19 May 2011 – I got Cathy up at 0630 this morning and we left for South Seminole Hospital. I like that place, they are very friendly and super-efficient. We had hoped there would be no more blood tests since she seems to get one every time she enters a hospital. Sure enough, they stuck her and injected some fluid that apparently makes the brain easy to read. We were out by about 0900 and off to Waffle House for a nice breakfast.
Tomorrow we are off to Sanibel Island with the kids. This was planned last winter and although I really would prefer just to stay home and let her rest, all the excitement of going there may keep her mind off what is coming. Any little break from the stress has to be good.
23 May 2011 - We are just back from four great days at Sanibel Island. We had a second-floor beachfront condo with a view of the ocean and a short path right in front of the house to the beach. The wind and the surf were constant so it was cool and rather soothing. This beach is supposed to be the best in the country for shelling. We went out to a very classy restaurant last night and I had bouillabaisse; Cathy had lobster ravioli. Cathy seems to have had a great time, still has no pain and no symptoms. It was a nice getaway for her. It should be quiet today and tomorrow, and then the following day Cathy has her first chemo.
24 May 2011 – I was looking at the drugs Cathy will be taking. One is a steroid that apparently keeps the chemo from giving the recipient a face rash. She has another pill to use in case of nausea. One of the drugs blocks the blood veins that feed the tumor causing it to shrink; another seems to block DNA for the tumor so it cannot grow. The third does somewhat the same thing.
25 May 2011 - I intend to use a little PSYOP on Cathy today. I started telling her last night that this is just another regular day and will be treated as such. We will do all the usual things, read the paper, watch the news, have breakfast, etc. The only difference will be that at noon we will go in and get an IV. Let's see if that works.
The first day of chemotherapy was a mixed bag. The actual treatment went well, but she had a reaction to one drug that was a bit worrisome. The treatment started at 1:30 and should have been done somewhere around 4 p.m. Cathy had no problems with the actual chemo of Alimta, Avastin and Carboplatin, but her blood pressure went way up due to the fact that one of the drugs tends to close the veins to starve the tumors. With the veins smaller, her already high BP went up to about 170. They took close to an hour resting her and diluting the drugs and then finished up about 5 p.m. She has no symptoms yet and is even thinking about bowling tonight; probably a bad idea. She was warned that she might be really tired about Saturday or Sunday. We shall see. So, with all our worry about terrible reactions and nausea, this first treatment went relatively smooth. Of course, we were warned that the first one was not so bad because the drugs were not yet built up in her body.
26 May 2011 - Cathy actually went bowling last night. I was against it because she was a tiny bit "headachy," felt a little sore around her throat and a bit tight in the chest. That would have kept me home. But, I had made the mistake of telling her that she might feel worse tonight or tomorrow (that lag they talked about), and she decided this might be her one chance to get out and do something. She came home and said she was a little tired but I think she bowled three games.
This morning when I got up the house was empty. I am always up an hour or so before Cathy so that was strange. I could not find her and began to think she was "raptured" a few days late. About 7 a.m. she came in the front door and it was obvious that she had been out walking. I told her next time to leave me a note. While she was on the IV yesterday and having those high blood pressure problems I had mentioned to the doctor that she has not been doing her exercise and walking lately, probably because the cancer took her motivation. She said then "I will start walking again," but I did not expect it to start the next day.
So, the conclusion is that she seems OK today, and although she said her legs were a bit tired (as should be expected from someone who has not walked for maybe 3-4 weeks) she seems OK. Maybe we have got by that first treatment OK.
27 May 2011 - Cathy and I walked about 7:00 a.m. I did not want her to be out alone in case she got weak. We walked maybe 2 miles. It looks like we might have a good day this Saturday. Assuming that Cathy is OK and has all her energy, we are thinking of seeing the "Star Wars" event at Disney. We and the kids also have some discounted tickets for a Brazilian dinner, so maybe that night we go out and try some Brazilian steak. This all depends on how she feels of course, but if we get in and out of Disney quick, maybe by noon, and she can shower and rest for the evening, maybe we can pull it off.
28 May 2011 – We went to Disney today and stayed until about noon. Cathy got tired toward the end and when we got home she slept for two hours. I guess the days after the therapy are the worst. Not only is she 3 days from chemo but she is also going cold turkey on coffee because of the high blood pressure at the doctors. So, I cannot tell if the tiredness is caused by the treatment or lack of coffee. I would not do the two together. I would maybe have 1/2 cup just to ease the shakes. Cathy is stubborn so there is no talking to her. She was OK at the 6:00 p.m. Brazilian dinner but did not eat much.
29 May 2011 – I forced Cathy to drink a half cup of coffee this morning. I wanted to see if her general poor feeling was from the chemo or the withdrawal. She had a Tylenol for the headache early so I really could not tell. Her stomach bothered her a bit and she took one of the prescription nausea pills. She is also burping a lot. I will have to call the nurse and see if they have any answer for that.
No comments:
Post a Comment