Good morning. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back on the blog. It has been very busy...but things have been going great with my therapy. I have just completed 4 weeks of radiation/chemo. On Wednesday, I had my weekly appointment with Dr. Cardenes. She did not do any internal checks because of the pain that is now apparent due to the radiation. My skin outside of the rectum and back side is burned and can be seen so if it is noticeable from the outside, she knows what it is like on the inside...
My hemoglobin level has dropped to 9.4 from 9.7, but she said that is ok considering the where I am in treatment. My white blood cell count is a little low, but also very typical. Neither of them are at critical levels. Dr. Card said that I am doing great. I haven't lost any weight, my appetite is good, I am keeping active, and getting enough rest in the night. Over all, I feel great.
I go back on Monday to get my new chemo bag and start the radiation. I am counting the days to be done. I do have a little nausea and diarrhea in the afternoons, usually, but it could be worse. I am taking some medicine for those symptoms.
I have an appointment with my oncologist, Dr. Helft, on July 7. I assume we will just talk about what is yet to come.
Again, I just want to thank all of your for your prayers, cards and all of the other things that my friends have done for me and my family.
I will probably only be blogging once a week since my treatments are pretty non exciting...I will talk to you all next week. Judi
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Week 3 of radiation
Hi everyone,
Sorry it has been a week since my last posting. It was a busy weekend. Thursday and Friday's appointments went great. I was with out my chemo bag all weekend and on Monday I was hooked up again. My appointments are now at 9:30 in the morning. It seems to be working well. We leave home at 7:30 am, arrive a little before 9 and they do my radiation sometimes before 9:30. It doesn't seem so congested early in the morning.
On Wednesday, Dr. Card did a pelvic and rectal exam. The tumor is reacting exactly how they had hoped. It continues to shrink and flatten allowing passage of intestinal stuff (haha) through. The radiation has been giving me diarrhea pretty severely every late afternoon and evening. They are trying some meds to see if it won't help. Monday and Tuesday evenings I was miserable, but yesterday and today I have felt wonderful.
I was advised to take the pain medicine every 6 hours to help with the pain and discomfort from the radiation. I am taking anti nausea medicine at lunch time to help with the diarrhea, Imodium plus Metamucil balance my intestinal irritation.
Dr. Cardenes did say that the tumor is very low...I think she was able to feel where the tumor is attached or detect which way it is shrinking and I don't think it is up.
My hemoglobin count is at 9.7 after blood drawn on Friday. I don't think they will give me any transfusions as long as the count continues to go up.
Again, I would like to thank all of you that have sent sincere thoughts for a quick and complete recovery, all of the food, driving me to and from radiation, and gifts. They are so welcome and uplifting to me...I sat down last night and read through them all again. Thanks for helping keep my spirits up...until later, Judi
PS
Rick's dad, Ray passed away last Wednesday and was buried on Saturday. It was a sad week for us all and has been pretty stressful. Keep Shirley and the rest of the family in your prayers also.
Sorry it has been a week since my last posting. It was a busy weekend. Thursday and Friday's appointments went great. I was with out my chemo bag all weekend and on Monday I was hooked up again. My appointments are now at 9:30 in the morning. It seems to be working well. We leave home at 7:30 am, arrive a little before 9 and they do my radiation sometimes before 9:30. It doesn't seem so congested early in the morning.
On Wednesday, Dr. Card did a pelvic and rectal exam. The tumor is reacting exactly how they had hoped. It continues to shrink and flatten allowing passage of intestinal stuff (haha) through. The radiation has been giving me diarrhea pretty severely every late afternoon and evening. They are trying some meds to see if it won't help. Monday and Tuesday evenings I was miserable, but yesterday and today I have felt wonderful.
I was advised to take the pain medicine every 6 hours to help with the pain and discomfort from the radiation. I am taking anti nausea medicine at lunch time to help with the diarrhea, Imodium plus Metamucil balance my intestinal irritation.
Dr. Cardenes did say that the tumor is very low...I think she was able to feel where the tumor is attached or detect which way it is shrinking and I don't think it is up.
My hemoglobin count is at 9.7 after blood drawn on Friday. I don't think they will give me any transfusions as long as the count continues to go up.
Again, I would like to thank all of you that have sent sincere thoughts for a quick and complete recovery, all of the food, driving me to and from radiation, and gifts. They are so welcome and uplifting to me...I sat down last night and read through them all again. Thanks for helping keep my spirits up...until later, Judi
PS
Rick's dad, Ray passed away last Wednesday and was buried on Saturday. It was a sad week for us all and has been pretty stressful. Keep Shirley and the rest of the family in your prayers also.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Week 2 Chemo/radiation, inserting new port needle
Hi everyone.
Sorry I haven't blogged since the weekend. Again, I had a great weekend, with the chemo needle out, I felt free to move around plus I had quite a bit of energy from the blood and iron that I took earlier last week.
Monday was a long appointment, with the new software updates over the weekend in the radiation department, I had to wait quite a while to get my radiation treatment. After that, they took some blood to check my hemoglobin levels which also shows my white and red blood count levels. The hemoglobin level raised from 8.3 up to 9.4. It is better, they would still like it a little higher but will keep monitoring each beginning of the week to see if it goes down. If it goes down, they will probably give me more blood and iron.
Giving blood is pretty easy...they know their business around there. After giving blood, I met with the nurse from Clarian Home Health Care to insert the port needle and get my chemo going again. Well, the nurse pushed the needle in the bulge (stopper) of the port and didn't get any fluid out, which indicated that she had not hit the artery. She had me cough, raise my hands over my head, cough some more but still didn't move the needle into the line of the artery. She thought that the needle slipped to the side of the stopper area so she had to take the needle out and put in a new one. The pain wasn't bad, on the second one, the pressure was pretty intense but she hit it like a bulls eye. Immediately she was able to get fluid through the tubing and started the chemo pack up.
My treatment went really smooth on Tuesday, I was in and out in about 20 minutes. Pretty uneventful. I had friends, Laurie and Neal take me to Indy and we did lunch afterwards and got ice cream on our way through Lafayette. It was a lot of fun. They were able to catch me up on school gossip, boy how I have missed that...
Today, Kim VanMeter drove me to Indy, and my sister Jane met us there because I actually had an appointment with Dr. Cardenes after radiation. Radiation went well and so did my appointment with Dr. Card. She gave me a pelvic exam and found that the tumor has shrunk and is beginning to flatten out. She was very excited that there was that difference in only 8 radiation treatments. She also said that it was not as prevalent when felt through the vaginal wall like it had during the first exam.
I am experiencing some diarrhea and some pressure across my buttocks which will probably continue to increase. Even though the tumor is shrinking, the tissue around the tumor is inflamed and irritated by the radiation. The radiation will last 6 weeks along with the chemo.
Rick and I had a discussion about the results of the PET scan and the lymph node biopsy. Clarifying for me, I asked if cancer was found in the lymph nodes outside of the rectum. From the PET scan, it was not detected, but with the ultra sound, it is so much more sensitive to minuscule cells. They did find one node with cancer. It was less than 3mm. Dr. Card explained that the will not change my stage from 3A, treat me like cancer was apparent outside the rectum but really are not worried about that small cancer cell...remember the staging is only used to determine the likelihood of re occurrence. So, I am not worrying because she said it shouldn't affect the chance of cure.
PS...with all of this, Rick's dad, Ray, passed away early this morning after being in and out of the hospital and nursing home in the last 1-2 months. He had been continuing to get worse as last week came to an end. Keep Rick, his mom, Shirley, and all of his brothers and sister in your prayers also.
I also want to thank all who have sent cards full of well wishes and all other generous deeds. I truly appreciate them all. I'll keep you all informed. Judi
Sorry I haven't blogged since the weekend. Again, I had a great weekend, with the chemo needle out, I felt free to move around plus I had quite a bit of energy from the blood and iron that I took earlier last week.
Monday was a long appointment, with the new software updates over the weekend in the radiation department, I had to wait quite a while to get my radiation treatment. After that, they took some blood to check my hemoglobin levels which also shows my white and red blood count levels. The hemoglobin level raised from 8.3 up to 9.4. It is better, they would still like it a little higher but will keep monitoring each beginning of the week to see if it goes down. If it goes down, they will probably give me more blood and iron.
Giving blood is pretty easy...they know their business around there. After giving blood, I met with the nurse from Clarian Home Health Care to insert the port needle and get my chemo going again. Well, the nurse pushed the needle in the bulge (stopper) of the port and didn't get any fluid out, which indicated that she had not hit the artery. She had me cough, raise my hands over my head, cough some more but still didn't move the needle into the line of the artery. She thought that the needle slipped to the side of the stopper area so she had to take the needle out and put in a new one. The pain wasn't bad, on the second one, the pressure was pretty intense but she hit it like a bulls eye. Immediately she was able to get fluid through the tubing and started the chemo pack up.
My treatment went really smooth on Tuesday, I was in and out in about 20 minutes. Pretty uneventful. I had friends, Laurie and Neal take me to Indy and we did lunch afterwards and got ice cream on our way through Lafayette. It was a lot of fun. They were able to catch me up on school gossip, boy how I have missed that...
Today, Kim VanMeter drove me to Indy, and my sister Jane met us there because I actually had an appointment with Dr. Cardenes after radiation. Radiation went well and so did my appointment with Dr. Card. She gave me a pelvic exam and found that the tumor has shrunk and is beginning to flatten out. She was very excited that there was that difference in only 8 radiation treatments. She also said that it was not as prevalent when felt through the vaginal wall like it had during the first exam.
I am experiencing some diarrhea and some pressure across my buttocks which will probably continue to increase. Even though the tumor is shrinking, the tissue around the tumor is inflamed and irritated by the radiation. The radiation will last 6 weeks along with the chemo.
Rick and I had a discussion about the results of the PET scan and the lymph node biopsy. Clarifying for me, I asked if cancer was found in the lymph nodes outside of the rectum. From the PET scan, it was not detected, but with the ultra sound, it is so much more sensitive to minuscule cells. They did find one node with cancer. It was less than 3mm. Dr. Card explained that the will not change my stage from 3A, treat me like cancer was apparent outside the rectum but really are not worried about that small cancer cell...remember the staging is only used to determine the likelihood of re occurrence. So, I am not worrying because she said it shouldn't affect the chance of cure.
PS...with all of this, Rick's dad, Ray, passed away early this morning after being in and out of the hospital and nursing home in the last 1-2 months. He had been continuing to get worse as last week came to an end. Keep Rick, his mom, Shirley, and all of his brothers and sister in your prayers also.
I also want to thank all who have sent cards full of well wishes and all other generous deeds. I truly appreciate them all. I'll keep you all informed. Judi
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Update from Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
Good evening,
Sorry it took me all weekend to let you know how the end of the week went for me. Actually, Friday was long, but it was an easy day just sitting in that recliner getting infused with 1000ml of iron. This took place after my radiation. I arrived in the infusion room about 10:30 and they had to put a line into my hand because my port was being used for the chemo. They first gave me about 100ml of iron as a trial bag which took about 30 minutes, then they had to wait 30 minutes to see if i was allergic to it, then they gave me 2 small bags of allergy medicine, benedryl and epenphren? and wait for about 20 minutes to see if I reacted to them, then they started 5 hours of the iron infusion. I walked out of the infusion room, being the last one, at 6:10pm.
This is not the same place that I had gotten my two bags of blood. I found out what the difference is about a transfusion as aposed to an infusion. A transfusion (blood) is to put something back into the body that the body can produce on its own, but is low on...an infusion is something they are putting in the body that the body needs but can not produce it on its own...
The body needs iron to make new hemoglobin which comes in from foods and vitamins and without iron, the body can not make hemoglobin with out it.So my body could make hemoglobin, just not fast enough to make me feel better, so they were helping boost that problem.
Any way, I felt great Friday night, spent the night at my sister Jane's house in Noblesville and she then took me into the hospital on Saturday for my 5th radiation treatment followed by the nurse removing my chemo pump...tubes, needles, and pouch. I felt so free. All of the bandages were off and my incisions looked great, the pump looked great and it was painless.
Sunday I got to take a normal shower, it was great. Tomorrow, Monday, I plan on going in to school and do a little work before my appointment at 1:15.
My appointment will consist of some blood work, radiation, and insert another infusion of chemo that will last 96 hours. I will have radiation every day all week and the chemo bag will come off on Friday...sounds like a pretty easy week.
So many people have offered to take me to Indy and I have some people driving me to Indy this week. I think we are fine for right now on drivers this week. Now next week may be different.
We have also had so many people offering to bring out food. Right now, we have enough to make it through this week. We are so grateful for all of the generosity of everyone. Please know that we appreciate it all. I will keep you posted as I start my 2nd week of chemo/radiation...Judi
Sorry it took me all weekend to let you know how the end of the week went for me. Actually, Friday was long, but it was an easy day just sitting in that recliner getting infused with 1000ml of iron. This took place after my radiation. I arrived in the infusion room about 10:30 and they had to put a line into my hand because my port was being used for the chemo. They first gave me about 100ml of iron as a trial bag which took about 30 minutes, then they had to wait 30 minutes to see if i was allergic to it, then they gave me 2 small bags of allergy medicine, benedryl and epenphren? and wait for about 20 minutes to see if I reacted to them, then they started 5 hours of the iron infusion. I walked out of the infusion room, being the last one, at 6:10pm.
This is not the same place that I had gotten my two bags of blood. I found out what the difference is about a transfusion as aposed to an infusion. A transfusion (blood) is to put something back into the body that the body can produce on its own, but is low on...an infusion is something they are putting in the body that the body needs but can not produce it on its own...
The body needs iron to make new hemoglobin which comes in from foods and vitamins and without iron, the body can not make hemoglobin with out it.So my body could make hemoglobin, just not fast enough to make me feel better, so they were helping boost that problem.
Any way, I felt great Friday night, spent the night at my sister Jane's house in Noblesville and she then took me into the hospital on Saturday for my 5th radiation treatment followed by the nurse removing my chemo pump...tubes, needles, and pouch. I felt so free. All of the bandages were off and my incisions looked great, the pump looked great and it was painless.
Sunday I got to take a normal shower, it was great. Tomorrow, Monday, I plan on going in to school and do a little work before my appointment at 1:15.
My appointment will consist of some blood work, radiation, and insert another infusion of chemo that will last 96 hours. I will have radiation every day all week and the chemo bag will come off on Friday...sounds like a pretty easy week.
So many people have offered to take me to Indy and I have some people driving me to Indy this week. I think we are fine for right now on drivers this week. Now next week may be different.
We have also had so many people offering to bring out food. Right now, we have enough to make it through this week. We are so grateful for all of the generosity of everyone. Please know that we appreciate it all. I will keep you posted as I start my 2nd week of chemo/radiation...Judi
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Radiation treatment
Hi everyone, wears heading to IU med for a radiation treatment. It is supposed to a couple of hours today, not exactly sure, I think they are getting me equipment or software... We all know what that means, I'll be there a lot longer or maybe I will have supernatural powers Afterwards.
Yesterday was long, Jackie, Jake, and I shopped for some household stuff before treatment, I was tired the rest of the day. I think the radiation makes me have flu like symptoms, so last night I was a little on edge about the possibility of getting the flu on top of every thing else and it kind of scared me. My glue was also ready to come off my incision for putting in the port (which is a very delicate vein) so you know there was the worry of it popping off and me bleeding to death...I'm a tax over dramatic. Any way, I took a sleeping aid and didn't wake all night.
Friday my radiation starts at 10am and I get the iron infusion at 10:30. That will take 6 hours. Another long day. We have discussed me just staying at Jane's since treatment on Saturday will likely be early, also.
Right now I think my treatments will be close to 2 in the afternoon and as
Morning slots open, my schedule may change. Keep praying for my family, rick not only is dealing with me and my illness, but his dad's health continues to diminish and everyone is worried about him.
Thanks for all the food and offer, we will keep you all updated. J
Yesterday was long, Jackie, Jake, and I shopped for some household stuff before treatment, I was tired the rest of the day. I think the radiation makes me have flu like symptoms, so last night I was a little on edge about the possibility of getting the flu on top of every thing else and it kind of scared me. My glue was also ready to come off my incision for putting in the port (which is a very delicate vein) so you know there was the worry of it popping off and me bleeding to death...I'm a tax over dramatic. Any way, I took a sleeping aid and didn't wake all night.
Friday my radiation starts at 10am and I get the iron infusion at 10:30. That will take 6 hours. Another long day. We have discussed me just staying at Jane's since treatment on Saturday will likely be early, also.
Right now I think my treatments will be close to 2 in the afternoon and as
Morning slots open, my schedule may change. Keep praying for my family, rick not only is dealing with me and my illness, but his dad's health continues to diminish and everyone is worried about him.
Thanks for all the food and offer, we will keep you all updated. J
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Hi all,
Well, I was really pumped after leaving the hospital yesterday, ate dinner, and then I was wiped out. Jordan blogged and gave you the most important information that we got yesterday. My chemo oncologist hunted me down in the radiation dept. to give us the news about the PET scan. I don't think I realized how those results were wearing on my family until I saw their expressions when we were told that no cancer showed up anywhere outside the rectum...what a relief, and a lot of tears. My radiation oncologist, Dr. Card was really upbeat also, but adament about shrinking the tumor...
We had a busy Monday and Tuesday. Monday we got to Methodist at 8am to get the chemo port put in. They didn't put me all the way under so I felt a lot of pushing...I am beeping, low battery on my pump...no fear, they trained us all on it yesterday. They must be cheap ass batteries...they were supposed to last 2 days, liars. Ok, I am back on track. So it was only supposed to take a short amount of time to get the port in and then I could have lunch and go on to my next appointment, the PET scan at 2:30. Of course that didn't pan out, they didn't even get me into surgery until 11am, then with the proceure and recovery, I barely made it to the PET scan on time, which was at IU. My family fasted with me, probably out of guilt...The PET scan didn't take too long, maybe 30 minutes. We left Indy after 5pm and I was whipped.
Tuesday I could eat and I didn't have to worry about fasting. We started at 10am in the IU med center, Infusion dept. for two bags of blood, the transfusion. It took about 5 hours. I got to eat and drink, watch TV, listen to my I pod, and read...I even napped. It was very comfortable. We left there, had a quick lunch and went to radiation oncology in the Cancer Pavilion right there in the basement. A Clarian Home Health care provider cleaned my port area, and prepped it for the chemo pump. She gave us instructions, how to work it, and did a lot of trouble shooting about the monitor...so far I have only tried to strangle myself once, in the middle of the night. It weighs about 4 lbs...not the prettiest fanny pack but there is room for lipstick and credit cards.
So by 3:30, my chemo was a drippin and we went into radiation...nothing to it. I just layed there. No zaps, sparks, neon lights, it was absolutely painless. I was really feeling pretty good when we left...everyone of my family members said that I had more color to my skin after the blood transfusion and the nurse thought I would feel the effects within 2 days. I still need an iron infusion. I think they are planning it on Friday morning, it will take 6 hours so they will do it after radiation.
The rest of the week my schedule is...today, Wednesday, radiation at 2 pm, Thursday radiation at 1 pm, Friday radiation early morning followed by the iron infusion, Saturday radiation early morning and the chemo pack comes off and they will do blood work to prep me for Mondays chemo order.
Then next week, my appointments should all be 2pm, we will start on Monday hooking up a new chemo pump followed by radiation, radiation on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. A doctors appointment on every Wednesday with Dr. Cardenes, and then the pump comes off on Friday with blood work to prep for the following week...sounds pretty simple, yah.
Well, thanks for letting me ramble. You can't know how much I and all of my family appreciate all of the prayers and well wishes. I will keep you posted. Judi
Well, I was really pumped after leaving the hospital yesterday, ate dinner, and then I was wiped out. Jordan blogged and gave you the most important information that we got yesterday. My chemo oncologist hunted me down in the radiation dept. to give us the news about the PET scan. I don't think I realized how those results were wearing on my family until I saw their expressions when we were told that no cancer showed up anywhere outside the rectum...what a relief, and a lot of tears. My radiation oncologist, Dr. Card was really upbeat also, but adament about shrinking the tumor...
We had a busy Monday and Tuesday. Monday we got to Methodist at 8am to get the chemo port put in. They didn't put me all the way under so I felt a lot of pushing...I am beeping, low battery on my pump...no fear, they trained us all on it yesterday. They must be cheap ass batteries...they were supposed to last 2 days, liars. Ok, I am back on track. So it was only supposed to take a short amount of time to get the port in and then I could have lunch and go on to my next appointment, the PET scan at 2:30. Of course that didn't pan out, they didn't even get me into surgery until 11am, then with the proceure and recovery, I barely made it to the PET scan on time, which was at IU. My family fasted with me, probably out of guilt...The PET scan didn't take too long, maybe 30 minutes. We left Indy after 5pm and I was whipped.
Tuesday I could eat and I didn't have to worry about fasting. We started at 10am in the IU med center, Infusion dept. for two bags of blood, the transfusion. It took about 5 hours. I got to eat and drink, watch TV, listen to my I pod, and read...I even napped. It was very comfortable. We left there, had a quick lunch and went to radiation oncology in the Cancer Pavilion right there in the basement. A Clarian Home Health care provider cleaned my port area, and prepped it for the chemo pump. She gave us instructions, how to work it, and did a lot of trouble shooting about the monitor...so far I have only tried to strangle myself once, in the middle of the night. It weighs about 4 lbs...not the prettiest fanny pack but there is room for lipstick and credit cards.
So by 3:30, my chemo was a drippin and we went into radiation...nothing to it. I just layed there. No zaps, sparks, neon lights, it was absolutely painless. I was really feeling pretty good when we left...everyone of my family members said that I had more color to my skin after the blood transfusion and the nurse thought I would feel the effects within 2 days. I still need an iron infusion. I think they are planning it on Friday morning, it will take 6 hours so they will do it after radiation.
The rest of the week my schedule is...today, Wednesday, radiation at 2 pm, Thursday radiation at 1 pm, Friday radiation early morning followed by the iron infusion, Saturday radiation early morning and the chemo pack comes off and they will do blood work to prep me for Mondays chemo order.
Then next week, my appointments should all be 2pm, we will start on Monday hooking up a new chemo pump followed by radiation, radiation on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. A doctors appointment on every Wednesday with Dr. Cardenes, and then the pump comes off on Friday with blood work to prep for the following week...sounds pretty simple, yah.
Well, thanks for letting me ramble. You can't know how much I and all of my family appreciate all of the prayers and well wishes. I will keep you posted. Judi
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Hi everyone this is Jordan. Mom is tired so I am blogging for her. I am going to make this brief becuase I have typed it 3 times and it continues to delete it.
The good news and most important information is that the PET scan and biopsy of the lymph nodes both came back negative for cancer. So they have not detected cancer anywhere else in the body other than the rectum. The lymph nodes around the rectum came back negative for cancer but they will still treat these as if they are or could be cancerous. So this news was really good and mom was really upbeat and positive.
Mom will blog in the morning and be more detailed!
Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers they are really helping. This was proved with our positive results today. We are so lucky to such a supportive group of friends and family. Thank you for all you guys are doing!
The good news and most important information is that the PET scan and biopsy of the lymph nodes both came back negative for cancer. So they have not detected cancer anywhere else in the body other than the rectum. The lymph nodes around the rectum came back negative for cancer but they will still treat these as if they are or could be cancerous. So this news was really good and mom was really upbeat and positive.
Mom will blog in the morning and be more detailed!
Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers they are really helping. This was proved with our positive results today. We are so lucky to such a supportive group of friends and family. Thank you for all you guys are doing!
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