I found this saying in some cancer information I was reading and really liked it.
"Some days there wont be a song in your heart. Sing anyway"
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Update
Today's posting is an update of a few things.
Hair regrowth: still too short to go without my wigs. It doesn't look like I will be making my goal of not wearing one the first weekend of November.
Eyebrows/eyelashes: they are growing back very nicely. Today I went to have my eyebrows waxed (not too thrilled with the shaping job, but it will do. As for the eyelashes, today is about the 3rd day that I have been able to put mascara on.. yippee! I love my mascara! Liked the false lashes, but just felt they never looked right, never sat at the right angle etc so didn't wear them too often.
Kaisers apt today: I had read in my cancer books that the Herceptin med I am getting every three weeks (until June 2011) has to be mixed. Today the nurse told me that they are not suppose to order, or let the pharmacy know they need an order of medicine until the patient is there, that they are doing OK, like blood pressure is OK, they are feeling OK and the access, whether it be by a port, an iv etc is connected and ready. But today all the chairs, i think there is 10, were full and the nurses were really busy. So my nurse, Angie told me she was going to fib and tell the pharmacy that I was accessed and ready so they could get going on my meds early. However, for the Herceptin, mixing it means that it starts in a powered form and they mix it with the chemicals, what ever they may be, and it has to set to dissolve and cant be shook to mix it so it takes a while longer than other meds to get from the pharmacy. Nice of her to realize this, since my appt was at 1:30pm and I sat there for a full hour or more before my Herceptin came along. If I have to go back to work, I am usually back by 4pm.. today I didn't leave Kaiser until 4:30pm. Long day! good thing it was my day of and I didn't have to go back to work.
Radiation Dr. Since today is Thursday, its my Dr. day. I met with Dr. Kim for about 3 minutes today. he asked how everything was going, I said" fine", he asked if my skin was reacting OK, I said "yes", he said "can I look at it?" I flashed open my burn-your-eye-out-red robe he briefly looked and said,
"you're right, it looks OK, see ya next week" I said, "sounds good". To think I will end up paying him a copay of $25.00 for that! I need to quit the credit union and become a Dr!
I am a little bit red still and it feels like the area is extra sensitive and becomes red and itchy really easy but using the lotion from them seems to help.
Today was visit 21 I only have 12 left!!
Hair regrowth: still too short to go without my wigs. It doesn't look like I will be making my goal of not wearing one the first weekend of November.
Eyebrows/eyelashes: they are growing back very nicely. Today I went to have my eyebrows waxed (not too thrilled with the shaping job, but it will do. As for the eyelashes, today is about the 3rd day that I have been able to put mascara on.. yippee! I love my mascara! Liked the false lashes, but just felt they never looked right, never sat at the right angle etc so didn't wear them too often.
Kaisers apt today: I had read in my cancer books that the Herceptin med I am getting every three weeks (until June 2011) has to be mixed. Today the nurse told me that they are not suppose to order, or let the pharmacy know they need an order of medicine until the patient is there, that they are doing OK, like blood pressure is OK, they are feeling OK and the access, whether it be by a port, an iv etc is connected and ready. But today all the chairs, i think there is 10, were full and the nurses were really busy. So my nurse, Angie told me she was going to fib and tell the pharmacy that I was accessed and ready so they could get going on my meds early. However, for the Herceptin, mixing it means that it starts in a powered form and they mix it with the chemicals, what ever they may be, and it has to set to dissolve and cant be shook to mix it so it takes a while longer than other meds to get from the pharmacy. Nice of her to realize this, since my appt was at 1:30pm and I sat there for a full hour or more before my Herceptin came along. If I have to go back to work, I am usually back by 4pm.. today I didn't leave Kaiser until 4:30pm. Long day! good thing it was my day of and I didn't have to go back to work.
Radiation Dr. Since today is Thursday, its my Dr. day. I met with Dr. Kim for about 3 minutes today. he asked how everything was going, I said" fine", he asked if my skin was reacting OK, I said "yes", he said "can I look at it?" I flashed open my burn-your-eye-out-red robe he briefly looked and said,
"you're right, it looks OK, see ya next week" I said, "sounds good". To think I will end up paying him a copay of $25.00 for that! I need to quit the credit union and become a Dr!
I am a little bit red still and it feels like the area is extra sensitive and becomes red and itchy really easy but using the lotion from them seems to help.
Today was visit 21 I only have 12 left!!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Radiation 1/2 way!!
Out of 33 treatments of daily Monday through Friday radiation at St. Johns Medical.... I am half way done!!!
Since today is Thursday, its "Dr. Day" so I met briefly with Dr. Kim. Told him I was a little red and itchy and that the technicians had given me some wonderful lotion! He said to use the lotion when I need to but preferably right after treatment, before going to bed and in the morning. Our meeting was brief and I was done and out of there by 6:10pm and home by 6:15pm
Since today is Thursday, its "Dr. Day" so I met briefly with Dr. Kim. Told him I was a little red and itchy and that the technicians had given me some wonderful lotion! He said to use the lotion when I need to but preferably right after treatment, before going to bed and in the morning. Our meeting was brief and I was done and out of there by 6:10pm and home by 6:15pm
Monday, October 18, 2010
Radiation Itch
So I started to develop an area that was really really itchy pretty high up, just under my collar bone. It always itched, so I put some lotion on it. It itched some more so I found a tube of Neosporin and put that on it. Nothing worked.
So today at my radiation appointment, when I was done, I asked the technician if she thought it had anything to do with the radiation. She said yes and gave me a tube of lotion called Miaderm.
It says it was developed by radiation oncologists for patients receiving radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment.
The Dr. from day one told me not to use any lotion or deodorant etc in the area I will be getting the radiation. But this lotion I can use three to four times a day but not 2 hours before my treatment.
I hope it works.!
Today was treatment number 14 out of 33. This itch so far is my only side effect.
So today at my radiation appointment, when I was done, I asked the technician if she thought it had anything to do with the radiation. She said yes and gave me a tube of lotion called Miaderm.
It says it was developed by radiation oncologists for patients receiving radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment.
The Dr. from day one told me not to use any lotion or deodorant etc in the area I will be getting the radiation. But this lotion I can use three to four times a day but not 2 hours before my treatment.
I hope it works.!
Today was treatment number 14 out of 33. This itch so far is my only side effect.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Going good
So far the daily radiation has not made me tired, or burned me. I have done 8 of 33 treatments.
Even when I have to work until 5:30pm I can easily make my appointment at 6pm. They ask that I be there about about 5:45pm to get changed in to my robe and be ready. I have not had to take any time off work for these appointments.
As for my hair, its coming and little by little and I can now see where my hairline is and its getting darker. When I run my hand down the back of my head, I can feel its "going with the grain" and is smooth, when I run my hand from my neck to the top of my head, I can feel its "going against the grain".
I have been taking prenatal vitamins to help it grow.. will try just about anything to help it grow! Not too sure I will make my goal of : Not to wear a wig by the November 6th and 7th assembly weekend, but I think it might be close....
The Muga scan results came back and my heart is taking a very small toll on the Herceptin med. The nurse at Kaiser said to be aware of IF I feel out of breath or tired. Its not bad, just a little change in the test results since the last time. But when I did the Muga scan, I was on Herceptin every week. I am now on it every three weeks so that should make a difference too.
I am feeling really good.
Even when I have to work until 5:30pm I can easily make my appointment at 6pm. They ask that I be there about about 5:45pm to get changed in to my robe and be ready. I have not had to take any time off work for these appointments.
As for my hair, its coming and little by little and I can now see where my hairline is and its getting darker. When I run my hand down the back of my head, I can feel its "going with the grain" and is smooth, when I run my hand from my neck to the top of my head, I can feel its "going against the grain".
I have been taking prenatal vitamins to help it grow.. will try just about anything to help it grow! Not too sure I will make my goal of : Not to wear a wig by the November 6th and 7th assembly weekend, but I think it might be close....
The Muga scan results came back and my heart is taking a very small toll on the Herceptin med. The nurse at Kaiser said to be aware of IF I feel out of breath or tired. Its not bad, just a little change in the test results since the last time. But when I did the Muga scan, I was on Herceptin every week. I am now on it every three weeks so that should make a difference too.
I am feeling really good.
Monday, October 4, 2010
240
This is the amount of times that the radiation machine beeps while I am there. I am under the machine between 10 and 15 minutes.
Its a pretty annoying beeping sound, not a nice low, calm beep but a buzzer beep... if that makes any sense at all!!!
Its a pretty annoying beeping sound, not a nice low, calm beep but a buzzer beep... if that makes any sense at all!!!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Radiation # 3
Today, I decided to ask a couple questions about the machine.
As it rotates around me, it makes sounds. One sound is like a shuffling , card shuffling sound. The other sound it is that it beeps.
So I got to thinking that maybe when it beeps, that's when it administering the radiation. So after it was all over, I asked the technician, if the beeping sounds were when it was giving me the radiation. She said she didn't know what beeping sounds I was hearing since she has not had radiation and can't be in the room when its going, but yes she thought it was. But then I got thinking later, that she told me she can see me and hear me the entire time I am in there during treatment... but she cant hear the beeping sound?... I think over time she had tuned it out. I would, its an irritating sound! Kind of like an old door bell that buzzes.
On Monday I am going to count the times the machine beeps!
So far no effects of radiation! no burns or unusual tiredness! Glad its Friday. This every day stuff is already getting old! Now I have 2 days off!
As it rotates around me, it makes sounds. One sound is like a shuffling , card shuffling sound. The other sound it is that it beeps.
So I got to thinking that maybe when it beeps, that's when it administering the radiation. So after it was all over, I asked the technician, if the beeping sounds were when it was giving me the radiation. She said she didn't know what beeping sounds I was hearing since she has not had radiation and can't be in the room when its going, but yes she thought it was. But then I got thinking later, that she told me she can see me and hear me the entire time I am in there during treatment... but she cant hear the beeping sound?... I think over time she had tuned it out. I would, its an irritating sound! Kind of like an old door bell that buzzes.
On Monday I am going to count the times the machine beeps!
So far no effects of radiation! no burns or unusual tiredness! Glad its Friday. This every day stuff is already getting old! Now I have 2 days off!
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