Last Pred for this Round

Today I took the last of the Methylprednisolone for this go-round.  And that's probably a very good thing, considering my appetite of late.  Ai carumba, it's a good thing my chihuahuas are fast.... ;)


I still have a week or so to go on the antibiotic.  Yes, the cough is still there, but I'm only really goopy in the morning, with some sporadic crud through the day.  I'm staying home until the antibiotics are done.  I don't want a repeat of last Monday.  And of course, this Thursday is my Herceptin treatment, and gods know I don't want to have to delay that.


When I got up this morning, the wind was blowing quite fiercely, and when the sun came up, it wasn't really visible for the clouds.  After a few days of temps in the 90's, today was gloomy, a bit rainy, cold and windy.  Ah the joy of March in the desert.


I have to say, though, my verbena is really scenting the back garden.  It's gorgeous!  But all the wet this winter has brought some gigantic weeds.  Jane's going to work on them tomorrow, as long as it's not raining.  I'm sure Cathy will help.  It's nice to have that big green recycle barrel so that the city gets our green waste to make into compost.  If I was healthy, I think we'd try to tackle our own compost, to add to our vegetable garden.  But right now, we have to get our mesquite trimmed, because it's trying to overtake the veggie garden.


As for the end of the steroids, I should be able to get that PET scan scheduled soon.  My glucose levels are doing pretty well again, for which I am very thankful.


So, have a good night, everyone.  Have peaceful dreams and keep warm or cool, as the case may be. :D

Breathing is SO GOOD!

Despite still having a cough, my breathing has improved tremendously!  Oh yes, I know it's due to the steroids, and I do appreciate them.  


Frankly, a lot of my feeling good is that I have stopped being obsessed about getting that PET scan done NOW!  When I was a child, probably it was the fourth or fifth grade, Mom had a meeting with my teacher, I think it was Sister Sharon.  (12 years of Catholic School, lots of nuns!)


Sister Sharon told my mom that if she had one complaint about my behavior it was that I was 'overly conscientious.'  What does that even mean?  I thought it meant that I had an overactive sense of feeling guilty for everything!  If the class got punished for something, I was sure I must have had something to do with it.  I felt guilty for everything wrong everywhere.


But I got over that, as you do, in the process of growing up.  Yet, there still lingers this maybe overblown sense of responsibility.  The onc says I need to get a PET scan ASAP, and I try to do it, but my body chemistry is all askew, and I cannot.  Now, I have to do EVERYTHING in my power to fix what, in reality, I can't fix by myself, to GET THAT SCAN!


So, I need to relax; get back to that "I'm living in the moment" happy place I normally reside.  And if there is one doctor that understands this about me, it's Dr. Ramaswamy, my PCP.  He's got me down to one glucose prick in the morning, and we adjust my meds from there.  And guess what?  I was STELLAR this morning.  I had stopped obsessing about those four pricks a day as demanded by the PET scan person.  I had stopped worrying about every morsel that passed between my lips, trying to judge protein intake vs fiber vs carbs... I was literally going nuts trying to make sense of my body.  


And of course, right now, there is no sense in what my body is doing.  I'm on STEROIDS!  I have a lethal form of CANCER!  I knew that, but I still wanted to do everything right; be that perfect Catholic School girl, straight A's and guilty as hell.


Now, I hope I'm back on track, just me again, no weird childhood baggage.  That baggage just waits until you're in a weakened state, emotionally, and then it grabs on and clings to you like a fabric softener sheet.  (I hate those things, btw.)


And on that note, I think I'm going to go play World of Warcraft and just have a fun day.

This is Arugula, a worgen warlock... essentially, a werewolf on a horse with flaming hooves.  Cool. :)


Live long and prosper, all.  Until next time.

Not Pneumonia!

Apparently, it's a pretty decent asthma episode, with the cancer contributing to my not being able to spring back at all well.


Dr. R called a few minutes ago to tell me that my labs were good, and my Xray showed nice, clear lungs. :)


So, I need to get my meds done and I should be fine for my herceptin infusion next week. 


YAY, ..... and yet I laugh, because I am so happy to be able to have my herceptin treatment, even though it still gives me that dratted ague and some aches and pains.  But, you know, you can't feel pain if you're not still ALIVE!!!! :D

YAY, I love Methylprednisolone....

Nah, not really.  Well kinda.  it's mostly a love/hate relationship.  It abuses me, then makes things better by helping me breathe.  Sounds like a toxic relationship but some things can't be helped. ;)  I'm sure the antibiotic is helping a bit, too.

So, I telecommuted and got lots of numbers arranged into actual facts and some pretty pictures, and life is good again.  Now, I'm pretty sure I will be able to do my Herceptin treatment next Thursday as scheduled.  As for the PET, it's just going to have to wait until my steroids get this thing to run its course.  Because as predicted, my glucose was HORRIBLE this AM, but I had a rather large dose of the steroids yesterday.  We're doing a dose pack, so we're tapering down over six days.  But believe me, I feel SO much better today, it's worth it.

As for the results of the two tests yesterday, they came in today, but doc won't be in until 3pm, and then he'll get to 'em.  I'm pretty sure, feeling as I do, that they won't find pneumonia.  If they do say anything I'll be sure to post later today.

So, love to all, keep smiling and hug someone or something fuzzy... no wait, that didn't come out right.... ;)

Saw the PC Today

I got some blood work done, and a chest Xray.  He said he'd call today with results as he'd STAT'd both of them.  He's trying to rule out pneumonia... and I sincerely hope he does.


But I got more steroids and another antibiotic, and a med to help me control the glucose while on the steroids.  I went to bed when I got home from all that wandering about, bleeding and radiating.  Temperature at the moment is 99.7.  My temperature, that is... today's outside temperature was 91!  Ai carumba!


My PC was on the phone with my oncologist when I left.  I told him about the pain in my shoulder, and he said that's probably something Dr. F needs to look into.  Not comforting, I can tell you that. :D


Anywho, that was my day; I'm tired, and in pain, ... but otherwise... such is life.

Albuterol, dear Albuterol

I am SO tired of coughing... quite literally.  I finished working (at home) and went right to bed for a nap.  I fell asleep yesterday before 9PM, and slept through to a little after 6AM.


Yes, I did go into the plant yesterday, but that was a huge mistake.  I didn't realize how hard that trek from my car to my desk was going to be.  My utmost gratitude to our company's paramedics for getting me stabilized enough to go home; driven by Hope.  My friend Michelle followed her to take her back to work.  


I have to stop pushing myself to try to be normal.  But I want that so badly.  Yet, yesterday gave me a pretty severe wake up call; I am sick.  I am not 'normal.'  I told my friend Paul that I was scared that what I am today is my new 'normal.'  


Well, I will go see my PC doc tomorrow and hopefully, he can figure out a way to make me a bit more comfortable.  I am cold; I've had a low-grade fever, but not high enough to call the oncologist's office.  The goop I'm coughing up is clear and slowly lessening in volume.  And I have a weird pain in my left shoulder.


As for the Albuterol, I'm sucking on my nebulizer even as I type.  Thank the deities for this med and this medical equipment; it keeps me out of the big house, and after a treatment I can get more goop out.  I posted on Facebook the other day that I needed a phlegm exorcism.  Maybe my PC can get me fixed up with a really good expectorant.  I like to try to go naturally; hot beverages, soup, garlic, chilies, onions, but that's not doing enough.

Happily, though, it's warmed up beautifully!  It was 83 while I was watching the evening news.  Tomorrow will hit 90 they say.  While some folks may cower in terror at those numbers, we Arizonans find it very, very comfortable.  


That's not to say I enjoy anything beyond 110, though.  And that, sadly, does happen quite a bit in summer here.... but remember, it's a dry heat, until the monsoon hits, then you feel like you've entered a sauna that doesn't quit.  But I'll take it over the hellaciously cold winter we've had.  


This picture is one I took years ago right after a monsoon blew through.  


Sadly, our saguaro fell one year.  Luckily, it only took out my eaves, not the room in which my mother was sleeping that morning.

It had rained hard and the cactus had absorbed so much water, it could  no longer hold its own weight.  The neighbors who heard it thought our house had exploded.  The removal squad estimated it weighed more than 2000 lbs.

They cut it into slices with a chainsaw, but still could not lift the slices.  After quartering each slice, they finally got it removed.  Oh they also said it was over 27 feet high.  I loved that saguaro, but its time had come.


The main thing is that no one was hurt; Mom didn't even wake up, but then she was quite hard of hearing by that time.
And thank heavens for homeowner's insurance. :)

Feeling Better

My niece, Cee, came in last night.  Jane and Nancy and she are going to the Rennaisance festival out by Gold Canyon.  They are in full costume, too. :)  It's way too dusty out there for me, and I'd have to take my scooter, which would be rather anachronistic.  Although, perhaps if I put a saddle on it, and I could make it whinny now and then....

So, I had a long talk with my pancreas, and we agreed that he'd have to work harder, and things are MUCH improved on the glucose front.  Well, that and no Prednisone for four days is probably helping as well.  Prednisone... I love it for keeping me breathing, but I hate it for all the horrible things it does to the rest of my body.  It's almost like the relationship I have with chemo.  Chemotherapy is more overt in the things it does to you, though.  Prednisone is sneaky!

We had quinoa with a cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and pepitas pesto last night, and a pork loin goulash over shredded cabbage.  Good stuff, good stuff!  Quinoa is so yummy; great texture and LOADED with protein!

I'm going to head into the plant tomorrow; prove that I really do exist.  I'll take it easy.  No unnecessary wandering, although I do have to go get coffee with my 'brother' John Alfonso, tomorrow.  He called yesterday to check up on me. :)

So, that's the scoop.  Glucose is much improved, my attitude is much improved, and it's nice and warm today.  Who could ask for more?