has very light eyebrows and hair so it may be blonde, whereas Megan's was auburn. But both Daddy (Alex) and Dylan (Megan's brother) were blondes so anything is possible. .

Megan's "Sprinkle"

Megan's friends, Teresa Gillespie and Stacy Howes, hosted a surprise "sprinkle" for Megan Saturday at the Olive Garden restaurant in Columbia. Due to Megan's suspicious nature (where does she get it?) I doubt it was a total surprise but fun all the same. This may be the last you see Megan pregnant as her C-section is scheduled for this Friday, May 15.

Finished 9th Taxol series

Wrapped up the 9th treatment of Taxol yesterday. Nurse Gale Sherman had trouble getting blood from both lumens of my port. Nurse Jack got them to work but both had to have TPA (a cleanser) for 20 minutes before they'd give blood. Labs showed I needed magnesium so had mag going into one lumen while pre-meds were started on the other. Because I was double-dipping, my chemo wrapped up mid-afternoon. I'm due for a CT scan this month which will help determine what my chemo plans are for the future. In the meantime, I set up my dates for chemo series #10.

Granddaughter Jenna Marie has proved a true Campbell and last weekend flipped to the breach position, the same as her older brother Tyler and father Alex. So Megan is scheduled for a C-section May 15, a day after the birthday of my mother, Marie Geneva born in 1902, after whom Jenna is named. Looking forward to a belated Mother's Day present in a new grand baby.

Continuing Taxol

The outpatient chemo ward wasn't too busy yesterday. Holly put in one lumen in my port and it turned out a wise move because my blood labs showed my magnesium level was nearly normal so I didn't need any mag. So I only got my pre-meds to prevent nausea and then Taxol (part B of my 9th treatment). Also got a aranesp shot (a red cell booster) so am feeling OK. Got home from Balto mid-afternoon. Good thing because there's a water main break in downtown Balto that I'm sure is driving rush hour traffic mad. While still tired, getting over pneumonia has given me more energy at long last. Megan is due May 17. Can't believe it's so close!!

On the rebound

Went to Weinberg yesterday (4/23/09) and my blood labs came back good. Dr. Im scheduled me for chemo, but since my potassium was in the good range and my magnesium was up to 1.4 (still low but better than it has been), I only needed 2 grams of magesium. Feel like I am on the upswing as far as stamina. Last night I cut open the 20 lb bag of dog food Dylan had brought upstairs for me. As I was pouring the bag into the two bins I use to keep it fresh, I realized I wasn't breathing hard. A week ago I couldn't even have picked it up. So am planning to see Tyler this weekend after nearly a month. Really looking forward to being able to see him.
Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, looks like I may be back in biz.

Pneumonia diagnosis

I had a CT scan and breath tests before meeting with Dr. Albert Polito, the pulmonary specialist at Mercy, 4/15/09. He said the antibiotics I was getting for the UTI and bronchitis were keeping symptoms of pneumonia at bay. But that's what I actually have. So he set me up with a 14-day supply of Avelox and an inhaler to take when I get coughing fits. I feel better already, albeit very tired. I am able to sleep better and longer. I went to chemo yesterday and Dr. Im prudently postponed chemo until next week. He did give me 3 grams of magnesium and an aranesp (red cell booster) shot. So I got only good stuff that will help get rid of the pneumonia. Yeah!

Survived Easter

Grandson Tyler enjoyed an Easter egg hunt at Christine's parents' house Saturday with a new friend, Alex, son of a USNA grad the Motscos sponsored and his wife, Meg. My Megan, SIL Alex and Alex's nephew Zach enjoyed meeting the Motscos including brother John and girlfriend's young black Malti-Poo. I missed all the fun as I remained home with the dogs to let the 2nd z-pack antibiotic try to work on my bronchitis. Zima the cat, who was getting thinner daily, passed away Friday night, taking the decision whether to have her put down out of my hands. I had seen cardiologist Dr. Mark Applefeld 4/8/09 and had an echocardiogram 4/10/09. Dr. Applefeld suspects no myocardopathy. Terri got me an appointment with pulmonary specialist Dr. Albert Polito at Mercy 4/15/09 to see why this brochitis has been hanging on. In meantime, my coughs have become productive so feel better. Finally went back to work today after almost two weeks of being at home.

Brochitis strikes again

At chemo 3/26/09 I needed potassium as well as magnesium. Taxol is eating away at these nutrients. The CA125 machine was down so I didn't get a new reading. Felt good over the weekend. Got a request to "See Oma" from Tyler so babysat him Sunday while M&A took in a movie and shopped. Monday at work I started coughing and couldn't stop. Crashed Monday night and took to my bed Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday I went to chemo and Teri ordered a chest x-ray. Diagnosed bronchitis and scripted me a Z-Pack of antibiotics as well as Robotussin DM. Also told me to see my cardiologist as I have fluid around my heart, possibly from the infection but wants me checked out. First appt (a cancellation) is April 29 so Teri is calling cardiologist Monday to see if I can be seen sooner. Dr. Im told me my CA125 had been 49 last week. So it went down 2.5 pts but might be still above normal because of the bronchitis infection. Next Thursday is my "bye" week off of chemo. Never a dull moment.

Another uptick on CA125

Started series #8 of Taxol on 3/19/09. Just finished second dose of antibiotics for UTI (this one worked) and am finally getting over the cold that kept me off work Friday, Monday and Tuesday. Went to my GP Friday and she gave me Nasonex spray and told me to take plain Robitussin. But it still had to go thru the normal 5-day miseries. CA125 was up again--this time by 14 points to 51.1, not a good trend. Am hoping that the cold and infections I've been fighting have been influencing this upward (and negative) trend. Don't want to think that the cancer cells have "learned" how to overcome the Taxol. Have chemo the next two Thursdays so hopefully can get another reading that is back under 35.

Wrapped up Taxol series #7

March 5th I finished the 7th treatment of Taxol. My CA125 went up 8.3 points so it's over 35 again--37.1. This number has been see-sawing since January between 28.8 and 39.7. During this time, I've been under stress of Lloyd's terminal illness so Dr. Im said not to worry about this number. Plan is to continue Taxol treatments. I've #8 series scheduled for March 26, and April 2 and 16. And I have acupuncture treatments twice a month. Most aggravating has been a UTI that keeps me up at night despite a 10-day antibiotic. May need another 10 days in order to get rid of it. Continue to work full-time despite being really tired. Hopefully longer days (daylight savings) and warmer weather will perk up my spirits.

Taxol helping

Continued Taxol series 7 (7b) yesterday and new CA125 dropped 9.4 points to 28.8, the lowest its been since 2/2007. Yeah! Nurse Allison accessed both lumens but the magnesium (4 grams) I needed didn't get processed until I was done with my pre-meds and Taxol on the lateral lumen so just used the one line. I had had flu/diarrhea/chills from 2-7:30 a.m. prior to Lloyd's 11 a.m. memorial service 2/21. Crashed under the covers the balance of the weekend until the chills went away but left me with a uninary tract infection (or UTI). A urinalysis prior to chemo IDed it. Two tabs of antibiotic prescription from Dr. Im has already provided me much relief as of today. Am hoping this weekend I'll feel good enough to see Tyler and the progress of Megan and Alex's kitchen remodel. Granite countertops need to be installed in the next week or so before backsplash and final connections can be completed.

Chemo during stress

Started treatment #7 of Taxol 2/19/09 at Weinberg. Nurse Joanne, who transferred from Mercy's 7th floor chemo ward to the outpatient treatment center in December, got my case. Both lumens in my port didn't draw blood so she put in TPA, which is supposed to break up the blood which probably coagulated, and let it sit in each line. After the 30 minutes, she got blood from the medial (inside) lumen so sent my blood down for lab work. After an hour, the lateral (outside) lumen also cleared. So I had my two lines because, as usual, my magnesium was low, and I needed 2 hours' worth of magnesium (4 grams). Added stress is Saturday morning's upcoming memorial service for Lloyd.

Rosenshein appointment

The day after Lloyd died, Megan went with me to my afternnon appointment with Dr. Neil Rosenshein. He was pleased with the results of the PET scan, which said the radiologist could not detect any malignancy. Dr. R. told me to come back in four months (June 24) and continue chemo (Taxol) treatments (3 Thursdays on and one off). I'm to get another PET scan before the next appointment. He'll reevaluate my treatment then.

Farewell my love

O. Lloyd Jones, 73, beloved by those who knew him, passed away Feb. 10 around 3 p.m. in his home. He will be missed. May God bless and keep him in His hands.

Completed series 6 Taxol

Had chemo yesterday (2/5/09) with nurse Donna. She put in lines to both the medial and lateral lumens of my port as I anticipated also needing magnesium again. Sure enough, I needed 4 grams of magnesium which takes at least 2 hours by itself. Took my scrapbook from the kids' surprise birthday party for me 1/31/09 and both Teri and Donna took a few minutes in their busy schedule (the outpatient chemo ward was full!!) to peruse it. Teri, whose husband is retired Army now working in the Pentagon, had asked him to get me an Army mug for my office at USNA. We have fun teasing each other around Army-Navy game time.

Had another CA125 taken to have up-to-date info for Dr. Rosenshein when Megan and I see him next Wednesday (2/11/09). It went back down 7.1 points since 1/22/09 (when it went up 8.4 pts) to bring the number to 32.6. The normal range is 0-35.

My legs started showed edema on Wednesday so Teri put me back on the diruectic Spironolactone (1 100-mg tab/day).

Layers of my life

Long ago Megan phoned to reserve my birthday night (1/31/09) as she said she wanted to get tickets for a surprise she wanted to take me to. I thought it might be something at the Kennedy Center or in Baltimore as she was adamant that I reserve the night. And she wouldn't tell me what it was only that I knew Alex was having two buddies over for DVDs and the 3 guys would babysit Tyler.

I had volunteered to visit Lloyd to allow Jeanne time for errands but he told me it "wasn't a good weekend." He said to come visit next weekend instead.

Megan called mid-day Saturday to verify I wasn't coming in sweats but "dressed up." She was coughing so I said, "Do you want to bag it?" She averred because she had "already bought the tickets." And I was to park in front of Alex's Pilot so we could "take her car."

Late afternoon Dylan and Christine arrived at my house with a vase of tulips and some delicous preserves as my birthday present. They were headed for a party with friends in Towson.

When I arrived in Columbia, Megan came out to make sure I didn't fall on ice. She was barefoot in flip flops. I told her she couldn't go anywhere without shoes. As I followed her into the house, flashes went off from the darkened LR. The lights went on and people who have been layers of my life waved wearing wigs and/or teal, the color of ovarian cancer.

Dylan and Christine were there; Christine helping JoAnne, who had catered the entire event, and Dylan creating signature drinks (the teal Chemopolitan and the amaretto & Starbucks coffee liquor, the Jo Joe) and tending bar. Megan had put together a scrapbook of photos and memories collected from those attending and those who couldn't.

Cousins from Illinois; daughter Deb, SIL Hugh and son Andrew from Boston; my niece & nephew from NJ; my other son from Annapolis; Joy came from an Eastern shore funeral, and myriad friends from my life and USNA were there. Grandson Andrew entertained Tyler downstairs checked on by SIL Alex except when Tyler came up to hug Mama and Oma (me).

The food was outstanding. Everyone looked great in teal. Tersheia and Diana sent flowers. Larry and Dylan wore mops as wigs; there were multi-colored clown wigs, Ellen wore a hot pink one, Martha a Hannah Montana one. It was a hoot!

I was shell-shocked. And extremely blessed.

Serous fluid

Thursday (1/29/09) went to Weinberg 4th floor (outpatient chemotherapy at Mercy Hospital) to continue my 6th chemo treatment. Nurse Pat easily found the medial lumen (inside port access) but had trouble finding the lateral (outside) lumen. Nurse Jack thought he had it but instead of blood drew out serous fluid (bodily fluids that are typically pale yellow and transparent, and of a benign nature, that fill the inside of body cavities). Guess he got enough fluid out that Nurse Linda was able to finally locate the lateral lumen.

Having two lines makes it faster to get done. Taxol depletes my magnesium (needed to keep heart and other muscles pumping) so I usually have to receive 4 grams of magnesium by IV. It takes more than 2 hours to go in. The pre-meds and Taxol usually take about 1.5 hours. If I can have the two lines going at the same time, I can get done by mid-afternoon.

Cautiously optimistic

Started the 6th series of Taxol 1/22/09. Despite the good news from the radiologist's report on the PET/CT scan, my CA125 came back up 8.4 pts so it was 39.7 which is above the 0-35 considered normal.

Dr. Im was pleased with the report which stated, "No new masses or hypermetabolic lesions are seen." It concluded with "Complete resolution of abnormal metabolic activity within the right epipericardial lymph node and portacaval node since last examination 6/9/08. Both of these nodes have decreased in size. There is currently no scintigraphic evidence of active malignancy." Have been trying to get rid of these two cancerous nodes which appeared during my last period off chemo 6/28/07 to 10/25/07.

I'm to continue chemo until Dr. Im and Dr. Rosenshein determine that I can take a 3-month reprieve. Wouldn't that be wonderful!

Good news on PET

Dr. Im's chemo assistant, Terri, phoned/e-mailed me to phone her. She said the results of my recent PET scan "are beautiful!" She's putting a copy of the radiologist's written report in my file so I can get a copy on Thursday when I go to Weinberg for chemo series 6A. She said the report stated my cancer activity level is about nil. So it looks like the crappy fingernails and balding head is worth it. Taxol is whipping my cancer's butt. Besides celebrating the inauguration of a new president, I have a personal change I can live with.

PET scan

Since it's been more than 7 months since I had a PET scan, I had one this morning. Other people had driven me to previous scans. In June my ex-husband Lloyd drove me to my last procedure. Last time the tech told me I could drive home afterward so today I went by myself. I cried en route to the scan because Lloyd has inoperable pancreatic cancer. I can't imagine him not being here.

Chemo brain

Have worn the black Ugg-like boots Megan and Alex got me for Christmas at least four times. The toes on my left foot kept being numb when I walked. Figured it was my neuropathy. Finally I decided to stick my hand in the boot. Turns out there was a fairly large wad of tissue paper in the left boot's toe. You'd be surprised how much more comfortable the boot is without the paper!

New Year's Eve chemo, party

Closed out 2008 with chemo at Weinberg (Taxol 5B) on New Year's Eve day. Nurse Pauline put in lines in both port lumens. That way I got magnesium (which I ususally need each chemo) thru one line with pre-meds and chemo in the other so I could get out earlier than usual.

While I was at chemo, the Veiels, my back neighbors, phoned to tell me our power had gone out around 10 a.m. just as they were leaving. They asked me to phone BGE to report the outage as they didn't have the number with them. BGE had already been notified. When I phoned Bill Lawrence, my next-door neighbor, he told me power had already been restored. Much of the region wasn't so lucky as high winds, fallen tree limbs, and cold temps knocked power out in many areas.

However, the Edmondson's where I was going to their New Year's Eve party, along with many of their friends and neighbors, were without power all day and had hooked up their back-up generator. Their power was restored by 6:30 p.m. so their house was toasty warm and well-lit by the time the party started. Their son and his wife and dog had to spend the night as their home in Pasadena still was without power. Food was pot-luck so JoAnne was lucky she hadn't planned to cook all day. We toasted the ball drop in NYC with confetti (yes, inside!!) and champagne with hibiscus flowers in the bottom of the glasses. Yes, we covered our glasses so confetti didn't get into our drinks. Nice way to enter 2009.