Update to Chemo, Steroids, and Weight Gain

Went and saw my oncologist this past Tuesday before getting my 48^th treatment of Pemetrexed (Brand name Alimta). I had just had a CAT scan done last week and was awaiting the results. Happily I am still in total remission and I was so happy that I forgot all the questions I wanted to ask my doctor about the steroids.

Good news is I had lost 2 pounds from my previous visit. There was no mention about my blood test until I asked the oncology nurse (not the same nurse I saw my previous visit). She said my blood work came back from that morning and it was 8.0, which is a good count apparently as I had taken my steroids for two days previous to the blood work being done. I did tell her that when I had an A1C blood test done to measure my glucose over the past 3 months it was 6.3. Her reply was, oh that’s good. 

Rather than question her I left it alone.

My oncologist after telling me the great results of the CAT scan stood with his hands on his hips saying to me, “I don’t know what we’re going to do with you. You’re such a unique case, but we can’t keep giving you chemo forever.”

My reply to him was, “Well we skip a month and make it chemo every 2 months.”

“No I’m afraid we cannot do it that way, but I can give you breaks. I’ll see you back in November.”

I was thinking to myself that maybe they have to keep me on once a month in order for the Ontario Health Plan to pay for the chemo I’m receiving.  Stupid me, didn’t ask.

Wednesday morning I get a call from the dietician that was supposed to come see me on Tuesday but never did. She apologized that she was very busy and couldn’t get to me. 

 I explained to her that I had gained 70 pounds and it was starting to affect my knees and back. Her answer to me was well we just want you to maintain your weight and I see here that you lost 2 pounds from your previous visit in August. She asks me if I get much exercise and my answer to her is I try to walk but get out of breath quite easily. Just walking up the stairs from the main level of my house or down to the basement winds me. I do walk around malls, and try to get out and get in smaller walks than the marathons I used to due pre cancer. 

I told her that I’d taken pictures of my dinners for the past couple of weeks to show her what I eat. I’m trying to cut back on the carbs and usually have a salad, protein, and veggies for dinner.  Her answer to that was, “Low Carb diets don’t work.”

They sure have for me in the past and I will continue to watch my carb intake.  

Anyways to make a long story short or shorter the dietician is sending me out some pamphlets to look at that may help me. She said that she’d see me in November at my next oncology, chemo appointment. 

A Frustrating Chemo Day

Had today what I thought was going to be my every two month chemo treatment. Little did I know that my oncologist and I were on a very different page.

At my last visit to him he said to me I'm going to put you on chemo every 2 months rather than once a month. I was ecstatic. I For the past month I've felt like my almost old self.

I wasn't looking forward to going to chemo today at all knowing that over the next week I'd be getting all the side effects from the lovely drug (Pemetrexed) they shoot into my system.

My oncologist walks into the waiting room and asks me how I'm doing. I reply with I'm doing great thanks. So the break did you good he says. Break? I reply. I thought that you said I'd only have chemo once every two months? Oh no, he replies I was just giving you a month off and now you'll be back to your regular once a month treatments.

Talk about getting that last visit wrong. I called my husband who went with me for my last visit and he said to me, Oh I thought I heard that he was only going to have you going to chemo every two months. That made me feel better as I thought for a few minutes that maybe I was loosing my mind. LOL! Al then proceeded to say to me, well maybe it's for the better that you continue on with the treatments every month rather than every two months.

I'm approaching my 4th year of chemo and to tell you the truth I'm getting sick and tired of it. I just want it to be over. The treatments that is, not life itself. I suppose I should be grateful that I'm still here to write about the frustrations, tribulations, and conquering all that I've been through.

So this has been my frustrating day. Sorry this has not been a happier post. So until next time, which I hope will be happier news I wish you all a fantastic week!

It's Been Awhile - Happy Easter

I just realized the other day that I hadn't posted anything on this blog since last December. Wow!

I've been working on my Poetry Blog for most of the year so far and promoting my children's books. I'm so close with the book sales to be able to send Ronald McDonald house a cheque. Sadly you have to wait until you hit $100.00 before they'll pay you.

Yesterday I went for a CAT Scan. What normally takes only a few hours turned into a 4 hour ordeal. It got to the point where I thought they'd forgotten about me and asked the nurse that hooked up my port if I would soon be seen. My appointment time was 10:30 and I left the hospital at 2:30. Apparently they had a lot of people coming in from emergency that needed scans.

I always worry that they'll find something. I'll find out the results this upcoming Tuesday when I go for my 44th Pemetrexed chemo treatment. The waiting is always a killer. It's hard to believe that I was diagnosed 4 years ago this coming September. Who ever thought I'd make it this far. It's been quite the ride to say the least.

Well that's about all the news for now. I hope that everyone has a safe and very Happy Easter long weekend!

40 Treatments of Pemetrexed and Still Kicking

It's been just over three years now since I was diagnosed with lung cancer and considering they gave me a year to live I'm doing great.

During this journey so far to date I've had 8 treatments of CISplatin and gemcitabine, and 40 pemetrexed treatments. When I first started I never dreamed my body would be able to handle so many chemo sessions. I am lucky as I've never had to skip a treatment due to blood work coming back bad. 

Yesterday when I saw my oncologist he gave me the results of my latest CAT scan, and bone scan I had done, a week ago. Nothing has changed with the CAT scan and I'm still in remission. YEAH!!!! The bone scan revealed that I have arthritis in my hip. This is easy to deal with as they wanted to rule out cancer when they did the bone scan. 

People often say to me, oh I thought you'd be done with the chemo since you're in remission. I only wish this were so. I'm tired of chemo once a month but it is keeping the cancer at bay for now. Pemetrexed for me is a maintenance drug and it's doing its job. There is no end of chemo for me as long as my body can handle the treatments. My oncologist told me that because the cancer is in my lymph nodes that it will always be there. My job is to keep fighting and not to let it spread. Thinking positive has gotten me this far and I plan on getting much further. 


Merry Christmas Everyone!

Mini Cancer Update Now Waiting on a Port

As I’m sitting having chemo pumped through my veins I hear clapping and cheering

I listen and curiously wonder why on earth would people be acting this way in a cancer centre?

Then this past Wednesday I’m sitting beside a woman who has just had her I.V. taken out and I see nurses gathering about.

 “Hip, Hip, Hurrah” starts ….   “Hip, Hip, Hurrah”, the “Hip, Hip, Hurrah”. Then hugs, lots of hugs and congratulations of, " you've done it" … your very last chemo treatment. As I look on I see one of the nurses hand this very happy looking woman a diploma. How nice I think to myself, for her. She is one of the lucky ones that may never have to have chemo ever again in her life.

I’m at a friend’s blog reading about her 20th chemo treatment.  Her and I are on a quite similar journey as far as chemo goes. It will probably never end for us. As the little beaver (Justin Bieber) says “Never Say Never”, as more than likely it will end when our bodies can no longer take any more chemicals being into our bodies.

Outside of the chemo centre in the waiting room where I go now every three weeks, there’s a ships bell that people ring when it is their last treatment. I have watched and seen people ring the bell as they’re leaving. Usually a couple of loud clangs and an, “I’m outta here!” Silently I sit and wish that were me.

Yesterday when I read +Lisa Thompson's I was inspired to write this piece. I was going to try and make it poetic. But after I started writing it the poetry would not flow from my mind, through my fingers, to my keyboard.

Even though I know for me the chemo won’t end until my body says no more or the doctors say no more, I will still fight and not give into the cancer that lingers in my body. For right now this Pemetrexed is shrinking the nodules in my lung, with no new nodules showing. They are still there in my chest hanging in close to my left lung, but can no longer be seen in the left lung.

(I spoke with a new oncology nurse this week and she was very informative when I asked her various questions about what all my reports had said)

The port I was to have put in this past March had to be cancelled due to depression. Now I’m waiting for them to re-book the insertion of the port as I was a human pin cushion this past week. Even once the I.V. team nurse was called in to insert the I.V. this week it took her several attempts to find a vein. I’m hoping that the port is in before my next chemo treatment in three weeks from now. 

To all of us that are fighting cancer let's try really hard and keep fighting the fight even though we have blips in the way and some days want to throw in the towel and say to hell with it. Don't give in and please don't ever give up. Miracles do still happen.........

For my complete cancer journey please click here.