Thanks again for all your prayers. We really do appreciate it.
Last week was a boring week, as far as appointments go. I didn't have any! It was nice. I got time to relax, read a book, do some puzzles and took lots of naps.
This week on Wednesday I had a routine blood draw and met with my oncologist, Dr Brown. We talked about the neuropathy in my feet and how dropping Paclitaxel last time should help it not to get worse and might help it improve some. She has decided that I need to start on Paclitaxel's sister drug Docetaxel. This chemotherapy drug isn't supposed to cause neuropathy so I'm going to give it a try. After that I had another acupuncture treatment. Jon my acupuncturist is excited that I am no longer going to be getting Paclitaxel and he thinks that we will be able to make some headway with the neuropathy in my feet now. Fingers crossed! I am still using the lasers and Biomat most days, along with extra supplements.
Thursday Devin and I celebrated our 21st Anniversary. We went out to eat at our favorite restaurant Epic Chophouse.
We have taken advantage of the rainy holiday weekend to catch up on some shows, video games, naps and reading. Hope you all are enjoying your relaxing holiday weekend!
Prayers:
- My left leg/butt pain is getting worse. The pain is moving into my leg now. Praying my upcoming PET scan will show us what's going on.
- That my body will tolerate the new chemo drug on Wednesday.
As always thank you for your continued prayers. I feel them daily and appreciate them so much!
On Tuesday I had blood work done prior to my chemo infusion. Most of my numbers looked good. As expected my white blood cell count is still really low. The good news is the numbers for my thyroid (TSH) have lowered some. This means that the prescription is working. After my blood work we met with my oncologist's PA to go over everything. Dr Brown was out of the office that day. We talked about the neuropathy of my feet and how it was now causing me to fall while walking on uneven surfaces. We all agreed that in my best interest to discontinue one of my chemo drugs, Taxol which is known to cause neuropathy. So, during my infusion I received the other two chemo drugs and my immunotherapy drug. We also discussed getting my next PET scan scheduled. The results of that will determine our next steps.
The rest of the week was very hard for me, both mentally and physically. I was and am still very tired. My feet and legs below my knees are tingly and numb most of the time. The leg numbness comes and goes but my feet are constant numbness. We had hoped that dropping Taxol would help me to feel better after the infusion. But instead I would have to say that this round of chemo has been the hardest on me yet. I am guessing it is because of the compounding effects. The doctors always say that each chemo session builds upon the last. One good bit of news is that for 5 days after the chemo my left leg/butt pain was a lot better. I didn't even notice it for a few days at all. So that is a win!
I had a great Mother's Day. We went to brunch and then I took an afternoon nap. It was glorious!
No appointments this next week so I will just continue to rest and heal!
Prayers:
- That my body can rest and heal.
- That my body can repair the damage in my bones caused by the cancer.
- That my legs/feet will start to get less tingly/numb.
- That I can mentally prepare for the next phase of treatments whatever that might be.
As a health and wellness advocate, I want to emphasize the importance of complementary therapies for cancer patients. One such therapy that I have come across is the use of a BioMat. The BioMat uses far infrared rays and negative ions to promote healing and reduce stress. It can help reduce pain and inflammation caused by cancer treatments, boost the immune system, and promote relaxation and reduce stress. As always, it's important to consult with your healthcare provider before trying any new therapies. But if you're looking for a non-invasive, safe, and effective way to support your body's natural healing processes, the BioMat might be worth exploring.
Read more...
Thank you for all of your prayers! We really do appreciate it.
This week has been both good and bad. I will start with the bad to get it over with. Here is the real side of fighting cancer. I have been dealing with this leg/butt pain this week. It seems to be getting a little worse. I am taking 600mg of ibuprofen two times a day. I have thought about taking my prescription hydrocodone a couple of times but I try to keep that for dire circumstances. It only hurts when I am up and moving around so the ibuprofen does a pretty good job of keeping it at bay.
On Friday I tried to work outside in our wooded area since it was so nice out. Lots of sticks and tree limbs fell over the winter and we like to keep it cleaned up as best we can. Weeds have also started growing that need to be sprayed. I thought I would be ok working out there for awhile. Our wooded area is bumpy and I didn't realize how bad my feet have gotten with neuropathy. Let's just say that I don't do very well walking on uneven surfaces. It caused me to fall twice. I was very discouraged after that. I am very thankful for a husband who finished my work after he had already done his work for the day.
The good news for the week is I got to rest a lot. I took lots of naps. The dogs love this too! I have been feeling more tired lately so this was a much needed week of rest. I also had time to read and binge watch House Hunters International. I love seeing how people live in other countries. Lets just say that for this introvert this rest week was much needed for my soul.
Prayers:
- For the pain in my leg/butt to get better as it heals.
- For the neuropathy in my feet to respond to the different treatments we are doing for it.
- For my 6th round of chemo that I will get on Tuesday to heal me completely! (praying BIG for this one)
Pic: Dreaming of summer!
Not a whole lot to report this week. Praise that I didn't get the bone pain in my lower legs, like chemo's past. Thank you for the prayers. It was contained to just my feet. At times my feet feel heavy, like they weigh 25 pounds each. Mostly they just feel numb and tingly. I have been very tired the last few days. I think this is due to low white blood cell counts. So I have been taking it easy.
Tuesday I went to lunch with a new friend. She is a neighbor that I met through another neighbor. She prays for me every time she drives or walks by my driveway. We had a wonderful time and the food was really good.
Wednesday I had acupuncture again. It is hard to say if it is working for my neuropathy on my feet or not. But I sure do leave there relaxed. So for that I will continue to go. That afternoon I had an appointment with Dr Kadakia my palliative care doctor. He helps me manage all of my symptoms both with prescriptions and holistic medicines. We both agreed that I am doing really well currently with everything. He keeps reminding me that my body is undergoing a lot of changes and to take it easy.
I have no appointments this next week, so taking it easy should be able to be accomplished.
Prayers:
- That I can continue to do well even during my low white blood cell count days.
- That my body continues to remodel my bones where the cancer was.
Pic: Just a silly pic I ran across this week that made me laugh
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support! I feel the prayers daily.
This last week is a bit of a blur. The weeks seem to be flying by right now. I guess because I have so many doctors appointments.
On Tuesday I went to see Dr Patt (Orthopedic). I kept telling him that it hurts where my left leg connects to my body, especially when I am walking. He kept saying you mean your butt. LOL! So he took some x-rays and confirmed what my oncologist had suspected. I have several micro fractures in my left ischium. Which is the bone that you sit on. Essentially your butt. That is one of the bones that had cancer from the metastasis. He explained that the cancer ate the bone and left holes in its place and now that the cancer is shrinking in that area it is leaving the bone very fragile. When I walk the muscles that attach there pull on the bone causing the pain that I am having. He said that time will heal the bone but until then he prescribed me a cane to use if I feel I need one. I am also going to be starting on some different calcium supplements as I know that I don't get enough nutrition through the foods I eat.
Wednesday was chemo infusion day. My friend Kim went with me to keep me company and also so that Devin could work. We left the house at 6:30AM and got back at 6:30PM. Long day! When we arrived I had my port accessed for my blood draw with no problems. Then we went to talk with Dr Brown (oncologist). All my blood numbers were good except my thyroid. My TSH levels had doubled in three weeks. That means that my thyroid is under attack. We knew that from my previous round of chemo and blood draw. That is why she set me up to see an endocrinologist. I am so thankful that they watch my blood work so closely.
On Friday I went to see Dr Sudhakar (endocrinologist). She looked over my thyroid blood numbers and confirmed that I need a prescription of Levothyroxin to help my thyroid. She said that my thyroid is in a hypo or underacting state. This makes sense to me since I gained 7 lbs in 2 weeks and I wasn't eating as much as I had been. Plus I have been tired more lately. This is happening because my immunotherapy drug (Keytruda) is attacking my thyroid. She will follow up with me in 6 weeks to see if we need to increase my dose or not.
Yesterday we went to the mall because some of us needed some shorts as the weather is getting warmer out. It was nice to spend time with the family even if I do detest shopping. I'd rather shop from the comfort of my couch, as long as I can get free shipping.
I have added a new therapy to my daily routine. It is called a BioMat. It is used to help keep healthy cells in my body healthy and kill off the cancer cells. Plus it will help to raise my body temperature which normally runs 97.8 degrees. There has been scientific evidence that shows that a low body temperature is related to sickness and disease. I will write a blog post about it in a few weeks after I have used it for a bit.
Prayers:
- Continued prayers for my bone pain in my legs ( the ones I get following chemo for a few days) So far it is contained to just my feet this time around.
- Prayers that my body can restrengthen my ischium to repair the micro fractures.
- That my thyroid would get straightened out and that the Keytruda will stop its attack on it.
Praise: Devin seems to be doing really well on his new supplements for his stomach and hasn't taken any prescriptions in almost 8 weeks. He has had two mild cases of stomach pain in that time but it was manageable.
Pic: My friend Kim and I at my infusion on Wednesday.
