The first round of chemo is out of the way....... only 7 more to go.
I was a bit unsure how i was going to react, of course i have heard how everyone else has done, so I went into it with a very positive attitude, well lets see, it seemed the average person I have either spoken to or have heard about has had no reaction or the meds have helped them so well they have had no nausea, no aches a little tired here & there, but otherwise no reaction. So while again I went into it with the glass is half full attitude, I got to be honest i had my doubts.
I mean lets look at all the odds, my lump was found & came back at first likely to be cancer, but not definite, looked like I had maybe 3 lymphnodes? ended up with 8, only a 10% chance to be BRACA1 positive & I am, I've had a hemotoma on my hand from the IV that nurse candy cane thought was fine, 2 blown veins from blood work. On the other hand the CT, & Pet scans all came back good. So maybe chemo won't be so bad......ehhhh, Nope not so much.
It started out OK, as i had said in the previous post, i felt pretty good afterward. Went to lunch, was tired but not knocked out. took a nap slept good. Got Up the next day & felt great, went over to the store, ran errands. I was like wow this is nothing........then it all started, That afternoon we had an earthquake, & I felt it! An F'ing earthquake in NJ? Talk about a WTF moment, I was watching as the hallmark stores windows actually buckled (never broke) but it was wild.
Then on Wednesday I had a slight headache but i had to go back to the Dr. for the Nuelasta shot, this boosts the bone marrow & helps keep the white cell count up, its a time released drug so it works over a 6 day period, its side effects are achy bones & can make you a bit tired. I told him about the headache & that Tylenol was barely touching it, so he prescribed hyrdocodone so if i had the achy bones & a headache this will help both, Well that day about 4:00 i hit the wall, It sort of felt like I had the flu, not bad but just the start I ate small amounts of things like, peanut butter crackers, pastina soup. Forcing myself to eat, because now I needed to take the hydra & wasn't doing that on an empty stomach that for sure would have made me sick. It really only knocked me out, & caused terrible heart burn. Now I was eating tums like crazy. (good thing they're good for you).
Thursday was like an out of body experience, I never felt like myself still had the headache & my body was throbbing. Took 1/2 a day at the store then lots of naps.
Friday was worse yet, now I have a full blown migraine, achy bones, throbbing body & can't even get up. Oh & there's a hurricane on the way!
So call the Dr. he calls in a script for Fiorcet, for migraines & it has codine. I send Joe to pick it up, add some more peanut butter crackers, saltines, OJ, cranapple juice and Advil just for good measure. By the time the script was actually ready, he came home w/ it, the crackers & a bad generic OJ i could not drink. That's all that was left, apparently we were in an Apocalypse & no one told us?
Mom came to stay w/ us for the 2 days so she wouldn't end up like Dorothy from the wizard of OZ at her house, this also gave her the opportunity to help take care of me, even though she did not want to stay & would escape when the pills would kick in & I'd pass out for a few hours.
As it turned out Irene was really a lot of rain & strong winds for us. Our neighbor lost a big oak, but nothing was damaged & we never even lost power. Thank God (make the sign of the cross, here ). It didn't matter much to me anyway those pills knocked me out till pretty much Sunday!
I got better each day, Monday went back to the Dr, my white cells are excellent, & he feels i had a bad reaction to the Nuelasta, that this caused the headaches. So my next treatment that will be on Wednesday Sept. 7th i will get a self injecting shot of Nupogin. I will give this to myself over the next 6 days but if I feel the migraines start I'm to stop it. Then we'll test my cells & see how i do.
I just love all the testing & we'll see how you do's.......but i guess that's why its called making strides.
Mom, Me & Lisa also went wig shopping on Monday, i got 3 wigs I will post pics with all my new do's after the hair falls out. I gotta keep you waiting to see something ................my new nick name might just be
"Blonde Rapper TLP"
As of today Wednesday August 31st, I finally feel like myself. Still leery of certain foods. So, as my friend Gabe said this week "Table anything that might be a favorite, You don't want to NOT want something you love when this is all over" Good point, cause crabs & spags is my second favorite meal & just Joe mentioning making it, doesn't sound the least bit good. So I'll wait till this over to have that again!
Keep fingers & anything else crossed next week works out better.
Love all the prayers, thoughts & keep the comments coming.
xoxo
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
A day I will never forget......August 22
Aunt JoAnn & Mom in 1988
My Aunt JoAnn Prelle August 22 1946-July 24 2002, Happy 65th Birthday. If anyone should be made a saint in our family it would have to be her!
There where a lot of coincidence's this day Aug. 22. It also would have been my Pops birthday her dads he would have been 88? (mom check me on my dates?)
My cousin Laura who is Aunt JoAnn's daughter came back from Austria for being abroad for a year (she's like my kid sister). She said she went there to study to be a peaceful spy...kidding it was really for Peace & conflict resolution. But I think she just went to travel Europe. Ahh to be 26 again!
It was my first treatment of Chemo.... Laura got to be there with me.:)
The place was great, Nurses Melinda, Gene, & Francesco he was the one mixing the meds. But he was from Venice Italy with a thick Italian accent, a big plant grower so the minute he found out that Joe was a horticulturist, he was picking his brain.
I'm not sure they knew what to do with us when we arrived.....Again I seem to show up with an Entourage!Luckily there was only 1 other woman in there so we took the seat farthest from her.
Mom brought Popsicles to help with the mouth sores so we were providing info to the nurses about natural remedies. They thought it was hysterical that I wanted my picture taken with the red chemo being put in, & that i didn't like my smile in some of the shots.
It took about 2 hours by the time they give you everything, saline, anti Nausea, then the A, then the C.
By the time I was done Francesco was bringing my mom in a plant that is some kind of succulent that keeps reproducing over & over again. And Joe some radicchio seeds he just brought back from Venice.
Then we all went out to lunch at The Maplewood, I got Egg Plant parm w/ French fries. Yum.
Came home felt pretty good, a little tired I think more cause I didn't sleep from the night before, and took one of the nausea pills on a just in case basis, had a headache and still sort of do. But otherwise feel pretty good.
They have come a long way since My Aunt Jo had cancer. But I know I have an angel- plus some up there making sure I beat this.
Mom is already planning her pizzelle baking for this office to bring for the next visit.
I also need to thank & apologize to some people.......to my Mom & Joe sorry for the crazy outbursts & emotional freak outs of last week. Thanks for still talking to me.
And to Lisa, Colleen, & Jessica thank you for listening to me cry, and rant and rave about the stupid things that happened last week. I need to learn to move on........& just take care of it.
Some of this I know I can blame on cancer, hormones etc. But I'm also a Sicilian - Calibres Italian woman.
I will go back on Wednesday for the nuelesta shot to keep blood counts up, then back on the 29th for a check up to see how my first time went. Then the next week I'm off cause my day falls on Labor day. So i think my next treatment will be on the September 12th. But I will keep you all posted.
xoxo
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| Mom & Aunt JoAnn as teenagers |
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Friday, August 19, 2011
The Vacation is over..........August 16
Home from vacation, I will say it was very relaxing didn't do much not because I didn't want to but because I just couldn't. If you haven't seen the pictures on face book I will post some here so you can see how come we call it the Italians invade the lake. Here is a little run down.........
The house we rented this year had a large back patio, outdoor couches, hot tub, ping pong, fireplace & fire pit. It was so pretty just being out there was relaxing in it of itself.
I brought 3 of the books I've been given just so i made sure i had enough to read. The only one I read was "Cancer Schmancer" by Fran Drescher. It was awesome! Even if you don't have cancer i recommend it, funny, sad, enlightening ( I sound like the NY post book review) but a really good read. Thanks Aunt Lil for sending it to me.
We brought up the kayak's (for those of you who don't know Joe & I started Kayaking a few years ago & love it) I didn't make it out on mine, not enough mobility on the right arm just yet. But once i was able to get in the lake & hot tube that was some great PT. Also Kati had 2 friends w/her & the one's mom is a breast PT therapist so she called her for some easy exercises. Oh & Becky sings & plays guitar (awesome) & so we had a little sing a long moment by the fire.
Paul's friends ( & ours now too) Charlie & Jane & their family came up this year & rented a house too. So we had dinner w/ them 2 nights one night we cooked 18 people & another night we went to them., They did German night & I gotta say for never cooking German food before I thoroughly enjoyed it! But the night that was with us was Italian night, so Joe did his famous spaghetti & meatballs plus sausage, pork, mom made a Caesar salad oh & have i mentioned mom over compensates with food 4 different types of aps? Anyway plenty of food. so to wear off some of the food comes the "Spoons" game. Of which I have been the queen of spoons, I or should I say WE take no prisoners when we play, family friends visitors strangers Game on!
Now some of you have never heard of spoons??? Its a card game that's like musical chairs with spoons last person to grab a spoon is out! (Kati made special plastic spoons for us to use, now because metal tends to draw blood). Everyone insisted I not play their excuse i was still healing from surgery & couldn't use my right arm yet so I might get hurt, huh can you say they were all scarred, I'd win again. & We had new blood in town Charlies daughter Anna & her friend Leah, & Kati had new friends w/her this year Em, & Becky, Oh I was playing. So MY dear sister in law decides to saran wrap my arm down! For some reason Anna actually had experience in doing this before?? ( yeah don't ask).
I played left handed dealt this way & everything! Unfortunately did not win came down to the last 4, but my queen in training Kati did win, oh & she beat her dad you know my brother Perfect Paul!!! You go Girl. I gladly handed over the winners belt. Until next time, I almost have full mobility in the right arm victory will be mine again.
Oh & Joanna we play LRC too(not clr- lol) just so your aware. But that's a Xmas game w/ my friend Lisa & her family it gets very serious cause there's a lot of cash involved.
I also started to collect the smurfs from McD's, just found out you don't have to actually buy the happy meal to get the little guys! 8 later thank you very much. I remember when cousin Nancy had the whole set accessories and all I was so jealous. Well now I only need 2 of the 16 Jokey & the painter. Yes i get obsessed and a bit crazy when i feel I need to complete something.
So back to my cancer situation.... Chemo starts Monday the 22nd, and will go for 8 treatments over 16 weeks. I got the port put in on this past Monday, another fun out patient treatment. Your put under twilight sedation & numb the area with lidocaine before they slice you open. It went up above the left breast area & a wire tubing is slid to the jugular. I was out of it, but could hear what was going on, felt the first slice & let the Dr. know so he hit me up w/ more lidocaine. They were playing music it was great old rock and roll. At one point i was apparently taping my hand along to some Led Zeppelin & I know I heard the Dr. singing.
They really did a great job. Thanks to the folks at SJ Vascular!
I was sore for about 48 hours but its better now, my boob still hurts but its only been 7 weeks since surgery & they say about 3 months or so till you really get use to the expander. Lovely!
Finger crossed for the chemo to not be to bad??? I'll keep you all posted again thanks for all the posts, prayers and thoughts.
Peditto's & Ziccardi's
Kayaking Joe
Saran Spoons...see the plastic spoons
Just kidding....maybe next year?xoxo
The house we rented this year had a large back patio, outdoor couches, hot tub, ping pong, fireplace & fire pit. It was so pretty just being out there was relaxing in it of itself.
I brought 3 of the books I've been given just so i made sure i had enough to read. The only one I read was "Cancer Schmancer" by Fran Drescher. It was awesome! Even if you don't have cancer i recommend it, funny, sad, enlightening ( I sound like the NY post book review) but a really good read. Thanks Aunt Lil for sending it to me.
We brought up the kayak's (for those of you who don't know Joe & I started Kayaking a few years ago & love it) I didn't make it out on mine, not enough mobility on the right arm just yet. But once i was able to get in the lake & hot tube that was some great PT. Also Kati had 2 friends w/her & the one's mom is a breast PT therapist so she called her for some easy exercises. Oh & Becky sings & plays guitar (awesome) & so we had a little sing a long moment by the fire.
Paul's friends ( & ours now too) Charlie & Jane & their family came up this year & rented a house too. So we had dinner w/ them 2 nights one night we cooked 18 people & another night we went to them., They did German night & I gotta say for never cooking German food before I thoroughly enjoyed it! But the night that was with us was Italian night, so Joe did his famous spaghetti & meatballs plus sausage, pork, mom made a Caesar salad oh & have i mentioned mom over compensates with food 4 different types of aps? Anyway plenty of food. so to wear off some of the food comes the "Spoons" game. Of which I have been the queen of spoons, I or should I say WE take no prisoners when we play, family friends visitors strangers Game on!
Now some of you have never heard of spoons??? Its a card game that's like musical chairs with spoons last person to grab a spoon is out! (Kati made special plastic spoons for us to use, now because metal tends to draw blood). Everyone insisted I not play their excuse i was still healing from surgery & couldn't use my right arm yet so I might get hurt, huh can you say they were all scarred, I'd win again. & We had new blood in town Charlies daughter Anna & her friend Leah, & Kati had new friends w/her this year Em, & Becky, Oh I was playing. So MY dear sister in law decides to saran wrap my arm down! For some reason Anna actually had experience in doing this before?? ( yeah don't ask).
I played left handed dealt this way & everything! Unfortunately did not win came down to the last 4, but my queen in training Kati did win, oh & she beat her dad you know my brother Perfect Paul!!! You go Girl. I gladly handed over the winners belt. Until next time, I almost have full mobility in the right arm victory will be mine again.
Oh & Joanna we play LRC too(not clr- lol) just so your aware. But that's a Xmas game w/ my friend Lisa & her family it gets very serious cause there's a lot of cash involved.
I also started to collect the smurfs from McD's, just found out you don't have to actually buy the happy meal to get the little guys! 8 later thank you very much. I remember when cousin Nancy had the whole set accessories and all I was so jealous. Well now I only need 2 of the 16 Jokey & the painter. Yes i get obsessed and a bit crazy when i feel I need to complete something.
So back to my cancer situation.... Chemo starts Monday the 22nd, and will go for 8 treatments over 16 weeks. I got the port put in on this past Monday, another fun out patient treatment. Your put under twilight sedation & numb the area with lidocaine before they slice you open. It went up above the left breast area & a wire tubing is slid to the jugular. I was out of it, but could hear what was going on, felt the first slice & let the Dr. know so he hit me up w/ more lidocaine. They were playing music it was great old rock and roll. At one point i was apparently taping my hand along to some Led Zeppelin & I know I heard the Dr. singing.
They really did a great job. Thanks to the folks at SJ Vascular!
I was sore for about 48 hours but its better now, my boob still hurts but its only been 7 weeks since surgery & they say about 3 months or so till you really get use to the expander. Lovely!
Finger crossed for the chemo to not be to bad??? I'll keep you all posted again thanks for all the posts, prayers and thoughts.
Peditto's & Ziccardi's
Kayaking Joe
Saran Spoons...see the plastic spoons
Just kidding....maybe next year?Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Round 2 begins Aug.2
Hi again.....Sorry its been a bit a little while.
Here's what going on, I had my last plastic surgery appointment and expansion. Again it hurt not as bad as the first 2 times but the next day it felt like i was punched in the chest. Thank goodness for meds!
I have met with the medical oncologist for NJ Dr. Greenberg, he is with the cancer center of NJ, and was very nice. Dr.Prowell (Tinkerbell) from Hopkins called him and spoke with him about what her suggestion of treatment would be, and he said he agreed. Its exactly what he would have prescribed. That makes me feel better, not that I feel the Dr's at Hopkins are the only ones who know what they are doing but when you go in blind not having known anything about a Dr its a bit nerve racking. I did ask around and found out Dr. Greenberg had been a Dr for a few friends family members and they all loved him. He also has an office in Hammonton, so it will be very convenient for the treatments.
Here's the plan.....I go on the 4th for the mugascan ( it tests the heart to make sure its strong enough for chemo) That's at SJ radiology, then meet Dr. Harvey on the 5th shes radiology. Aug 15th blood work at virtua voorhees, Aug 16th SJ vascular to have the port put in. And first treatment of chemo will be on August 22 (aunt Joann & my pops bdays?) Yup I now know they are up there watching me! Then on the 24th I go in for the Neulasta shot this helps keep the white blood cells up.
The start of the chemo treatment will be Adrianmycin-Cytoxin the A/C. That will be 4 cycles every 2 weeks, then they will start Taxol for 4 cycles every 2 weeks. so a total of 8 weeks. If everything goes well and i keep on schedule i will be done November 21 ( Joe's Birthday!) Then I take about 4 weeks off to get back into better health and radiation will start. Not sure exactly how long yet, but will keep you all posted.
So if everything stays on track and goes according to plan I will have a chemo and Dr. free Christmas!!!
We will be going on our family vacation this week, when the Italian's invade the lake, so I will be sure to keep everyone posted on all the chaos that happens up there. Oh and I'm cleared for swimming and lite kayaking!!! But no wake boarding this year? oh well....
xoxo
Here's what going on, I had my last plastic surgery appointment and expansion. Again it hurt not as bad as the first 2 times but the next day it felt like i was punched in the chest. Thank goodness for meds!
I have met with the medical oncologist for NJ Dr. Greenberg, he is with the cancer center of NJ, and was very nice. Dr.Prowell (Tinkerbell) from Hopkins called him and spoke with him about what her suggestion of treatment would be, and he said he agreed. Its exactly what he would have prescribed. That makes me feel better, not that I feel the Dr's at Hopkins are the only ones who know what they are doing but when you go in blind not having known anything about a Dr its a bit nerve racking. I did ask around and found out Dr. Greenberg had been a Dr for a few friends family members and they all loved him. He also has an office in Hammonton, so it will be very convenient for the treatments.
Here's the plan.....I go on the 4th for the mugascan ( it tests the heart to make sure its strong enough for chemo) That's at SJ radiology, then meet Dr. Harvey on the 5th shes radiology. Aug 15th blood work at virtua voorhees, Aug 16th SJ vascular to have the port put in. And first treatment of chemo will be on August 22 (aunt Joann & my pops bdays?) Yup I now know they are up there watching me! Then on the 24th I go in for the Neulasta shot this helps keep the white blood cells up.
The start of the chemo treatment will be Adrianmycin-Cytoxin the A/C. That will be 4 cycles every 2 weeks, then they will start Taxol for 4 cycles every 2 weeks. so a total of 8 weeks. If everything goes well and i keep on schedule i will be done November 21 ( Joe's Birthday!) Then I take about 4 weeks off to get back into better health and radiation will start. Not sure exactly how long yet, but will keep you all posted.
So if everything stays on track and goes according to plan I will have a chemo and Dr. free Christmas!!!
We will be going on our family vacation this week, when the Italian's invade the lake, so I will be sure to keep everyone posted on all the chaos that happens up there. Oh and I'm cleared for swimming and lite kayaking!!! But no wake boarding this year? oh well....
xoxo
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