I had an unexpected test today to check how my heart is withstanding the Adriamycin . Earlier in the week, I was describing the feeling in my chest for the week or so after the chemo treatment and Dr. Rubin just wanted to check that my heart wasn't being compromised.
Adriamycin is the dangerous drug that is administered from 2 vials into my IV on the day of chemotherapy. The general practice is a body can withstand 350 mg/m of the drug before it causes permanent heart damage. Based on my treatment plan, I will be below that at 300 mg/m by the time I go in for surgery and any damage that's happened is reversible over time.
Not used to feeling 'chest' pain or anything like that in my otherwise healthy body, it alerts me each time I feel it. And, in the week after the treatment, it happens quite often. Dr. Rubin listens to everything and encourages me to talk about anything unusual that is going on and this feels unusual for me.
I've actually had this test before I started the treatments also to test for my ability to withstand the Adriamycin back then. I was a different person then - just 2 months ago.
Usha is the technician who administers both the Nuclear and the MugA tests. For the MugA, you have to be connected to electrodes after being injected with a radioactive isotope. The first time, Usha thought there was something wrong with the machine because my heart rate was not registering. She complained that the machine had just been fixed and still it wasn't working. She did a good job of trying to troubleshoot it just as I would a computer for a customer. She would turn it off and on, try again, remove and replace the electrodes, swap out for a different set, unplug and replug them in, etc. I layed on the machine for nearly 30 minutes while she did all this. Finally she called her boss - a big burly but very nice man. I don't remember his name, but he did rush in and thank her for pulling him out from a meeting with the CEO!! I was beginning to feel a little guilty... truthfully I found it quite funny! Anyway, this man starts to run through all the tests again. After about 10 minutes, he asks me about my heart rate and blood pressure. I tell him both are unusually low - heart rate is around 58 bpm and my blood pressure runs around 90/60. He starts to unbutton his shirt and says to Usha "Hook me up". Three electrodes later and the machine is registering no problem! We all start laughing for a bit while he buttons up his shirt, gives Usha a few instructions and heads back to his meeting. With all that I finally register on the machine and with no surprise, my heart is in fine shape to start the treatments.
This time, Usha starts right away with the new procedure, but I suspect she doesn't need to. I can tell my body and my heart are different than they were just 2 months ago. As soon as the electrodes go on, I register and my heart rate is 74. Normal for most, but high for me. I'm a little disappointed. I'm able to take the test and hopefully find out the results tomorrow.
MugA test 2 is just not as good as story as the first time!
Showing posts with label Doctors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doctors. Show all posts
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Sunday, December 19, 2010
A Better Sunday
Things seem to be evening out now. I can almost predict when I'm going to be tired the past few days which allows me to plan for events and stuff. But, I'm hoping this gets better as the week progresses because my wbc count will begin to rebound just in time for Xmas!!
Alex and I went to our 2nd acupuncture appointment today with Elisa - who I lovingly refer to as my 'witch doctor'. She is really incredible. Elisa has done tons of research on my condition over the past week and today she worked on the specific points that will increase my white blood cells and fatigue. Alex and I walked out of there feeling refreshed and renewed once again.
Last night, not so refreshed. At the dinner table, it was difficult for me to even lift my arms. I was to go to the Nejame's for their Xmas party, but I was just not physically going to make it. Bob went with his date, Sarah ... I stayed home with my date - Alex - and we watched a movie. Weird, but necessary.
Came home today to dinner ala Sarah - chicken panini's with homemade pesto and sweet potato fries!!! yummmm!! The in-law's even made it for dinner and stayed for a little entertainment following. It was a good day.
This is how I see it - a day and a half of kind of normal energy, then crash for a night. Let's see if it continues this way.
Alex and I went to our 2nd acupuncture appointment today with Elisa - who I lovingly refer to as my 'witch doctor'. She is really incredible. Elisa has done tons of research on my condition over the past week and today she worked on the specific points that will increase my white blood cells and fatigue. Alex and I walked out of there feeling refreshed and renewed once again.
Last night, not so refreshed. At the dinner table, it was difficult for me to even lift my arms. I was to go to the Nejame's for their Xmas party, but I was just not physically going to make it. Bob went with his date, Sarah ... I stayed home with my date - Alex - and we watched a movie. Weird, but necessary.
Came home today to dinner ala Sarah - chicken panini's with homemade pesto and sweet potato fries!!! yummmm!! The in-law's even made it for dinner and stayed for a little entertainment following. It was a good day.
This is how I see it - a day and a half of kind of normal energy, then crash for a night. Let's see if it continues this way.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Crept up on me
Yesterday had an interesting, boring, finish...
You see, yesterday Dr. Rubin talked to me about all these side effects I was feeling - heart palpitations, exhaustion walking up the stairs, need to close my eyes, etc. I guess it's because I've never actually experienced 'fatigue' but I didn't put the name on it. I just kept doing and pushing and feeling these things. Well, yesterday after my appt with him and a few hours of work, I had to just lay down. A few hours later I pushed the vacuum and the pain in my back was terrible! So, back to resting again! Something so unusual and rare for me, but necessary. I awoke this morning feeling good again.
This is the hardest part for me. I'm an unusually healthy person other than this cancer thing, so the thought that my body can't do what it always did is new to me. I'm trying to know when I need to rest in order to be successful for the balance of the day. Today is an example. It takes me longer to get moving in the morning now, so coffee and the Journal gets some more time. I've actually been eating breakfast! I worked for about 3 hours and realized I was yawning way too much, so I layed down for an hour. And here I am! Feeling good again... for now.
You see, yesterday Dr. Rubin talked to me about all these side effects I was feeling - heart palpitations, exhaustion walking up the stairs, need to close my eyes, etc. I guess it's because I've never actually experienced 'fatigue' but I didn't put the name on it. I just kept doing and pushing and feeling these things. Well, yesterday after my appt with him and a few hours of work, I had to just lay down. A few hours later I pushed the vacuum and the pain in my back was terrible! So, back to resting again! Something so unusual and rare for me, but necessary. I awoke this morning feeling good again.
This is the hardest part for me. I'm an unusually healthy person other than this cancer thing, so the thought that my body can't do what it always did is new to me. I'm trying to know when I need to rest in order to be successful for the balance of the day. Today is an example. It takes me longer to get moving in the morning now, so coffee and the Journal gets some more time. I've actually been eating breakfast! I worked for about 3 hours and realized I was yawning way too much, so I layed down for an hour. And here I am! Feeling good again... for now.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Home again
Went to see Dr. Rubin, my incredibly talented Oncologist! (I know he and his mother are reading this!!!) Seriously, I think he's great - so, if you ever need a good Oncologist.... (said in my best yiddish accent!!) Oy vey!
Anyway, the news is white blood cell (wbc) count dropped dramatically to 900 or .9. As a point of reference, before I had chemo last week, they were 6,000 or 6.0. Right now, they didn't have the results that breaks down the different types of wbc's yet. They will let me know those numbers when they are available. With this low a wbc count, it makes me very susceptible to infection. A condition called Neutropenia. No big crowds, no mall shopping, no holiday craziness for me!
Bob took one look at me and said "You are going home!" So - here we are. I'm setting up to work from home more often then I thought we'd need to. Currently we are sitting at the dining room table with our laptops, cell phones, etc. I'll get office phones and other stuff more organized soon. There are a few pluses to being home - I actually cooked dinner last night! I can't remember the last time I cooked on a Wednesday... still thinking...
Better get to work.
Anyway, the news is white blood cell (wbc) count dropped dramatically to 900 or .9. As a point of reference, before I had chemo last week, they were 6,000 or 6.0. Right now, they didn't have the results that breaks down the different types of wbc's yet. They will let me know those numbers when they are available. With this low a wbc count, it makes me very susceptible to infection. A condition called Neutropenia. No big crowds, no mall shopping, no holiday craziness for me!
Bob took one look at me and said "You are going home!" So - here we are. I'm setting up to work from home more often then I thought we'd need to. Currently we are sitting at the dining room table with our laptops, cell phones, etc. I'll get office phones and other stuff more organized soon. There are a few pluses to being home - I actually cooked dinner last night! I can't remember the last time I cooked on a Wednesday... still thinking...
Better get to work.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Drugs - my body was not made for them...
On Monday, December 6th, I had a port-a-cath put into my chest in order to accept the chemo drug cocktail. Quite a birthday present!!! They told me it would take 1.5 hours - 5 hours later I was on my way home. Lesson I should have learned? Book out the whole day for any hospital procedure!! Luckily, Sarah was with me and even that made it special. It went well, no problems. They put a sizable dressing on it for 48 hours, but after that I could shower and drive as normal. This port area was still a little sore but ready for today.
After a bunch of papers to go through and waivers to sign, we are ready to start. Start what? I get a tray of hospital food - like I really feel like eating!!! But I try - and it's terrible! Bob and I had picked up sandwiches from the Provision beforehand. Had a little of that. Wanda is the RN in charge of me. She's very nice and really focused on me. It was important to her that I be comfortable, so I was glad to oblige! It started with a bag of saline, anti-nausea, appetite control, pepcid for antacid and benedryl for allergic reactions. But by the time the pepcid hit, I was im'ing with Kathy thru fb and realized nothing was coming out right and I couldn't even see the screen! Sorry Kath!!! I just had massive amounts of 'stuff' pumped into my body and my body flipped out. I stopped typing and talking and tried to just got with it and not fight it. This is still not the chemo.
Wanda, who has a name Wanda? I've heard of a fish called Wanda, but a human? It seemed to suit her and it definitely helped me to remember her name! Anyway, Wanda came and sat next to me to administer the Adriamycin, the main drug of the Cocktail. Its these 2 syringes filled with red fluid that will cause my hair to fallout. Wanda carefully checks the connection to the port to be sure its clear and she gets a 'blood return' as they say. She then pushes the bottom of the syringe to put the drug in... I feel woozy, maybe a little more than before. Wanda is talking to me all the time about what I do, admiring my necklace and how appropriate it is for me, informing me of the drug and what its doing, anything to test me and my tolerance to this drug. It is very dangerous and had to be sure it was going exactly to the place she wanted it to go. She was great. After that was Taxotere followed by Cytoxan to finish the cocktail.
I napped for about an hour I think, I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I was incoherent and realized I just needed to listen and close my eyes. During this time, I had several visitors ala Barbara - Dr. Keleher, my breast surgeon, Sara her nurse practitioner, the head of Oncology at Vassar, etc. All stopping to say hi and see how I was doing... it's good to have friends in high places!! I finished the day at 6:00p. Lesson: still don't believe the time they estimate. They said it would be about 3-4 hours; it took me 6+. Book out the whole day. Not complaining, just trying to plan for next time!
Shelly brought me home while Bob picked up Thai for dinner, again, and also Chris. Didn't taste the same, the Thai that is - I kind of expected that. We sat around the table and talked while my head cleared a little. Bob and my best friends on a day like today... priceless. They left early knowing I just needed to settle down and chill or sleep. Which is exactly what I did - chilling writing in my blog!
That was my day, how was yours???
After a bunch of papers to go through and waivers to sign, we are ready to start. Start what? I get a tray of hospital food - like I really feel like eating!!! But I try - and it's terrible! Bob and I had picked up sandwiches from the Provision beforehand. Had a little of that. Wanda is the RN in charge of me. She's very nice and really focused on me. It was important to her that I be comfortable, so I was glad to oblige! It started with a bag of saline, anti-nausea, appetite control, pepcid for antacid and benedryl for allergic reactions. But by the time the pepcid hit, I was im'ing with Kathy thru fb and realized nothing was coming out right and I couldn't even see the screen! Sorry Kath!!! I just had massive amounts of 'stuff' pumped into my body and my body flipped out. I stopped typing and talking and tried to just got with it and not fight it. This is still not the chemo.
Wanda, who has a name Wanda? I've heard of a fish called Wanda, but a human? It seemed to suit her and it definitely helped me to remember her name! Anyway, Wanda came and sat next to me to administer the Adriamycin, the main drug of the Cocktail. Its these 2 syringes filled with red fluid that will cause my hair to fallout. Wanda carefully checks the connection to the port to be sure its clear and she gets a 'blood return' as they say. She then pushes the bottom of the syringe to put the drug in... I feel woozy, maybe a little more than before. Wanda is talking to me all the time about what I do, admiring my necklace and how appropriate it is for me, informing me of the drug and what its doing, anything to test me and my tolerance to this drug. It is very dangerous and had to be sure it was going exactly to the place she wanted it to go. She was great. After that was Taxotere followed by Cytoxan to finish the cocktail.
I napped for about an hour I think, I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I was incoherent and realized I just needed to listen and close my eyes. During this time, I had several visitors ala Barbara - Dr. Keleher, my breast surgeon, Sara her nurse practitioner, the head of Oncology at Vassar, etc. All stopping to say hi and see how I was doing... it's good to have friends in high places!! I finished the day at 6:00p. Lesson: still don't believe the time they estimate. They said it would be about 3-4 hours; it took me 6+. Book out the whole day. Not complaining, just trying to plan for next time!
Shelly brought me home while Bob picked up Thai for dinner, again, and also Chris. Didn't taste the same, the Thai that is - I kind of expected that. We sat around the table and talked while my head cleared a little. Bob and my best friends on a day like today... priceless. They left early knowing I just needed to settle down and chill or sleep. Which is exactly what I did - chilling writing in my blog!
That was my day, how was yours???
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
It begins
Well, tomorrow, 12/9/2010 is my first Chemo treatment. Scared? Nah. Just want to get started. 2 weeks of test after test feels like a month of Sunday's. In a way, I want to know what I'm in for! The 'unknown' side effects are the worst part. Yes, I know I'll lose my hair and lose my appetite. My worst fear is nausea!!! But my doctor has assured me he can control that and I believe him - that's a good sign! There are plenty of other side effects listed for Chemo, but each person is different and I'm hoping I'm the one that gets the fewest. I'll find out soon!!
This became my first post .... I will follow up with a more descriptive one. One that recants how I got here. I've started it, it's just taking me a while to finish...
This became my first post .... I will follow up with a more descriptive one. One that recants how I got here. I've started it, it's just taking me a while to finish...
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