Mid-way PET scan

PET scan #2 was today.

It was a crazy day actually.

We had an appraisal scheduled today for our house. We are trying to refinance our mortgage to save some money. So the appraiser was going to show up at 8am and my PET scan was at 10am. Not a big deal really until we got a note on our door Sunday night telling us that our sewer lines were going to be worked on Monday as well.

So no water. All day. Monday.

Crraaapp.

This made things very interesting. Luckily Dan's mom only lives a mile away from us and she is out of town right now so we were able to use her shower this morning.

I head over to Carle for the PET scan with already a ton of butterflies in my stomach. I have my iPod and took a xanax this morning but worry it wasn't enough to beat the "little tube" that is the scan.

I sit for an hour in a comfy recliner drinking the lovely day-glo contrast liquid again. I also am shot up with radioactive sugar again to help all the cancer cells glow. By the time I need to go in the scan room I am feeling more calm until I see the machine.

That damn machine.

This one is backwards, they actually put me in head first. I think that makes it worse too.

So 30 minutes in this thing. I have my iPod blaring and I just keep my eyes shut so I don't see how close the tube is to my face.

A few times I think I'm going to call it quits, but I go back to focusing on my "This American Life" episode. 

After what seems like forever, its over! It definitely wasn't easier, but at least I got through it.

Now we wait for the results. Easier said than done.

by Dan 

We will find out the results on Wednesday with Dr. Rowland. So really not that long to wait but entirely too long with everything riding on these results.

We are holding our breath.

Still Truckin'

Well the dreaded "red devil" has not got me down!

I have had a great and very productive weekend. Felt pretty much the same as every other chemo. A little crazy while taking my steroids, a little tired when I'm not. Some nausea, but staying on top of the Zofran takes care of that.

Dan was gone all weekend at gigs so my mama came over to hang out with me and make sure I drank my water and ate something.

She may have gone a little overboard with making me drink!

We ran errands on Saturday, made some dinner and Sunday we spent the day painting outdoor furniture.

Ever since I got this great new deck this summer I have been wanting to outfit it with some great furniture. Problem is outdoor furniture is EXPENSIVE! So 6 cans of spray paint later, I have "new" deck furniture!

Check it:

   Before

      Before

After

   After

After

Ahhhhhh! The deck is feeling complete!

So a big thanks to my mama for helping me paint a TON of furniture. I am getting ready to have a late dinner with Dan and then some lesson planning for the week.

By the way, mid-way PET scan is scheduled for September 24 at 10am. Your positive thoughts, prayers and good vibes are welcome any time. I already feel like I am holding my breath.

Chemo #4 Halfway!

I brought my handy dandy laptop with me to the cancer center today to do a blog post during my halfway chemo. I wanted to post a "play by play" if you will about what happens during a typical chemo.

Dan made meme

I went in early this morning to get my port accessed. They stick me and put a tube in and then I go get breakfast with Dan. (editor's note:  breakfast is the most important meal of the day) I cover up everything with a scarf so people don't look at me like I have a tube coming out of my chest. Which I do....

We came back after breakfast and went and saw Dr. Rowland. He was thrilled with my blood tests again. Everything looked really good which means the white blood cell booster shot is working!

He wanted us to schedule a PET scan before we came in to see him next time since this is my halfway point. I am already nervous about this PET scan since it will say so much about what my next treatment options will be like (more chemo? radiation therapy?) and how much longer do I have to deal with having "cancer". 

He also decided to bring one of the chemo drugs, the "A" in ABVD back up to normal dosage levels. He dropped down on the dosage after my fiasco first chemo treatment but since I have been feeling so great he wanted to move it back up to hopefully kill off any cancer cells that might be lingering. He is keeping the "V" in ABVD at 50% however since that drug really affects(editor's note:  I have no clue if it should be affect or effect.  Chime in!) my liver which is something else that went haywire during the first chemo.

After seeing him and getting the go ahead we walk over to the chemo infusion suite.


I always ask for a private room instead of going out to the infusion room. Don't get me wrong, the infusion room is really nice. Huge windows, a fireplace, and big screen TV's everywhere. I just really like sleeping through the last half of my chemo. I don't feel comfortable sleeping around other people however so I always ask for a private room. Here is what it looks like.

Not huge, but completely our own space. I am sitting in a recliner.

Dan always brings his laptop to work on things since chemo can get pretty boring. 

Today we had my favorite nurse Mary. She was the first chemo nurse we met and always remembers us and little things about our lives. She is really nice and has a very dry sense of humor which Dan loves.

Mary gets me hooked up to the infusion pump. They start me off with a bag of saline to give me some fluids. Then Mary hooks up a bag with benadryl, my steroids and anti-nausea meds. I started at 9:20am.

The first drugs make me pretty loopy and tired, but I have to stay awake so that when they give me my first heavy drug, the "A" one, that I can eat ice chips to keep mouth sores away.

Mary comes in with the "A", "B" and "V" drugs. They are all "push" drugs which means Mary has to sit and insert each one manually into the IV line.

Mary giving me Adriamycin aka "A" aka "Red Devil"

 Dan talks to her since I am shoving ice chips down my throat the whole time. Luckily since my mouth is numb from ice I don't usually "taste" the drugs. It's weird that a drug that is being inserted straight into my body can still leave an awful taste in my mouth. The saline they use to flush out my port always tastes the worst. I brought candy the first two chemo treatments to combat the taste, however it now seems that all chewy type candies make me horribly nauseous. How fun. So now I just stick with ice chips.

After Mary finishes "pushing" all the drugs she hangs up the bag with the "D" to finish out the chemo. At this point I usually pass out. It takes about an hour and a half to two hours for the "D" to get in my system. When I wake up I am always completely washed out, almost yellow. It is always a shock the first time I see myself in the mirror. The Casper look lasts for about 24 hours and isn't just my face. My arms, legs, everything looks a little yellow.

         Chemo face before                                                                     Chemo face after. Casper!

After that, Dan and I are all done. We were out of the hospital today by 2:00p. We headed to the grocery to get some crackers to help me drink more in the next couple of days. Then we came home to do some laundry and dishes, well Dan did dishes and laundry, and I passed out for a little while. 

I'll try and go to bed early tonight so that I can be ready for my school's Open House tomorrow. Hopefully I don't look too pale for the parents or talk too fast due to the steroids. It will be a long day but then Friday is a half day at school and I just have teacher meetings in the afternoon. Score! On Saturday, Dan is leaving for the weekend for a couple of gigs and my mom is going to come over to hang out with me and make sure I keep drinking. I totally don't mind that at all since I know she will clean out my flower beds for me and bring me food. If I am feeling up to it we can paint some new patio furniture I got for free from a friend! Woot!

So yes I am nervous about the higher dose of one of the most toxic drugs I take, but I am hoping with all the proactive stuff we are doing this time around that I will have no issues.

Dan made meme

Germs!

As I get ready to tackle chemo #4 (halfway!) I am more and more aware of any possibility that my chemo could be delayed.

Of course after my first chemo went so horribly we had to delay my second for a week. It actually worked out though since my last chemo was supposed to be on Halloween. I always have a big concert that day at the nursing home in Gifford. Now I won't miss Halloween and my students get to sing at the nursing home in their costumes!

But November 7th is very clearly etched in my mind already as the final chemo date. I will do ANYTHING to keep from changing that date!

The big part I have to keep on top of is staying healthy. My immune system isn't at it's best right now. The chemo wipes out my white blood cells. I am taking my white blood cell booster shot after each chemo. It keeps my white blood cells from bottoming out. Dan is convinced it is what has made me feel better during the past chemos. I am convinced it is the amount of liquids I have been drinking after each chemo. I don't want to experiment to see who is right so let's call us both right!

Unfortunately schools are germ-y. 

My students are doing a great job remembering to sanitize their hands before entering my classroom and covering their mouths when they cough. I have even noticed some students avoiding getting close to me if they don't feel well. 

We started band this week and as I was teaching some students how to make a noise on a flute I realized they were spitting all over me. Sigh.

So I improvised:

No germs on me!

My fifth graders called me a purple ninja. And then the boys proceeded to get in an argument about their being no girl ninjas. I set them straight.

So as of right now I would say we are beating the germ battle. I'll keep taking my vitamins and white blood cell booster shots (did I mention if I didn't have insurance it's a $5,000 shot?! WHAT?!) and wear my lovely ninja outfit as beginning band students start a new year.

Check out my new bulletin board by the way! It's my new favorite!

Each note has a student name on it. The kids did the notes! ;)

The puppy question still stands by the way....I'll try not to take a trip to the humane society this weekend while Dan is away. I will be keeping busy with some hanging out with girlfriends, my new hobby of stitchery, and my new yoga DVD.

Wish me luck!

P.S. I got a new coffee maker! I am the only coffee drinker in the house and Dan was tired of cleaning out a coffee pot each morning.

I'm in love...

P.P.S. I can't tell if it is new growth or just a few strands that haven't said goodbye yet, but I technically still have hair! And eyebrows! Woo Hoo!

Yay Yull Brynner!

I am slowly going crazy....

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 switch!

Anybody else Sharon, Lois and Bram fans out there?

I loved them as a kid and even bought their CDs when I was student teaching and kept losing my voice. I would play the CD for my students and they loved all the goofy songs.

But seriously. I am going a bit crazy. The third chemo has been about as uneventful as the second. Which is sooo awesome! But now that I feel pretty normal physically I am realizing how BORED I am!

I am so used to being busy, busy, busy. I love to stay busy. But this year I am not teaching guitar lessons, working a weekend job, or even going to grad school. With Dan having gigs every weekend this month I don't even have him around to entertain me! :(

So I am trying to find some hobbies. I went to the craft store today and bought a bunch of supplies. I may even start on some homemade Christmas presents! 

My haul today. Can you tell what I am trying to make a new hobby?

My parents are hanging with me this weekend too, so at least I'll have someone to run errands with and keep my craft buying in control.

They will unfortunately have to deal with my steroid powered self which likes to wake up at 3:30 in the morning and clean bathrooms. Also steroids make my emotions go haywire and my ADD almost out of control. So I'll start baking banana bread and then forget that I was supposed to make dinner as well and try to throw that in the oven too. So then our house smells like garlic chicken bananas with a faint hint of cleaning chemicals. Dan is soooo lucky. ;)

I am also thinking (yes, just me, not Dan) that I should become a foster mom for a puppy for the humane society. It could be a lot of fun! Midas wouldn't have to worry about someone taking his place as our top dog. Yet Dan is against the idea. If you agree that this is a great idea you should totally leave a comment! :)

Sorry for all the emoticons and the exclamation points!!!! STEROIDS!!! :D

Chemo #3

Third chemo is over and done with!

I was a little concerned that since I had a cold I wouldnt be able to have treatment today. But as Dr. Rowland said my counts were "perfect". I still had a normal white blood cell count, my liver was behaving and everything else was great!

I was so excited to tell him how much better everything had gone this time! And he was so glad to hear it! We went with the same amount of dosage this time for all the drugs, but he mentioned that next time we may need to up some. Slowly, just to make sure the cancer is dead and gone but also to make sure I don't get really sick again.

For those who are keeping track next chemo is Number Four! That's halfway through!!! I am getting excited about being on the downhill slope of this. After the number four chemo we also have our mid way PET scan. That will tell us a lot. Dr. Rowland felt my neck this time though and said he couldn't feel any swollen lymph nodes. That is a great sign!

After this chemo I had more trouble with being tired, but the steroids that they give me during treatment kept me going through the afternoon. We went to Michael's and bought a TON of doo rags so I have more scarves to wear for school. Then I came home and crashed for an hour and was up like a shot and cleaned and did laundry. Then....I crashed again. I managed to eat some really yummy lasagna that a parent had dropped off for me. And now I am getting ready for bed.

I will continue to drink an insane amount of water tomorrow at school. Which isn't the easiest when I can't really go pee any time I want, but there is no way I'm not drinking. I don't want to test out the theory that this is why the last chemo went so well. Nope. 
I'll just keep drinking a heck ton of water thankyouverymuch.

Meme advice made by Dan

I am excited about the new scarves I bought and getting back to school. I missed being busy today! This weekend Dan is gone the whole weekend on a big wedding gig so my parents are coming over to hang out with me. Then on Monday we are having a little cookout with some friends. Hopefully Hurricane Isaac only wants to dump 6 inches of rain on us on Saturday and Sunday and leave us alone on Monday.

By the way, thank you for all the lovely texts and emails you sent me today! As always they are greatly appreciated!

Chemo positives

There have been a few positives that come from doing chemotherapy:

• The money I am saving on hair care products is amazing.
• I also haven't had to shave in 2 weeks. TMI I know, but I'm sure the ladies can appreciate it.
• I have ridiculously smooth skin as well. No lotion required.
• I've been paying a lot more attention to what I am eating and drinking. I haven't had any coke since my diagnosis. Since I used to not be able to live without a big gulp of Diet Mt. Dew everyday that's big for me.
• I can drive with my windows down! No more dangerous amounts of hair flying in my face or into my mouth.
• It's brought my family closer together. We talk more often and see each other more. That has been nice.
• I have learned how many people care about me. A lot of people never get to know that. Some people even have fantasies of dying and coming back and seeing what people say at their funeral. I have no desire to know what my obituary will say but I know I am cared about and prayed for and that will always make a person feel good.
• I have started this blog and realized I enjoy writing. I am still working on improving as a writer, but I enjoy writing about my experiences. So far it has been very therapeutic for me. I also enjoy meeting the people who have stumbled upon my blog. Unfortunately they are usually looking for more info about lymphoma because someone they know or they themselves have it, but I enjoy being a resource whenever I can.

So there are the positives I've found in chemo so far. We go in for treatment number 3 on Wednesday. I am getting my sub plans ready as I write this. I am excited to be almost half way done with chemo. Now I get to start worrying about the mid-way PET scan which will really tell us if the chemo has killed all the cancer.

We are praying for complete or even partial remission so I will not have to go through radiation. Radiation has a bad habit of bringing on new cancers and since the largest tumors are in my chest this could cause breast cancer in a few short years for me. So we want to avoid that at all costs.

Right now, however, we are focused on having a good chemo treatment like last time. We are going to do everything the same: dosage, insane amounts of drinking water and taking all my meds for 3 straight days regardless of how I feel. Hopefully everything will go just as well as before!