Tumer Markers

First Chemo Today

  

 Today I had my first round of Taxel and Carboplatin. Started the morning with a weigh in then numbing my accessing  port.

Two vials of blood drawn to check blood counts. These are then sent to lab to be analyzed as we wait for the results a saline solution is dripped in. Finally after a
little over an hour the test results are in.









The blood test are good so we're a go..... Before they can start the Taxel I'll need some anti-nausea med's (Zofran).  Lots of  drugs to keep you from all the side effects of chemo and more side effects from the drugs they give you for the side effects.......I've had more drugs pumped into me than I've had in my whole life.

Next I get a corticosteroid so I wont have an allergic reaction and Benadryl for motion sickness. Last I was given Famotidine (Pepcid) to help with stomach acid so you don't produce to much.

                          
Triple checks ...... to calculate the amount of chemo drugs to be given they take your weight and height and put it into a magic formula and come out with your body surface area. I'm a  1.8. The system goes to three checks, first Dr kenyan does his calculations, next nurse Catrina second check and finally, last check is done by cocktail man from the pharmacy.  All check complete he's ready to mix.




                                                                  Wow..... I think we're ready!



Meet cocktail man. Young, good looking and very nice for a guy who is about to poison you.  He mixes all my drug cocktails.




 



Catrina, my nurse, suiting up so she can plug me into the Taxel.  What does this say..... Don't I get a protective gown and gloves?



 





Getting plugged in ...... no turning back now!

 Here we go pumping in the poison ......Taxel.
BP check every 10 minutes to make sure I have adverse reactions.
It will take 3 hours to empty that bag ...... slow poisoning.
Then an other 30 minutes for the Carboplatin.  Then 51/2 hours later I'm cut loose ........ Freedom at last!

Happy Dance!

I think I've found one good thing about having cancer......Weight loss!  I was digging through my summer box of Biking and camping clothes and before packing it back up I started trying on stuff. A pair of hiking shorts that were to small when packed away .... now fit.  Alright!  Tried on some biking tank tops, wow also fit. I'm getting excited now. Tried on more stuff, it all fit. OK check the closet.... I tried a couple button shirts, I could button them up with room to spare. Oh happy day!! For someone who has spent three fourths of their lives trying to loss weight and keep it off this is a good thing. I know a lot of people with cancer need to keep their weight up but for me losing the fat will help keep the cancer from coming back.  I  have lost about 25 - 30 pounds seeing my clothes fit better is inspiring me to keep it up........I'm doing the Happy Dance!

Thumbs Up!

Dr Dotters gave me a thumbs up on my last check-up. Now I'm on to phase3 of treatment the dreaded Chemo. Dr kenyan has decided on four rounds every three weeks. It takes three weeks for your white blood cells to return to normal. I will be injected with Taxol and Carboplatinum. Taxol is from the Yew tree and you can have a allergic reaction and the Carbo kills all fast growing cells. Yahoooo.... So I'm in for a new hair cut! Although  they tell me when your hair grows back it can come in curly or straight and a different color. Wow it will be a whole new me!

I have to admit I'm not crazy about doing chemo......It scares the crap out of me!  I have seven days to buck up.....and just getter done!

Feel like a turkey with a pop-up timer!

Wow....finally done with the probe radiation. I had three treatments a week apart, where a tube is inserted, a wire is attached with a radioactive seed at the other end. The doctor inserts the tube, then a brace contraption is used to hold the tube in place. The tube has a maker wire inside so when they take the digital x-ray they can see if the placement is correct. When they get it just right the maker wire is pulled out and the seed wire is attached. Joe the Driver with his remote control drives the seed up the tube. This is the turkey part, lay perfectly still for six minutes, the turkey timer pops-up... DONE... the seed will retract to it's lead lined container. Joe the driver comes in with geiger counter to make sure the seed has left and is safely home. 

Now the good news.....with all the radiation treatment I'm down to a 2 % recurrence rate in that area.

On the table ...ready to go!

 In the turkey position .... all plugged in!

Stand up to cancer.... Fight back!

Sunburned Butt!

Hooray!!!  Phase two treatment complete! It has been a long five weeks, but we're finally done. We have had 25 radiation zaps to the butt area. Well, really more than that 25 x 4 = 100 and I'll still be cooking for about 6 week while the body begins to heal. So just imagine one hell of a sun burn in that tender region, thank heaven for lidocaine cream. I have done well with treatment with few side effects.

The  next step is three  rounds of  Bracytheraphy, internal radiation which will be a week apart. This involves inserting a tube and then sending in a radioactive seed which will sit at the cervix for 3 to 8 minutes. This will be a high dose of radiation administered right to the top of where the cervix used to be. This will reduce a recurrence to this area to about 2%. Sounds pretty good. The rest will be up to me to keep it at bay.

I'm posting a couple images of the radiation treatment zapping center. Lovely position face down, butts up.

Standing up to Cancer!

 

Hump Day

Today I'm at the half way mark of my radiation  treatment. Only two and a half weeks to go for the external radiation. But, we discovered a complication today. Last week I had complained of my right arm hurting this week I noticed my hand and arm were swollen, they did an ultrasound on my arm ..... yes, I have a blood clot. Talked with the Doctor he said they would start me on blood thinners tomorrow. Then his nurse called wanted me to return corvallis and pick up the drugs today. At first I said yes I'll be there, then I called her back and said it will wait till morning.  Maybe a mistake if the clot makes a run for it to the lush land of the lung.   All this because of the stupid power port that was put in. I have enough problems keeping my blood counts up and now they have to thin it down and with all those side effects that go with it. Darn.....I'm just a little ticked......