Chemo #11

Lately the chemo makes me cold and I get a heated blanket!

I woke up with a ton of congestion and a cough.  The oncologist's office had called me yesterday to say that my ANC was low and I would have to come in earlier to get another port blood draw to see if yesterday's Neupogen shot brought my numbers back to the normal range.  Turns out my ANC was 0.5 - and you can't get much lower than zero!! They asked me if I had any infections or fevers since it was so low.  I didn't, but that explains why I woke up with the congestion and cough.  Also, I seem to get bloody noses whenever my ANC is low.

They took blood and re-did the ANC and it was 5.1 - which is good enough to continue with chemo.  However, in the past 3 days, I have developed numbness in my left toes.  It happens mostly at night and when I wake up.  During the day, it is generally pretty normal.  This worried the oncologist and he was leaning toward making me take a week off of chemo.  His fear is that I can have permanent neuropathy if we don't watch out.  He was confused that only one foot is effected. Neuropathy usually effects both hands and feet at the same time. I convinced him that my numbness is not serious and not impacting anything that I'm doing.  He wanted to be cautious, but in the end he let me do chemo this morning.

My weight is down another 2 lbs!!!  Usually they do not like to hear that we are losing weight, but since I have put on 10 lbs during chemo, I have a few pounds to still lose.  My heart rate was too high when I came in for my Neupogen shot yesterday (101) and again today (105).  I guess that's not good and they are really watching it. I'm trying to breath and relax. Ha!  Hot flashes, like a serious  inferno, have been going on since the start of chemo and have just been getting worse.

It's unbelievable to me that I only have FIVE more chemos left!!  That is so do-able!  The end is in sight!  I don't know what I'm going to do with my Wednesdays when I'm done.  I told my favorite nurse that I would just come in on Wednesdays for a warm blanket and a bag of Doritos.  :)

So tired.....

The couch is my best friend lately

It's my first day of summer vacation.  I have so much to do......yard work......packing.....two 5 year olds......etc. etc. etc!  The past 2 weeks, the chemo has been catching up with me.  I'm so incredibly tired.  I wake up tired every morning.  Generally, I get through the day by doing a little chore and then laying down for a half hour/hour.  I've already taken a NAP this morning and if you know me, I rarely sit down and I certainly don't nap during the day!  I really can't fight it.  I'm tired and I'm weak.

Other than exhaustion, the only other serious side effect that I'm dealing with from the Taxol is that I have lost ALL sense of taste and smell.  Nothing tastes good.  I eat just because I'm supposed to.  There is zero enjoyment in eating and cooking right now.  Since I consider myself a "foodie", it's nearly killing me.  I hope this helps me lose the extra 10 lbs that I've put on since I started chemo.  I  also hope that these senses come back when this is all over!!!

Chemo #10

I got a phone call from my favorite nurse (Kelly) this morning saying that my ANC was too low for chemo again (1.5). Since I just got the second Neupogen shot the day before, we hoped that it would kick that number up into a more normal range. I was having seriously crushing bone pain in my spine all morning so I figured that my bone marrow was hard at work making white blood cells.  I loaded up on Motrin to get through the day.  I had to come in a half hour earlier for another blood draw to check and see if we could proceed.

Sad....Kelly was not there this afternoon.  But, I have to say the other two nurses are super great too.  The people there make all the difference.  I love my oncologist, Dr. Kleiner - she is a sweet and thoughtful doctor.   My blood draw was ready in less than 10 minutes and it was 5.3, so we were good to go.  Not as high as last week, but if it means I don't have to postpone chemo, I love it.  So, now I'm set to always receive those 2 shots between chemos, and if it drops lower, I am sure I'll be on deck to get 3 of those shots.

I got my chemo, and I totally fell asleep during it this time because of that Benadryl.....and just general exhaustion that has slowly been creeping up again.

SUPER good news - I LOST 2 lbs this week.  It was starting to freak me out that I was putting on 2 lbs every week.  I think this last hot week beat down my appetite.  I'm toying with the idea of starting yoga or swimming once school is out.  I need to rebuild my stamina.

I also started thinking about my hair growing back.  This Taxol chemo hasn't made any more of my last tufts of hair on my head fall out.  It caused a sweet "Brazilian" (haha) and my eyelashes fell out.  So, I have brought in this army to help with my hair growing back:  Prenatal vitamins, Biotin, an essential oil concoction that I'm going to make as soon as it arrives in the mail, and a special shampoo to help hair grow.  I figure my hair will grow slow because it usually does.  Google says it should grow 1/2 - 1 inch a month.  I'll look like Will and James by Christmastime.  Today was the last day of school with kids, and as the buses pulled away, I put my wig in retirement.  It's going to be scarves from here on out.  The wigs are just unbearably hot for me.  I'll wear them for special occasions that are AIR CONDITIONED!!!!

And before I end, here's the thing about eyelashes that you may or may not know.  They are super important!  Having no eyelashes means that things are constantly getting in my eyes, tears just gush out (not that I cry - ha!), and my eyes look terrible and naked.  I feel like there was one more important thing....but, you know, chemo brain.  It's a real thing - and I hate it.

Just SIX left......

Chemo #9

This is my fifth week of Taxol.  That's when the "honeymoon" is supposed to end.  Since it accumulates, the oncologist warned me that by this week I will start to see more symptoms.  I have definitely been more tired.  I can barely make it up the three flights of stairs to my room at school. I wake up and I'm exhausted.  I am also dealing with the awful coughing and yellow mucus that continues to stump everyone.   But, I still do not have neuropathy in my fingers and feet, so that is good.

When I saw the oncologist today, she said my ANC blood count was 1.2 and they cannot do chemo if it is below 1.5.  I can't remember what ANC stands for, but it has something to do with my white blood cells making more white blood cells.   Sooooo........there I was - took half a sick day and Dave flew back at midnight last night - and she was saying no chemo.  Then, she said I could do another blood test to see if the shot I got yesterday helped get the number up.  Since I had just had blood work yesterday, I doubted it would go up (and so did the nurses).  I had the blood draw through my port again - which I HATE - because I feel incredibly funny (like light headed and my heart rushes) when they suck the blood right out of my heart.  In fact, I get so stressed that they cannot get blood FROM MY HEART until I relax and do deep breathing.  It's all in my head.  Anyhoo - we waited about 20 minutes and the ANC blood count came back at a 8.4!!!  Wow, what a jump!  I respond well to the Neupogen shots.....which, by the way, I have to get TWICE between chemos, so I am constantly running to the oncologist's office.  When she saw my first ANC number, she recommended that I get THREE shots (one of which I would have to go all the way out to Unity for because Batavia and Brockport aren't open on Thursdays).......but when she saw my new number, she said two would be enough.

My anemia is at 29, low but not low enough for a transfusion, which I would like to avoid!  My white blood cell count was at 2.4 (very low) but raised to 8.4 with second blood draw (normal range). I gained 1.2 lbs - which is better than the 2+ lbs I had been gaining for the last six weeks.  I celebrated by eating my way through Doritos, granola bars, and gummy bears, while I did the chemo.  So, I'll just plan on 2+ lbs again next week.  I cannot control my eating.  I blame the steroids.  And the fact that I can't taste things so I'm constantly trying to eat and see if I can taste different foods......and I never feel satiated.   Good news, when I go on Tamoxifin after chemo, one of the common side effects is weight loss.  Cool.

I got permission from the doc to start taking Biotin and pre-natal vitamins - which could help my hair grow back.  My hairstylist also recommends tea tree essential oils.  I bought Rogaine, but have been warned that if I use it and then stop using it, my hair will fall out again.  Nope.  Sending it back.

So, I got my ninth chemo.  Seven more left.  Still on schedule to end the first week of August.

Photos

Fearless (most days)

Fightin' the Fight with me at WSS!

My chemo shirt

  

My favorite nurse!

Chemo

An after chemo hell week

More of my support group!

Mother's Day - Breast Cancer Walk

Chemo #8

And then there were EIGHT!

I'm still anemic with a count of 31.  My white blood cell counts are within normal range at 5.8, due to the 2 Neupogen shots.  Since chemo, I have stratches and all my surgery scars that just will not heal.  I guess this is normal.  There is concern that my blood pressure and heart rate are a bit high.  They wondered if I am dehydrated, but I make it my JOB to drink water while doing chemo.  The nurse took my blood pressure sitting down and standing up and determined that I'm not dehydrated.  I also have that horrible cough and disgusting phlegm since my white blood cell counts dropped last week.  This seriously stumps the oncologists.  They have no answer as to why this happens to me.  It's damn annoying, so I can't wait until it doesn't happen anymore.  I take allergy pills day and night - not sure they help.  Also dealing with crushing bone pain these last two days as the Neupogen makes my bone marrow produce white blood cells. Been taking Advil to keep the pain down.  It probably won't go away anytime soon since I got another injection of it yesterday.

We have 9.5 days left at school with kids and then I can stop wearing my wig.  It is god-awful uncomfortable and when it is hot, I just want to die with it on.  I'm not sure what my hair situation will be in September, but if I can avoid the wigs, I want to.  My aunt sent me a care package with brow wax in it.  Can't wait to try that!  I will need to practice.  I don't want to draw on crazy, surprised or angry eyebrows by mistake!! :D

The doc is going to let me try getting only 1 Neupogen shot this week and see if it holds my white blood cell count in place.  Those are just a pain to try to schedule around school and drive 30 minutes to Brockport for a 1 minute shot.  But, if it keeps me on track to get this shit over with, I'm game.