Good news: grateful for a God that is constant & forgiving; grateful for the gift of my amazing son; grateful for my loving & forgiving family & friends whose love and support are unconditional; grateful for my uber fabulous Medical Team at Vanderbilt, especially MY Dr. Awesome; grateful I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with only 6 more infusions; grateful I will be returning to work post chemotherapy.
Not so good news: I have 6 more infusions and they will become more challenging, according to Dr. Awesome. THIS I am not looking forward to, but I love him for his honesty, among other things, like his wicked sense of humor!
My last 2 infusions were NOT fun. Infusion 11, I was overcome with nausea and vomiting that I haven't seen since the days of pregnancy. Nothing was making me feel better until that great, white, little pill: phenergan! Hello, sleep...goodbye nausea and vomiting! Infusion 12, we made a preemptive strike against the GI attack and the muscle pain. I preloaded with my own Zofran & Xanax. I was then intravenously fed MORE Zofran, Ativan and given Tylenol. Fortunately, it kept the Gastro Army at bay, but did little for the onslaught of what felt like a beating from Evander Holyfield in round 1, Roberto Duran in round 2 & from Smokin' Joe Frazier (crossing over from the other side) for round 3!
Now it's Sunday. On my breaks from chemo, this is usually my best day, physically and my worst day, mentally. I work myself up with anxiety and put myself under pressure (think head exploding pressure) with anticipation of: the port flush (YUCK, YUCK, DOUBLE YUCK!!!!!!), then the chemo & the aftereffects.
Tomorrow is also a big day as we will be checking my CA19-9 levels (normal 0-37), again. Just to remind you, this is the tumor marker. It's taken to gauge my response to treatment. Prior to the mind-blowing whipple (when they say it's the "granddaddy" of surgeries, they are NOT kidding) it was 270. 5 weeks post op it was 17. 12 weeks post op it was 15. We're hoping and praying it continues to drop. We are now 20 weeks post op and it will be measured every 8-12 weeks for the rest of my life. So glad I LOVE my Vandy team. They get to see me for a VERY long time!
What hasn't continued to drop is my weight! The Whipple, being the bad ass surgery that it is, takes the weight off of you QUICKLY! I was down to 112-114 a few weeks ago, but I'm happy to say, this little vegan, cancer fighting Princess is back up to the 125-130 range! That puts me back in the Featherweight class for my next round with Holyfield. Bring it ON!
I haven't had my first follow up scan, post op. Dr.Awesome has told me I can have it at anytime. Based on our early discussions, I still want to wait until after this CA19-9. If done too soon, post whipple, inflammation from the surgery can give a false positive on a CT scan. I'm thinking I'll have the guts to get it done in the next couple of weeks. A LOT rides on this CA19-9 and the CT scan. If they show, "NED-No Evidence of Disease", it means my surgery was a success (which I have no doubt because of Dr.Phenomenal & Chief Resident, Dr. Chin-up Buttercup!) and that the chemo has sniffed out and killed any rogue bitch cancer cells that witch may have been hiding. They have been EXECUTED! Way to go to my body's SWAT team! So, all remains great, I move forward & finish my chemo and I return to work in September. Please say a special prayer that God's will be done. I don't want to think about the alternative IF my cancer sniffing dog-chemo has missed one cell. I have faith chemo has done his job in sniffing out the evil witch and the SWAT team has taken them all out.
Much love to all and to those who know me well, I send my, "I love you more! Infinity! No take backs!" I'm still scared shitless, but I view the fear as a good thing. It keeps me hyper vigilant with my diet and appreciating every moment and all those I love...especially one KB, my son.
Next update: results of CA19-9 & side effects of infusion 1 of round 5...#13 overall
Princess out! <3
You hang in there Aly. Very proud of you for your fighting spirit, not to mention your ability to throw humor around like a Frisbee. You will have a good day tomorrow. I guarantee it! Greg
ReplyDeleteHang in there Alleycat. Love you just as much as "more." NO take backs. Please send me a text when you hear something. FAITH.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Greg! And you too, Bon...I won't get the results of the CA19-9 until Wednesday. I'll let you know as soon as I hear. <3
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