Round Two

Today I went for round two of chemo. Okay, so I have been once, so I know what to expect, right? NOT!

First, they had to do blood draws and send them to the lab, because the doctor's office didn't do it yesterday, which I did find a little strange, but what do I know this is the first time I have undergone chemo.

So, while we waited for my labs, the nurse started the pre-meds, zofran [for anti-nausea], a steroid, that I can never remember the name of, benadryl--yay benadryl!!! In case if reaction or rash, who cares it's benadryl!!!

My labs came back and my white blood cell count was a little high, so they thought I might have some type of infection. At the end of my infusion I had to provide a urine sample for them to test and see if I might have a UTI. I had told them that today and one day last week I felt like I had been kicked in the kidneys, so they wondered. I'll find out about that tomorrow.

The reason I'll find out tomorrow is, I have to go back and get a shot of Nulasta? I think that is what it is called, it is to help keep my white cell count in the appropriate range. I'm still learning as I go. But still it is a shot, ugh, I don't want to get a shot.... Whaaaaaaa!

Okay, sob story over.

I feel okay, took a nap today during treatment, until the machine started beeping, I so love that machine, it is such a nice beep that it makes when the medicine runs out or there is a kink or block in the line... NOT!!!

Mom took me and stayed a bit, and James came later and stayed with me and brought me home. I'm still feeling okay, thought I think bedtime will be coming soon. I just wish my ankles would quit hurting. That seem to be the worst part, so far...

Had a nice lunch, chicken breast with melted cheese and mushrooms, wild rice pilaf, mixed veggies, with green beans, orange and yellow carrots, red peppers, a fruit cup with pineapple and fruit I am not completely familiar with, but tasted good just the same, a wheat roll, cran-raspberry juice, and vanilla/chocolate pudding cup. My favorite part of the whole meal, the pudding cup! Than I had graham crackers, Oreos, and vanilla sandwich cookies later on with some orange juice. Everything was pretty tasty, thus far. Mom made red-ronies, or glop, or what ever you want to call it, pasta noodles (she couldn't find the elbow macaroni) with ground beef and tomato sauce, it was good. We also had green beans, salad, and I had some celery with cream cheese, which is the best way I know to make celery unhealthy! So I ate pretty well today, hope I can eat tomorrow, or it will be saltines, applesauce and milk, which is all okay, but not necessarily the best of nutrition.

Okay, I think I have sufficiently babbled enough, I am going to put my feet up, cause my ankles hurt. I know they said the herceptin can make my feet and hands swell, but this pain in my ankles, It's like I have been standing all day.

"So what we're gonna do is..."

***Please note there is some bodily functions mentioned in this post and if you are not comfortable reading it, I completely understand. Remember this is therapeutic for me too, and it helps me to get all of this out.

I remember a Jeff Foxworthy joke starting this way. And that is truly where my mind goes when I consider that they put massive amounts of toxic chemicals into my body to be sure I will not have a return of the breast cancer. If I don't laugh I'm going to cry, right?

But seriously, the first patient that the doctors told about filling their body with toxic chemicals to get rid of the cancer cells, can you just imagine what they could have been thinking?

"So, what we are going to do is, pump you full of chemicals we would not wish upon our mother-in-laws or red-headed step-children. These chemicals we would never consider giving you if you were healthy, cause they could KILL you. The side effects are going to make you feel even worse than you did before, like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue, body aches--as in parts of your body you didn't even realize existed will ache, sweating, urine in bright nearly fluorescent colors, etc. Plus you still have to eat and drink, especially drink, lots of water, but it is going to taste absolutely wretched and your tongue is going to feel like it has a film of setting concrete on it. Nothing will taste right and you are always going to feel like you are going to throw-up everything you have eaten over the course of the last five years.

So officially, my first chemo was on Tuesday, December 29, 2009. That day went okay, I spent the day at IV Therapy, receiving my treatment, three types of chemo, anti-nausea medicine, a steroid, and saline... I came home and went to sleep for a while.

Wednesday, Jill was sweet enough to cut my hair, so it is not forever long when and if it falls out... But other then that, I slept, and that was still between pain pills and anti-nausea pills...

Thursday, okay, New Year's Eve, I still didn't do anything... Except hold my pillow down like a pro. I've gotten to be quite the expert at that. And request strange things to eat, at least according to mom. I figure if it sounds good, let me eat it, at least I am eating then.

Friday, New Year's Day, wave after wave, and I am not talking about the royalty from the Rose Parade... The nausea came and went but I discovered if I drink fluids that are either icy cold, or hot, well then they do not taste as bad, still taste funny, and sometimes bad, but not AS bad. Room temperature is killer. I was scheduled to go to work, but I could barely sit up, let alone stand or drive... Oops. Thank heavens for understanding co-workers and people who watch out for me. In fact, they even called to see if I would be able to work the next day, and I thought, I better be safe than sorry, good thing too, cause last night seemed like my worst night.

Welcome, 4 AM, and a stomach that when generally healthy, tends to suffer from multiple night trips to the potty. I have been blessed form time to time with my mommy's tummy troubles, but this time, let's add the loverly side effects of chemo drugs.

I had one of those great moments where you are poised a top the throne and know, if you move to throw up, that is going to be detrimental to the cleanliness of the bathroom that you will be in no mood to clean up the aftermath. So there I am, hugging the garbage can in the bathroom, a chrome beauty, with holes in the side and thankfully double lined! Now, by that time, I didn't have much to throw up but yucky stomach acid, that amazingly enough was bright yellow, oh yay, no radiation, but apparently I can glow now too!

After that round, a trip upstairs for tea, to help settle things, swallowing a pill, returning to the potty for round two, losing the pill I just swallowed, and having my insides feel like they were turned inside out, I crawled into the shower and figured if all else I would just sit on the floor and let the water run on me, I mean it was only five in the morning, no biggie.

I did stand under the water, leaned on the ledge, sat on the bench, knelt on the floor, and was just happy to have the water take away some of my aches. I did manage to get back to sleep and get some more rest (which mom thinks is amazing given the two and five year-olds in the house).

I have been able to do a little bit more today besides hold my pillow down at which I've always been very adept at, but am becoming more so. I am trying to eat things and get over whether they taste good or not. The other major issue for me is smells.

The biggest smell that is in issue for me is actually me. My waste, in all it's various forms, smells icky, I know it is the medicine, but it is still icky. So sweat, urine, feces, doesn't matter it all looks and smells weird.

Tonight I sit here and am awaiting the bruschetta marinade pork for dinner and hope it will taste okay. If nothing else there is always applesauce and toast or crackers. I've noticed I like drinking milk again too. Maybe this will be good for my calcium levels, who knows. I will admit even a salad sounds potentially good right now, but by the time I got it and started to eat, my taste buds may change their minds.

Have a happy new year everyone! Thanks again for all those wonderful prayers and such. Please keep them coming, if for nothing else than to stave off the nausea and acid-reflux... which is a whole other story...

My first visit with the oncologist

Okay here goes…

I went to see the oncologist today. I will likely have four rounds of chemo, big names of drugs I cannot remember, but have a packet to read about. I actually go in on Monday the 28th and have a port implanted, and start my chemo the next day on the 29th. Then I will go in another three weeks to have the next round.

At the same time I will be starting another type of chemo as well, called herceptin. If you want to read more about it, feel free by going to breastcancer.org, they have some really excellent info about it and how it is related to the HR2Nu (her 2 new) receptor, for which I was positive. The tests they did for the hormones were what was negative… there is so much involved it seems so difficult to keep up.

For the herceptin treatments, I will receive those at the same time as the other chemo, but I will have those treatments for one year, every three weeks.

I’m still sore and sometimes when I move just so, it hurts like heck… But, my spirits are good and I will get to spend Christmas with one of my nieces and two of my nephews, along with my brother and sister-in-law…

I so appreciate all the prayers and thoughts coming my way and on my behalf. I know that has helped me so much, has helped the doctors, and my spirits and attitude.

Thank you , thank you all, and please have a Merry Christmas!

I will certainly let you know how I feel after the chemo…

With all my love,
B-Jo

[to the tune of We're off to see the Wizard] I'm off to see the oncologist...

...the bearer of chemotherapy, she is the whiz of science and drugs if ever a whiz there was....  If ever a doctor of whiz or was, the oncologist is because, because...because, because, because, because..............  Because of the chemotherapy she does...

Okay, so really, I got nothing...

But seriously, I go to see the oncologist tomorrow.  I will be finding out what and how much chemo and all that jazz.  Should be interesting...

Wanted to get that out there for ya...

Until next time...

Two weeks after Mastectomy

I had my surgery two weeks ago today.

I was able to have my drain removed yesterday, that was wonderful.  Having a drain, that was different for me and without totally grossing everyone out, I am glad it is gone.  I have pain up and down my left arm and into my hand now though.  Dr. Tittensor described it as a stretching pain and said it was normal.  Normal or not, it still hurts.

I go see the oncologist on Monday.  I am looking at traditional chemotherapy and a treatment of chemo that will start after the traditional chemo.  The traditional kind will likely be 4 to 6 treatments spread out.  I will have a treatment, have two weeks, and then have another treatment.  I will likely lose my hair, yay for me... LOL.

The second treatment is called Herceptin, and that one is once a month for either 12 to 24 months.

With these treatments I am looking at having a port placed under my skin on the right side, to help salvage my veins and such.

In the meantime, I have been resting, gaining weight--that is what happens when you sit around and do nothing-- and trying to keep myself entertained.

I will let everyone know more when I know too.

Until next time...

Some information about surgery

Okay here is the scoop:

I report to American Fork Hospital at 7:30 AM.

First, I go to radiology so they can inject me with something—yay for me, ha ha.

Then I go to surgery.  The doctor said I will be in the hospital AT LEAST overnight, to keep an eye on me.

Beyond that, I am not sure, but based on some of what I have read up on about breast cancer, especially since I am looking at a more invasive cancer, I may likely face chemotherapy.

I promise to keep you updated, as I find things out.  I will have James send messages if necessary, and he will relay messages as well.

Feel free to send emails to babybjo@live.com

American Fork Hospital

170 North 1100 East
American Fork, Utah 84003
(801) 855-3300 

Oh and anyone that is putting our names in the temple:

Bonita Jo Laing-Dumler [but if you put B-Jo I am sure the Lord knows].

James Steven Dumler

Susan Jo Hunter

James Glenn Hunter

That at least covers the household.  Don’t know if it is acceptable to put pets, but the dog is Foster McShadow Dumler.

Thanks so much for all of your support and well-wishes, prayers, and everything.

With love,

B-Jo

Facing the Knife

So I spoke to the doctor this afternoon.  She said the MRI showed some questionable areas which is what prompted the biopsies.  The biopsies did indeed show a more invasive cancer.  So, the mastectomy looks like a go...  better to take it all to make sure you get all the cancer, than to try and just get the cancer spots and possibly miss some.


As of yet, no chemo scheduled, but it looking like a greater possibility.  They will check my lymph nodes while in surgery and if they show cancer, then they will remove the lymph nodes too.  After the surgery they will know better about whether or not I will have to have chemo.  It will depend on the lymph nodes and depend on how much of the tissue they remove is infected with the cancer, that is what will determine whether or not I have chemo.  I am sure radiation is still a big possibility.

Dr. Tittensor said they want to treat it aggressively to be sure and get it all and hopefully so it will not return.  Because I am so young and it is important to preserve my life--yay, someone really does want to keep me around!

I will keep you posted, as much as I know when I find out.  I go in sometime Wednesday and will stay overnight, at least, to be sure I am doing okay.

Until next time...