12 Days after #3 Radiation Update

Blog Update Sunday, August 27, 2006

Dear friends,

I am writing this from High Calling, the cabin we have been given to use this week north of Steamboat, CO. Greg had been trying to find a place to get away, to do some writing, and this came open a few weeks ago unexpectedly after all other options had fallen through. Jesse and Jenni are home taking care of themselves, but have many friends watching out for them. Laura flew back to Grove City on Friday. Allison started college classes in FL on Wednesday. Things were busy getting Laura and Greg and me ready to go, so I didn’t have a chance to catch you up before we left.

I think I told you I was going to the radiation oncologist on Tuesday with my friend Janet. She drove which was a blessing as this third cycle, it took me about 9-10 days to feel like I had strength to do much. My last Neupugen shot was on Monday evening, so Tuesday I had a lot of hip and back pain. (Since that is where the Neupugen is making the extra white cells grow, that is where most of the pain is centered.) My neck has been swollen and sore from that too.

Radiation

We were surprised about my meeting with Dr. Westmacott. I think he asked more questions about my medical history than any doctor I have ever met. He seems to be very caring and also knows his stuff. He said that if I had gone in to him to talk about radiation the first time I had cancer, they probably wouldn’t have done it. My tumors that time were smaller than 5 cm’s even though they added up to over 5 cm’s. Since all of my nodes were negative the first time and I didn’t have a tumor 5 cm’s or bigger, I would probably not have been a candidate.

Here is what he told us. I will have 2 more appointments to set up the radiation preparation. One is to do a “simulation” which includes a CT scan, X-ray, and have measurements taken to determine where exactly (angles and amount, etc.) to radiate. The other appointment is to do a dry run to make sure it all is actually working as planned. Then shortly after that, radiation will begin. I will go 30 times over 6 weeks, 5 days a week. It will take 10-15 minutes each time for what he called doing “4 fields” and I will go the same time every day, time to be determined later. It is a half hour drive each way. This is supposed to begin 3 weeks after my last chemo on Sept. 26^th. Rather than start at the 3 week mark, he is giving me an extra 1 ½ weeks so that Jenni and I are able to go visit colleges together over her fall break, October 21-29. I am hoping this will work out at this point. So my six weeks is scheduled to start October 30^th and end Dec. 8^th. One encouraging thing he said was that besides my cancer, I am basically a healthy person. That is unusual for his patients as they usually have other big things going on.

He listed the risks for us. Since I am starting after just finishing chemotherapy, I can expect to be starting tired and to get progressively more tired. There is major risk that my skin will get irritated and break down in that area. My ribs might be weak on the left afterward. There is some risk to my left lung (part of it will be in the radiation field) and heart, although they will try to avoid my heart in the radiation field. Lymphodema (arm swelling due to lymphatic fluid getting trapped in your arm because of disrupted drainage pathways from surgery or scar tissue) risk will be greatly increased since they took 19 nodes out from under my left arm 7 years ago. He thought this would probably have at least a 20-30% chance of happening a year or 2 after radiation and is my most real long term concern. My left side reconstruction will probably survive, but could get fibrous and change. I would see Dr. Westmacott weekly during radiation so he can see how I am doing and to check my skin. Each treatment co-pay is $40, but as of October 1^st, our new year of co-pay money (which many of you have generously given toward) will kick in.

How to pray

I have to say that each time I do chemo, I am taking longer to bounce back. The dinners have been a God-send. They have been wonderful, creative and a blessing. This time I started to get back to doing things on the 9^th or 10^th day. Last time it was the 7^th day. My white count was up to 7.2 a week after this time. That was very good, so I didn’t have to have blood drawn on Friday this week. I have had some low or high levels of other things in my blood, but am basically doing OK. Right now I am beginning to feel the long term effects of the Taxitere chemotherapy begin to happen. Neuropathy (nerve damage in the extremities) is the main one. I am having aches in my arms and legs and tingling in hands and feet. They listed numbness and pain also for some people. We can pray that mine is minimal. Dr. Bourg said it would be worse the 2 months after chemo, which will overlap with my radiation, and usually is gone by 18 months to 2 years later.

I am in full chemo induced menopause now and am having dozens of hot flashes daily. Still headaches, but they are controllable with medicine. The radiation oncologist looked to see if my fingernails were black yet, as many have that as a Taxitere side effect. Mine haven’t done this yet, and let’s pray they don’t! I have 9 days until my 4^th chemo on Sept. 5^th, then 3 weeks for my last one on Sept. 26^th. So just over 7 weeks to go of chemo out of 15. Pray that I would hang in there and be able to tolerate the accumulating effects of these on my body. God is merciful and I have all of you praying for me. Some days and nights it is hard, but so far we are making it. I really want to do all 5 chemos as that will give me the best chance of no recurrence. Several have shared that the Lord has told them I will be free of cancer. Amen to that! Pray that I would stay healthy. Anything could be a significant problem if I get sick.

This morning we went to a little country church up here in Hahn’s Peak (Rilla says Hi to whoever knows her). It is really beautiful here. Greg’s book re-write is going well and he is getting a lot done. I am resting and getting a little done. Greg went for a hike this afternoon and I took a nap. It is raining now, so he should be back soon. Pray that I would do some of the thinking I have needed peace and quiet to do. This is the place for it.

God bless you and thank you for all of your love and support-

Nancy

12 Days after #3 Radiation Update

Blog Update Sunday, August 27, 2006

Dear friends,

I am writing this from High Calling, the cabin we have been given to use this week north of Steamboat, CO. Greg had been trying to find a place to get away, to do some writing, and this came open a few weeks ago unexpectedly after all other options had fallen through. Jesse and Jenni are home taking care of themselves, but have many friends watching out for them. Laura flew back to Grove City on Friday. Allison started college classes in FL on Wednesday. Things were busy getting Laura and Greg and me ready to go, so I didn’t have a chance to catch you up before we left.

I think I told you I was going to the radiation oncologist on Tuesday with my friend Janet. She drove which was a blessing as this third cycle, it took me about 9-10 days to feel like I had strength to do much. My last Neupugen shot was on Monday evening, so Tuesday I had a lot of hip and back pain. (Since that is where the Neupugen is making the extra white cells grow, that is where most of the pain is centered.) My neck has been swollen and sore from that too.

Radiation

We were surprised about my meeting with Dr. Westmacott. I think he asked more questions about my medical history than any doctor I have ever met. He seems to be very caring and also knows his stuff. He said that if I had gone in to him to talk about radiation the first time I had cancer, they probably wouldn’t have done it. My tumors that time were smaller than 5 cm’s even though they added up to over 5 cm’s. Since all of my nodes were negative the first time and I didn’t have a tumor 5 cm’s or bigger, I would probably not have been a candidate.

Here is what he told us. I will have 2 more appointments to set up the radiation preparation. One is to do a “simulation” which includes a CT scan, X-ray, and have measurements taken to determine where exactly (angles and amount, etc.) to radiate. The other appointment is to do a dry run to make sure it all is actually working as planned. Then shortly after that, radiation will begin. I will go 30 times over 6 weeks, 5 days a week. It will take 10-15 minutes each time for what he called doing “4 fields” and I will go the same time every day, time to be determined later. It is a half hour drive each way. This is supposed to begin 3 weeks after my last chemo on Sept. 26^th. Rather than start at the 3 week mark, he is giving me an extra 1 ½ weeks so that Jenni and I are able to go visit colleges together over her fall break, October 21-29. I am hoping this will work out at this point. So my six weeks is scheduled to start October 30^th and end Dec. 8^th. One encouraging thing he said was that besides my cancer, I am basically a healthy person. That is unusual for his patients as they usually have other big things going on.

He listed the risks for us. Since I am starting after just finishing chemotherapy, I can expect to be starting tired and to get progressively more tired. There is major risk that my skin will get irritated and break down in that area. My ribs might be weak on the left afterward. There is some risk to my left lung (part of it will be in the radiation field) and heart, although they will try to avoid my heart in the radiation field. Lymphodema (arm swelling due to lymphatic fluid getting trapped in your arm because of disrupted drainage pathways from surgery or scar tissue) risk will be greatly increased since they took 19 nodes out from under my left arm 7 years ago. He thought this would probably have at least a 20-30% chance of happening a year or 2 after radiation and is my most real long term concern. My left side reconstruction will probably survive, but could get fibrous and change. I would see Dr. Westmacott weekly during radiation so he can see how I am doing and to check my skin. Each treatment co-pay is $40, but as of October 1^st, our new year of co-pay money (which many of you have generously given toward) will kick in.

How to pray

I have to say that each time I do chemo, I am taking longer to bounce back. The dinners have been a God-send. They have been wonderful, creative and a blessing. This time I started to get back to doing things on the 9^th or 10^th day. Last time it was the 7^th day. My white count was up to 7.2 a week after this time. That was very good, so I didn’t have to have blood drawn on Friday this week. I have had some low or high levels of other things in my blood, but am basically doing OK. Right now I am beginning to feel the long term effects of the Taxitere chemotherapy begin to happen. Neuropathy (nerve damage in the extremities) is the main one. I am having aches in my arms and legs and tingling in hands and feet. They listed numbness and pain also for some people. We can pray that mine is minimal. Dr. Bourg said it would be worse the 2 months after chemo, which will overlap with my radiation, and usually is gone by 18 months to 2 years later.

I am in full chemo induced menopause now and am having dozens of hot flashes daily. Still headaches, but they are controllable with medicine. The radiation oncologist looked to see if my fingernails were black yet, as many have that as a Taxitere side effect. Mine haven’t done this yet, and let’s pray they don’t! I have 9 days until my 4^th chemo on Sept. 5^th, then 3 weeks for my last one on Sept. 26^th. So just over 7 weeks to go of chemo out of 15. Pray that I would hang in there and be able to tolerate the accumulating effects of these on my body. God is merciful and I have all of you praying for me. Some days and nights it is hard, but so far we are making it. I really want to do all 5 chemos as that will give me the best chance of no recurrence. Several have shared that the Lord has told them I will be free of cancer. Amen to that! Pray that I would stay healthy. Anything could be a significant problem if I get sick.

This morning we went to a little country church up here in Hahn’s Peak (Rilla says Hi to whoever knows her). It is really beautiful here. Greg’s book re-write is going well and he is getting a lot done. I am resting and getting a little done. Greg went for a hike this afternoon and I took a nap. It is raining now, so he should be back soon. Pray that I would do some of the thinking I have needed peace and quiet to do. This is the place for it.

God bless you and thank you for all of your love and support-

Nancy

A week since chemo #3

Dear friends, It has been a week since I wrote and I thought today that I should give you an update so you know how the week has gone. Last Tuesday and Wednesday went pretty well. I didn't feel great, but not too bad either. Thursday and Friday the Taxitere kicked in and I started to feel fluish- tired and achy. I was able to control the aches and headaches with my headache medicine and some pain medicine. Saturday I was more tired than I remember ever being. Laura, Jenni and I went to see my wig lady who had restyled my wig from 7 years ago. Her husband is dying of kidney and bone cancer, and she is such a neat, caring person. We took her flowers and let her know we are praying for them. I got 2 more special cotton scarves as I find myself wanting to wear them rather than my wig when it is hot out, when I am cooking (wigs can melt around hot ovens!) or just don't feel good. I am set now. Anyway, I was very tired and didn't rest enough. On Sunday I went to church, and came home and slept for 5 hours. My neighbor nurse, Lisa, began my Neupugen shots on Thursday and finished them tonight. My friend Janet did it for me on Saturday night when Lisa couldn't. I am so thankful that I haven't had to give myself any more shots! I turn white when they do them, so you can imagine what it is like when I do them to myself. Last cycle I had tremendous pain in my hips the morning after my 5th shot. That would be tomorrow morning this cycle. I hope it doesn't happen again, but in a way it is comforting to know it is working. The pain tells me it is. I was up a lot of last night with pain- horrible headache and bone and muscle aches. Those are probably now due to the Neupugen manufacturing white cells like crazy in my hip bone and vertebrae. I spent the majority of today in bed with much of the same. I got up for dinner and for a visit with friends bringing meals. That was a treat. This time the side effects have stepped up from how they were the last time. In a few days I should start feeling better until my next chemo on Sept. 5th. Greg and I are planning to go up to Steamboat for 6 days on Friday. Greg will work on his book (leadership training) and I will get to concentrate on the "deeper thinking" issues I have talked about wanting to focus on before. I need to be healthy to be able to go, and my oncologist sent me home last week with antibiotic in case I need it while I am there. I get bloodwork done tomorrow as well as going with my friend Janet to meet my Radiation Oncologist. I think it is mainly an information meeting for me, and setting a plan for my treatment. He is a whole different kind of doctor I have never seen before. He decides how often, how much and where I receive radiation. Please pray for him for wisdom for what I specifically need. On the schedule I am now on, assuming that I can manage 5 chemos, I would be starting radiation some time in October. Greg and Jesse are preparing for their ham radio licence test. They plan to use ham radios when they hunt this fall. Jesse is working on several merit badges and is checking to see about getting one for ham radio operating. Allison drove back to college on Thursday and got to Florida safe and sound on Saturday. Laura flies back to Grove City on Friday a.m. and is tying together loose ends and seeing various friends this week before she goes. Jenni and Jesse are getting used to their school schedules and are doing well so far. They have all been very supportive. Thursday night Greg spent a few hours chasing 5-6 racoons around our backyard which were making a big mess of the trash. They began coming at the beginning of summer as little babies. They have gotten huge. I am hoping they come back one more time so I can get a picture of them. It is an amazing sight. Thank you for all of your support and prayers! I will let you know how my counts go when I find out. God bless you! Nancy Fritz

4. Here I am comfortable with a warmed blanket, pillow, comfortable chair and the machine that pumps my chemo into my port. By the time I am done, I have to make several trips to the bathroom, and my machine is on rollers and just goes with me. Doesn't look to uncomfortable, huh?! Lisa said I only snored a little!

3. Me all plugged in and getting started with the infusions, while Lisa keeps me company for the day.

2.It rained harder the next afternoon/evening and we wondered if we should start building an Ark. It finally let up after dinner and we had a nice campfire and dutch oven creation of raspberry, cherry cobbler using raspberries we picked that day on the mountain. Paul, our brother-in-law has perfected his recipe.

1. Here are Jesse, Allison and niece Natalie, posing in front of a bright rainbow. It had rained for a while, and then let up so we could enjoy the evening.

#3 of 5 chemos is done!

#3 is Done 8/15/06
Today things went smoothly. Lisa Horn went with me and we brought bags of stuff. We had our lunches, jackets, my camera, her photo albums of Italy, and things for her to read while I slept. Lisa actually used one of the comfortable chemo chairs to sit in while I rested since the room was pretty empty today.
Dr. Bourg met with me first. We decided we are going to try hard to do 5 chemos unless there is some overpowering reason not to. I will do Neupogen shots again for 5 days starting on Thursday. My white count was at 4.2 today which was OK, but not as high as it was at the start of the last cycle. Without those shots I wouldn’t be able to tolerate this much chemo, so we will do them as needed. We kept with the higher dose of Cytoxin he gave me last time. We are both happy that the Midrin is helping my headaches so well. Greg, and hopefully me for at least some of the time, is going back to the cabin in Steamboat to do a complete edit on his leadership training book. It is open 8/25-9/1. Dr. Bourg sent me home with an antibiotic in case I need it while I am out of town. Those would be good contemplative days for me to do my deep thinking, seeking, and praying that I want to be doing., but is getting pushed aside when I start to feel better each time. We’ll have to work out the details of when the kids and I might go, but this is just what Greg needs to get his book done before teaching his next leadership class the week after that.
I had a different nurse than before and Christie wasn’t there today. Cortney was great! I think they all do a fantastic job. And guess what? The corner chair overlooking the mountains in the corner was empty and we enjoyed that more private place. That was nice gift from the Lord. Two people finished their last treatments today and all the nurses came over and sang to them, “Hit the road, Jack! Don’t want see ya commin’ back round here, no more, no more! Hit the road Jack!” There were lots of hugs and pictures and thanks. It was very encouraging.
I started chemo about 11:00 and finished and left at 2:45. I was feeing pretty bad when I got home and slept for a while before dinner. Achy, headache, leg cramps mostly. The steroids for anti-nausea are keeping me awake right now, but I am getting tired and will try to sleep as soon as I am done with this. The hot flashes predicted earlier have started happening in earnest today. The chemo is forcing me into menopause at least temporarily. “Quick, turn on the fan and aim it at me!” has been my request a few times this evening.
Jenni and Jesse’s first day at high school went well. Jesse is also working hard on some merit badges for Boy Scouts to move toward Eagle Scout, and to earn money for Sea Base camp next March in Florida, then to their own island for a week over spring break. He is very excited… Allison is packing so she can leave early on Thursday morning. A friend brought a wonderful meal tonight that was perfect. What a blessing that was for us!
What to pray? For neither me, nor any of my family members to get sick. For the shots to work well in increasing my white cell counts. For Allison to have a safe trip to Florida beginning Thursday driving alone. For the kids adjusting back into the school routine. For me/us to continue to learn all that the Lord wants to teach us during these days in this unique situation. I learned today of a friend of a friend from Texas who is praying for me and reading my blog regularly. She sent a card and gift and I have never even met her- yet! Thank you! Off to bed for me. I am finally tired. Blessings to all of you! Nancy

Chemo # 3 Tomorrow

Monday, August 14, 2006
Dear friends,
Tomorrow I go for my third chemo infusion. My friend Lisa Horn is going with me. We bring our lunch and dress warmly, as it is cold in there. She is bringing a book to read for when I am too tired to stay awake due to the allergy medicines they will give me. And I hope she will bring her pictures of Italy from her trip this summer for me to see when I am awake. Lisa and I have no trouble coming up with things to talk about! We will leave about 9:00, see Dr. Bourg at 10:00 and then into the chemo room to start chemo at 10:30 or 11:00. I will probably get done about 3:00.
I expect him to do the same dose as last time unless my counts are very different than they should be. My counts have to do with how many white cells and platelets I have in my blood. Since I did the Neupogen shots this cycle, and my counts were so high (that’s good) 10 days ago, I think we will be able to stay on target with the same dose as last time. I did have side effects, but we were able to get them all under control.
Pray for wisdom that he would know what doses to give me and that I wouldn’t have adverse reactions- especially to the Taxitere. The first time I felt a little burning sensation when it went into my port, and the second time it made me shake for a little while. That could have been an allergic reaction. So pray that all will go in easily and do its job. Last time the slower infusion (due to the shaking) actually left me feeling better afterward, so I am hoping for slow again this time. We are also doing a “wait and see” to know if I will have 4 or 5 cycles. He always asks me if I am ready for chemo and I tell him, “No, but let’s do it anyway!” I have an appointment to meet the radiation oncologist next Tuesday to plan my radiation schedule.
I think I told you that one of the nurses is a friend. I think it would be neat to have her be my nurse for the day, so pray that would work out if it is God’s will. Someone else might need her more. The nurses take care of several patients at a time and move all day from one to the other and back again. Christie said she enjoys oncology nursing so she can be an encouragement to her patients and show them God’s love... I think it is petty to ask you to pray for a nice chair to sit in for those 4 hours, but some have great views of the mountains. Maybe that will work out too.
We camped over the weekend with Greg’s sister’s family and had a very nice time. I will post a few of the pictures even though I am not in them. I ended up being the photographer. We had some rain, but still enjoyed 4 wheeling, hiking, eating great food that I didn’t have to cook (Thanks Paul!), and sharing stories around the camp fire in the evenings. The kids made a movie with Shelby’s video camera and had a blast.
Allison leaves to drive to Florida for college on Thursday. She will be doing it alone this time, but is feeling confident that she’ll be OK. She has a cell phone and people to stay with along the way. She may meet up with a college friend to follow when she gets to Kentucky. Jenni and Jesse start school tomorrow. Laura flies back to PA on the 25th for her last semester of college.
Well, I will sign off and get some sleep before tomorrow. Thank you for your interest and your prayers. I am so thankful for you all. Our small group met tonight to discuss our study of the book of Hebrews in the Bible. What an amazing thing that Jesus himself became the final perfect sacrifice who gives us access to the throne of God. We have just begun this study, but already we are amazed at all that is in there to discover. I will do my best to give you an update after tomorrow’s chemo and let you know how it went. You are so appreciated! Blessings- Nancy

Six Days until chemo #3! 8/9/06

Hello all- I am 6 days away from chemo #3. I am trying to get things done in these days that I am feeling pretty good while I have the energy. I am at about 60-70% of my normal energy level, and have actually gotten a few projects done in the last several days. My headaches are not very bad and I am beginning to feel twinges of nerve prickliness or little shooting pains that are very brief in my legs and hands from the Taxitere chemo drug. The doctor told me that would be the worst the 2 months after I am done with chemo and would take up to 2 years to totally dissipate. So for right now, I am doing pretty well. I have to tell you a couple of funny stories. I have been told several times that my wig looks great on me, but it also is very different from my own hair style before. So a few people who I know VERY well have not recognized me when I saw them. I walked past one person I know very well at the office 5 times one day when I was there for staff meeting, and at the very end of the day I said something to someone in earshot of her. She yelped and said she had been wondering all day who the visitor was! Two of the people who work at desks right by mine hadn't seen me yet. I came into the room and was doing something at my desk with my back to them. They both stood up, looked at each other and one of them asked if they could help me with anything. I turned around and said hi as recognition gradually dawned on them. We had a good laugh when they admitted that they really didn't know who I was at first. Another friend was looking at the blog picture of me with my friend Lisa. She read the caption and thought, "OK, that one is Lisa, but who is the woman with her?" Another friend at church was talking to Greg while I was a few feet away talking to someone else. He asked how I was doing and if I was able to get out at all. Greg told him I was standing right next to him. He hadn't recognized me at all until he knew to look a little harder. Someone else at church walked by and Greg and me, and we said hi to her. She looked and Greg and me and made a face like, "Who is that woman with Greg?" Then she looked at me harder and a miriad of thoughts went across her face until she gradually recognized me and said how much she liked my new hair style. She thinks that it might be a good one to keep afterward. Her expressions were priceless. So thank you especially to my family who never know how I will look when I come into the room. I go from wig, to scarf, to one of my little hats, to just a baseball hat, to plain old bald. My head sores have healed, so that isn't as bad. I don't think I will put a bald picture on here. I scare myself when I look in the mirror and wouldn't want to give you that memory. Lisa Horn and probably my friend Deb Sanders who did my SisterLuke updates last time I had cancer are planning to go with me to chemo next Tuesday. Chemo actually starts at 10:30 or 11:00 and will go until about 3:00 or 3:30. Slow seemed to be better last time, so I am hoping for the same this time. Thanks for tuning in for this latest update! Blessings- Nancy

Cycle #2 Day 11 Doing better!

Dear friends,
It is Saturday, the 11th day after my 2nd chemo. I was feeling pretty badly on Tuesday when I wrote last and want to let you know that I am doing better.
After talking to the oncology nurse on the phone Tuesday, they had me go in to see Dr. Bourg, my oncologist that afternoon. Horrible headaches and very achy. Some sores on my head. Very tired, etc. I saw Dr. Bourg late in the afternoon. My head sores weren’t too bad, but he did put me on an antibiotic. After discussing it, he felt that my headaches sounded like migraines and gave me a prescription for Midrin- a migraine medicine. It has helped tremendously. Now I am not having to spend time just laying down or taking pain pills to cope with them.
Some of the aching was from the chemo, but some was probably due to the Neupogen shots I was doing to boost my white count. I did 5 shots, Friday to Tuesday. He explained that the Neupogen goes into your bones and forces the production of white cells. This happens mostly in your pelvis and the vertebrae in your spine. My neck was inflamed, and that probably made the headaches worse. (The next morning I had horrible pain in my pelvis- like they were going to explode, but I took a pain pill and in a few hours it went away. I knew it was from the Neupogen, so I didn’t worry.) Dr. Bourg questioned our plan to do 5 chemos since I was having such a hard time, and/or decreasing some of the extra chemo he increased this last time. Now that he has helped me get the symptoms under control, I think we can press on- at least with 4 treatments of the larger dose. We will talk about it again before the next chemo.
It may sound crazy to want the extra. Here is how I am looking at it. The job that the chemotherapy is doing is to kill new cells each time they are dividing and reproducing in my body. The harder they are hit at that time in their cycle, the more of them are destroyed. The less chemo, the less success. Since I have decided to do chemo at all, I want to pack the biggest punch I can, and kill the most cancer cells possible. It only takes one or two lodging somewhere to cause a recurrence later. They say that a tumor takes about 7 years to grow from start to being big enough for detection. That is how long since my last cancer. I don’t want to go through this again if I don’t have to, so I want to fight as aggressively and hard as I can this time. It is hard on my body, but the result is worth the effort. I can build my body back up later. My cancer cells would be most likely to travel through the bloodstream to organs that receive blood- liver, brains, lungs and bones. Those are the most common recurrence places for breast cancer. So far all of those are OK according to the PET scan I had in June. I want to keep it that way. I hope that makes sense. Since I am doing chemo at all, I want to really DO IT.
Some of the other fast growing cells in my body affected by the cancer are hair, saliva, intestinal lining, and ovum (ovarian egg production). Most, but not all of my hair fell out. Since your eyebrows and eyelashes grow more slowly, they fall out more slowly. I use special toothpaste called Biotene currently as it helps my mouth cope with the decreased saliva. With less saliva, sores can easily form, so I was instructed to use a prescription mouth wash every time I get the slightest sore in my mouth. I am taking supplements specifically for my digestion. It helps some, but my intestines are not too happy currently. I anticipate being forced into menopause soon due to my ovaries being shut down from the chemo. That means hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. I thought it might be helpful for you to understand why and what some of the side effects of this chemo are. Again I am having Cytoxin and Taxitere.
When I was with Dr. Bourg, he let me get my Wednesday blood work drawn from my port while I was there. My $40 co-pay to see him covered it. Accessing the port is a complicated procedure and I would have to pay $40 just to have it done that way if I wasn’t seeing him already. Otherwise it is to the lab from the arm like everyone does. So that was a blessing. It really doesn’t hurt at all since I am numb there from my mastectomy and it works perfectly. My blood work showed that my white count was up to 5.3 on Tuesday afternoon. That time last cycle, without Neupogen, it was at 2.0 and later went down to 0.6. Yesterday my count was over 16! I have more white cells now than normal healthy people! I don’t have to do shots any more- at least until the next cycle, and I don’t have to do blood work again until chemo time on the 15th! I am up to 60% of my energy level and am taking it easy. I can last for short outings and am not pushing it. The kids have been helping a lot, and the meals friends have brought this chemo cycle have been fantastic! (Thank you all!)
I was able to go to my Friends for Life, breast cancer support group on Thursday night and we enjoyed catching up with each other and meeting someone new. What an encouragement that group is to me! Such amazing women I would never have gotten to know without my cancer history. That in itself is a HUGE blessing God has brought into my life through this experience. I feel so much richer for knowing them.
While getting my blood drawn in the chemo room on Tuesday, I was able to reconnect with a Christian friend from my Caleb Project connections, Christie, who is a nurse there. She didn't see me the other 2 times I was there, but may be able to do my infusions on the 15th. Another nurse there knows me through someone at Caleb Project too, and she is also a very sweet lady. It is a small world!
Jenni comes home from El Salvador today, late afternoon. Greg and Jesse are getting our rental house (investment) ready to re-rent as the military is moving our current renter in early September. Jesse is sad as one of his best friends lives there and is moving. We would appreciate your prayers that it rents quickly. Laura and Allison are packing to go on a trip to Yellowstone with a college friend of Laura’s from Sunday to Wednesday. Greg’s gland in his neck is much better. Thanks for praying for that too. We are studying the book of Hebrews with our small group. That is a rich book. You can never stop learning about God when you go there. It is like layers of an onion, the further in you go, the more layers of truth you discover.
So many have told me they are checking the blog for updates. Thank you for your interest, caring, love and prayers. I am so thankful for you all! Several have asked about meals. You can email Lynda Hardin at jonlynda@juno.com or call her at 303-470-5161 if you want to sign up sometime to bring one. She is helping to organize this while Sharyl is in Malaysia meeting with our SE Asian staff members for a conference. Greg and I were supposed to be there, but God had other plans. He is so ultimately loving, I trust Him completely.
Blessings-Nancy