I guess that says it all! Thank God! PET Scan came back perfect! I will need blood tests every two months for the first year, then every 6 months for a couple years. I had the port removed last Tuesday, so I'll start making up manly stories about my gnarly scars (why say "Oh that's from a surgery" when, "Knife fight" carries so much more allure?!) What more need be said? Horrah!
I would like to thank everyone SO MUCH for their prayers and support, especially my Austin family and my Stanton family... I couldn't have kept you guys away if I tried.. and I'm so grateful!
Love,
Jarid
27 May 2010
21 May 2010
The Latest Greatest
I had the PET Scan yesterday and it was completely covered by UW Charity Care!! I'm hoping to hear the results soon. If the test is clear, we'll get this port out of my chest soon. If it's not clear, I suppose we'll leave it in for some more treatment after I get back from Uganda... we'll see.
11 May 2010
PET Scan
Turns out DSHS won't approve the test. My doctor thinks I need it, so she's going to try to get Harborview Charity Care to approve it. She has scheduled the test for May 19th, in hopes that it will be approved. More later.
21 March 2010
Treatment Followup
22 March 2010 - CT Scan and Blood tests
25 March 2010 - Scan Results: So... we think I'm cured! I need to have another test, so that we can be 100% sure, but it looks very very good! I'll say more when I'm not siked!
25 March 2010 - Scan Results: So... we think I'm cured! I need to have another test, so that we can be 100% sure, but it looks very very good! I'll say more when I'm not siked!
08 March 2010
Chemo Cycle #3 of 3
Hopefully The Last 21 Days of Treatment: We begin Cycle #3 and I'm in pretty great shape. I'm bald, starting to loose even the eyebrows and lashes, and I'm always tired. Sometimes I have aches and pains, extremities go tingly, there was a wicked ringing in my ears that seems to have become much more manageable (THANKFULLY!). I experienced a few nosebleeds and several instances of vomiting (luckily I hadn't been hungry so there wasn't much there), during Cycle #2. Maybe a photo to come ; )
22 Feb - Monday - Cisplatin/Etoposide/Bleomycin: Long day today because we did all three chemo drugs and things were just a but slow around the infusion clinic. Dennis brought me. His autopilot had him trying to park the car and come up to sit with me, but I reminded him that he had to go to work. Donna Mae stuck it out for the whole day and brought me home when we were done (THANKS A BUNCH!) I'm feeling well. I'm tired and my body aches if I stay in the same position too long... leaves me wondering "How old is this body of mine!?" I guess I can start getting wicked bruises from the slightest bumps.. but I haven't seen any of that yet, and I'm hoping I won't. Melissa says I look pale, she always gives me a good long look when I get home, then gives me big hug and an appraisal. I think my face looks a bit green... Hahaha I look much worse than I feel. Go Team!
23 Feb - Tuesday - Cisplatin/Etoposide: Oh... Tuesday was good. My oncologist ordered a chest ex ray today. I guess she just wants to make sure the Bleo is not causing any damage. We'll probably have a reading by next week.
24 Feb - Wednesday - Cisplat/Etop: Today was a simply, short day at the hospital. Donna Mae played cards with me the whole time and we chatted each other up. Then she took me back home. And I think it was even early enough so that she missed traffic on the way back to Kent! Jonathan and Christine came over to visit this evening!! We played pool, watched The Princess Bride on Blueray, and eat some much appreciated Garlic Jim's Pizza Pies! They are great fun! I won't pretend that I'm not supper tired now, but I'm not hurting and I'm not sick, and I am very happy. Thank God and man for the meds that counter act the other, vicious, meds that would be making me sick right now... Two more days in the week! Go Team!
25 Feb - Thursday - Cisplat/Etop: Super tired again today. But it doesn't hurt to be tired, so I'm not complaining ; ) I got to meet some Slovenian guys today. Dennis and Miha met up with Donna Mae and me at the hospital so that Donna Mae could bring them down to Tacoma after my treatment. We got to hang out for about an hour and half, playing cards. They were very fun guys and they taught me some new rules for Uno that make the game a bit more exciting! If I get to visit with them again sometime, I'll be glad! After I got home, I had something to eat, then laid my head down 'for a second'.... for about 3.5 hours. Usually I feel crappy after a nap, but today I feel thankful for the sleep and still a bit sleepy. Not much to say... tomorrow is the last day of the long week!! Go Team!
26 Feb - Friday - Cisplat/Etop/Special Shot (to stimulate white blood cell production): The day went very well. Donna Mae and I, got out of there by 145pm! I got home and slept until about 515pm. I woke up just in time for Zach and Jessica to come over for dinner (they brought a delicious chicken pasta salad... I was totally craving a second helping for breakfast this morning so I had a bowl). We watched Shaun Of The Dead and eat Girl Scout Cookies. After Zach and Jess went home, I went to bed, totally exhausted. Slept very well. Woke up with a bit of a headache and bodybone ache all over, but nothing too bad. Right now, I'm experiencing some of my earliest chemo symptoms, face-bone ache, numb/tingling lips and face skin, sensitive nose and picky taste buds. All strange, but not so bad. We're almost done!! Horrah!!
01 March - Monday - Bleomycin: Sorry... I haven't been wanting to comment. I've been feeling bad, getting sick, sleeping all the time. I can definitely feel the cumulative affect of the chemo ... but there's no use complaining because we're almost DONE! Horrah! ; ) Melissa is taking me in for blood tests tomorrow morning, just to check my nutrition and white blood cell levels.
[06 March] Feeling pretty good for the second half of yesterday and so far today! Might get to go see Alice In Wonderland with Melissa and Dennis too!
08 March - Monday - Bleomycin: LAST DAY OF TREATMENT!!!! LAST DAY!! Christina brought me balloons and a latte and Joshua hung out with me at home for a few hours! Melissa and I went to Brugge Chocolates for a 10 box, and Dennis ordered pizza! It's been a good day. I'm exhausted and a little tingy around the edges, but otherwise I'm feeling pretty good ; )
I'll have a CT Scan and blood tests on the 22nd, in the morning, and a late afternoon appointment on the 25th for the results... so check back on the night of the 25th for news!
22 Feb - Monday - Cisplatin/Etoposide/Bleomycin: Long day today because we did all three chemo drugs and things were just a but slow around the infusion clinic. Dennis brought me. His autopilot had him trying to park the car and come up to sit with me, but I reminded him that he had to go to work. Donna Mae stuck it out for the whole day and brought me home when we were done (THANKS A BUNCH!) I'm feeling well. I'm tired and my body aches if I stay in the same position too long... leaves me wondering "How old is this body of mine!?" I guess I can start getting wicked bruises from the slightest bumps.. but I haven't seen any of that yet, and I'm hoping I won't. Melissa says I look pale, she always gives me a good long look when I get home, then gives me big hug and an appraisal. I think my face looks a bit green... Hahaha I look much worse than I feel. Go Team!
23 Feb - Tuesday - Cisplatin/Etoposide: Oh... Tuesday was good. My oncologist ordered a chest ex ray today. I guess she just wants to make sure the Bleo is not causing any damage. We'll probably have a reading by next week.
24 Feb - Wednesday - Cisplat/Etop: Today was a simply, short day at the hospital. Donna Mae played cards with me the whole time and we chatted each other up. Then she took me back home. And I think it was even early enough so that she missed traffic on the way back to Kent! Jonathan and Christine came over to visit this evening!! We played pool, watched The Princess Bride on Blueray, and eat some much appreciated Garlic Jim's Pizza Pies! They are great fun! I won't pretend that I'm not supper tired now, but I'm not hurting and I'm not sick, and I am very happy. Thank God and man for the meds that counter act the other, vicious, meds that would be making me sick right now... Two more days in the week! Go Team!
25 Feb - Thursday - Cisplat/Etop: Super tired again today. But it doesn't hurt to be tired, so I'm not complaining ; ) I got to meet some Slovenian guys today. Dennis and Miha met up with Donna Mae and me at the hospital so that Donna Mae could bring them down to Tacoma after my treatment. We got to hang out for about an hour and half, playing cards. They were very fun guys and they taught me some new rules for Uno that make the game a bit more exciting! If I get to visit with them again sometime, I'll be glad! After I got home, I had something to eat, then laid my head down 'for a second'.... for about 3.5 hours. Usually I feel crappy after a nap, but today I feel thankful for the sleep and still a bit sleepy. Not much to say... tomorrow is the last day of the long week!! Go Team!
26 Feb - Friday - Cisplat/Etop/Special Shot (to stimulate white blood cell production): The day went very well. Donna Mae and I, got out of there by 145pm! I got home and slept until about 515pm. I woke up just in time for Zach and Jessica to come over for dinner (they brought a delicious chicken pasta salad... I was totally craving a second helping for breakfast this morning so I had a bowl). We watched Shaun Of The Dead and eat Girl Scout Cookies. After Zach and Jess went home, I went to bed, totally exhausted. Slept very well. Woke up with a bit of a headache and bodybone ache all over, but nothing too bad. Right now, I'm experiencing some of my earliest chemo symptoms, face-bone ache, numb/tingling lips and face skin, sensitive nose and picky taste buds. All strange, but not so bad. We're almost done!! Horrah!!
01 March - Monday - Bleomycin: Sorry... I haven't been wanting to comment. I've been feeling bad, getting sick, sleeping all the time. I can definitely feel the cumulative affect of the chemo ... but there's no use complaining because we're almost DONE! Horrah! ; ) Melissa is taking me in for blood tests tomorrow morning, just to check my nutrition and white blood cell levels.
[06 March] Feeling pretty good for the second half of yesterday and so far today! Might get to go see Alice In Wonderland with Melissa and Dennis too!
08 March - Monday - Bleomycin: LAST DAY OF TREATMENT!!!! LAST DAY!! Christina brought me balloons and a latte and Joshua hung out with me at home for a few hours! Melissa and I went to Brugge Chocolates for a 10 box, and Dennis ordered pizza! It's been a good day. I'm exhausted and a little tingy around the edges, but otherwise I'm feeling pretty good ; )
I'll have a CT Scan and blood tests on the 22nd, in the morning, and a late afternoon appointment on the 25th for the results... so check back on the night of the 25th for news!
16 February 2010
Chemo Cycle #2 of 3
Friday, my Neutropenic level (white blood cell count) had dropped to 0.35. I'm hoping that it pops back up over the weekend, so that we can stay on schedule with my treatment. We'll check it on Monday. If it's still low, we'll have to postpone treatment for a week to give it time to pop back up.
01 Feb - Monday - Cisplatin/Etoposide/Bleomycin: My white blood cell count crawled up to the fence-ledge of treatability, 0.54. So, I'm happy to report that we decided to stay on schedule with my treatments. I'm happy that we won't delay. For some reason, they want to give me all three drugs today, rather than Tuesday... makes no difference to me. I am feeling well. ; )
02 Feb - Tuesday - Cisplatin/Etoposide: They will check my white cell counts again probably Thursday or Friday. I'm feeling pretty well. This week has not been as hard as the first week of treatment was! I have been blessed! Virtually no fevers or other dangers to speak of! Donna Mae and Joshua have been visiting a lot! Thanks guys! Dennis takes me to the hospital before he goes to work everyday, causing him to miss department conferences etc. I appreciate it!!! Melissa is there to give me a hug and make sure I'm ok everyday, after treatment. Thanks for making a safe place for my chemo'ed body!!
03 Feb - Wednesday - Cisplat/Etop: Good news! My white blood cell count jumped WAY up to 5.4!! That's a good strong count for any healthy individual! It's on the up stroke now. And we can expect it to go back down again before this cycle is finished. However, we are planning to take a special precaution, in order to make sure that my count doesn't drop so low again before the end of the cycle. On Friday, they will give me a shot that stimulates white blood cell production in my bone marrow. No, needles will be entering my bones, thankfully! The shot simply goes under the skin of my stomach... much like a diabetic's insulin shot. The sudden white blood cell production that will start happening in my bone marrow will cause some bone aches and pains, but the nurses have already given me some hydrocodone to deal with that (I also had the option to get Oxycodone... but I opted for the hydro). I'm feeling pretty good today, might even go out to eat tonight or tomorrow! ; )
04 Feb - Thursday - Cisplat/Etop: Ugh, this stuff is wearing me out! I'm very thankful for good company! Donna Mae was able to be there for most of the day once again, and Melissa finally had a day off of classes, so she was there all day too!! Tomorrow is the last day of our long week in Cycle #2! Horrah!
05 Feb - Friday - Cisplat/Etop/Special Shot: I thought the shot would hurt, but it was just a pinch. And I'm not experiencing any of the predicted bone pains yet. Not much to report. I'm totally grateful to just be exhausted. Some of my fellow patients are an inspiration! I hope and believe that I will never experience their pains. Trust me when I say that the grass is far greener on my side. Thank you so much Team Jarid, especially Donna Mae, who has taken every day this week to sit by my side!
[06 Feb - Sat] For those who knew that I could be expecting a rough day today, I'm happy to report that it's not bad so far! I've experienced some aches in the face bones, ribs and hips, but nothing that would make me reach for the pills. ; )
08 Feb - Monday - Bleomycin: My white blood cell count was above normal -over 7.0- so we know that the shot is working! The bone aching isn't fun, but it's manageable really... in fact, I prefer it to the head aches and the recently constant ringing in my ears. The bleo gave me a fever and I almost had to go to the ER. Prayer and everything else came through for me and my fever reduced in time to save me the trip. Horrah! This Thursday, I have an afternoon appointment for some blood tests and a sit down with my Oncologist. I'll let everyone know if anything interesting comes out of that. Geez... it's taking me like 20 minutes to write this... the ringing is really distracting (but I'm told it's a common side effect of the Cisplatin). That's all I've got for now, my friends.
[10 Feb - Wed] Hardly slept all night because of the ringing in my ears/head. Fell to sleep on my back, listening to Melissa and Dennis get ready for work and school. Woke up a couple hours later choking on a nosebleed. Made it to the bathroom without a mess. Threw up all the blood that I had already swallowed. They told me in the beginning that random nosebleeds could be expected during treatment.. but I had forgotten. If I didn't know better, I would think it was this damned ringing making blood come out of my head. I guess I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and get something better than hydrocodone. All the hydro did last night was make the body feel like it lost circulation and the head issues more acute. I'll ask for the oxy tomorrow. People keep saying that my blog is sugarcoated... here's to sharing.
[14 Feb - Sunday] I guess another update is in order. I am feeling much better than I had been feeling last week!! Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts! They are really coming through! I had reached an all time low in my treatment, bone aching, vomiting, nosebleeds, ear ringing, head aches, no appetite, etc. One blessing is that the doctor gave me some oxycodone. It's gives a short burst of pain relief that helps me get to sleep at night. It has no effect on the ear ringing, but it gives me a 4 hour break from everything else, which makes it all all bearable so I can get into a deep sleep and rest peacefully all night. I only take it at night before sleep and it only takes one 5mg tablet. Getting good sleep makes the days much more manageable too! This weekend has been very nice! Thanks all!
16 Feb - Tuesday - Bleomycin: 2.5-3 hours. And thus concludes treatment on cycle #3! Horrah! Things went well at the hospital, slow but good. White blood cell count still within normal ranges, 2.6. I'm feeling good. No fever so far.. and I'm not really expecting a fever. I'm hungry and we're about to go to Claim Jumpers ; ) that makes me happy! The cough seems to have gone away almost completely! Go team!
26 January 2010
Chemo Cycle #1 of 3
The First 21 Days of Treatment
You will notice my chemo treatment regimen is listed on each day. The drugs listed are the chemo drugs that I will take that day. There are also anti-nausea medications that I won't bother to list. Wikipedia.org is a great place to research these drugs. Don't worry about the listed side effects... I'm a tank ; )
11 Jan - Monday - Cisplatin/Etoposide: 9am-330pm. Today was good. There are very few side effects today : ) Thank you Melissa and Dennis for EVERYTHING! Thank you, Donna Mae and Christina for "TEAM JARID"! Thank you, Mom, for the ESSENTIAL OILS and the DIFFUSER. My room is filled with healing aroma... instead of man-foot-smell! Ok, don't worry. I will post all the really real facts etc when there is something to report... I won't try to make anyone think there's nothing going on. Today was chill ; ) Go Team!!
12 Jan - Tuesday - Cisplatin/Etoposide/Bleomycin: 9am- 440pm of pure infusion time... ugh. I'm happy to report that the only side effects I have experienced today are foggy thoughts (yeah, I'm not very quick on the draw today) and sleepiness. The doctor said that it would not be out of the ordinary for me to experience a mild fever later tonight... nothing yet. I'm sleepy, hungry and I'm pretty sure this body was designed not to break easily. I'm also thankful, thankful for my support group and thankful for this resilient body. ; )
13 Jan - Wednesday - Cisplat/Etop: 9am- 230pm. Another good day in chemoland. Truly, there is nothing to report. I start with an hour of hydration and electrolytes IV drip. Then they give me some anti-nausea meds. Then and hour each for the Cisplatin and Etoposide (Bleomycin is much quicker). Then another hour of hydration and electrolytes. Today, one of the nurses tried to speed up the Cisplatin drip to only 45 minutes... she didn't tell me that she was going to do this, and I wondered why it hurt when it started to enter my system. My usual nurse, nurse Chinn, came in and changed it back to 1 hour so that it would enter my system slower. No need to rush, especially when I'm doing so well taking it by the hour! Nurse Chinn is great! The only side effect so far is weariness. The simple solution is to nap whenever I wish ; )
Donna Mae kept me company again today. I taught her how to play Thirteen (a card game) and she picked it up quick enough to kick my butt a few times! Christina is bringing me an iced, decaf, soy latte tomorrow!
14 Jan - Thursday - Cisplat/Etop: 9am-3pm. I'm treated so well! Between Dennis and Melissa, all of my Stanton family, and the nurses, I'm treated like sleepy, drugged up royalty! Roy, the pharmacology Phd, who assigns my chemo and drug support, gave me some pills to help with the acid reflux that I'm beginning to experience. It's not really working yet, but hopefully it will start to help by tomorrow. Roy is like a bearded angel in a white lab coat. ; ) Christina brought me an iced, decaf, soy latte today and introduced me to a show called Flashforward! Then she took me home... then she sat in traffic for about 2 hours, trying to get home... Thank you and I'm sorry! I think Josh will come see me tomorrow, horrah!
15 Jan - Friday - Cisplat/Etop: 9am-225pm. They made great time today. This morning was not the best. I experienced much more nausea than usual, but it faded away with the appropriate food and meds. They also game a lorazapam to help with the nausea... it doubles as an anti anxiety and that made things very easy. I was sleepy all day... more than usual. Josh watched movies with me and the day went very quick! Thanks Josh! And thanks Dennis and Melissa for getting me whatever I wanted for dinner to celebrate the end of the week!!
19 Jan - Tuesday - Bleomycin: 9-1130am. Hmm, bleomycin gave me a fever today. Not bad so far.. only about 100 degrees. They said it probably would. I have been sleeping almost all day since returning from the hospital and I will go back to sleep soon, I think. No breathing issues (that's the big concern with Bleo). Tried to take a bite of dinner a few minutes ago and was struck with sudden nausea, but it's passed now. I'll try to eat again in a few minutes, but I'm really not in the mood. Nothing sounds good. Water is nice *smiles*. It's a full week until the 26th, horrah!! Thank you so much, Team Jarid! Your support means a LOT to me!
26 Jan - Tuesday - Bleomycin: 2 hours or so. Last Tuesday, the Bleo kicked my butt. Today, I am feeling very well! My white blood cell count is even lower, 0.6. This is to be expected. We scheduled a visit for Friday, to check my counts again. Hopefully 0.6 is my baseline. White blood cell counts are supposed to drop like this, then suddenly rise again. Our hope is that I will have a higher count on Friday, so that we can stay on my treatment schedule. If the count is still so low on Monday, the solution will be to postpone Cycle #2 for a week and give my counts a chance to raise back up to a healthy level. Rockin on!
You will notice my chemo treatment regimen is listed on each day. The drugs listed are the chemo drugs that I will take that day. There are also anti-nausea medications that I won't bother to list. Wikipedia.org is a great place to research these drugs. Don't worry about the listed side effects... I'm a tank ; )
11 Jan - Monday - Cisplatin/Etoposide: 9am-330pm. Today was good. There are very few side effects today : ) Thank you Melissa and Dennis for EVERYTHING! Thank you, Donna Mae and Christina for "TEAM JARID"! Thank you, Mom, for the ESSENTIAL OILS and the DIFFUSER. My room is filled with healing aroma... instead of man-foot-smell! Ok, don't worry. I will post all the really real facts etc when there is something to report... I won't try to make anyone think there's nothing going on. Today was chill ; ) Go Team!!
12 Jan - Tuesday - Cisplatin/Etoposide/Bleomycin: 9am- 440pm of pure infusion time... ugh. I'm happy to report that the only side effects I have experienced today are foggy thoughts (yeah, I'm not very quick on the draw today) and sleepiness. The doctor said that it would not be out of the ordinary for me to experience a mild fever later tonight... nothing yet. I'm sleepy, hungry and I'm pretty sure this body was designed not to break easily. I'm also thankful, thankful for my support group and thankful for this resilient body. ; )
13 Jan - Wednesday - Cisplat/Etop: 9am- 230pm. Another good day in chemoland. Truly, there is nothing to report. I start with an hour of hydration and electrolytes IV drip. Then they give me some anti-nausea meds. Then and hour each for the Cisplatin and Etoposide (Bleomycin is much quicker). Then another hour of hydration and electrolytes. Today, one of the nurses tried to speed up the Cisplatin drip to only 45 minutes... she didn't tell me that she was going to do this, and I wondered why it hurt when it started to enter my system. My usual nurse, nurse Chinn, came in and changed it back to 1 hour so that it would enter my system slower. No need to rush, especially when I'm doing so well taking it by the hour! Nurse Chinn is great! The only side effect so far is weariness. The simple solution is to nap whenever I wish ; )
Donna Mae kept me company again today. I taught her how to play Thirteen (a card game) and she picked it up quick enough to kick my butt a few times! Christina is bringing me an iced, decaf, soy latte tomorrow!
14 Jan - Thursday - Cisplat/Etop: 9am-3pm. I'm treated so well! Between Dennis and Melissa, all of my Stanton family, and the nurses, I'm treated like sleepy, drugged up royalty! Roy, the pharmacology Phd, who assigns my chemo and drug support, gave me some pills to help with the acid reflux that I'm beginning to experience. It's not really working yet, but hopefully it will start to help by tomorrow. Roy is like a bearded angel in a white lab coat. ; ) Christina brought me an iced, decaf, soy latte today and introduced me to a show called Flashforward! Then she took me home... then she sat in traffic for about 2 hours, trying to get home... Thank you and I'm sorry! I think Josh will come see me tomorrow, horrah!
15 Jan - Friday - Cisplat/Etop: 9am-225pm. They made great time today. This morning was not the best. I experienced much more nausea than usual, but it faded away with the appropriate food and meds. They also game a lorazapam to help with the nausea... it doubles as an anti anxiety and that made things very easy. I was sleepy all day... more than usual. Josh watched movies with me and the day went very quick! Thanks Josh! And thanks Dennis and Melissa for getting me whatever I wanted for dinner to celebrate the end of the week!!
19 Jan - Tuesday - Bleomycin: 9-1130am. Hmm, bleomycin gave me a fever today. Not bad so far.. only about 100 degrees. They said it probably would. I have been sleeping almost all day since returning from the hospital and I will go back to sleep soon, I think. No breathing issues (that's the big concern with Bleo). Tried to take a bite of dinner a few minutes ago and was struck with sudden nausea, but it's passed now. I'll try to eat again in a few minutes, but I'm really not in the mood. Nothing sounds good. Water is nice *smiles*. It's a full week until the 26th, horrah!! Thank you so much, Team Jarid! Your support means a LOT to me!
26 Jan - Tuesday - Bleomycin: 2 hours or so. Last Tuesday, the Bleo kicked my butt. Today, I am feeling very well! My white blood cell count is even lower, 0.6. This is to be expected. We scheduled a visit for Friday, to check my counts again. Hopefully 0.6 is my baseline. White blood cell counts are supposed to drop like this, then suddenly rise again. Our hope is that I will have a higher count on Friday, so that we can stay on my treatment schedule. If the count is still so low on Monday, the solution will be to postpone Cycle #2 for a week and give my counts a chance to raise back up to a healthy level. Rockin on!
22 January 2010
White Blood Cells
Ok, special update. Today I went to Harborview for a blood test. They like to check electrolyte, sodium, white blood cell etc levels on a regular basis with chemo patients. The results of today's test are exactly what we would expect them to be at this stage of the treatment.
White blood cells are the body's front line of immune defense. The more the better. The standard white blood cell count for a healthy person ranges from 1.8 to 7.0. My count is 0.86. Basically, I don't have an immune system right now. ...horrah ; ) Blessed, as I am, I have a clean hospitable apartment to live in. Being locked up here won't be so bad. I can't go to public places, restaurants, stores, library etc for a while... probably until I'm done with treatment.
VISITORS:
I LOVE my visitors. But I have to ask anyone who has been sick or overly exposed to a sick somebody to wait until they are feeling better to come see me. Nurse Chinn says that she'll drive away sniffly visitors with a stick! She's sweet. The consequences of my catching a cold, infection or fever of 100.4 or higher is an immediate trip to the emergency room. They even told me not to pet the cats... ugh!
It's lame, but it's the road to what they're saying is an almost sure recovery from cancer... so be patient through this with me. Thanks guys!
Go Team!
White blood cells are the body's front line of immune defense. The more the better. The standard white blood cell count for a healthy person ranges from 1.8 to 7.0. My count is 0.86. Basically, I don't have an immune system right now. ...horrah ; ) Blessed, as I am, I have a clean hospitable apartment to live in. Being locked up here won't be so bad. I can't go to public places, restaurants, stores, library etc for a while... probably until I'm done with treatment.
VISITORS:
I LOVE my visitors. But I have to ask anyone who has been sick or overly exposed to a sick somebody to wait until they are feeling better to come see me. Nurse Chinn says that she'll drive away sniffly visitors with a stick! She's sweet. The consequences of my catching a cold, infection or fever of 100.4 or higher is an immediate trip to the emergency room. They even told me not to pet the cats... ugh!
It's lame, but it's the road to what they're saying is an almost sure recovery from cancer... so be patient through this with me. Thanks guys!
Go Team!
05 January 2010
Summary #1
Here ends Summary #1. I will continue summarizing my treatment in Chemo Cycles 1-3. This is ah.... archive material.
11 Jan 2010 - Monday
Chemo #1 - thus begins the 63 day saga that will be Chemotherapy. Today, we will begin the first of 3, twenty-one day cycles.
5-8 Jan 2010
Somewhere in here, I'll visit the UW Male Fertility Clinic for sperm banking. Harborview decided to utilize their discretionary fund to provide me with a 50% discount on fertility services. Chemo depletes the male sperm count, but the body usually corrects its sperm count within a year, or two, of completing treatment. This is just a precaution.
5 Jan 2010 - Tuesday
The Pulmonary Function Lab administered tests that recorded my current lung function so that we can set a base line. This went well. There will be several pulmonary function labs during the course of my treatment. With a baseline, we can tell how I am doing, if my lung function has dropped or raised, etc, due to the chemo.
4 Jan 2010 - Monday
A port was installed under the skin below my collarbone somewhere. This protects my veins from frequent injection damage. It feels and looks just about the way one would imagine.
31 Dec 2009 - Thursday
Meet with the oncologist to prepare for chemotherapy.
22 Dec 2009 -Tuesday
New news, new plan
21 Dec 2009 - Monday
CT scan #2 was uneventful
17 Dec 2009 - Thursday
Meet with the surgeon/urologist, Dr. McLung. He said that I am healing very well from the surgery.
Met the oncologist, Dr. Lee. She examined me and scheduled me for more blood tests and another CT scan.
Gave blood to the lab.
30 Nov 2009 - Monday
Met with Dr. McClung to review biopsy and CAT Scan. The biopsy was inconclusive, so they're going to take a better look. They are going to set up an appointment with an Oncologist (cancer specialist) for me in the near future.
19 Nov 2009 - Thursday
Had a very smooth surgery.
Made it home by 1pm!
17 Nov 2009 - Tuesday
Financial Center opted to cover 100% of my medical bills through 5.17.10!
Met with Kay for preop information.
Met my Anesthesiologist to determine the best anesthesia for me.
Had a chest x-ray and a CAT scan
Blood test came back indicating normal organ function etc!
16 Nov 2009 - Monday
Visit Harborview Medical Center for the first time.
Financial Center was too understaffed to meet with me, so we made an appointment for tomorrow.
Met my urologist, Dr. Christopher McClung.
Met Kay Longhi, the urology Patient Care Coordinator.
Let the lab draw more blood for tests.
11 Jan 2010 - Monday
Chemo #1 - thus begins the 63 day saga that will be Chemotherapy. Today, we will begin the first of 3, twenty-one day cycles.
5-8 Jan 2010
Somewhere in here, I'll visit the UW Male Fertility Clinic for sperm banking. Harborview decided to utilize their discretionary fund to provide me with a 50% discount on fertility services. Chemo depletes the male sperm count, but the body usually corrects its sperm count within a year, or two, of completing treatment. This is just a precaution.
5 Jan 2010 - Tuesday
The Pulmonary Function Lab administered tests that recorded my current lung function so that we can set a base line. This went well. There will be several pulmonary function labs during the course of my treatment. With a baseline, we can tell how I am doing, if my lung function has dropped or raised, etc, due to the chemo.
4 Jan 2010 - Monday
A port was installed under the skin below my collarbone somewhere. This protects my veins from frequent injection damage. It feels and looks just about the way one would imagine.
31 Dec 2009 - Thursday
Meet with the oncologist to prepare for chemotherapy.
22 Dec 2009 -Tuesday
New news, new plan
21 Dec 2009 - Monday
CT scan #2 was uneventful
17 Dec 2009 - Thursday
Meet with the surgeon/urologist, Dr. McLung. He said that I am healing very well from the surgery.
Met the oncologist, Dr. Lee. She examined me and scheduled me for more blood tests and another CT scan.
Gave blood to the lab.
30 Nov 2009 - Monday
Met with Dr. McClung to review biopsy and CAT Scan. The biopsy was inconclusive, so they're going to take a better look. They are going to set up an appointment with an Oncologist (cancer specialist) for me in the near future.
19 Nov 2009 - Thursday
Had a very smooth surgery.
Made it home by 1pm!
17 Nov 2009 - Tuesday
Financial Center opted to cover 100% of my medical bills through 5.17.10!
Met with Kay for preop information.
Met my Anesthesiologist to determine the best anesthesia for me.
Had a chest x-ray and a CAT scan
Blood test came back indicating normal organ function etc!
16 Nov 2009 - Monday
Visit Harborview Medical Center for the first time.
Financial Center was too understaffed to meet with me, so we made an appointment for tomorrow.
Met my urologist, Dr. Christopher McClung.
Met Kay Longhi, the urology Patient Care Coordinator.
Let the lab draw more blood for tests.
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