Work Tomorrow!

Can I just say that I am actually a bit scared of going back to work?  It's been five months this time.  I don't even know if I'll remember how to do stuff!  Ok, that's the Queen of Neuroses coming out of the basement... hold on, let me lasso her and drag her back down there.

Ok, so... going back to work tomorrow.  It really should not be an ordeal.  I have to go in to Medical first thing, and present them with my oncologist's list of no-no's.  For instance, because we're a manufacturing site, one of the fields on the form is what you can do with your hands; vibration, grasping, repetitive movement.  He's said no to vibration and grasping because of the Hand-Foot syndrome from the Xeloda.  I told him repetitive movement could be interpreted as using the keyboard, which I do and have no problem doing, so that has no restrictions.

The interesting part is that most of the restrictions on the form are due to my lung disease, and not necessarily the cancer.  But the problem is that the cancer makes the lung disease more difficult to deal with.  Still, I haven't had a full-up PFT in years, so I'm not sure if the last few asthma exacerbations have given me a decline in lung function.  It's hard for me to remember that it's classified as COPD exacerbation, now. :)  Things like stairs, walking... very challenging combined with the COPD and the cancer's debilitating effects.  I get tired. ;)

I changed my phlebotomy appointment to 12:30 PM, so I can at least spend some time in the plant, trying to figure things out.  But truly, I'm very happy to be getting some productive normalcy back into my life.  If I can't do this, then I will have to accept that I need to go on disability, but I am fighting that every step of the way.

Must have everything prepared before I go to bed this evening; it will make the morning so much easier.  Clothes assembled, accessories figured out, grab a Glucerna to take for breakfast, get morning meds ready, and probably, I'll need a hat.  Nancy gave me a trim yesterday so that at least I will be presentable sans headwear... not looking so much like Alfalfa from Our Gang. ;)  Oh, better find my traveling coffee mug!

The Weather Channel says it will be 76 tomorrow, but the morning will be chilly, and the scooter trip from my parking space over to medical will be nippy, so a hat is probably a very good idea.

Well, that's it for this post.  Have a lovely Sunday, and make sure when someone does something you appreciate, you let them know how much.

Ugh, Leg Pain

It's back with a vengeance.  I took a Naprosyn today.  Yesterday I got a call from the Apothecary Shop that my prescription for the anti-coagulant shots would be delivered today.  Dr. F had told me to not take Coumadin the day before I started the shots, so I didn't take anything yesterday.

Having given myself Lovenox injections many years ago, I figured I'd be fine to do these.  And I was, but I pretty much had to stare at the needle for about a minute before I finally put it into my flesh.  You couldn't feel a thing.  The med wasn't as stingy as I recall the Lovenox being.  Oh, this stuff is Fondaparinux Sodium.

The happiest part of taking this shot is that I don't have to go twice a week for blood draws any more.  My poor arm can heal.  It's ... colorful at the moment.

Also, happily, now that my asthma exacerbation is almost over, my glucose numbers are back where they should be.  You see, any time you body gets stressed out by illness, it plays havoc with your glucose.  Plus many different meds can influence your glucose levels, as well.  It sometimes gets pretty difficult to keep these numbers under control.

Oh, I like that the Apothecary Shop also brought me alcohol swabs and a sharps container.  But according to the note in my meds delivery, they still owe me 21 syringes of this stuff.  I do have a copay for these shots, but it's manageable.

So, that's what's been happening this week; leg pain, change of anti-coagulant, no more phlebotomist twice a week, although I'll still see them for my pre-chemo testing.  Now I must go drink lots of water.  Oncologist has me on Lasix again, hoping to reduce the swelling in my foot and ankle.  I have my circulation socks on, but I don't really think they work all that well.  And I'm tired and I don't feel so hot, so I'm going to go have a nice lie down. :)

Hugs to all!

Yes, it's Chemo Week

I've not been feeling great, so I haven't had anything exciting to post. :)  I've got a couple more days on the prednisone for the asthma exacerbation, and I looked at my hands today and saw the hands of an 80 year old.  Prednisone just beats the crap out of my skin.  My hands look withered.  Of course, the side effects of the Xeloda are contributing to that, as well.  Oh well, my chances to become a famous hand model are now dimmer than ever. :D

Had another great blood draw yesterday from Joyce at Sonora Quest labs.  There is not a shoddy phlebotomist in the place.  They are fantastic!  I go to the one on Brown Road just west of Country Club.  It's close to my house... relatively speaking.

It's really cooling off here in the desert; highs are only in the low 80's and the overnight lows are down-right chilly in the 50's!  Saturday's projected high is supposed to be 64!  Holy guacamole!  But hey, that's what long sleeved shirts are for, eh?  Jane and Nancy will be happy to play soccer in the cooler weather, that's for sure.

Nothing new to report, though.  Leg is back to being painful and making it hard to get out of bed, so Nancy rigged up a support device to help me with that.  Works wonders. :)  I'm using a cane to get around the house, as sometimes the stupid leg doesn't want to support me.  How rude, when I've been supporting IT for years.  Alas.  And being on blood thinners, the last thing you want to do is fall.

Take care, all.  Keep warm. :)

Coumadin... ai chihuahua

So, I went to Sonora Quest to get my PT/INR.  I was happily anticipating a quick finger prick and then I'd be out of there.

But NO!  "We can't do the finger prick; we're not technicians, and we don't have the equipment."  But, after looking at my arm and examining the vein options, the phlebotomist says to me, "Don't worry, I'm really good at getting blood from you challenging types."  She smiled reassuringly.  Frankly, I believed her.  After a thorough arm going-over, she went for my hand.  It was a perfect job. :)

Then off Nancy and I went to Walgreen's to get the Coumadin.  They were surprised to see me.  I've had my prescriptions there, at least the ones I can't wait on for my mail order joint, for probably a year... and I've never been in the place until yesterday.  Jane and Nancy have always gone to get my drugs.  I think they didn't believe I existed.

I was on my pretty red scooter, and thankfully, the aisles of the Walgreen's were uncluttered enough to get through.  Plus, I didn't hit a soul.  YAY! :D

Jane brought me my favorite salad for dinner, and I made inroads into the See's candy that my friend Annette had brought me in the hospital.  Oh lord, they have chocolate covered ginger.  WOW, that is SO good!  And despite those inroads, my glucose was great this morning.  I'm just about back to my weird normal. :)

Dr. Ramaswamy had said that as soon as he got the results from the PT/INR, he'd call to tell me how much Coumadin to take that evening.  At 4:30 PM, I decided to call, and they said they didn't have the lab results yet.  Gloria, Dr. R's nurse asked me if he'd put STAT on the orders.  I couldn't remember.  They were odd looking to begin with because they were generated in the hospital, and were not in any way like his normal lab orders.

By 9PM, I was half asleep at my keyboard, so I took my regular evening drugs and went to bed.  I figured it was better to not take ANY coumadin than to try and guess what to take.  Guessing and blood thinners do not mix.

The phone rang at 11:45PM.  Jane got it; Dr. Ramaswamy, beside himself and very apologetic said the test results were still not available, but take a half of one of the coumadin.  I did that, and took a Vicodin because my left leg was making it hard to get back to sleep.  .... I woke up at 9:15 this morning.  Holy moses!  I haven't slept that late in years!

And speaking of the devil; just got off the phone with Dr. Ramaswamy who told me how to dose myself for the next couple of days.  Then Monday, it's back for another blood letting.  Joy. :D

All in all, I'm doing really well.  I feel a bit fragile yet, but I think I'm getting stronger every day.  Hugs to all!

Infusing

Lots of very social and loud chemo patients here today.  Unfortunately, when people can't hear well, or live with someone that doesn't hear well, they tend to speak very VERY loudly.  They are giving me a headache.


Cancer has definitely given me patience.  Either that, or I am secretly lamenting my lack of a concealed weapon.  Just kidding, mostly.


I'll post more later.  I'm off to find a weapon.

---------

Now that I am home, where life is much quieter and more relaxing, and  because there were no weapons to be found, damn the luck, I can continue. :D


I had a new oncology nurse today, and I liked her quite a bit, but I couldn't read her name on her badge, although it started with a C.  She had a little trouble accessing my port.  Somehow, I think it says something about me, that I didn't mind the pain of the miss, as much as I minded the very loud, very obnoxious senior citizens.  Hmmmm.


And besides, what is another bruise?  I have the black hand of death thing going on from yesterday's visit with the phlebotamist.  Third stick was the charm, though, as usual.  


Oh how I hate Atropine.  But I think I probably should appreciate it for the reason it is given.  It's just that it makes me dizzy, screws with my ability to focus, and makes me irritable.  Thus my reaction to the decibel-blasting geriatric set.


So, I have to start my chemo pills (Xeloda) again, with dinner.  I have heard reports of people saying my blog has been about food quite a bit recently, but if you follow the pattern, that's only on my chemo off week.  Yeah, once I get my appetite back, I do tend to enjoy food again.  But for now, my chemo week ON, I tolerate it.  Gotta have something in my stomach to cushion the blow of the pills, but I do not actually enjoy it this week.  You should see how my weight fluctuates between the two weeks! :D


Have a great week, all.  Love, hugs and kisses!

When Phlebotomy Goes Wrong...

Ok, it didn't go wrong, really.  And I had to keep telling the phlebotomist that the problem was ME, and not her, so try again.  First stick?  Into a little vein in my forearm, two inches below the crook of my elbow.  


This was my regular blood-letter, and this is where she got the blood three weeks ago.  But, it blew out.  Ok, second stick?  Just to the side of the crook of my elbow.  I've had good luck with that one.  But, it blew out.


Now the plebotomist has tears in her eyes and offers to go get someone else.  "Honey, it's not you.  You know I have crappy veins, and you aren't even hurting me.  Let's try one more."


Third stick's the charm!  Into the hand she goes.  This is NOT my favorite place, but it did the job, and we both felt much better.  But, I have to say, you should have seen the looks on peoples' faces as I slowly hobbled out of there with three bandages on my one arm.  I saw one guy just turn white as a sheet.  Hehehe, I feel bad that I enjoyed that. :D


The point is, the pain involved in a needle piercing your skin isn't worth worrying about.  It's inconsequential, in the general scheme of pain.  Oh yes, I know that very well.


But that's not to say that you can't experience real, ugly pain during a blood-letting.  Just hit a nerve.... oy VEY!  Anywho, all you future phlebotomists out there, yes, care about your patients and their comfort, but don't let one bad stick screw with your self-confidence.  You can do it!  Be strong, and always approach your patient as if YOU are the gold standard for phlebotomists.


I am SO tired right now.  I'm dreading the six hour chemo tomorrow; not the actual infusion because that's cake, but the week following it is more like ... well, I can't come up with a good food analogy, but it's bad. :D


I'll probably post during the infusion; I'm taking the BIG RED gaming laptop with me tomorrow.  May as well get in some World of Warcraft while the poisons seep into my body. ;)


Stay well, all.  Hugs to everyone!

Adventures in Phlebotomy!

I think by now, it's well-known how much I love to say the word Phlebotomy.  Today I headed to Sonora Quest to get my pre-chemo blood work done.  I felt so good today, I went by myself. :)  My sisters have gotten in the habit of either driving me everywhere or at least accompanying me, just to be on the safe side.  It was nice to be self-sufficient, for a change.

Today's phlebotomist was one of the regulars, but bless her heart, she spent most of the time with me apologizing for hurting me.  I tried to tell her that on the pain scale, blood draws barely register, but truth be told, she really was hurting me.  But the main thing is, she got the blood, and out of my arm, not my hand.  Woohoo!

As I got into the car for the trip home, I removed my handicapped placard, and lo and behold it began to disintegrate in my hands.  Now, here we are in Arizona, land of the sun; the relentless, bright, overbearing sun.  It's not a secret that we enjoy sunshine for 360 days a year, on the average.  Bright, overbearing, handicapped placard disintegrating sunshine... it happens!  So, wouldn't it follow that the Department of Transportation would fabricate a placard that wouldn't fall victim to sun rot?

I think I'm probably a normal commuter type.  When I'm not out on sick leave, I work five days a week, and park outside... in the bright, overbearing sun...for more than eight hours a day.  Oh wait, actually, I telecommute sometimes three days a week.  And then the car's in the garage.  But, my point is... I can't be the only person with a handicapped placard that disintegrates.  My last one did, too.  Oh well.

So, I called the MVD and the very happy lady that answered the customer service line said I'd have to bring the placard in to have it replaced.  Hmm, my placard will be replaced anyway in June of 2011, so if I don't run out of this see-though packing tape, I think we'll just make do. :)

Yesterday's dinner was OH soo good.  Jane had gotten us a nice bit of salmon and some beautiful asparagus.  We made some of our favorite rice, steamed the asparagus and pan-seared the salmon.  WHAT a great dinner! 

Oh, and I made that Paula Deen chocolate cake.  It was divine, but I doubt we'll do it again; it's just not at all good for you, although, it does have walnuts and nuts are a good source of those GOOD fats. ;)

And now, I'm off to play a bit of World of Warcraft and beforehand, I shall make a pot of tea.  Keep warm and safe, all... and give someone a hug today.

Nuts

I like nuts.  They are really good for you, too.  I think having skipped a week of Chemo, I've gotten my appetite back, and now I am craving all kinds of things.  Nuts, for one.  So, I found some Blue Diamond Almonds, Jalapeno Smokehouse flavor.  Yummy!  I'm guessing with all the flavoring agents, NOT so good for you as the more natural ones, but dang, really good. ;)

Today will be radiation 23... five more to go!  I went and got my blood work done this AM, and asked for the hand warmer as soon as I got there, as I had been instructed two weeks ago by my phlebotomist.  Too bad it wouldn't fit under my glove, but oh, it was soooo nice, and it really did make a world of difference in getting my vein ready for tapping.

I'm quite happy with the folks at Sonora Quest, the lab I use every week.  They are considerate, mostly on time, and do a great job.  I always appreciate a phlebotomist that looks at the availability of your veins and decides you're too much of a challenge, then goes and gets someone else.  That is the mark of caring blood-letter. :D

Back to nuts.  I also got a bag of Planters Wicked Hot Chipotle Peanuts.  Now these are definitely hot, but not as good as the Blue Diamond.  Mostly, I think because of the nut factor itself.  I just like almonds better.  But cravings are cravings, and so, had to get the peanuts, too.

It should reach 70 today, so it's definitely a little more comfortable.  And of course, wearing a head-covering does indeed help keep your entire body warm.  I am sure I would have learned this at a much earlier age if I had grown up in Wisconsin or Michigan. ;)

Well, tomorrow it's back to Chemo.  My little netbook is ready, and I'm taking some Glucerna bars and .. I think I'll take my almonds!  Plus I have this great flavored water I like to sip on constantly during chemo, because of the hellacious dry mouth thing.  Just have to get past the Benadryl woooooziness, and it's all good.

So, I'll type to you all tomorrow, from chemo and let you know how it's going.  See you then; keep warm and give out some hugs!

The Pink Walker

For some time, now, I've had a pink Rollator that my sisters found, brand new, in a local thrift shop.  I used to use it for work, because though I have a rather splendid handicapped parking spot, (Thank you, Judy Smith) it's still a LONG walk from that spot up to my desk.  The walker has a seat, and a place to put stuff, like your purse and your laptop, because with my lungs, I can't carry much at all.

Since I've been doing the chemo and the radiation, I've mostly relied on my hecho en Mexico cane, that I love dearly.  But today, the walk from the parking lot into the building and down the hall to the PHLEBOTOMIST (oh yes, I still love that word!) was exhausting.  I felt like crying.  So, I decided it was time for the walker to make its appearance once again. 

So we got it into the back of my Equinox and Nancy and I headed to Ironwood for this afternoon's radiation.  And may I tell you how much happier I am using it again.  It's like an old friend.  It just makes me feel more secure, and with that handy seat... YAY!

Another exciting aquisition was some Xylitol mouth spray that I used just prior to radiation, and it was FABULOUS!  I didn't panic from my dry mouth or try to swallow convulsively.  Believe me, when it comes to radiation, you want to be very still.... so as not to move and get zapped in the wrong bits.  This would be bad.  Very bad.  Because you know, there are A LOT of VERY IMPORTANT bits in my chestal area. You know, lungs, heart... things like that. :D

Oh boy, tomorrow is marathon chemo day, but with my handy netbook, I'm sure the time will fly!  And two more radiations until the weekend... wooohooo!  I takes my excitement where I can gets it, these days. ;)

Hugs and kisses!