Nancy's Health Blog

This is a diary of my breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. I've been adding it in reverse order so the most recent information is at the top.

Thanks for the cards, e-mails and flowers. I do appreciate being in your thoughts and hearts and prayers.

Nancy

May 31, 2006

Just back from chemo and I was able to receive both Taxol and Herceptin today. While we were out and about yesterday, we decided it would be a good idea to stop in and see if they thought I was recovered enough from my bad cold for Taxol. I didn't want to take 3 Decadron that night if I didn't need it. They drew my blood yesterday too. Since I had no fever and the congestion and cough are almost gone, we decided to go ahead with it.

It was very quiet patient-wise this afternoon and I could have almost fallen asleep. I had the Taxol over 2 hours and the Herceptin was over 30 minutes. So the whole thing was about 4 hours once you include getting vitals and pre-meds and such. I'll be wired on the Decadron tonight and all day tomorrow, then probably fatigued Friday and Saturday. That has been the pattern anyway. But, who knows, having missed a week, maybe I won't be as tired this time.

May 30, 2006

UGH! I had an appointment with the surgeon and they apparently didn't have it on their books. The surgeon isn't even on the island so we drove all the way up to Waimea for nothing. Can I bill him the $25 missed appointment fee? Tom and Jonathan & I did have a nice lunch and dessert at Merriman's, but still....

May 27, 2006

Well, this sore throat thing has turned into the raging cold from hell. Seems it is going around. I have this history of getting a bad cold in April or May almost every year. I had a bad one last year in April.

Wednesday afternoon and evening I had a fever that topped out at 99.8 and was told by the nurse at oncology to start taking some Tylenol and call if it got over 100. About 8 pm the fever broke and I felt much better, but started with a cough when I went to bed. I saw Dr. Cortez Friday and he gave me cough syrup with codeine and that really helped me to sleep last night. The night before I didn't sleep hardly at all due to coughing. Right now my head feels like it's in a vise and Jonathan just went to the store to get some sudafed. I don't usually take that because it makes me jumpy but Jo said I could take just one along with a Benadryl and hopefully they will cancel each other out.

I'm not sure whether I'll be able to get my chemo again this week, but since I have an appointment with the surgeon for a follow-up on Tuesday, my chemo isn't scheduled until Wednesday this time. I hope I kick this in time, but who knows.

May 23, 2006

We now think the rash is just a rash and not shingles but a few days of putting some cream on it will tell us for sure. So I only started the antibiotic so far. My throat is still sore and I have trouble swallowing dry things like bread. I went in this afternoon and had my 2 Tylenol and Herceptin which ran over 30 minutes. My blood work showed that my hemoglobin is low and that my white count has dropped but still at the low edge of normal. I received a shot of Aranesp to help boost my hemoglobin and red count.

While I was in the chair, Dr. Kashef came by to check on me and see if I'd had any improvement since yesterday. So far things are still the same but with an added cough. He told me he thinks the throat might be strep. He and the nurses all said it was good we decided not to give Taxol this week. I talked to Jo this evening and she told me it would be best to skip my support group this evening so I don't give it to anyone. I need to be careful until I've been on the antibiotic at least 48 hours and it's only been 24.

My temperature is back to normal today which is good. I am a bit tired is all.

May 22, 2006

Dang it. Just got back from seeing the oncologist. The rash I had while on EC in December has returned on Taxol (suspected shingles). I also have a red, sore throat making it hard to swallow. So I will not be able to have my #8 of 12 Taxol tomorrow. I will go in and get the Herceptin though. I'm running a slight temperature of 99.3F. Antibiotics for the throat and acyclovir for the shingles. I feel like a pill factory. I guess the good news is since no Taxol tomorrow, no decadron this week.

May 17, 2006

I seem to be falling into a pattern with this kind of chemo. The steroids I take the night before and that they give me in my pre-meds have me wired. My face is also quite red from it. I have lots more energy on the steroids too. Then on day 3 & 4, the fatigue sets in and I'm plum-tuckered for those couple days. Then I recover over the weekend and start it all over again on Tuesday. But only 5 more to go.

I forgot to mention in the previous sections that I did get a film of my echo from Dr. Satta and had the cardiologist, Dr. Wohl, read it. The cardiologist reads it the same as the one he did at 70. So now we at least know the difference is subjective by reader of the echo. The key thing will be what it looks like on June 5 when I have another one and hope it is not trending downward.

Mostly lately I have been having a lot more hot flashes and lots of trouble sleeping. Yesterday I had at least a dozen hot flashes during the day. I talked to Peggy at the clinic and she said it is okay for me to be taking 1 mg of Ativan at night to help me sleep while I'm on chemo. If that doesn't work, I'm to let them know and we will try something else like Ambien or Lunesta or something. It's no fun having several nights a week where I get only 2 hours of sleep or so.

I still have the sores at the corners of my mouth and the dry bloody nose. I've been able to keep them from getting worse using antibiotic ointment and saline nasal spray. I've also developed a bit of a sore throat, but it's just red. I had Peggy look at it yesterday. I'm gargling with biotene mouthwash and that is helping. I am still taking the L-glutamine and B6 and have been better about taking all the doses. No more signs of neupoathy yet.

So far so good. I'm more than half way done with the icky stuff.

Tom arrives on Thursday evening and Jonathan will be back from Japan on Friday. Jo leaves Saturday night on the red-eye. I've been trying to get some things fixed up on the old house at Malulani to get it ready to sell and that is going well; the painter is supposed to start on the interior tomorrow.

May 9, 2006

It seems to be a common problem here in Kona - high cost of living and lousy pay. So my oncologist is moving to Dallas in August. I just did my 6th of 12 weekly Taxol/Herceptin today so I will be on just Herceptin by then. I am bummed. This guy knows his stuff and that's hard to find out here in the middle of the ocean. Hope they get someone good to replace him.

I'm glad to be half way through with Taxol though.

I had a few hours of a burning sensation in the middle three toes of my left foot on Saturday but it was gone by Sunday morning and nothing since. Dr. Kashef told me to make sure I call him if it comes back. Maybe the L-glutamine and B6 are working to keep neuropathy away.

I haven't lost any hair on Taxol - it even seems to be growing. Everyone I meet wants to pet my head. I went to an open house for the one year anniversary of our West Hawaii Radiation Oncology Clinic and the technicians made me get my picture taken with them and my new hair so they can put it on the bulletin board.

Infusion went fine today. My neighbor Mary (Thanks, Mary!) drove me over this morning for my doctor appointment at 10:30, then I stayed for chemo and Jo picked me up to go home when I was done. I am liking doing it in the afternoon. It seems that it is consistently more quiet and the nurses are less frazzled. I can also get some things done in the morning at home before I go.

May 4, 2006

I had my 5th of 12 Taxol/Herceptin on Wednesday. Jonathan & I had spent the weekend up north at the Hilton Waikaloa for the wedding of Susan's son, Grant. We had decided to make a whole weekend out of it and get a mini vacation. So I changed my chemo appointment to Wednesday instead of Tuesday so we would not have to be in any hurry to drive back south Tuesday morning.

The infusion went pretty much the same as the others. We are still running the Taxol at 2 hours in order to keep away any reactions. I lost 1.25 pounds this week which was a surprise since I felt like I ate so much over the weekend. I guess we did do quite a bit of walking at the hotel - the grounds there are huge. I'm still up from where I was but at least this week it was the right direction.

I'm having some trouble with the Taxol that it dries me out - my nose is sore and bloody like when we spend time in the mountains in Truckee and the corners of my mouth have split open and have sores. I started using saline nasal spray and that seems to be helping. And antibiotic ointment on the corners of my mouth keeps it from getting too red, but the sores haven't gone away at all in the couple weeks since they cropped up. Just those things and being achy and tired are the extent of my side effects from this regimen.

I have been taking vitamin B6 and L-glutamine supplements in order to try to keep the nastiest Taxol side effect away - neuropathy. Taxol can cause this which is tingling and numbness in the hands and feet. Some people get it so severely that it becomes permanent. So far I think the supplements are working. I have had no signs of neuropathy at all.

Today is Oncology Nurses Appreciation Day so I put together some decorated packages of a coffee mug and two 2 ounce packs of our coffee wrapped in a cellophane "pineapple" gift bag and took them over for the nurses. The nurses have been great. They are always so upbeat and caring and they really know their stuff. They all seemed to appreciate being thought of.