Update: November 13

It's hump day and we're working our way through the week with good energy and vigor.  I had pre-labs drawn on Monday to prepare for treatment on Wednesday, and there were several abnormals that needed immediate correction- potassium and magnesium, as well as continued low platelets.  Because nothing is ever simple.

My oncology team had me come to Main campus to get the electrolyte correction infusions.  They were able to correct the electrolytes first.  then they held a special case review to get me approved for a medicine to stimulate platelet production called NPlate. It is time-released in a little implanted injector, similar to a dexcom. Once I was able to get this new med, they could give me my chemo.

So yesterday proved to be a very long, very busy but very boring day, if that's possible., stuck in a lounge chair for 9 hours.  However, it saved me a second trip to Cleveland this week for chemo, so we toughed it out.

 Today has been rest and recover in my lounge bed mostly.  I am starting to feel stronger in my legs, and am now able to reposition myself in bed a little better.  

Jason helped me stand up to my walker today, and I took a walk around my lounge.  It's weird to walk when my legs are numb, but I am working on moving them in spite of the lack of feeling.

Later, Jason took me on a wheelchair ride around the neighborhood.   The sun was out and it was 55 degrees, but it was chillier than I thought.  I came back home and tried to take a nap.

Tonight, I'll hang out with my mom while Jason bowls.  She'll help me with dinner and we'll catch up on the week's happenings.

Tomorrow, Occupational therapy will be by to work with me, and I have a visit planned with one of my lacrosse mom friends.

This is day 150.

signature

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wheel of Unfortune

Image
(Record scratch.) (Scene: Country Lawn Rehab Center) Character: It's ME. Hi! I'm the problem, it's me!... So you're probably wondering how I got here..." Hi guys! I took a little break from my blog because I have just been going through the trenches with this medical stuff. Hard and heavy "stuff" and terrible fatigue. I finished two rounds of radiation and a round of chemo and with it came some very unpleasant side effects that caused me to be readmitted to the hospital, namely diarrhea, dehydration, and loss of appetite. I was severely dehydrated due to persistent and never ending diarrhea and in a lot of pain. I had abdominal cramps that felt like labor pain, and lost my appetite so I was not eating.  The diarrhea and dehydration became severe enough that I needed a lot of replacement IV fluids and more scans on my abdomen to make sure there was no obstructions or other problems. I also developed thrush which made my mouth painful and have no appetite o...
Read more

Mommy-of-Three v2.0: Rebooted.

Image
It's been a long time, 10 years or maybe longer since I've dusted off my keyboard warrior skills and put together a tome worthy of sharing across the interwebs. What a walk down memory lane it was as I re-opened my "Mommy-of-Three" archives- stories of raising my three littles, the trials and tribulations I faced as a young mama, the joys, laughter, jokes and fun, and oh the love.  What a time of my life that was. But now I get to reopen my blog for a little different reason. A word I'm not sure I was fully prepared to hear.  A word I definitely was not fully prepared to comprehend or deal with. CANCER. Bladder Cancer with Bone Cancer. Metastatic Cancer. Every time I say it, it still sound surreal.  I'm 48 years old.  I have 2 kids in college and a senior in high school.  I have a career where I enjoy both the challenge and comfort of caring for tiny babies, and have opportunities to teach and mentor students.  My husband, a varsity coach in our hometown, f...
Read more

A Treatment Plan

Image
This week's "big moves" involved our initial appointment at The Cleveland Clinic.   Thanks to a quick referral from a close family friend who is the orthopedic oncologist at Johns Hopkins, we were able to speak with the chairperson of oncology at Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Abraham.  Dr. Abraham promptly referred us to his expert team.  We were fortunate to get a quick appointment with Dr. Shilpa Gupta, who is the director of genitourinary medical oncology at Taussig Cancer Institute at Cleveland Clinic.  She has been quite involved in research to study and treat bladder cancer.   Dr. Gupta was closely involved in immunotherapy and genomic therapy for bladder cancer, and she seems very optimistic and positive about many new treatments that have improved outcomes in this field. My initial apprehensions about the Cleveland Clinic were quickly put to rest by friendly smiling faces, helpful people, and a clean, healing environment.   Dr. Gupta laid out...
Read more