Day 86 | >50% finished with AC

Sorry on the delay - I haven't been on a physical computer much, and blogger isn't super intuitive on an iPhone. 

Hospital Discharge

I was discharged from the hospital last Friday, Feb. 17, on the anniversary of my mom's 50th birthday. It was a long six days in patient, with many sticks, blood draws, and IVs. Thanks very much for all your well wishes, prayers, and (for a very few) visits. 

Anyone that visited my room needed to wear a full gown, mask, gloves, and occasionally an eye shield. So, I really appreciated those that came! My sister and boyfriend visited me once or twice a day - before work, at lunch, or at dinner time. My aunt and cousin came in from out of town. And my boss / family friends the Lawrences also visited. <3

I couldn't eat much in the hospital, so my family brought me chicken broth from Panera. I lost about 10 lbs over the course of the illness. 

The leg thingie - erythema nodosum - came back. Less than last time, but more bruise-y legs. Our (mine and the doc's) theory is that it's indicative that my immune system is rebounding. 

Post-Hospital

After being discharged, I slept. A lot. Really, it was just a lot of sleeping for the week after the hospital. I have tried to regain my appetite, but it hasn't fully returned...I guess that will be a work in process.

The D has been resolved. Actually, after the hospital, it's now the opposite problem <<big sigh>>. The opposite has been much more livable.  

Next Treatment

The big question after discharge was, should I still receive full strength chemo on schedule - Wed., Feb. 22? The doctors, pharmacists, and nurses were working on this issue for a while...and decided that I could/should receive treatment if I wanted it. 

My motto has been, Hit Me Again. So, that's what they did. On Wed., I got my third (of four) AC treatment. 

They've added Neupogen to my regiment - another self-administered daily injection, given similarly to the Lovonox, subcutaneously (subq), in my belly. Neupogen is supposed to help boost my WBC so I don't end up in the hospital again. It comes with its own side effects, so far...I've had a (possibly related?) sore throat and some leg pain. Hopefully, it will keep me well.

The third treatment day was fairly uneventful. As an added bonus, my aunt came into town for this round and stuck around to help with post-chemo symptoms.

They were exceptionally punctual, which meant we were there from 9AM  - ~3PM. I ate 10 popsicles this time. They ran out of orange :(, so I had to choke down some cherry this time too. I had few mouth sores 

What now? 

Well, the four days after treatment are always the best. The sweet, sweet supportive meds wear off after four days, leaving whatever chemo side effects it was masking. Today was my first day off the supportive meds. I'm a little tired-er. Require naps and sitting down if I'm up for a while, like a little kid. My stomach isn't all there again. My appetite is reduced, but still existent. 

Nadir starts on Wed. Even with the Neupogen, I will probably not leave the house from Wed. - Saturday. Even though I took this precaution last time, and still ended up hospitalized....We'll hope that was a fluke.

So, if you have prayers or well wishes, please use them for an uneventful, unexciting three weeks. Hoping we can get to the final AC treatment, on March 15th, without too much drama. 

What next?

After the AC is over, they will give me about 6 weeks for my counts to rebound, then I will get a full PET scan to see how the treatment is affecting my cancer. If all is good, I will start Taxol and probably a fourth type of chemo called carboplatin. 

Carboplatin it's a newer chemo used for triple negative that is still in clinical trials. It's shown promising results, but they are still preliminary. There's still a question if my insurance will cover it because it's outside the standard protocol for breast cancer, but because it's shown such positive preliminary results, they are hoping it will be covered. 

I asked for this to be added to my treatment because I want to give myself the best opportunity to beat this thing in 2017. I want to give it my all, fight as hard as I can, and hopefully, finish treatment this year. I know it's not promised to me or to anyone, but I want to do everything in my power to rid myself of the cancer. 

Carboplatin has its own set of risks. When combined with Taxol, it can cause low WBC and RBC. The neupogen can help with the WBC, but there's nothing for the RBC. 

It also causes hair loss, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation....pretty much all the things we've done already.

Hit Me Again. Hopefully, I'll donate 2017 to cancer. This year, I'll redefine "normal" - put things I normally do, like work, travel, or going to the grocery, on pause, and exchange them for naps, doctors appointments, and getting help with things that used to be normal. Hopefully, I'll give cancer a year of my life in exchange for the rest of my life.

Thanks to those of you that checked in. Sorry it's been 10 days since the last post. I'll try to be better about writing....Hopefully, it's just about napping. 

Love. xo

Day 76 | Still in Hospital

Well, another day here in the glamorous James Hospital. I've been here since Sunday night.

I am so impressed with the level of care given at the James in general, but this stay has really solidified my belief that God has me in the right place to receive the highest level of care possible. The nurses here have been super attentive, caring, etc. Though I had hoped to be discharged already, it's comforting receiving treatment that is making a positive impact on my health.

So, what's wrong with me? Why am I in the hospital??

Campylobacter: I am calling this chicken juice disease. It has a number of causes, but most commonly found after eating undercooked poultry. It causes stomach cramping, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, etc. It only appears in the young, elderly, and immunosuppressed.

With my WBC at .348 upon admission, I am the latter category. I had a fever of 102, which floated to normal around Tuesday. It hovered around 99 until this morning, where it was my normal 97.1. Vomiting, stomach cramping, and D have persisted, but seem to have improved over night too. Where I was getting out of bed 30-40x, last night was 6-7.

Good news: It was only found in my gut. It hasn't passed to my blood, which is much less serious and easier to treat.

UTI: I also had a UTI upon admission. Likely because there was so much other bacteria in my body and going potty has been so painful.

What is the treatment?

Until they narrowed it to the camping chicken juice disease, they had me on wide antibiotics. Now, they have narrowed it, here are the drugs:

• Zosyn: Antibiotic, given through IV, 3x/d for 4 hours each time 
• Azithromycin: Antibiotic, given through IV, 4x/d for 1 hour each 
• Bentyl: For stomach cramping, taken orally 3x/d
• Oxy: For pain/to slow down bowels, taken orally, 4-6x
• Zofran: For nausea, through IV, 2-3x daily (Note: they have given me two other meds here too)
• Magnesium: To replenish, though IV, 1x daily
• Potassium: To replenish, orally, 2x daily
• Other vitamins (10 or so): For vitamin-y things, orally, 1x/

I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones I remember right now.

How am I now? 

Last night, things really seemed to improve. Hoping we keep trending that way!!

Thanks for all the prayers and visits and mental hugs. Seem to be working. Lots of love!!

Day 73 | From the ER

Short blog post updating y'all on my ER stay. Won't be fancy because it's hard to be fancy from an iPhone.

I was admitted yesterday because of vomiting, stomach ache, D, and fever. This started Saturday afternoon and continued to Sunday. We decided to go to the ER because of vomiting and fever.

My WBC ranges from .348-.5. Everyone muct wear masks in my room because infection risk is high.

The fever peaked last night around 102. It's hovering in the 99s now, on a steady stream of Tylenol to keep it there.

I had vomiting for the first time. Not terrible. Just a little throwing up. There isn't a ton of food in my system.

They tested me for c diff again, which I guess made it impossible to treat the D in the meantime. C diff just came back. Negative. Again. They are now medicating me, which may allow some sleep.

I don't really have an appetite. After the nausea / vomiting / D stop, I will need to think about food.

The dehydration is bad. I have been on a drip since arrival yesterday at 4pm. They just started me on extra fluids because I am still fairly dehydrated. All the electrolytes except potassium are okay. (Thank you nuun tablets.)

They have tested me for ... everything. So far, nothing positive. Wide spread antibiotics till we know more.

If all the tests come back negative, I will likely be able to go home tomorrow night. If tests are delayed or positive, will be here longer.

Will let you know as I know more. Xo

Day 70 | Year of Bravery

A friend of mine from grade school has a nice tradition of naming each year. I really like this tradition, and have decided to start it myself.

In retrospect, last year, was the year of new beginnings. ...It's a little unfair to name the year in retrospect though. I think if you name the year at the beginning, you can reflect on that throughout the year. Making it your mantra as things unfold..

So, this year, I'm starting earlier. This will be my **year of bravery.** The year, I will keep fighting. This year (and hopefully only for one year), I will undergo whatever treatment is necessary, regardless of how they make me feel and the pain inflicted.

This year, I will learn to be braver than I have before. Wake up every morning, get out of bed (even if I don't leave the house, which has been the story for the past few days), and enjoy living, even if it means eating chicken soup on the couch.

Next year, and all the years after, I will benefit from my year of bravery.

Year. Of. Bravery. Let's do this.

Be #brave.

(Posted on Facebook and moved to the blog later =) 

Day 66 | Return of Tummy Trouble

Sweet Steroids, Emend, and Aloxi

The supportive therapy drugs really helps ease the transition between "chemo flu" (the day after chemo) and four days after chemo. After both treatments, the side effects seemed almost non-existent until the day these drugs wear off. For me, it's Sunday. 

Return of the Tummy Trouble

Sunday, I woke up and realized .... Oh no, the tummy trouble is back at it. I started the questran (cholesterol med) and Zofran again. It worked fairly well on Sunday, but wore off around noon today. After a call with my lovely onco nurses, I'm now allowed to / have to take the questran two times a day. Was very much hoping this tummy stuff was a weird coincidence rather than a side effect. 

Now, back to the mostly BRATY diet. 

Good news is that there is only 9 weeks (12 weeks max) of this side effect stuff from chemo round 1. I can imagine way worse things that could happen for 9 weeks.  

More Hair Loss

Getting pretty close to bald. These pictures were taken a few days apart. I have less hair than in the top one. It's much better shaved, the house looks less like we adopted a Labrador. 

Good news, this chemo seems to want to leave my eyelashes and eyebrows (next chemo is supposed to take those too).

Fatigue

The fatigue is supposed to get progressively worse. I guess I am a little tired-er than normal, but nothing crazy. Let's hope this stays at bay. 

Leggy Update

My legs are settling down. The welts have all settled into a more purple-y, bruise-y color. They are a little less painful...still feeling mostly like bruises. Hopefully, no new ones will form.

Happy Monday! That's it for now. Here's praying nothing else "exciting" occurs. 

Day 62 | Bald Heads and Second AC Chemo

Bald Heads

I'm sure some of you saw that I shaved my head. I was shedding a little more, and friends of mine had my house deep cleaned pre-chemo (a very big treat - thanks Miguel and Mar!). I came home to a very clean house and thought, I just can't shed all over this nice, clean house. 

So, my dear, darling boyfriend went to Target, bought clippers, and shaved my head on the front porch. Most people say they cry the whole way through the buzzing, but he kept me laughing the whole time.

Life's not too bad as a baldie.

You get a lot of fun hats....

But your head does get colder, so the hats are necessary. Even inside sometimes. 

AC Round Two

Side Effects | What to Expect 

I also got a second treatment on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Apparently, the whole cycle will start again. I should expect the same side effects...The only side effect that's supposed to build is fatigue, which luckily wasn't too bad the last 3 weeks.  

They've assured me that the side effects that I experienced during Round 1 were really weird / never been heard of before. So, it's possibly that I'll get all the same stuff in the same order - tummy, legs, mouth sores - but, it's also possible that the tummy / legs were unrelated. Mouth sores / headaches / sore throat are part of the game. 

....I'm not sure that I really believe that the tummy / legs are unrelated, but here's hoping for the best.

Treatment Recap

Treatment itself was much better this time - I had a sweet angel nurse named Keri. She poked me ONCE (only ONCE) and was able to use my good, perfect arm vein, avoiding all the swollen-ness and pain / track marks in my wrist/hand veins (below).

With the IV securely in place, not hurting, sweet angel nurse Keri started my meds. 

So, med recap. It goes -

1. Labs - Blood draw, 5ish mins - Are your counts okay today? Can your body handle another round of chemo? What's your liver doing? Etc. 
2. Fluids | Saline Drip - 10ish mins
3. Anti-Nausea | Steroid - Injected into the saline, 5ish mins
4. Anti-Nausea | Emend - Separate drip, 20-30 mins
5. Anti-Nausea | Aloxi - Injected into the saline, 5ish mins
6. Fluids | Saline Drip - Clearing the line to prep the vein for the chemo, 30ish mins
7. Labs | Reading, ensuring all's clear before starting the chemo
8. Chemo | Doxorubicin / Adriamycin (the red stuff) - Injected into saline, 15-45ish mins because they need to ensure they have a good blood return on the vein
9. Chemo | Cyclophosphamide - Separate bag, run over 45m - 1.5h (mine was 1.5h)....this one gives me an instant headache that feels like you've taken Afrin after a bad sinus infection. You need to take a Tylenol halfway through the treatment to stop the headache.

During #8, I mentioned that you have to eat ALL the popsicles. This freezes your mouth cells, making them less susceptible to mouth sores. This time, Keri the angel nurse went faster (45m last time, 15m this time). I ate 8 orange popsicles this time. I tried to eat them a little more frozen, which seems to have protected my throat more this time. 

Oh, and the whole appointment is super long. Mom, dad, and I arrived at 11:15AM, and left close to 6PM. So, we "had" to order a pizza to the chemo room. 

Big thanks to my parents for sticking around all day, keeping me company, and keeping me in good spirits despite the long waits. 

After chemo, we all went to pasta dinner. Post-carbo-loading was necessary after the long day.

Day After Treatment 

Today, I feel a little flu-ish. Woke up with a massive headache and sore stomach around 8AM. Drank a big water, and went back to sleep till 10:30. Woke up, mom made me some toast and soup, took the steroids prescribed for 4 days after chemo, and laid back down a while. 

I was able to eat a normal dinner - sushi sounded good, so we got takeout. 

Bed now at 10PM. Crazy night with Amazon TV. =) 

In the celebration of small successes - this means that I am almost halfway finished with Chemo Type 1!!!!

Thanks for reading. Hoping the three weeks till next treatment are less eventful, but I'll write when there's something news-y....which we're hoping isn't till 2.22, when we're prepping for chemo ROUND THREE.