Yee-haw!

I learned this morning that instead of having radiation treatments through October 15, I will be done next Monday, October 6. It may not seem like much to anyone else, but I am euphoric, delighted, thrilled, excited, elated, ecstatic, over the moon, et al.

Then two months must elapse while I recover from radiation damage before CT/PET scans can be performed. I'll know then what the tumor looks like and whether surgery will be possible/necessary. The fun continues...

Love,
Katie

Woo hoo!

I'm getting my legs back! My knees and calves are pretty much normal now. My ankles come and go. I can now usually see the tendon that pops up when you point your toes back toward your legs. I am most grateful these days for pee, as in producing lots of it and getting rid of the edema.

On the down side, I've had blood drawn twice since I left the hospital and my white, red, and platelet counts are back in dangerously low territory. Doing the littlest thing exhausts me. High-energy Katie has been replaced by a pod person. I'm so hoping for a transfusion or two ASAP. Did you know - I didn't - that platelets are a spectacular yellow-gold color?

Pod Katie also has a pink spot on the back of her head from hair loss. But I notice that the accumulation at the shower drain has dropped to essentially nothing. Perhaps because chemo is done? Will it start coming back? Curly would be great fun.

I'm off to message my oncologist and beg for a transfusion.

Love,
Katie

It's been too long

Sorry for the long radio silence. The last two weeks have been an adventure, but not the good kind. I finished the second (and last) week of chemo and soon became very ill. I went to the ER on the 16th with severe shortness of breath and a fever. It turned out I had nutropenia, which is an extremely low white blood cell count. Neutropenia in adults is generally defined as a count of 1,700 or fewer neutrophils per microliter of blood. My white count was 800. Explosive diarrhea ruined four or five days. I was anemic and received a blood transfusion. Then my platelet count was low, so I received a platelet transfusion. I was pumped full of fluids for the entire time and now have chubby knees, shins, and ankles. I hear I'm supposed to "pee out" the edema. We'll see.

I was in the hospital through yesterday, the 24th. I cannot say enough good things about the staff of the Modesto Kaiser hospital. Still, home never looked so good. A shower. Real food. My own bed. No more tether to the IV. Three weeks of radiation remain.

The flowers, cards, emails, and phone calls I've received have meant so much. I've not been as responsive as I'd like to be. But now that I'm home and feeling A LOT better, I hope that will change.

Love,
Katie

Wiped Out!

Just when I was thinking that week two of chemo was going better than the first, I got sideswiped by mind-numbing fatigue. On Tuesday, I was driving home from radiation down our little lane, evidently dropped off, and whacked a garbage can waiting to be emptied. It crunched the mirror on the passenger side. I'm glad it was only a garbage can! Scary. Al drove me yesterday and as soon as I got home, I crawled into bed and stayed there until this morning. He is my chauffeur from now on.

Tomorrow marks the end of week five. The radiation folks are prescribing one cream after another and they help some. But - butt - none of them heals the damage you know where. Ouch. That will have to wait until this process is over.

I am getting to know other patients with radiation appointments around mine. One is a young woman who has had recurring tumors in her saliva glands. In the past, the cells were removed with no chemo or radiation follow up. The hope this time is that radiation will truly destroy it, zap it into submission. She has a very hard time talking and eating but is always ready to share encouragement and affection. Another woman being treated for breast cancer looked very familiar. It turns out she used to drive the commuter bus from Stockton to the Lab. A small world gets smaller and ever more loving.

xoxoxo, Katie

Second Week of Chemo

I get bottle number two tomorrow morning. I have meds, et al lined up so this week will be less traumatic than the first week. I hope.

Too Early to Gloat

My hair is now coming out in (small) handfuls, and I confess to feeling a tad less brave about not getting a wig. I have lots of hair to start with and the loss doesn't show—yet. My pride may get the better of me.

The discomfort factor is also on the rise. Dr. V. whispered behind his hand one day last week that perianal pain is the worst. The discomfort factor isn't going to get any better until this whole mess is over. Not since I was a kid looking forward to Christmas has a particular date—October 1, the last day of radiation—been so eagerly awaited. My oncologist tells me that I will have October to recover. A whole month? Whew.

Mom picked a couple of dahlias from my garden this morning. They are gracing my office desk now. So cheerful.

Love,
Katie