Updates
I honestly thought when I started this that I would be updating the blog at least weekly during chemo. Frankly, it's tough! It's difficult enough to gather my thoughts and turn them in to coherent sentences when I'm healthy... It's nearly impossible to do when I'm not feeling well! So I do apologize for the lack of updates. Here we go...
I ended up in the ER again right after Christmas. I'm feeling much better these days, but it's because I haven't had chemo for 3 weeks. I was going in for weekly infusions and had my appointment the day after Christmas. I didn't feel great, but nothing seemed amiss. Afterwards, I went home and napped intermittently while we finished up my cold cap therapy. I really started to not feel well towards the end of the caps. Lo and behold, I had a fever.
Per my Oncology team, if I develop a fever of 100.4 or higher, I need to go to the Emergency Room. Mine was 102.3. I took some extra strength Tylenol and we continued to take my temperature in 15 minute increments to see if it subsided. After all, it was the day after Christmas, I was already exhausted from chemo all day, and the flu was going around like crazy. Knowing that my immune system was already compromised, the ER was the last place I wanted to go.
After 45 minutes, my fever had only dropped by .1, so away we went. Triage went better this time and they bumped me up in line so we only waited about 30 minutes before they took me back. They drew blood, did x-rays, and got me into a room. After some additional tests, we couldn't figure out where the fever was coming from. Fever usually means your body is fighting an infection, but what kind of infection? I tested negative for the flu and didn't have any major aches or pains that would give us a clue as to where the issue was. Stumped, they gave me some fluids and sent me home, telling me that if the fever returned to come back to the ER.
While I was at the ER, they ran my white blood cell count and my platelets, both of which were dangerously low. There was a mention of a blood transfusion, but luckily I didn't need it. They also ran my Inhibin A, which is the tumor marker they use to measure the presence of cancer. More on that later.
Because my white blood cell count and platelets were so low, this meant a break from chemo again to give me a chance to recover. We already had taken the previous week off due to the same issue. I was miserable. I felt like death. I was exhausted. I was pale and sickly and had no appetite and no energy. It was the worst.
During my chemo break, we discussed options with my Oncologist. They could give me additional anti-nausea meds and we could spread the chemo out a little more to give me more recovery time. We could resume as planned. We could stop chemo. We could lower the dosage of chemo. There was a whole list of possible plans of attack. The one that appealed the most was to stop chemo, obviously.
Stopping chemo is always on the table, because it's the patient's choice. In my case, I was more inclined to stop because I had just had my blood drawn in the ER and was told that my Inhibin A marker was within normal range. I hesitated to make any formal announcements because I had to have follow up tests and if those showed that the cancer was still there, I’d go taught back to chemo and pick up where I left off.
Well I’m pleased to announce that after 3 additional blood tests, an MRI, and an ultrasound, I SHOW NO SIGNS OF CANCER!!! It’s the perfect birthday present. It felt like it would never end, but now that it’s over, it doesn’t seem like it was that long ago. WE MADE IT!!
I want to thank everyone so very much for supporting us through this. I will need to continually monitor my blood and do imaging tests because of the high likelihood of recurrence, but data seems to show that if you attack heavy with chemo and surgery when first diagnosed, you’re more likely to enjoy many years of disease-free life.
I will continue to update this blog with some reflections on my experience and my progress. This has obviously sent me for a roller coaster ride of physical, mental, and emotional challenges, and sharing them with you helps me feel supported and I’m hoping that it helps someone else who maybe has their own struggles.
I love you guys!
I ended up in the ER again right after Christmas. I'm feeling much better these days, but it's because I haven't had chemo for 3 weeks. I was going in for weekly infusions and had my appointment the day after Christmas. I didn't feel great, but nothing seemed amiss. Afterwards, I went home and napped intermittently while we finished up my cold cap therapy. I really started to not feel well towards the end of the caps. Lo and behold, I had a fever.
Per my Oncology team, if I develop a fever of 100.4 or higher, I need to go to the Emergency Room. Mine was 102.3. I took some extra strength Tylenol and we continued to take my temperature in 15 minute increments to see if it subsided. After all, it was the day after Christmas, I was already exhausted from chemo all day, and the flu was going around like crazy. Knowing that my immune system was already compromised, the ER was the last place I wanted to go.
After 45 minutes, my fever had only dropped by .1, so away we went. Triage went better this time and they bumped me up in line so we only waited about 30 minutes before they took me back. They drew blood, did x-rays, and got me into a room. After some additional tests, we couldn't figure out where the fever was coming from. Fever usually means your body is fighting an infection, but what kind of infection? I tested negative for the flu and didn't have any major aches or pains that would give us a clue as to where the issue was. Stumped, they gave me some fluids and sent me home, telling me that if the fever returned to come back to the ER.
While I was at the ER, they ran my white blood cell count and my platelets, both of which were dangerously low. There was a mention of a blood transfusion, but luckily I didn't need it. They also ran my Inhibin A, which is the tumor marker they use to measure the presence of cancer. More on that later.
Because my white blood cell count and platelets were so low, this meant a break from chemo again to give me a chance to recover. We already had taken the previous week off due to the same issue. I was miserable. I felt like death. I was exhausted. I was pale and sickly and had no appetite and no energy. It was the worst.
During my chemo break, we discussed options with my Oncologist. They could give me additional anti-nausea meds and we could spread the chemo out a little more to give me more recovery time. We could resume as planned. We could stop chemo. We could lower the dosage of chemo. There was a whole list of possible plans of attack. The one that appealed the most was to stop chemo, obviously.
Stopping chemo is always on the table, because it's the patient's choice. In my case, I was more inclined to stop because I had just had my blood drawn in the ER and was told that my Inhibin A marker was within normal range. I hesitated to make any formal announcements because I had to have follow up tests and if those showed that the cancer was still there, I’d go taught back to chemo and pick up where I left off.
Well I’m pleased to announce that after 3 additional blood tests, an MRI, and an ultrasound, I SHOW NO SIGNS OF CANCER!!! It’s the perfect birthday present. It felt like it would never end, but now that it’s over, it doesn’t seem like it was that long ago. WE MADE IT!!
I want to thank everyone so very much for supporting us through this. I will need to continually monitor my blood and do imaging tests because of the high likelihood of recurrence, but data seems to show that if you attack heavy with chemo and surgery when first diagnosed, you’re more likely to enjoy many years of disease-free life.
I will continue to update this blog with some reflections on my experience and my progress. This has obviously sent me for a roller coaster ride of physical, mental, and emotional challenges, and sharing them with you helps me feel supported and I’m hoping that it helps someone else who maybe has their own struggles.
I love you guys!
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