Health Update

I had an brain MRI yesterday and it was compared to the prior brain MRI's and all was the same - which is a good thing! Also, all my blood work today was good. And, on top of everything else, I am feeling well and working hard at physical therapy and regaining my strength and endurance. Lots of good things going on this week - I feel like I have accomplished a lot this week - so many appointments, so many things to do (so little time before going back into the hospital!).

SPRING

I have never been so happy to see Spring arrive! Even the weather is warm and sunny. This has been a wonderful week. I am feeling good - getting stronger every day and best of all, I am not in the hospital (yet). I went to my own house twice this week - the croscuses in my back yard are already blooming and tulip leaves are peeping out of the ground. I was shocked when I saw them. The last time I was there, that part of the yard was snow covered. The garden that I dug out last year at the bottom of my yard is still empty, but I am determined to make it a rose garden this year - I am just waiting for the rose bushes to be in the store and a little more strength - I have wanted a rose garden since I was a little girl on Shamrock Avenue and I am determined to have a rose garden this year. It is a small garden, most likely only big enough for three or four rose bushes. One of the bushes must be Peace roses - yellow blossoms with a hint of pink at the ends. We had a rose bush like that in the tiny garden in our yard on Shamrock Avenue and I loved those roses so much - I have always wanted to grow them. I wish that the garden as a little bigger, but it was hard enough digging out that space and building the little brick wall around it last summer, so I knew that smaller was better and easier to maintain. I tried to complete it last summer, but apparently no one sells rose bushes in July! I couldn't even order them online. Well, the rose bushes will be available real soon and I will buy them and plant them and have my very own rose garden - soon!

It was nice to be in my own home, even if it was only for a couple of hours. It was also a bit overwhelming - it has such a neglected look about it. Christmas wrapping paper is still sitting out on the table, the bag of clothes that I was putting together (back in October) to take to the Goodwill is still sitting on the basement floor. The dining room table still has an arrangement of Fall flowers with a circle of glass yellow and brown acorns around it. I did remember to take down the Christmas wreath from the door the last time that I was there! I had to empty out the pantry - a lot of the canned and boxed goods were expired! I didn't even remember buying some of it - but apparently I had caught a good sale on Jello Cook and Serve Pudding - chocolate and vanilla - I had about 8 boxes, which is a lot of pudding for a person that lives alone! The boxes of pudding are all good until 2011, so I took them to my parents house. I guess me and dad will be eating a lot of pudding in the next few months! :) So much to do, so little time - but I am thankful that I was given the giftof time.

UPDATE

I had blood work done and met with the Nurse Practitioner today. All the blood work came back normal except for my potassium levels came back high. The chemotherapy treatments deplete my potassium levels and I usually get it intravenously during chemo (apparently low potassium has bad effects on the heart). After chemotherapy I usually need to take potassium pills (which are gigantic and hard to swallow), but I have not taken them for over a week. I guess that I am eating too many bannanas and baked potatoes (I have no idea what else could be making my levels high). So, I have to limit my bannana intake and aside from that, all is good. Good thing that I am not a monkey - I would starve!

YEAH - REALLY GOOD DAY

Well, today is a really good day for me. It is the first 2nd Monday after a chemo treatment that I am not waiting to go into the hospital for another chemo treatment. Yeah! I have until March 29th to check back into the hospital. Yeah! I will still be in the hospital one week of every month, but it is sooo much better than two weeks of every month. And, best of all, I am feeling very well. Very few side effects at this time. A little fatigue, but not as bad as it was.

I have lots of stuff to accomplish during this non-treatment time, but at least I have the time out of the hospital to have all these physical therapy appointments, etc. I have already started the physical therapy/rehabilitation to regain strength and endurance (most of which was lost during the coma). I am doing much better on the stairs and can stand for longer periods of time. According to the therapist, a lot of what I need is repetition - I have to do this series of exercises twice a day - so far I have ben very dedicated to my exercises - I want my endurance back!

I have been very busy lately. Aside from all the appointments, I have visited with some co-workers and friends. I have had a couple of meals in restaurants and I have been to the grocery store and to Target. I know - not all that exciting, but so much more than I have done in a long long time, so exciting stuff for me. Actually, I always enjoy visitors! It is so much fun to catch up on other people's lives and not be the center of conversation (or rather my disease be the center of conversation). It is also nice to do mundane, "normal" things like picking up a few items at Target. It almost feels foreign to me - it has all been so long since I have done these kinds of things. Anyway, I am really enjoying my time out of the hospital - no, the path to recovery is not over yet - there is still quite a lot of it in front of me, but it just hasn't been as bumpy of a path these days and I am very very thankful for the smoother path.

CHEMO SPILL

The first night that I as getting the chemo, I had a "chemo spill". I was twisting and turning in bed and accidentally tore the needle out of my chest and port. Well, I have never done that one before! Lucky for me, eventhough I was only half awake and it was 3:15 am, I jumped into action and turned the chemo drip off and immediately used by pajama top to get the dripping chemo off of me as I was using the call button to alert the nurses. Well, they all suited up in their Hazmat suits and blue gloves and came running into the room, but I had pretty much everything under control by the time they got there. It sometimes amazes me how alert I can become in a crisis. The funny thing is that after it was all over, I was a nervous wreck. Lucky for me, no ill effects from the spill - no skin burns or anything. They got the a new needle in and the chemo running again in about an hour, so it all worked out in the end. Although, the next day, everyone in the hospital knew about my chemo spill! I am getting quite a reputation at Franklin Square Hospital!

CHEMO # 8 IS OVER - LAST OF THE EVERY OTHER WEEK CHEMO TREATMENTS

So glad to have this one over. I will now get three whole weeks to recuperate between treatments! No, I won't be sitting around eating bon bon's - I need to do outpatient physical therapy in-between the treatments to help me regain strength and endurance and to keep what I have gained - it is amazing how quickly you lose muscle mass in the hospital. I had a physical therapist come in for an evaluation - she had not seen me in a couple of months and was quite pleased with the many improvements that she saw in me physically. I am really trying to do as much as possible without exhausting myself. I know that if I keep working at it, it will come. You know - there are a lot of places that I will need strength and endurane to walk to for lunch when I get back to work (yes, lunch is always a priority with me:)

This treatment went well - not too many issues or side effects. I am feeling fairly well - a little fatgued. Had a little incident this time around, but I'll give you the details later.

I'll give you an update tomorrow. Happy to be home again - and in the daylight! It will also be nice if the weather is good - the last couple of times that I was out of the hospital it was frigid or snowing out.

Lots of nurses and medical professionals were exceptionally kind to me this time - it always helps. So, as much as I hate being in the hospital, I felt that everyone worked to make it a good experience - but the days go by so slowly!

LEAVING FOR CHEMO #8 - Last of the every two week ones

Hospital has called - a room is waiting for me. I'll be in touch soon. Kind of excited to get this one over with - I will get three weeks off after this one! Keep the positive thoughts flowing my way - I'll be in touch soon.

PS: Had a good weekend. Celebrated a friend's 50th birthday. The first of my close friends from the Class of 1978 to turn 50. This will be a birthday party year - lots of us turning the big 5 0 - you all know who you are, even if you are in denial. Me - I am happy to be alive and growing older each day! It is going to be a really big and festive year!