Just an update on my treatment

Things are going really well for me.  My oncology doctor gave me medication to help me sleep.  I took it for a couple of days in a row and then stopped, then took a couple of more days and stopped. This medication can be addictive so I want to be very careful that I only use it when I really need it. The meds seem to be working to reset my system.  My sleepless nights have decreased radically and now I only take 1/2 a pill very infrequently.

During my last visit with the oncologist, he informed me that I'm 2/3rds of the way through my chemo and only have 6 more sessions until I'm done.  Wooohoo!  I also had a MUGA test (a test to see if there is any damage to your heart from the treatment) and over the last 3 tests my heart function has increased by about 25 % so I'm very happy about that.

I'm feeling better and I'm looking better - not so pasty and white - so it's all good.

Caio!

Feeling Great.

I started my hormone blocking therapy and so far have suffered few side effects.  I also had my osteo shot which I will get every 6 months for the next 5 years.  No problems (so far) there either.

Fatigue is ongoing and while it's not as bad as it was when I was on heavy duty chemo, I still have days when I have to take a nap which usually lasts about 3 hours.  I guess my body is telling me I need the rest.

The only issue ongoing is getting to sleep at night.  Pre-chemo I could fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.  Now it is not uncommon for me to lie away for more than an hour.  I know, I know, I should get up after 20 minutes without sleep but I keep hoping it will pass. Once I fall asleep I'm fine, it's the getting to sleep that's the problem.  Hopefully this will pass in time.  If it doesn't then I may need to get a perscription for sleeping pills.

I feel good however, I know I don't have the stamina that I had a year ago.  Now going out to lunch tires me and I have to come home and have a sleep.  I am hoping I will gradually get my strength back  but then again, this may be my new normal.

Maintenance

I'm finished my radiation and I'm glad to have it complete.  It really wasn't all that bad.  I did get one burn on my collarbone that didn't seem to want to heal, but now after a month, it is finally pretty well gone.  Just itchy now.  The areas that were treated with radiation are also getting back to normal.  The skin is very dry and itchy but I guess it could get worse.

I started hormone replacement therapy (HRT) 2 weeks ago.  It's not really hormone replacement, rather it's hormone blocking.  The medication blocks the estrogen production so you can go through menopause if you have not already done so, or you can go through it again if you've already gone through it.  Isn't that special?   In my particular case, my cancer was HER2N which is an aggressive cancer which is fed by my estrogen.  So it's very important to block any estrogen so that it can't feed any remaining cancer cells, which I reaaaally hope there are not!! );

Anyway I'm on easy street right now as the worst part is over.  I will be getting shots every 6 months because the HRT can cause osteoporosis and the shot will reduce the risk of that and recurrance of the cancer so it's all good.

My daughter and I are planning a trip to Palm Springs in September. Looking forward to Palm Springs was one of the things that got me through the last several months so I can hardly wait to get down there and enjoy the sun and the pool.

Life is good!!

The end is in sight !

I'm finally finished chemo....WooHoo!!  I've started on my maintenance which will continue for about a year.  Maintenance is a piece of cake.  I had my first one yesterday and I was in and out in 45 minutes.  Big difference from being there for 6 hours!  And no side effects!

I start radiation next Tuesday ( April 26th) and I have 16 treatments Monday to Friday, no weekends or holidays.  I'm looking forward to starting that, though I will probably not be quite so enthusiastic about the radiation once my skin starts to become tender.  My last radiation treatment, barring any complications or setbacks, will be May 17th,  Once that's completed then I will need to meet with my oncologist to discuss hormone replacement therapy.  I'm not really sure how I feel about that however I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I'm so looking forward to my life coming back to some semblance of normal.  I'm also counting the days (sort of :) until I can get away to Palm Springs in the fall.  I sooooo need that!

New drugs

The last time I posted I mentioned that my oncologist had put me on some new meds - Lyrica - for the nerve pain.  I'm very pleased to advise that they worked.  No nerve pain to speak of which made it so much easier to handle the other side effects, predominately flu like symptoms.

I found that taking OTC muscle relaxers along with a couple of Tylenol Extra strength worked well to manage the muscle and joint pain.  I ended up doing a lot of sleeping which -  not a bad thing - and was able to function quite well all things considered.

Only one more full chemo treatment left - March 29th? - and then I start to get my life back.  I go on maintenance with Herceptin for several months and begin radiation at the end of April.  I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

WooHooo!

Cycle 7

I had my cycle 7 treatment today (Tuesday) and all went well,  no surprises there.  I was at the hospital by 9:45 am, and I saw my oncologist.  We discussed my pain and, thankfully, he gave me some meds with one refill.  I'm to take this perscription for 5 days starting on the day of my treatment.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it works.

I was getting my chemo meds at 10:15 and finished up at 4:15 pm.  My daughter picked me up and we made a run to the pharmacy to get my persription filled..  As soon as I got home, I jumped into my PJs and got settled on the couch with the big screen and the fireplace to keep me warm.  It was a long day!

As of 4:05 am, Wednesday morning, I feel fine.  I didn't come up to bed until around 2 am and l lay there for an hour tossing and turning because I couldn't sleep which is why I'm sitting at my computer.  I've had this a problem a  couple of times on the night following my treatment so it appears that I also have the pleasure of having a new friend - insomnia.  I know of others who talk about having this same problem the night following their chemo so I guess I'm in good company.

In addition to my usual evening medication, which by the way, usually puts me to sleep immediately, I also just took 3 melatonin tablets.  I figured that they needed time to work, hence why I'm in my studio at this time of night.

It's annoying but a small price to pay for being cancer free -  fingers crossed!!!

Caio

Catching up - Cycle 5 and 6

I haven't posted for awhile.  I don't know where the time goes.  However between running to appointments and blood tests and chemo, the time has just flown by.  I don't get much accomplished lately.

Cycle 5:

I started a set of new drugs on January 25th.  There are usually no nausea effects and I'm not required to take Neupogen or my anti-nausea drugs from cycle 5 on.  I'm taking new drugs for cycles 5 thru 8   Side effects range from joint and nerve pain, insomnia, gastrointestinal issues, and of course my friend, fatigue.  Days 2 thru 5 became progressvely more painful;   I could feel my muscles and joints seizing up - they felt like they were turning to cement.  And then the nerve pain began and became progessively worse for 4 days.  The balls of my feet were very painful and I almost felt weak.  I walked like someone 100 years old.

Generally speaking I would say that I have a high tolerance for pain, however this was worse than anything I've ever experienced.  The nerve pain caused throbbing pain almost like what you'd have with a very bad toothache or a migraine.  I took Tylenol extra strength, T3's and 1200 mg of Ibupropen several times a day.  Very little relief from any of them!  It was brutal! I spent most of the time on the chesterfield trying to get comfortable.  I finally retreated to my bed for a day and a half. Not much fun.  I finally turned a corner late on day 4 and felt much better by bedtime on day 5. The remaining 2 weeks of the cycle were fine, other than fatigue which comes and goes throughout the days.

Cycle 6:

This cycle began on Feb 16th and was pretty much a repeat of cycle 5.  I tried to get ahead of the pain by taking Tylenol, T3's and/or Ibruprophen on day 2 before the pain started however that didn't seem to have much effect.  Again by the end of those few days I had retreated to my bed where I could get more comfortable.  The pain lasted a day longer this time and I didn't seem to bounce back quite as quickly in this round.  However once recovered from the side-effects, I felt good and was able to 

get out a do a few things.  

New cycle

I started my new cycle on January 25th.  I had been warned that I would have achy muscles and would feel like I had a bad flu.  Another comment was that I would feel like I had been beaten with a two by four.

OMG!  That was not an exaggeration.  I had  my treatments on Monday and Tuesday and by supper time on Wednesday I felt like my bones were congealing into cement.  By midnight I was very uncomfortable and by Thursday morning I could hardly move.  Walking was a major problem and it hurt to breath - OK so maybe I'm being a little bit dramatic!  Do ya' think?  Seriously though it was very painful.  It hurt no matter what I did.  Finally I resorted to T3's and they helped - a lot.  Thankfully by Friday mid-day the pain was easing and by Saturday morning I was beginning to feel like I "might" actually live to see Sunday.

Not much fun to say the least, however I only have 3 more treatments and then I'm on maintenance so I'll just need to suck it up and suffer through the next three.  I had no idea how painful it would be - not sure it that was a good thing or not - but now that I do know, I'm certainly not looking forward to the next one!

Wah, wah, wah....

Milestone reached

I've completed 4 cycles on my first set of drugs and I'm starting a new regimen of drugs on Monday January 25th.  Two new drugs administered every 3 weeks for 3 months.  New drugs = new side effects.  I have mixed feelings about this new phase as I'm moving from what I know ie - how I react to known drugs - to the unknown which makes me a little apprehensive.

I've been very fortunate for the last 3 months as I was able to take medication that prevented nausea and most of the side effects. I've been able to do just about everything I would normally do with the only negative thing being the occasional lack of energy and the cumulative effect of fatigue.  All in all a pretty good 3 months.

On the other hand, I'm looking forward to starting on these new drugs - how weird is that? - because it means I've moved to a new phase in my treatment.  It's bringing me closer to ending all the poking and prodding that one endures when one goes through this.  I look at it as being one step closer to getting well.

While I may be a little apprehensive about this next regimen, I don't worry about it.  Worrying doesn't serve any purpose and it's all part of the process to getting healthy and resuming my life.  Just another little bump in the road.

And this to shall pass.

Caio.

Happy New Year!

We made it through the end of 2015 and are now well on our way into a new year filled with adventure and untold discoveries.

Our New Year's Day was quiet and relaxed and I'm so very happy that I canceled the New Years dinner.  I felt so much better knowing that I didn't have to do anything to prepare.  K and I had a lovely day, barbecued some steaks and just enjoyed each other's company and the good food - and wine.

I go for my next blood test tomorrow and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my platelets are where they need to be for my cycle 4 treatment.  I won't be surprised if they are not there yet, however I'm going to think positive and hope that they are there.  If they are then I will have my last treatment on this set of drugs on Tuesday and then 3 weeks from then I will start on 2 new drugs for approximately 6 months.  From what I understand, although I could be wrong,  these new drugs present a whole new series of different side effects so I might not be quite so chipper with the new drugs.  Just going to think postively about the whole new process! We'll deal with what comes down the pike when it comes down the pike.

Caio!

Cycle 3 treatment

Cycle 3 went well and no problems in the first couple of days.  However over Christmas Eve and Christmas day I seem to have hit a wall.  I'm feeling well, just a little queasy, but have no energy whatsoever.  It's an effort to get up and walk across the room!

I've done really well so far so I guess it's to be expected that there will be some low energy days.  I was looking forward to hosting my annual New Years Day dinner but I think I'm going to have to cancel it.  The way I feel right now I think it will be too much for me and I don't want to stick my daughter with all the stress and work of preparations and then not be able to enjoy the day.  Definitely not fair to her!  Also at this point, little to no appetite so not much point making a huge meal and then not be able to eat it.

Ah, yes, the joys of chemo!

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat!

Christmas is only a little over a week away.  Can you believe it?

Here on the coast it has been cold and rainy, however it is a huge plus not to have to shovel snow.

My cycle 2 treatment was on December 1st and things went well.  Very few issues except on Monday I had a killer, and I do mean killer, headache.  Unfortunately, I let it get ahead of me and had to take to my bed for several hours.  It became this evil migraine that I just could not get to die!  I took two Tylenol 3's and they didn't even touch it.  After lying in bed in pain for an hour and getting no relief, I broke down and took the third Tylenol 3 and finally got a little bit of relief.  I found that applying my bean bag heating pad seemed to really help the most so I was very happy that I had a couple of those in the house that I could alternate.

I'm on 3 different anti-nausea drugs and they are doing a wonderful job of keeping me from throwing up.  So far the only bad thing I've had to endure is these killer headaches. All in all, these headaches, though extremely painful, are very infrequent and a minor inconvenienece in my battle against the demon cancer.

On a sidee note, my daughter put the tree up on December 7th and I decorated it.  I like to putz with making sure the branches have been fluffed and are as pretty as they possibly can be before I do any decorating. Sometimes the process is slow, but all worth it in the end.the end. .  There's just something about having the tree all lit up that filles my heart with joy!

One of those things that just makes you glad to be alive.

The demon cancer!

I retired in June, had my mammography on June 24th and was diagnosed with breast cancer on July 16th   My doctor was fantastic.  He referred me to a local surgeon (who had a 12 month waiting list) and I was able to see the surgeon within 2 weeks,  on July 31st

I opted for a partial mastectomy and the tumour and 2 lymph nodes were removed on August 14th. Both lymph nodes came back positive for cancer.  On September 11th, I had a second surgery.  Two more lymph nodes were removed and a larger margin was taken, more as an abundance of caution than anything else.  My doctor didn't want any surprises.  Both lymph nodes and the margins came back clear.

I am currently cancer free!! Thank you Jesus!

I'm now into cycle 2 of my chemo.  By the time I'm finished I will have had 21 cycles of chemo and also radiation.    I've experienced very few side effects so far, tiredness and lack of energy being two  And of course, loss of hair.  The docs have me on tons of anti-nausea meds and so far they are working very well.  This first 4 cycles will probably be the easiest.  I'm told that once I go on the herceptin that it can get tough. I'm OK with that.  I'm just soooo grateful that things are going well now.  I deal with each cycle as it comes and I don't worry about what will happen tomorrow.

Lots for which to be grateful!

A change to my blog!!

Just wanted to drop by and update the old blog.  I've been absent for about a month - long story!

However, I decided to make a few changes.

Firstly, I'm facing some health challenges and I've decided that since Last Wordz  has always been a little on the personal side, that I will dedicate this blog to personal isses and blogging about my health and what's going on in my little corner of paradise in that regard.

If you would like to hear learn more about my journey then please continue to follow me here.  You can read more in my next post..


However, if your sole interest is to follow only the "art" in my life, then I encourage you to swing on over to my new art blog -   Inked Impressions-  to see what chaos I'm creating in my studio.   My goal is to document my art journey and to build my skills and stretch my creative muscles. This art journey will be a whole new experience for me and I'm very excited!  I hope you'll  share my journey!

Busy Month!

October was a busy month for me as I had numerous doctor's appointments and tests that needed to be completed before I can start my treatments on November 10th.  I'm into the final stretch for the first set and looking forward (???) to them as it means I'm on my way to being healthy again.  Tbe next 5 months will be tough, however, I come from a long line of tough old broads so it's all good.

My brother came out to visit us on October 24th.  His visit was short - he left on the 29th - but we had a great time and I really enjoyed having him here.  The day he left it was raining and traffic was one big hot mess.  His flight left at 9:30 am and we left my house at 7 am and barely made it in time for him to make his flight.  Thankfully he did so it all ended well.

I'm still trying to get my studio organized, however I haven't made a lot of progress in the last few weeks.  Actually, I have made some progress but it doesn't really show!  I've had so many other things on my plate that I just haven't been able to concentrate on it.  Same goes for art.  My mojo seems to have gone missing.  However, I'm not going to sweat about it - it will come back once I'm not so much on overload.

It's a wonderful, rainy day here on the coast.  Typical winter weather for us and quite cool.  Perfect time to curl up on the couch in front of the fire with a good book and the cats.

Gotta run.  Ciao.

Making progress

I've managed to get the cards to the store Open House (relatively) on time so that's one thing I can check off my list.  I have to admit that this year was tough.  I usually really enjoy creating Christmas cards and gift tags but this year I really struggled.  I wasn't really feeling the love and it took me forever to get my mojo working.  However, it's done and I'm pleased with the designs I created and I hope they do well at the store.

My health is improving - or more to the point I guess - I'm starting to feel like my old self again.  The infection is gone and while it's taking a lot longer to heal, things are going along smoothly.  

My studio looks like someone broke into it and tossed it, which is usually how it looks after I finish a project.  I'm still only halfway through my re-org and found it really irritating that I couldn't find the things I needed to create my cards.  I need to address that now so the plan is to get cracking at it this weekend.  This is our Thanksgiving weekend in Canada - not that that really matters now that I'm retired - however I am still somewhat hooked into the Monday to Friday week cycle.  Old habits die slowly.

Here's one of the Christmas cards I made.  I have to give 

credit where credit is due - not my design, I was inspired by Jennifer McGuire.

Where did the summer go?

We’ve had spectacular weather for several months here on the coast.  According to the climatologists, the nice weather will continue due to good old“El Nino”.  They say that the weather will be unseasonably warm which is wonderful until you consider all the climate problems it could cause.  We had water restrictions here in the Lower Mainland due to the low rainfall and because there was no real snowpack in the spring because we had such nice weather during the winter.  It looks like we may continue to have to restrict water usage if we don’t get a snow pack this year either.

I’m ending m fourth month of retirement and have no regrets whatsoever about retiring.  I have a very relaxed life now.  I’m enjoying sleeping in and doing absolutely nothing some days.  What’s not to like?  I’ve been enjoying re-organizing my studio – about half done – so still a work in progress.  I’ve enjoyed playing in my journals and creating art, some of which is  bad, but what the hell.

I’ve been dealing with a health issue since mid –July. It came out of left field and kind of set me on my ass.  Things are progressing well though.  I have more appointments and therapies waiting for me, however all in all things are good. Unfortunately one of the side effects is that I have little energy so I’m sleeping a lot and not all that energetic some days  which cuts into my art time.  As well, I will not be able to go to Palm Springs this February – I am not happy about that !  However it is what it is and I just need to put my big girl panties on and deal with it.

Index card a day (ICAD)

The On-going saga of the studio

I'm now a month into this project - give or take - and I'm finally starting to see some progress.  Things have been slow getting moving due to a couple of factors.  It's been hellishly hot here on the coast for the last couple of weeks and only in the last week has it become cool enough to do much.  I put my furniture together this past week and have it moved up and installed in the studio.  The shelving is in and now I'm starting to get down to the nuts and bolts of organizing.  The fun stuff !?!

Another setback was that I had surgery on August 13th and I was out of commission for a couple of days.  The surgery itself wasn't bad, no real residual pain, but the side effect was absolutely no energy whatsoever.  Consequently there was a lot of lying around doing nothing or sleeping.  I finally had some energy last week so I got down to putting the cabinets together.  Even though my studio is still quite a mess,  I'm really liking the way it feels.  I had a large bulletin board which had just become a catchall for stuff and things were constantly falling off because the board was overloaded.  I took the board down and I can't believe how different the room feels now.  I definitely will not be putting that board back in my studio.

I'm having some health issues so feeling a little down and sad.  Things could definitely be worse so I'm really trying to be "up " about it..  I guess I'm feeling a little sorry for myself right now.  That's allowed I guess and I'll just have to put on my big girl panties and deal with this new adventure.

I haven't done much art this last couple of weeks because I was focused on other things.  However now that the room is starting to come together, I'm excited to get back in here and play.  I've taken pictures of the in-progress - I think I'm more than half way through - and will post the series when the project is completed.  

In the meantime, here are a couple of ICADS I created...

Chaos !

I finally bit the bullet and started my project of reorganizing my studio.  OMG – today it’s in quite a state!  My supplies and toys are stacked up everywhere and it’s slightly disturbing to see all the “stuff” I’ve accumulated over the last several years. 

I purchased wire shelving for my closet and I’m in the process of installing it.  Now to put this in context you have to understand that I am not in any way, shape or form, what one would term as “handy” around the house.  Be that as it may, I rose to the challenge, emptied my 2 armoires and removed them from the closet so I can install the shelves.  I am now 3 trips later from the hardware store, purchasing all the things I didn’t know I needed.  After getting the shelves cut to size – 63 inches long – they cut them 62 inches long, I realize that I left too much wiggle room in the calculations and now the shelf is too short for the bracket at on end.  Really?  Who knew?  No worries, I kept the extra pieces so I will be using the famous zip tie to adjust and make the two pieces work.  See what I mean?  I learn by trial and error, mostly error, but you can bet I won’t make that mistake twice! 

I have several pieces of storage furniture that I need to add to my studio.  They are still sitting, unassembled, down on my dining room floor.  I may have gotten a little carried away with the furniture.  I’m afraid I may not have room for it all, but I’ll make it work.  I’m good at adapting.  I’ve hated the shelving and desk I’ve been using since the day I bought it and I only bought it because it was cheap.  It doesn’t owe me a cent as I’ve used it for more than 10 years and now I’m treating myself to new furniture.   I spend so much time in my studio so it’s time to upgrade.

Well, must run.  I’ll be taking “before” pictures tomorrow.  I’m excited about my “new” studio so I hope to have it put back together by the weekend.  I’ll post after pictures then.
Caio!