Saturday, November 15, 2008
Saw Dr. R
Saw Dr. R. on Saturday. He was pleased my CA125 had gone down from 239 to 85. Said I have "chronic" cancer. So I will always be fighting it.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Latest info
Just realized my last update was mid-September so figured I owed you a status report.
I’ve been on Taxol since 9/4/08 when my CA125 (cancer activity count) went up to 323.9. (It’s supposed to be between 0-35 for “normal”). After three consecutive Thursdays of Taxol and then off for a “bye” week, my CA125 was 239.0 on 10/2/08, the day I started my second series of 3-on and 1-off. It was going down—the right direction—but I didn’t want to get my hopes up as previous drugs had produced an initial “down” but then turned back up again.
Nurses were having trouble finding viable veins in my arms to use for chemo so I scheduled surgery to have a “port” installed 10/8/08. The surgeon was instructed to leave the port “accessed” which means two lines in the port were already installed for chemo the next day.
The next day I got Taxol in one line and magnesium in the other. As bad luck would have it, as I leaned down to pick up my purse and get my cell phone when Megan phoned, I caught the chemo line on the briefcase I bring with me. Didn’t realize that the line had backed out a little and the Taxol was leaking for about 10 minutes. Neither my nurse or I realized anything was amiss when she switched the line over to a saline flush. When I went to the bathroom a little later, realized my sweatshirt was soaked on the right side. Turns out I got second degree burns on the right side below the port.
By the following Wednesday when I went back to Weinberg, I was prescribed Silverdene, a burn cream which became my new best friend. I got chemo via an arm vein rather than disturb the blistered area below the port.
When I started my third series of Taxol on 10/30/08 my CA125 measured 85.1 points, the first time in more than a year that the number has been in double digits. It had gone down 64%. Yeah.
Other than the accidental skin burn, side effects from Taxol haven’t been too bad. It’s taking my hair so I’m wearing a very short white pixie cut. As the weather turns colder, I may start wearing my wig regularly. I have more numbness in my feet and fingers so am careful going up and down stairs. Taxol continues to lower my magnesium so I usually get 4 grams of magnesium each time I have chemo.
The past two weeks I’ve been also fighting a chest cold. After a week of combating it with Mucinex DM, I called “uncle” and went to my nurse practitioner for some good drugs. She gave me 10 days of antibiotic pills and a cough syrup with codeine so I could sleep at night. I’m still tired but am slowly feeling better.
My grandson Tyler turns 2 on Nov. 11, Veteran’s Day, and is talking up a storm. His favorite play thing is his Uncle Dylan, who celebrated his 27th birthday Nov. 1. To him, I’m “Oma,” which is granny in German. Tyler adores Tonka cars and trucks and carries as many as he can around the house. Uncle Dylan got him a Tonka racetrack Saturday and they played with it forever. What fun!
I’ve been on Taxol since 9/4/08 when my CA125 (cancer activity count) went up to 323.9. (It’s supposed to be between 0-35 for “normal”). After three consecutive Thursdays of Taxol and then off for a “bye” week, my CA125 was 239.0 on 10/2/08, the day I started my second series of 3-on and 1-off. It was going down—the right direction—but I didn’t want to get my hopes up as previous drugs had produced an initial “down” but then turned back up again.
Nurses were having trouble finding viable veins in my arms to use for chemo so I scheduled surgery to have a “port” installed 10/8/08. The surgeon was instructed to leave the port “accessed” which means two lines in the port were already installed for chemo the next day.
The next day I got Taxol in one line and magnesium in the other. As bad luck would have it, as I leaned down to pick up my purse and get my cell phone when Megan phoned, I caught the chemo line on the briefcase I bring with me. Didn’t realize that the line had backed out a little and the Taxol was leaking for about 10 minutes. Neither my nurse or I realized anything was amiss when she switched the line over to a saline flush. When I went to the bathroom a little later, realized my sweatshirt was soaked on the right side. Turns out I got second degree burns on the right side below the port.
By the following Wednesday when I went back to Weinberg, I was prescribed Silverdene, a burn cream which became my new best friend. I got chemo via an arm vein rather than disturb the blistered area below the port.
When I started my third series of Taxol on 10/30/08 my CA125 measured 85.1 points, the first time in more than a year that the number has been in double digits. It had gone down 64%. Yeah.
Other than the accidental skin burn, side effects from Taxol haven’t been too bad. It’s taking my hair so I’m wearing a very short white pixie cut. As the weather turns colder, I may start wearing my wig regularly. I have more numbness in my feet and fingers so am careful going up and down stairs. Taxol continues to lower my magnesium so I usually get 4 grams of magnesium each time I have chemo.
The past two weeks I’ve been also fighting a chest cold. After a week of combating it with Mucinex DM, I called “uncle” and went to my nurse practitioner for some good drugs. She gave me 10 days of antibiotic pills and a cough syrup with codeine so I could sleep at night. I’m still tired but am slowly feeling better.
My grandson Tyler turns 2 on Nov. 11, Veteran’s Day, and is talking up a storm. His favorite play thing is his Uncle Dylan, who celebrated his 27th birthday Nov. 1. To him, I’m “Oma,” which is granny in German. Tyler adores Tonka cars and trucks and carries as many as he can around the house. Uncle Dylan got him a Tonka racetrack Saturday and they played with it forever. What fun!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Lea and Rob are one
On an unusually cold day in mid-October, Lea became Mrs. Rob McFall. And they're loving it!Dylan & I share a drink in Richmond
Prior to the evening wedding of Ellen's lovely daughter, Lea, and Rob, a 2005 USNA grad who I Yenta-ed, Megan, Alex, Dylan and I enjoyed lunch at a brew pub in downtown Richmond.Sunday, October 12, 2008
At the pumpkin patch
Jo, Diana and Kate enjoy a hayride to the pumpkin patch.
Dylan gives Tyler a ride in the pumpkin patch.Friday, October 10, 2008
Niece Diana and daughter Kate visit
Alex, Tyler, Kate, Megan, Jo, Diana and Dylan enjoyed a meal together at Ledo's in Severna Park. Kate, 6, hadn't met Tyler and was dying to play with him so they hopped a flight from St. Louis (across the river from their home in Belleville) and spent a long weekend seeing the Campbell's new house.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Now on Taxol
As of 9/4/08 my oncologist, Dr. Dwight Im, took me off Cisplatin/Gemzar after my CA125 spiked 89.9 points to 323.9. He put me on Taxol. They’re giving me small doses of Taxol on three successive Thursdays with a bye on the fourth Thursday (blood draw only with labs sent to Weinberg). The 3-on, 1-off series is considered one treatment. So yesterday I received Taxol 1B as well as four grams of magnesium.
Taxol has its own set of side effects: low blood counts (increased risk for infection); hair loss, pain in joints and muscles, numbness and tingling of the hands and feet, nausea/vomiting; diarrhea, mouth sores, and reactions such as fever, facial flushing, chills, shortness of breath, or hives. Lesser common effects are edema, increases in blood tests measuring liver functions, low blood pressure and nail changes.
So just as my head hair has regown into straight, white, baby-fine threads less than an inch long and I’ve recovered 9.5 fingernails, it looks like I’ll take a hit on them again. Time to dig out the wig and baseball hats.
Because they’re doling out this first treatment in thirds, it’ll probably be after I complete the series next Thursday before I have to buzz my head to prevent hair in my shower drain.
The 14th of this month marks the second anniversary of meeting with my oncology surgeon and getting his verification of my stage IIIC ovarian cancer diagnosis. And I’m now on my 5th chemo protocol. As the joke about the former elementary teacher turned hooker says, “We have to keep doing it until we get it right.”
Taxol has its own set of side effects: low blood counts (increased risk for infection); hair loss, pain in joints and muscles, numbness and tingling of the hands and feet, nausea/vomiting; diarrhea, mouth sores, and reactions such as fever, facial flushing, chills, shortness of breath, or hives. Lesser common effects are edema, increases in blood tests measuring liver functions, low blood pressure and nail changes.
So just as my head hair has regown into straight, white, baby-fine threads less than an inch long and I’ve recovered 9.5 fingernails, it looks like I’ll take a hit on them again. Time to dig out the wig and baseball hats.
Because they’re doling out this first treatment in thirds, it’ll probably be after I complete the series next Thursday before I have to buzz my head to prevent hair in my shower drain.
The 14th of this month marks the second anniversary of meeting with my oncology surgeon and getting his verification of my stage IIIC ovarian cancer diagnosis. And I’m now on my 5th chemo protocol. As the joke about the former elementary teacher turned hooker says, “We have to keep doing it until we get it right.”
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