OR Only 2 more to go!
Tired and still a bit groggy today, but working from home. The dogs are passed out for their afternoon nap and I am about to be there with them.
White blood cell count at 5. I have to go in next week and check it to see if i need neupogen - fingers crossed that I don't. (at least I am not getting neulasta today- YAY!) Looking forward to tomorrow when the steroids kick in!
Learned a new term yesterday -- the one I will be shooting for: NDF aka No Disease Found. Can't wait til that goes on my record.
27 more days.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
White Blood Cell Count and the Justice League
So normal results for WBC are 4,500-10,000 white blood cells/mcL (cells per microliter)
or 4.5-10 range.
a few weeks ago I had a 25.7 count - abnormally high. it's weird i always have healed extremely fast so i just attributed it to being a very good healer. (interesting side note that i found out: emotional or physical stress can increase your count... hmm... don't know anything to be stressed about, do you?)
last week i had a 14 count- still high, which is why i didn't haven to have neulasta last week with treatment. (yay!)
but this week my counts are right at 5. just above normal. rats-- so much for the super healer theory (and there goes my chances of joining the justice league.) What this means is that i {might} have to have neulasta going forward. but starting next tuesday I am going to go on Neupogen - supposedly similar side-effects as neulasta but not as severe. hopefully that will work just as well so I can avoid neulasta if i can. the positive note was that the nurse said it looks like my body is trying hard to heal itself b/c of my neutrophils or some medical term that went over my head...
on the topic of things that go over my head. I have school tomorrow and sunday and am currently reading a paper on global climate change. yes, it is just as fun as it sounds. but this means that i am back on treatment days being opposite school weekends. rock on!
oh and PS -- We had pope police on our roof today (for those of you that haven't been to the grandeur that is LIC - our building looks over to the UN and apparently our roof was perfect for snipers) TOO COOL!
or 4.5-10 range.
a few weeks ago I had a 25.7 count - abnormally high. it's weird i always have healed extremely fast so i just attributed it to being a very good healer. (interesting side note that i found out: emotional or physical stress can increase your count... hmm... don't know anything to be stressed about, do you?)
last week i had a 14 count- still high, which is why i didn't haven to have neulasta last week with treatment. (yay!)
but this week my counts are right at 5. just above normal. rats-- so much for the super healer theory (and there goes my chances of joining the justice league.) What this means is that i {might} have to have neulasta going forward. but starting next tuesday I am going to go on Neupogen - supposedly similar side-effects as neulasta but not as severe. hopefully that will work just as well so I can avoid neulasta if i can. the positive note was that the nurse said it looks like my body is trying hard to heal itself b/c of my neutrophils or some medical term that went over my head...
on the topic of things that go over my head. I have school tomorrow and sunday and am currently reading a paper on global climate change. yes, it is just as fun as it sounds. but this means that i am back on treatment days being opposite school weekends. rock on!
oh and PS -- We had pope police on our roof today (for those of you that haven't been to the grandeur that is LIC - our building looks over to the UN and apparently our roof was perfect for snipers) TOO COOL!
TANK TOPS are here... yippee!
yup, you heard it here first.
S, M, L in both designs for girls.
M in both designs for boys.
n2creative{at}gmail{dot}com
spread the love...
On a health note:
Headache from hell.
blech!
too... much... agriculture... reading...
S, M, L in both designs for girls.
M in both designs for boys.
n2creative{at}gmail{dot}com
spread the love...
On a health note:
Headache from hell.
blech!
too... much... agriculture... reading...
Monday, April 14, 2008
Something wicked this way comes...
Health care costs are frustrating and confusing to say the least. (even with good insurance mind you!) The following article was found in the NY Times today:
Co-Payments for Expensive Drugs Soar
And what scares me the most is the fact that if I ever have recurrence (knock on press board) that my potential out of pocket will dramatically increase. awesome. There HAS to be some other way to do this. Some better way!! Health care insurance and plans should mediate the costs for the people that can't afford it, not force them into bankruptcy... I could go on but i digress.
On a lighter note... I am at the 200 mark for bags and shirts sold!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH for passing on the word and/or purchasing one as well. Most importantly, thank you SO MUCH for the support! I made my first large payment (coming in just as i get my "last notice" - a whole other side-note frustration story for another time)
thanks for the photo gb.
Co-Payments for Expensive Drugs Soar
And what scares me the most is the fact that if I ever have recurrence (knock on press board) that my potential out of pocket will dramatically increase. awesome. There HAS to be some other way to do this. Some better way!! Health care insurance and plans should mediate the costs for the people that can't afford it, not force them into bankruptcy... I could go on but i digress.
On a lighter note... I am at the 200 mark for bags and shirts sold!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH for passing on the word and/or purchasing one as well. Most importantly, thank you SO MUCH for the support! I made my first large payment (coming in just as i get my "last notice" - a whole other side-note frustration story for another time)
thanks for the photo gb.
Friday, April 11, 2008
New Treatment = New Side Effects.
Taxol (aka Paclitaxel) is the new treatment cycle that I am on. And the side effects are different but annoying nonetheless. (1 down, 3 more to go)
- numbness/tingling/burning of the hands/feet
- muscle/joint pain
- flushing
- hair loss (again - yay!)
- change in blood pressure
- headache - (have yet to determine if this is a side effect or just allergy headache)
These effects are MUUUUCH better than the AC, don't get me wrong. Overall, I feel much better. There are other noticeable side effects that I have realized have come with the steroid that they give you to offset allergic reactions - which from my experience - why would anyone WANT to voluntarily take this stuff?? For real. Good grief. I mean I have more energy but the other side effects out way that benefit...
corticosteroids: Side effects that I am experiencing.
mood swings and bizarrely irrational reactions to random things have caught me by surprise (ie I say WTH at least 5 times a day, up from my previous 2-a-day average) This could be just "dealing with things" but for now I am blaming it on the 'roids.
Overall, the treatment is positive. School is what is overwhelming atm... but at least it is only one thing at a time. Things work out that way, you know? There's a reason for this madness.
WTH.
- numbness/tingling/burning of the hands/feet
- muscle/joint pain
- flushing
- hair loss (again - yay!)
- change in blood pressure
- headache - (have yet to determine if this is a side effect or just allergy headache)
These effects are MUUUUCH better than the AC, don't get me wrong. Overall, I feel much better. There are other noticeable side effects that I have realized have come with the steroid that they give you to offset allergic reactions - which from my experience - why would anyone WANT to voluntarily take this stuff?? For real. Good grief. I mean I have more energy but the other side effects out way that benefit...
corticosteroids: Side effects that I am experiencing.
- increased appetite
- water and salt retention leading to swelling and edema
- high blood pressure
- black and blue marks
- muscle weakness
- increased susceptibility to infection
- increased sweating
- mood swings
mood swings and bizarrely irrational reactions to random things have caught me by surprise (ie I say WTH at least 5 times a day, up from my previous 2-a-day average) This could be just "dealing with things" but for now I am blaming it on the 'roids.
Overall, the treatment is positive. School is what is overwhelming atm... but at least it is only one thing at a time. Things work out that way, you know? There's a reason for this madness.
WTH.
Monday, April 7, 2008
A Day in the Life of SVCCC
I seriously spent my day there today. serioulsy.
Here is the schedule of events:
9:30 check in
9:30-10 wait
10 blood work
10:15 pick up pager
10:15-11 wait
11 get chair/take vitals
11-11:15 wait for blood results
11:15-11:30 get preped for pre-chemo drugs
11:30-12 pre-chemo drugs (some steroid and benedryl)
12 benedryl kicks in
12-3 taxol drip (try to read but fall asleep pretty much immediately)
3 appt with dr bernik
3-3:20 wait
3:20-3:45 meet with dr. b (everything looks good, don't have to see her again until november for check up. seems weird - but good - to be on the down side of appt. hell)
3:45 appt with dr. klein
3:45-4:00 wait (starting to fall asleep again - stupid benedryl)
4-4:30 meet with dr. k everything looks good - NO NEULASTA TOMORROW!!!! yay! best news of the day
4:30 set up follow-up for blood count test next week to make SURE i don't need the neulasta
4:45 go home
long day. up to do homework and back to bed. working from home tomorrow hoping for no side effects, we'll see.
met a guy today that is being treated for pre-invasive lung cancer as well as a radiation guy that is also being treated for HIV. things could be muuuuuch worse!
5/8!!!!
Here is the schedule of events:
9:30 check in
9:30-10 wait
10 blood work
10:15 pick up pager
10:15-11 wait
11 get chair/take vitals
11-11:15 wait for blood results
11:15-11:30 get preped for pre-chemo drugs
11:30-12 pre-chemo drugs (some steroid and benedryl)
12 benedryl kicks in
12-3 taxol drip (try to read but fall asleep pretty much immediately)
3 appt with dr bernik
3-3:20 wait
3:20-3:45 meet with dr. b (everything looks good, don't have to see her again until november for check up. seems weird - but good - to be on the down side of appt. hell)
3:45 appt with dr. klein
3:45-4:00 wait (starting to fall asleep again - stupid benedryl)
4-4:30 meet with dr. k everything looks good - NO NEULASTA TOMORROW!!!! yay! best news of the day
4:30 set up follow-up for blood count test next week to make SURE i don't need the neulasta
4:45 go home
long day. up to do homework and back to bed. working from home tomorrow hoping for no side effects, we'll see.
met a guy today that is being treated for pre-invasive lung cancer as well as a radiation guy that is also being treated for HIV. things could be muuuuuch worse!
5/8!!!!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Manic Monday
New treatment tomorrow. drat. just when i was getting used to feeling ok again. The good news is that i heard the rumor that certain steroids are administered with this medication and you feel like you have more energy. yay! the bad news is that it is a whole other set of side-effects and apparently it takes like 3-4 hours to sit through everything.(time to get some homework done!)
Also, the shirts were shipped this week and hopefully everyone from the first round has received them. Let me know if you have not and we'll work it out. Special props to the shipping party! thanks guys!!
interesting side story about vanity: something i would have never thought about until it happened. so, i get an email at work that the security company in our building has lost some employees' photos and information and we need to report to the security office over the next week to have our pictures retaken. seriously?!? I soooo don't want to have my picture taken while i am bald, much less something that i have to carry around with me everyday as a constant reminder. i have never really thought too much about my hair or being a "concerned with my looks" kind of person and i guess i have always just taken it for granted(having hair that is). but crap man - could the timing have been any worse for my folically challenged state? i am not comfortable walking around bald- except in the apartment - but i am also not comfortable admitting vanity either. kind of a pickle. but it is interesting because i do admit that i do care about how I look but to what extent? and to what extent is harmful? not to get all philosophical but I am very much in the middle of that whole internal conversation being a balding/uni-boob/frankin-cole (ie i got pieces and parts but i am not finished yet.) didn't mean to go off on this tangent... all this to say I am hoping to wear this hat for my new security picture: (as modeled reluctantly by my dog)
Also, the shirts were shipped this week and hopefully everyone from the first round has received them. Let me know if you have not and we'll work it out. Special props to the shipping party! thanks guys!!
interesting side story about vanity: something i would have never thought about until it happened. so, i get an email at work that the security company in our building has lost some employees' photos and information and we need to report to the security office over the next week to have our pictures retaken. seriously?!? I soooo don't want to have my picture taken while i am bald, much less something that i have to carry around with me everyday as a constant reminder. i have never really thought too much about my hair or being a "concerned with my looks" kind of person and i guess i have always just taken it for granted(having hair that is). but crap man - could the timing have been any worse for my folically challenged state? i am not comfortable walking around bald- except in the apartment - but i am also not comfortable admitting vanity either. kind of a pickle. but it is interesting because i do admit that i do care about how I look but to what extent? and to what extent is harmful? not to get all philosophical but I am very much in the middle of that whole internal conversation being a balding/uni-boob/frankin-cole (ie i got pieces and parts but i am not finished yet.) didn't mean to go off on this tangent... all this to say I am hoping to wear this hat for my new security picture: (as modeled reluctantly by my dog)
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