Good News

Round 3 is in progress. I am wearing a pump until about 3pm today, then I start the IV hydration for 4 hours today and 4 hours tomorrow. It seems less harsh on me this time...granted, I am forcing myself to drink more water than I want to. I don't seem as tired this time. Yes, I am still sleeping more than normal, but I am finding myself awake more this time. 

So, the good news (with a bit of background)...

They did a CEA test on Weds, a test that detects cancer in the body. Normal levels for a person without cancer are 0-2.5. Smoking can raise this level. When I was diagnosed, it was 3.0. When I started chemo, it was 2.8. Today, it's 2.2! Normal range! Woot!

Finally I have some information that says we are doing things right. So comforting to me. It makes all this crap worth it.

The oncologist was doing cartwheels when he found out I quit smoking. This was the first time I had seen him since mid-July...I see his PA most of the time. All of my blood work looked good. My hemoglobin is slowly recovering from the tumor bleeding prior to surgery...it's almost normal! He is very pleased with what is going on with me, said I was doing stellar.

The next item on the cancer agenda is genetic testing for Lynch Syndrome. Lynch Syndrome is a genetic defect that raises the probability of colon/rectal/bladder/uterine cancers. Being I was diagnosed at 40 with colon cancer that had been there for 1-3 years, it raises a red flag. My dad having had prostate cancer raises another one. I had a hard time making the decision to be tested for it, because I didn't know how I would take more bad news (if it's positive). I have decided I need to do it, so we can be proactive about things moving forward. I want to do everything I can to NOT have to go through this again.

I have a CT scan of my abdomen schedule for Weds. I will be having them done every 2 months during chemo to monitor for abnormalities. My last one showed a slightly swollen lymph node at the surgery site. It was 5mm. When I read the report, I read 5cm, and freaked for a moment (this was the size of the largest one they removed). I reread, and saw millimeters. Not a big deal. They will watch it...hopefully it doesn't get bigger. We will find out on Weds!

And, finally, I will be returning to work part-time on Monday. I am a bit nervous, but looking forward to the taste of "normalcy". It will be good to have purpose again. 

Happy Friday!

A Taste of Fall

Wow, what a nice taste of Fall last week. All I could think of was apples. I can't wait for apples.

The Minnesota State Fair starts this week, which always marks the beginning of the end of Summer. And, what a Summer it has been. Hot. Humid. Cancer. Surgery. Chemo.

Yeah, I'm ready for Fall.

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the colors and the crisp air. Hopefully, we get a beautiful Fall like we had last year, where the colors lasted longer than I can remember.

Round two of chemo seemed to go better than round one. I had IV hydration for two days post treatment, and I think that put me a day ahead, recovery-wise. The hydration is done in our home, so we had to learn how to disconnect and reconnect my port access to the IV. It is quite odd to have an IV pole in the house. Ron is already trying to figure out how we can use it post-chemo. Lubing clutch cables on the bikes is his latest idea.

I lost a TON of hair this time. I don't think my scalp is going to be able to keep up. It started looking stringy, so I had about 6" cut off. It's hard getting used to short hair, but it's easier to deal with it falling out when it's short. Thank you, Emily, for being so kind and gentle while cutting it for me...it was a hard thing to do.

Round three is in two days. I am trying my best to eat well and hydrate.

Building it up to knock it all down again.

Hopefully, I have hair left.

Priorities, right?

Round 2 Today

I have started this post about fourteen times, and just can't get myself to finish it. The reason? I really don't know. I guess it's because I don't have anything funny or good to say.

It's been a tough stretch. After the pump was disconnected, I had a battle with nausea. My mouth was very sensitive to cold, so I could only drink room temperature liquids. My hair started to thin out. Now I am left with extreme fatigue. I just can't seem to get enough sleep.

Chemo sucks. There's no way around the "sucks" part.

I keep thinking of a time, years ago, when my first car would break down. I found myself, sitting in the driver's seat, watching all the working cars go zipping by. I envied everyone who had a working car, hated my car because it let me down, and wanted the broken thing fixed NOW.

Then it was a car. Now, it's my body.

Now, it goes like this: I envied envy everyone who had has a working car body, hated my car body because it let me down, and wanted the broken thing cancer fixed GONE NOW.

Yep, I'm on the pity pot.

Today is round 2 of 12. I am hoping they will be able to tweak some things to lessen my side effects. I already know they are going to give me a much stronger anti-nausea med in my IV. It's possible that they will be slowing the administration of the first med from two hours to four. I've read that this is extremely effective in eliminating a lot of the stranger side effects (mouth sensitivity, etc.). My case manager is also encouraging me to request IV hydration after the treatment. Staying adequately hydrated is extremely important, and was quite the battle after the pump came off. Not sure if the fluids would be administered after the infusion today, or after the pump comes off on Saturday. We will see.

I have received a lot of nice cards and phone calls in the last couple of weeks. Thank you to all of you who are in the bleachers, cheering me on. This last stretch has caused me to doubt myself many, many times. It's just the beginning of the marathon. I hope it's just a matter of "hitting the wall" and pushing past it. You guys keep me fighting.