It's a quick trip every weekday for a radiation treatment for five weeks and as of yesterday I have I week down and four to go. I can literally arrive for treatment and walk out the door in 15 minutes! So far no real issues or pain. They say it will be like a bad sunburn the last couple of weeks and every person is different - so we'll see how it goes... I really like the nurses/radiation techs and my radiation doctor. They are all really friendly and helped me feel really comfortable fast. I never thought I'd get so used to disrobing!
Last Friday I was scheduled for another Herceptin chemo treatment and met with the Physicians Assistant first to get the Echo cardiogram results. The first thing she said was "We're going to post-pone the Herceptin treatments" which I quickly wanted to know why! Evidently, the echo showed one of the valves in my heart is now not totally closing. She said it can happen due to history of high cholesterol, heart problems, and if I remember right - high blood pressure, none of which I have. It can also happen as people age (they live with it fine) or could it be from the Herceptin drug.
So we've cancelled chemotherapy for one month. After that month, I will have another Echo to see if it is still there. If it's healed, we can start treatment again. If not, I will have additional heart tests, i.e., stress test, EKG, etc., to see if they can figure out if it's just due to aging or what. So basically, I'm on hold for future chemo treatments (which if I figured it right is about another 8 or 9) until this gets figured out or healed. After the news about the heart issue, I fell into a totally BUMMED OUT mood!!! But, I was quit thrilled to learn that I can continue the radiation treatments!!!!
The week prior I had started to feel so much better - more like myself - that I could really see the light at the end of the tunnel and had planned in my mind that by the first of next year this would all be done and over with. Now, depending on results, this will continue well into next year which will incur more costs - deductibles and out of pocket maximums to meet again!! Nothing had hit me this hard since I had started all these treatments and could feel myself getting depressed. Luckily, Lance could see this and planned a road trip the next day to help get my mind onto other things. We looked for some recreational property and ended up very near my brothers cabin. They happened to be and we were able to spend some time with them - which really helped me alot! We don't get to see them often enough and we had a real good time! Thanks Deb and Lynn-love ya lots!!!!
This week I've been working this week and on my way home on day I suddenly remembered that the port is supposed to be flushed if you don't have a treatment. So I had an appt. for that after the radiation treatment today. But as things sometimes go....it would flush but they're supposed to suck some blood out after they push in the flushing fluid and they couldn't get any. Even another nurse tried and couldn't get it. I don't know what's up with that!!! They weren't too worried about it because they could get the fluid to go in - just nothing back out - so in another month, when it's determined if I'll have chemo treatment or not - they'll have to do something else to make it work again. I'm hoping that's not too bad but I'm not going to worry about it until then!
You know how you have ups and downs? Well, it's just been alot of downs for the past week but I try to pull myself back up cuz I KNOW it could be worse!! Like they say - It's better then the alternative!!
LIVE, LAUGH and LOVE OFTEN!!!
until next time....
Nancy
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