I am extremely fatigued and am having difficulty breathing, but the good news is that I have not felt nauseated at all today, not even during chemo and after the red drug that always makes me sick. I even forgot to bring my anti nausea pill that I usually take before going home just in case. The smell of saline did not even bother me so much today. The only time it bothered me was walking down the hall to meet with the doctor. I passed by the chemo room and got a whiff of the saline. It made me sick to my stomach for a very brief time. The rest of the day, it was more of an annoyance, but did not make me sick!!! Thank you all for your prayers today!!!
The doctor visit went well. I met with the nurse practitioner, but she was very friendly and answered all our questions. Dad was with me and had a whole lot of technical questions. What answers she could not give, she asked the doctor. Dr. Meluch came to see me while I received treatment to fill me in on my pulmonary function test results.
So, here's the latest. I am becoming anemic again. This is very normal for this stage in the chemo treatment. This explains why I took a good long nap yesterday and why I haven't been feeling manic this past week like I have been feeling most non-chemo weeks. It also explains the swelling in my hands and some of the shortness of breath. My body is trying to compensate for the lack of oxygen being made.
My count is 10.8. Unfortunately, they cannot start treating me for anemia until my level gets under 10, which it most likely will after this treatment. Insurance won't pay for the treatments until my count gets below 10. Red blood cells die off a lot slower than white blood cells so I won't start receiving treatment until my next round of chemo. However, they told me to call if I am more tired than normal next week. Treatment for replenishing my red blood cells is as simple as getting a shot like I do for the white blood cells. I will not need a blood transfusion.
My pulmonary lung function test looks good. I did better than before on one part and a little worse than before on another part. It all still looks really good and my lungs are healthy. They did not see what they would expect to see if chemo was having an adverse effect on my lungs. However, because I am still having trouble with my breathing and have periods where I have trouble catching my breath, and since everything else seems to be going so well, he elected to stop giving me one of the chemo drugs that is responsible for the adverse effects on the breathing and lungs. Sorry, I don't remember the name of the drug, but it was the last drip I usually get. Unfortunately, I still have to get the extremely potent red drug that is responsible for the hair loss and nausea. (On a funny side note, I have one solitary eye lash left on my left eye! Mike called it my Charlie Brown hair! Since my hair is so thick and dark, it really sticks out! My eye brows are really getting thin, too!)
I asked what was next after my last session. The nurse practitioner said that my doctor likes to wait until after chemo is over to discuss this since it is different for everyone, but she still gave me her probable guesstimate based on my condition. I will most likely come in once a month to meet with the doctor and to have my port flushed. The port will most likely remain in until after my one year cancer-free anniversary. He will probably test me every three months to make sure the cancer has not returned. The chances are slim that it will return or that I will develop a second form of cancer. However, I will probably have to start getting yearly mamograms. I'm not sure how long I will have to continue meeting him every month. I assume as long as I have the port.
I came home and crashed until dinner time. Like I said, no nausea which is awesome!!! Being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel has certainly helped. I still have my peace. I still haven't taken an anti nausea pill. I will before bedtime, though, just to be safe. No chemo brain yet. My brain is functioning quite a bit slower than normal, but I'm not as foggy yet.The doctor also gave me a prescription to help with the hemorrhoid pain. Mike is going to get the prescription for me tomorrow. Hopefully, the breathing will quickly improve since I didn't have to have that chemo drip. God willing, I'll bounce back quicker and be able to enjoy the weekend!
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