It's been a long time again since I've blogged. Sorry 'bout that. I have been trying still, to get over the chemo treatments; they were on the rough side for me. I have still been very tired, sluggish, listless and still have a bit of leftover bone pain. I am told by the doctors that my chemo treatments were very strong, so maybe my reactions were normal rather than baby-fied. Additionally, I have gained a whopping 30 pounds, which has been so discouraging to me. The doctor told me that this was normal, because the chemo I was given was all steriods. He also said it would be hard to lose these extra pounds because I am post-menopausal, and also, too tired from the treatments to exercise. Well, BAH.
But now to Larry. Today was his heart procedure. They thought they detected a blockage in one of his arteries, and thought he may need an angioplasty as well as a stent. They got in there today, and guess what: everything was clear! Therefore, Larry needed no stent, and no angioplasty! The blockage they thought they saw was a shadow from his diaphragm. THANK YOU, LORD! What a blessing to receive GOOD medical news! They still went up through a main arterie in Larry's right leg though, so he's on bedrest for a few days now. But how do you like that? NO BLOCKAGES! Clean as a whistle. THANK YOU, LORD!
As for me, I begin my radiation treatments next Monday, Feb 1. I was supposed to have begun yesterday, but there were many hiccups in the procedure. First, the doctor had not yet received approval from the insurance company. Next, the doctor said he would rather wait for the chemo to be completely out of my system, at least one more week. And third, there was a power outage while I was there, which caused all the radiation machines to shut down and need servicing. On top of that, the radiation oncologist was trying to work my radiation around Larry's heart procedure. With all the trip-ups that happened yesterday, we just decided to delay the start of my radiation for another week, and that way, I could give Larry my full attention for his procedure today. Meanwhile, this will give them time to get their fancy machines back up and running again. Radiation was just not meant to be for me yesterday!
Still a great deal of discomfort with this tissue expander. I have many months to go with it still implanted in there. I am also getting discouraged and afraid; my fears go up and down. But there are a few things the radiation oncolgist has said that have weakend my spirit and encouraged more fear. Things like, " Hmmm ... stage 3 ... well, we're doing all we can ..." or, "well, for your advanced case, we're going to use a very sophisticated type of radiation ..." and, "there are no guarantees ..." Ugh. I am so scared.
I think my hair is starting to come back a little. Since I had it shaved, it's always remained bristly, but now, there are soft little peach-fuzz hairs sprouting through the stiff ones. I hope I'm not seeing things! Unfortunately though, I continue to lose eyelashes and eyebrows. Oh well. Hopefully they'll come back soon too.
Guess that's going to have to be it for tonight. I am pretty tired and it's been a long day. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and thoughts for both Larry and me. It is so wonderful to know that so many care about us and are rooting for us! We thank and love you all and are humbled by your continued love and support.
Love to all of you,
Deb AND Larry
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
This One's for Larry
Happy weekend to everyone,
As I mentioned in my last blog, today my husband Larry had an appointment with his cardiologist. Larry has had a pacemaker since 2003, and recently had a stress test. The test came back "abnormal," so today's appointment was to find out what that was all about.
Larry has a blockage in one of the three arteries in his heart. Thank God they found it! So the plan is to do an angioplasty to open up the artery, then implant a stent to keep the artery open. This will be an overnight stay in the hospital, and the doctor says it is a rather routine procedure. While every medical procedure has risks, the doctor feels that Larry will be just fine. THANK YOU, LORD!!! Our appointment for the stent procedure is January 26, just a couple of weeks from now. It will be done at our second home these days, Troy Beaumont.
We would sure appreciate your prayers as we head into this procedure. Again, the doctor was very reassuring, and Larry seems to have no worries at all about having this problem fixed. And again, we are just both so grateful that the problem was detected before a "major cardiac event" occurred.
As for me, I am having a pretty good day today. Not much pain, still very tired and sluggish, and of course, still very scared. But our health, both Larry's and mine, rests in the Lord's hands, and we just have to give it all over to Him.
Thank you ALL so much for your continued prayers and thoughts! Believe me when I say over and over, that they are working, and we are so appreciative of all of you!
Love, Deb 33333333333
As I mentioned in my last blog, today my husband Larry had an appointment with his cardiologist. Larry has had a pacemaker since 2003, and recently had a stress test. The test came back "abnormal," so today's appointment was to find out what that was all about.
Larry has a blockage in one of the three arteries in his heart. Thank God they found it! So the plan is to do an angioplasty to open up the artery, then implant a stent to keep the artery open. This will be an overnight stay in the hospital, and the doctor says it is a rather routine procedure. While every medical procedure has risks, the doctor feels that Larry will be just fine. THANK YOU, LORD!!! Our appointment for the stent procedure is January 26, just a couple of weeks from now. It will be done at our second home these days, Troy Beaumont.
We would sure appreciate your prayers as we head into this procedure. Again, the doctor was very reassuring, and Larry seems to have no worries at all about having this problem fixed. And again, we are just both so grateful that the problem was detected before a "major cardiac event" occurred.
As for me, I am having a pretty good day today. Not much pain, still very tired and sluggish, and of course, still very scared. But our health, both Larry's and mine, rests in the Lord's hands, and we just have to give it all over to Him.
Thank you ALL so much for your continued prayers and thoughts! Believe me when I say over and over, that they are working, and we are so appreciative of all of you!
Love, Deb 33333333333
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Initial Consult with Radiation Oncologist was Today
Here I am again, everyone (thank God!)
Today brings the beginning of yet another phase in the road to my recovery. Larry and I visited the radiation oncologist for the first time today. It was both comforting and scary to me. I had been told by several that once I got through chemo, radiation would be a breeze. Yet, I left the radiation oncolgist's office today feeling a bit of anxiety. While I really liked him, he didn't sugar coat anything. He said that while I had been correctly told that my chances for a cancer recurrance were only about 15 percent, he clarified that the low chance of recurrance meant recurrance to THE AREA THAT'S BEING TREATED. He added though, that radiation can, in some cases, CAUSE MORE cancers to occur elsewhere. And further, because I have already had a high-stage, advanced, aggressive cancer, my chances of getting another cancer elsewhere were increased. Also, there is a chance that if the cancer recurs in the same area, it would likely be along my scar line. Ugh. However, my prognosis for what I am being treated for remains good. So at least that is something for which to be so thankful. I am kicking myself, because I knew for such a long time that I was ill, and chose to wait such a long time to confront what I knew was a serious problem. BAD IDEA.
I have been prescribed 33 radiation treatments, which will take place five days a week for a little over a six-week period. Next week, I will go in and a cast of my chest will be made, and I will be marked for a reference as to where to aim the beam. I'm told radiation treatments will make me tired and that I might develop sunburn-like symptoms, but that the side effects are not nearly as brutal as those of chemo.
The neuropathy in my extremities continues to plague me, and doesn't yet seem to be improving. But I am told to be patient, that it could be awhile before improvement occurs, if at all. Swelling is still an issue and I miss wearing my lovely and sentimental wedding rings. But I am still here!
News on my tissue expander. I saw my plastic surgeon early this week (whom I LOVE -- he is such a wonderful, skilled and compassionate doctor). He examined my surgical area and tissue expander and determined that I am DONE getting fills! Woo hoo! He said my skin was plenty unhappy with us already, and that he felt he had stretched it enough to be adequate for reconstruction. Of course, he cautioned that we won't know until radiation treatments are complete the effects it will leave behind. Naturally ("unnaturally"?), we are hoping an implant will still be an option, but if not, the plastic surgeon assured me that there are still plenty of other successful reconstructive options he can exercise. And in his comforting, A+ bedside manner (one of the many things that makes him a top-notch doctor), he told me I had been through so much already and that I had traveled a really rough road. Whew! Did that ever confirm my feelings! I'd begun to think the tears I shed throughout the torturous chemo cycles were because I was just a big baby. I mentioned this to the plastic surgeon, telling him that there were times throughout the chemo treatments that I literally thought I would surely die, and another enlightening piece of information came to light. He told me that during chemo, they fill you with so much of that toxic drug that it brings you right to the brink of death, that that's when they back off the dosage a bit. I laughed -- he didn't. I asked if he was serious, and he said he was. Well no wonder I felt like I'd literally been poisoned nearly to death! Now, I don't know if others who go through chemo react as violently as I did (I have heard that many sail right through it, and some are even able to continue working throughout), but I just know that for me, at the advanced stage I was, it was pretty difficult.
Well, this has certainly been enough about me. Please allow me to ask for prayers for my BELOVED PRINCE OF A HUSBAND, Larry. As many of you know, Larry has had a pacemaker since 2003. He had a stress test a couple of weeks ago, and we have been told there was an "abnormality" in his results. We are going to see the cardiologist this Friday to find out what exactly we are up against with this. We are hoping that it is nothing more than time to replace the pacemaker. I am glad I am starting to feel a little stronger in case we are facing yet another health challenge. I will keep my blog updated on this situation too, and I will thank you all in advance for your prayers. Believe me, we appreciate them so very much!
So, with the holidays having drawn to a close and life beginning to return to normal, at least from a day-to-day standpoint, let us once again wish all of you a happy and healthy 2010. I will forever be reminded of, and so grateful for, the importance of family and friends. And thank you to all of you who've left such tender and encouraging comments here on my blog. You have no idea how deeply they touch my heart, and how profusely I thank God for each of you.
Love, Deb 33333333333
Today brings the beginning of yet another phase in the road to my recovery. Larry and I visited the radiation oncologist for the first time today. It was both comforting and scary to me. I had been told by several that once I got through chemo, radiation would be a breeze. Yet, I left the radiation oncolgist's office today feeling a bit of anxiety. While I really liked him, he didn't sugar coat anything. He said that while I had been correctly told that my chances for a cancer recurrance were only about 15 percent, he clarified that the low chance of recurrance meant recurrance to THE AREA THAT'S BEING TREATED. He added though, that radiation can, in some cases, CAUSE MORE cancers to occur elsewhere. And further, because I have already had a high-stage, advanced, aggressive cancer, my chances of getting another cancer elsewhere were increased. Also, there is a chance that if the cancer recurs in the same area, it would likely be along my scar line. Ugh. However, my prognosis for what I am being treated for remains good. So at least that is something for which to be so thankful. I am kicking myself, because I knew for such a long time that I was ill, and chose to wait such a long time to confront what I knew was a serious problem. BAD IDEA.
I have been prescribed 33 radiation treatments, which will take place five days a week for a little over a six-week period. Next week, I will go in and a cast of my chest will be made, and I will be marked for a reference as to where to aim the beam. I'm told radiation treatments will make me tired and that I might develop sunburn-like symptoms, but that the side effects are not nearly as brutal as those of chemo.
The neuropathy in my extremities continues to plague me, and doesn't yet seem to be improving. But I am told to be patient, that it could be awhile before improvement occurs, if at all. Swelling is still an issue and I miss wearing my lovely and sentimental wedding rings. But I am still here!
News on my tissue expander. I saw my plastic surgeon early this week (whom I LOVE -- he is such a wonderful, skilled and compassionate doctor). He examined my surgical area and tissue expander and determined that I am DONE getting fills! Woo hoo! He said my skin was plenty unhappy with us already, and that he felt he had stretched it enough to be adequate for reconstruction. Of course, he cautioned that we won't know until radiation treatments are complete the effects it will leave behind. Naturally ("unnaturally"?), we are hoping an implant will still be an option, but if not, the plastic surgeon assured me that there are still plenty of other successful reconstructive options he can exercise. And in his comforting, A+ bedside manner (one of the many things that makes him a top-notch doctor), he told me I had been through so much already and that I had traveled a really rough road. Whew! Did that ever confirm my feelings! I'd begun to think the tears I shed throughout the torturous chemo cycles were because I was just a big baby. I mentioned this to the plastic surgeon, telling him that there were times throughout the chemo treatments that I literally thought I would surely die, and another enlightening piece of information came to light. He told me that during chemo, they fill you with so much of that toxic drug that it brings you right to the brink of death, that that's when they back off the dosage a bit. I laughed -- he didn't. I asked if he was serious, and he said he was. Well no wonder I felt like I'd literally been poisoned nearly to death! Now, I don't know if others who go through chemo react as violently as I did (I have heard that many sail right through it, and some are even able to continue working throughout), but I just know that for me, at the advanced stage I was, it was pretty difficult.
Well, this has certainly been enough about me. Please allow me to ask for prayers for my BELOVED PRINCE OF A HUSBAND, Larry. As many of you know, Larry has had a pacemaker since 2003. He had a stress test a couple of weeks ago, and we have been told there was an "abnormality" in his results. We are going to see the cardiologist this Friday to find out what exactly we are up against with this. We are hoping that it is nothing more than time to replace the pacemaker. I am glad I am starting to feel a little stronger in case we are facing yet another health challenge. I will keep my blog updated on this situation too, and I will thank you all in advance for your prayers. Believe me, we appreciate them so very much!
So, with the holidays having drawn to a close and life beginning to return to normal, at least from a day-to-day standpoint, let us once again wish all of you a happy and healthy 2010. I will forever be reminded of, and so grateful for, the importance of family and friends. And thank you to all of you who've left such tender and encouraging comments here on my blog. You have no idea how deeply they touch my heart, and how profusely I thank God for each of you.
Love, Deb 33333333333
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