Friday, August 8, 2008
Full Speed Ahead
Yesterday I had my PET Scan. I've been through this process a dozen times before, so this is old hat for me. The technician (not trained to analyze the data, but can certainly look at it and see differences) told me that the scan looked "a million times better than last time". I guess that's good news, though I will save judgment until talking to Dr. Weeks next week. Today I talked to Scott at Dr. Weeks office, and he told me that everything looks good on the scan, and we are set to go at 10:00 AM on Monday.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Halftime?
During my last treatment cycle, Dr. Weeks told me that he wanted me to have another PET Scan to see how we're doing. Well, that is a very expensive procedure, and must be run through my insurance company before they actually do the process. So, Dr. Weeks submits the paperwork requesting the test to the company, and once it is approved, the hospital calls me to set up this test. Well, on Wednesday they called me to try and set up the test for Tuesday August 5. Well, That is supposed to be the second day of my next treatment, so I instead scheduled it for Tuesday August 12. No problem, right?
Today I saw Dr. Weeks again (I have an appointment with him every time between cycles), and I told him about all this. He decided he wanted to have the PET Scan done BEFORE my next cycle, not after. So I called the hospital back to try and move the appointment back to the 5th. Well, they had no slots left for me on the 5th, or on the 7th. (They only do this test on Tuesdays and Thursdays.) I pleaded and begged and told them I HAD to have this test next week. The girl on the phone I talked to said she would see what she could do and would call me back. Well, she called me back like twenty minutes later, and was able to squeeze me in on the 7th.
So what this effectively does is give me an extra week off before my next treatment starts. Almost like a "halftime". I will have the PET Scan on Thursday August 7, then check into the hospital to start the next cycle on Monday August 11.
Today I saw Dr. Weeks again (I have an appointment with him every time between cycles), and I told him about all this. He decided he wanted to have the PET Scan done BEFORE my next cycle, not after. So I called the hospital back to try and move the appointment back to the 5th. Well, they had no slots left for me on the 5th, or on the 7th. (They only do this test on Tuesdays and Thursdays.) I pleaded and begged and told them I HAD to have this test next week. The girl on the phone I talked to said she would see what she could do and would call me back. Well, she called me back like twenty minutes later, and was able to squeeze me in on the 7th.
So what this effectively does is give me an extra week off before my next treatment starts. Almost like a "halftime". I will have the PET Scan on Thursday August 7, then check into the hospital to start the next cycle on Monday August 11.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Boat Races
I had a very solid recovery this week, and was actually able to get back to work on Tuesday and Wednesday for half-days, and back working full days on Thursday and Friday. I still struggled a bit to get out of bed in the mornings, but once I got going, I felt fine, and even got out and exercised a little the second half of the week.
Melissa and her parents came down for the weekend, as this was the big tourist weekend in the Tri-Cities. We had the annual hydroplane races on the Columbia River. My company put together a little potluck/picnic in a private beach area on the course, and we basically went out there and hung out in the sun and ate and overall enjoyed the races. Normally this time of year the temperature is well past 100, but the weather was absolutely perfect: low-90's with a breeze. By the end of the weekend I was definitely out of gas, but this served as a nice distraction to my treatments.
Melissa and her parents came down for the weekend, as this was the big tourist weekend in the Tri-Cities. We had the annual hydroplane races on the Columbia River. My company put together a little potluck/picnic in a private beach area on the course, and we basically went out there and hung out in the sun and ate and overall enjoyed the races. Normally this time of year the temperature is well past 100, but the weather was absolutely perfect: low-90's with a breeze. By the end of the weekend I was definitely out of gas, but this served as a nice distraction to my treatments.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Locked Out
I was discharged from the hospital this afternoon after completing my infusion of Cytuxin. Amy, my nurse, did a great job of getting me out of there as soon as possible, and my mom took me home around 2:30. I actually felt better than I did at the end of my last treatment, which was good. I spent the evening playing poker (took down a $3/90 donkament), and rewatching Game One of the Wings/Penguins Cup Finals Series from last month. Overall, I just vegged.
Funny story from last night (Friday). So, at Kadlec Hospital, they have this area called "The Garden", which is this little fenced-in, outdoors area with flowers and trees, a fountain, and some benches. It can't be more than 25' x 25', but is definitely a nice place to go to get some fresh air after being cooped up in my hospital room all day. Well, The Garden closes at 9:00 PM, but the way the door to The Garden had previously worked is that it was locked going into it starting at 9:00 PM, but you could always get back into the hospital. Well, after I finished my infusion on Friday, I went down there at like 8:57 PM and went in there. I sat on one of the benches and called Melissa and chatted with her until 9:15 or so. Well, I went back to the door, and wouldn't you know that it wouldn't open! I was locked in The Garden!
Well, after about 90 seconds of being confused, and another phone call to Melissa to share my "situation", and another 2 minutes of pulling on the door, I decided that I would have to hop the fence to get out. Well, luckily there's an area where the fence is only 3 or 4 feet high, so it wasn't too difficult. Anyway, following hopping the fence, walking around to the emergency room entrance, through registration, back through the maze to the B Elevators, up to the third floor, and back down the hallway, I finally got back to my room with a story to share...
Funny story from last night (Friday). So, at Kadlec Hospital, they have this area called "The Garden", which is this little fenced-in, outdoors area with flowers and trees, a fountain, and some benches. It can't be more than 25' x 25', but is definitely a nice place to go to get some fresh air after being cooped up in my hospital room all day. Well, The Garden closes at 9:00 PM, but the way the door to The Garden had previously worked is that it was locked going into it starting at 9:00 PM, but you could always get back into the hospital. Well, after I finished my infusion on Friday, I went down there at like 8:57 PM and went in there. I sat on one of the benches and called Melissa and chatted with her until 9:15 or so. Well, I went back to the door, and wouldn't you know that it wouldn't open! I was locked in The Garden!
Well, after about 90 seconds of being confused, and another phone call to Melissa to share my "situation", and another 2 minutes of pulling on the door, I decided that I would have to hop the fence to get out. Well, luckily there's an area where the fence is only 3 or 4 feet high, so it wasn't too difficult. Anyway, following hopping the fence, walking around to the emergency room entrance, through registration, back through the maze to the B Elevators, up to the third floor, and back down the hallway, I finally got back to my room with a story to share...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Round Three
Once again, I should apologize for falling a little bit behind in my blogging. Spending 6 out of every 21 days in the hospital puts me way behind on getting everything done that I need to, and unfortunately this gets pushed to the back.
I am currently sitting in the hospital on day three of cycle three. The last couple days have been pretty much the same at the start of each of the last two cycles. I came in on Monday morning and had the Rituxan, then started on continuous infusion of Etoposide and Doxorubicin. Overall I've felt pretty good, though today (Wednesday) was quite up and down. I've kinda gone back and forth between sleepy and wide awake, and I've battled some nausea today. This evening, during the half-hour "break" I get, I was able to take a shower and walk around "The Garden" for a bit, though it was quite warm and I couldn't stay out there very long. On the way back up to the room I did stop by the chapel and said a couple of prayers. It is quite peaceful in there.
Overall, the last couple of weeks have gone pretty much as expected. I have my six days of treatment, leaving the hospital on Saturday, then I return to work on Wednesday, where I put in a few hours each day to finish the week, and the following week I'm back to 40+ hours. Compared to last summer, I don't get as sick as last time, but I am feeling crappier for longer.
I am pretty much ready to head home, though. Even though it has only been three days and two nights, I am majorly homesick right now, and am missing being snuggled in my own bed. That being said, I really don't have too much to complain about (except for the fact that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING on TV right now), and am actually doing better at this point than I thought I would.
I am currently sitting in the hospital on day three of cycle three. The last couple days have been pretty much the same at the start of each of the last two cycles. I came in on Monday morning and had the Rituxan, then started on continuous infusion of Etoposide and Doxorubicin. Overall I've felt pretty good, though today (Wednesday) was quite up and down. I've kinda gone back and forth between sleepy and wide awake, and I've battled some nausea today. This evening, during the half-hour "break" I get, I was able to take a shower and walk around "The Garden" for a bit, though it was quite warm and I couldn't stay out there very long. On the way back up to the room I did stop by the chapel and said a couple of prayers. It is quite peaceful in there.
Overall, the last couple of weeks have gone pretty much as expected. I have my six days of treatment, leaving the hospital on Saturday, then I return to work on Wednesday, where I put in a few hours each day to finish the week, and the following week I'm back to 40+ hours. Compared to last summer, I don't get as sick as last time, but I am feeling crappier for longer.
I am pretty much ready to head home, though. Even though it has only been three days and two nights, I am majorly homesick right now, and am missing being snuggled in my own bed. That being said, I really don't have too much to complain about (except for the fact that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING on TV right now), and am actually doing better at this point than I thought I would.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Apologies to All
So, I have been absolutely horrible at keeping up with my blog over the last couple of weeks. My second round of treatment has come and gone, and I just couldn’t motivate myself to post. I apologize to all, and let’s see if I can catch everyone up.
On Monday June 23, I checked back into Kadlec for my second of six cycles of chemotherapy treatments. After some confusion over whether I was going with a21-day or a 28-day cycle, we decided to stick with the planned course of action and roll in the 22nd day. Melissa was off all week before her summer preschool classes started, so she came down to take care of me for the week. We checked me into the hospital at 10:00 AM, and by 2:00 PM they had started with the Rituxan. This is the same drug that I’ve had each of the last couple of Mondays, and it is pretty much old hat for me at this point.
Starting on Monday night, I once again had the four 24-hour infusions of Etoposide and Doxorubicin. I got a little bit of a late start on everything, so they didn’t get me going until after 9:00 PM, which means that it is around this time each day that I am done and get to take a short break – enough time to take a shower, go for a short walk, etc. For the most part this all went pretty much as expected after the first round. I felt pretty okay for most of the week, except for Thursday. I felt really sick most of the day, and just could not bring myself to do anything. I was nauseous and tired, and my body ached all over. It was kind of an anomaly, though, as Friday I was feeling better. Very strange.
For the most part, Melissa and I just hung out in my hospital room and played games most of the week. We played Scrabble, as well as Cribbage and Golf, and another random card game called Rage. I pretty much dominated Melissa at Scrabble, but she got her revenge in the other games, including a beatdown on me and my parents in a card game called Phase 10. We had a good time just hanging out, as well as watching Season Five of 24. Suzi, a friend of mine from when I first moved to the Tri-Cities, stopped by on Friday bearing a smile and a gift of gummy worms. It was great to see her, as she is currently taking classes at WSU so I don’t see her much. She is working for the summer for us, and she brought warm wishes from everyone at the office.
On Saturday I had the final drug infused – Cytoxin. This drug makes me a little nauseous, but overall not too bad. At this point in time, I actually felt okay, but just wanted to go home. I was so antsy and fidgety, but the nurse was able to get this done quickly and get me discharged by 2:00 PM. It was so nice to be home. On Saturday night, Melissa picked up dinner from Casa Mia and we finished watching 24. Then on Sunday night, she grabbed dinner from PF Chang’s and we watched “The Princess Bride”. Through the weekend I felt okay, just extremely hot. I was working to stay hydrated, as it was well over 100 degrees outside, and of course the chemotherapy drugs made my body work overtime. Anyway, I had the AC cranking, and was chugging Gatorade, and made my way through it.
I’m planning to head back to work on Wednesday, though the boys and girls at the office have everything running smoothly, so I don’t necessarily feel like I need to rush back. I have to go back to Kadlec every day this week for my Neupogen shots again, but only through Saturday this time. After that, I have blood work scheduled for next Monday, and an appointment to meet with Dr. Weeks on the 10th. Aside from that, I am going to stay cool, stay hydrated, and go from there. Two down, four to go…
On Monday June 23, I checked back into Kadlec for my second of six cycles of chemotherapy treatments. After some confusion over whether I was going with a21-day or a 28-day cycle, we decided to stick with the planned course of action and roll in the 22nd day. Melissa was off all week before her summer preschool classes started, so she came down to take care of me for the week. We checked me into the hospital at 10:00 AM, and by 2:00 PM they had started with the Rituxan. This is the same drug that I’ve had each of the last couple of Mondays, and it is pretty much old hat for me at this point.
Starting on Monday night, I once again had the four 24-hour infusions of Etoposide and Doxorubicin. I got a little bit of a late start on everything, so they didn’t get me going until after 9:00 PM, which means that it is around this time each day that I am done and get to take a short break – enough time to take a shower, go for a short walk, etc. For the most part this all went pretty much as expected after the first round. I felt pretty okay for most of the week, except for Thursday. I felt really sick most of the day, and just could not bring myself to do anything. I was nauseous and tired, and my body ached all over. It was kind of an anomaly, though, as Friday I was feeling better. Very strange.
For the most part, Melissa and I just hung out in my hospital room and played games most of the week. We played Scrabble, as well as Cribbage and Golf, and another random card game called Rage. I pretty much dominated Melissa at Scrabble, but she got her revenge in the other games, including a beatdown on me and my parents in a card game called Phase 10. We had a good time just hanging out, as well as watching Season Five of 24. Suzi, a friend of mine from when I first moved to the Tri-Cities, stopped by on Friday bearing a smile and a gift of gummy worms. It was great to see her, as she is currently taking classes at WSU so I don’t see her much. She is working for the summer for us, and she brought warm wishes from everyone at the office.
On Saturday I had the final drug infused – Cytoxin. This drug makes me a little nauseous, but overall not too bad. At this point in time, I actually felt okay, but just wanted to go home. I was so antsy and fidgety, but the nurse was able to get this done quickly and get me discharged by 2:00 PM. It was so nice to be home. On Saturday night, Melissa picked up dinner from Casa Mia and we finished watching 24. Then on Sunday night, she grabbed dinner from PF Chang’s and we watched “The Princess Bride”. Through the weekend I felt okay, just extremely hot. I was working to stay hydrated, as it was well over 100 degrees outside, and of course the chemotherapy drugs made my body work overtime. Anyway, I had the AC cranking, and was chugging Gatorade, and made my way through it.
I’m planning to head back to work on Wednesday, though the boys and girls at the office have everything running smoothly, so I don’t necessarily feel like I need to rush back. I have to go back to Kadlec every day this week for my Neupogen shots again, but only through Saturday this time. After that, I have blood work scheduled for next Monday, and an appointment to meet with Dr. Weeks on the 10th. Aside from that, I am going to stay cool, stay hydrated, and go from there. Two down, four to go…
Monday, June 16, 2008
My Choice?
So, I had a pretty solid weekend. I was a little sore from the Neupogen, but overall felt good. Melissa and I had a nice relaxing weekend, watching movies and episodes of 24 all day Saturday and Sunday. Today, I had my next round of Rituxan. The treatment went very smooth - Melissa and I watched the US Open playoff (She was rooting for Rocco, and I was rooting for Tiger), which helped pass the time. Afterwards, we had lunch, then I took a nap and she headed back to BC. Through the evening I felt fine, except ridiculously hot. I'm afraid to get my Utilities Bill next month - I've been cranking my AC non-stop...
I talked to Scott, Dr. Weeks' nurse, about the change in my schedule from 21-Day Cycles to 28-Day Cycles. Scott said that Dr. Weeks did that because of the Rituxan - he wanted to do four "loading doses" before resuming with the treatment. This confuses me. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, indicates 21-Day Cycles. That was the plan he laid out back in May. This was the plan that the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance agreed with. This is what all documentation given to me said. This is what just about every website out there says is normal for the R-CHOP treatment.
Anyway, Scott followed up with Dr. Weeks for me, and Dr. Weeks said that I could go with either - my choice. So of course I immediately said I wanted 21-Day Cycles. 1) That was the plan from the beginning, 2) Friends and Family have planned travel schedules around that assumption, and 3) 21-Day Cycles get me done in September instead of November. Scott said that was fine, and left me at that. But this still feels kinda strange. I talked to Drew to see what he had to say, and he finds it very odd too. He's going to discuss with some of his doctor buddies in Oakland and get back to me if he gets any advice, as he is not too familiar with this regimen. I also left a message with Dr. Petersdorf at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and I plan to talk to Dr. Weeks directly tomorrow, instead of through Scott. I will keep everyone posted, but it looks like all is going as planned for 6/23.
I talked to Scott, Dr. Weeks' nurse, about the change in my schedule from 21-Day Cycles to 28-Day Cycles. Scott said that Dr. Weeks did that because of the Rituxan - he wanted to do four "loading doses" before resuming with the treatment. This confuses me. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, indicates 21-Day Cycles. That was the plan he laid out back in May. This was the plan that the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance agreed with. This is what all documentation given to me said. This is what just about every website out there says is normal for the R-CHOP treatment.
Anyway, Scott followed up with Dr. Weeks for me, and Dr. Weeks said that I could go with either - my choice. So of course I immediately said I wanted 21-Day Cycles. 1) That was the plan from the beginning, 2) Friends and Family have planned travel schedules around that assumption, and 3) 21-Day Cycles get me done in September instead of November. Scott said that was fine, and left me at that. But this still feels kinda strange. I talked to Drew to see what he had to say, and he finds it very odd too. He's going to discuss with some of his doctor buddies in Oakland and get back to me if he gets any advice, as he is not too familiar with this regimen. I also left a message with Dr. Petersdorf at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and I plan to talk to Dr. Weeks directly tomorrow, instead of through Scott. I will keep everyone posted, but it looks like all is going as planned for 6/23.
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