Chemo number 6 ( really 12)

Ro10

I had my lab drawn on Tuesday, so I could get my CA 125 results. They only run them on Tuesday. My marker did not drop like I had hoped. It was 56 and now it is 50. The doctor in Florida told me my "new normal" may be higher than 35, so maybe this is my new normal. I know I should be thankful for a drop, but I wanted below 35.

My port did not draw blood, so they had to use Activase to dissolve a clot that forms. The port worked fine on Wed and Thurs. I hope it stays open now.

The plan is the complete Chemo number 6 this week. I did well with day 1 of chemo. We were there from 8-4 today, but everything went well. THursday we were there from 8:30 - 5. Thursday did go well,too. The nurse was going to run the medication over 1 hour, but I told her I wanted them to titrate the rate up and run it over 3 hours. The pharmacist agreed it should be titrated, but she forgot to label it that way. So you do need to speak up for yourself. It is your body. I did not have a reaction either.

Unfortunatly the Cisplatin drug is what makes me have the metallic taste. The food and drink has tasted good the last week, and I will start all over with the metallic taste. We had pizza for supper. Ever had "metallic pizza". New flavor. You should try it when you are not very hungry.

Then on June 20th I will have a Chest, Abdomen, and Pelvic CAT scan to see if anything has changed. They call this restaging of the disease. I will see the doctor June 28 for lab and review of the CAT scan results. Then I will know if I need another chemo session on June 29, 30. I was so hoping that number 6 would be the last treatment, but we won't know until June 28. How many times have you heard me say "i hope this is the last round" One of these days it will be true.

I have had a pulled muscle from gardening in my rib cage area for two weeks now. I am hoping that the inflammation from the pulled muscle may have been the reason the cancer marker did not drop very much. Otherwise I hope my new normal is higher.

I have been tired from the 5th round of chemo, but did not have as much nausea. So I hpe the nausea stays away this round, too. Because of my pulled muscle I have pretty much spent time in the recliner. Could not even sleep in bed due to the discomfort. It is getting much better now. I slept in bed last night. My gardens are calling me to work in them. There is so much deadheading that needs to be done. Someday.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers they are much appreciated.

norma2

{{{{RO}}}}
I hope this is the last round for you too. Keep fighting. You sound tired. I hope very soon you will get some energy back and can get out there in the garden. I know my garden makes me feel better.

I have to go back for another CA 125 in Aug. Mine was elevated to 41 from a steady number in the 20's for a year. I wonder what they really know about the dynamics of the CA 125. I have read a little about it. Seems there are conflicting theories in why it rises. Makes me crazy. I have to just make myself think of something else. I feel great.

Enjoy your resting. Get in some good naps. Here is hoping you are up soon with renewed energy and a looooow CA 125.
I will be praying for you. Norma

lindaprocopio

norma2 said:

{{{{RO}}}}
I hope this is the last round for you too. Keep fighting. You sound tired. I hope very soon you will get some energy back and can get out there in the garden. I know my garden makes me feel better.

I have to go back for another CA 125 in Aug. Mine was elevated to 41 from a steady number in the 20's for a year. I wonder what they really know about the dynamics of the CA 125. I have read a little about it. Seems there are conflicting theories in why it rises. Makes me crazy. I have to just make myself think of something else. I feel great.

Enjoy your resting. Get in some good naps. Here is hoping you are up soon with renewed energy and a looooow CA 125.
I will be praying for you. Norma

leaving your garden (like your family) in God's hands
I'll be thinking of you, Ro, on scan day & scan results day, hoping for good news. I want you to get another break, too! Good looking out for yourself there with that infusion rate; you gotta be alert and speak up in this battle.

Each day as I work in my garden, I try to imagine how it will look without my constant intervention, and in what ways it will be a different garden. I know that there is a finite time for me to be the caretaker of my little world, and think of the many times in my life when I did have to leave the garden 'in God's hands';..when I'd go on a vacation or that first year that I started my business or after my hysterectomy. And I take great comfort that the garden did just fine without me. I know I will leave much more than my gardens in God's hands when I depart earth. I believe I will be leaving my family with the same healthy resiliant sturdy foundation as the plants I baby and nurture. Like my garden, my family doesn't really NEED all the love and all the ways I strive to make their lives easier. Garden and family will both be fine. That is immensely comforting.

I am re-working my 'nursery bed' this summer. (I use this bed to start rooted cuttings, to propigate biennial plants from seed and lilys from tiny bulbils & scrapes.) When my cancer 1st recurred, I was concerned at having a number of small trees in there that would be a problem for Vic if allowed to grow in such an inappropriate spot. So I transplanted them all to the edge of my woods, (although too soon for them to really compete in their permanent home). Now the nursery bed is a continuous metaphor, since everything I start in there is at least 2 years away from beauty. At this stage in my cancer journey (liver mets & a CA125 of 8500), all common sense tells me I should re-design the bed as something else more permanently aesthetic. But then I give up the pleasure of propigation, one of the real thrills of gardening. And I look at the gorgeous display of 1000's of Sweet Williams ( biennial, meaning when I planted them I knew they were 2 years from blooming) currently edging my rose beds, and remember this same conversation with myself in fall 2009 when I planted those seeds. Will I be here for the bloom? And, seeing them blooming, I have to think that the key is to get your affairs in order, but continue to plan ahead for future pleasures. So I'm preparing seed starting beds in my 'nursery' bed again and looking out 2+ years to the beauty I can so vividly imagine with the placing of each seed.

Keep making deposits on those vacations and don't hesitate to treat yourself to new clothes or household items just because you may not have decades to use them. LIVE! Be YOU!

Rewriter

lindaprocopio said:

leaving your garden (like your family) in God's hands
I'll be thinking of you, Ro, on scan day & scan results day, hoping for good news. I want you to get another break, too! Good looking out for yourself there with that infusion rate; you gotta be alert and speak up in this battle.

Each day as I work in my garden, I try to imagine how it will look without my constant intervention, and in what ways it will be a different garden. I know that there is a finite time for me to be the caretaker of my little world, and think of the many times in my life when I did have to leave the garden 'in God's hands';..when I'd go on a vacation or that first year that I started my business or after my hysterectomy. And I take great comfort that the garden did just fine without me. I know I will leave much more than my gardens in God's hands when I depart earth. I believe I will be leaving my family with the same healthy resiliant sturdy foundation as the plants I baby and nurture. Like my garden, my family doesn't really NEED all the love and all the ways I strive to make their lives easier. Garden and family will both be fine. That is immensely comforting.

I am re-working my 'nursery bed' this summer. (I use this bed to start rooted cuttings, to propigate biennial plants from seed and lilys from tiny bulbils & scrapes.) When my cancer 1st recurred, I was concerned at having a number of small trees in there that would be a problem for Vic if allowed to grow in such an inappropriate spot. So I transplanted them all to the edge of my woods, (although too soon for them to really compete in their permanent home). Now the nursery bed is a continuous metaphor, since everything I start in there is at least 2 years away from beauty. At this stage in my cancer journey (liver mets & a CA125 of 8500), all common sense tells me I should re-design the bed as something else more permanently aesthetic. But then I give up the pleasure of propigation, one of the real thrills of gardening. And I look at the gorgeous display of 1000's of Sweet Williams ( biennial, meaning when I planted them I knew they were 2 years from blooming) currently edging my rose beds, and remember this same conversation with myself in fall 2009 when I planted those seeds. Will I be here for the bloom? And, seeing them blooming, I have to think that the key is to get your affairs in order, but continue to plan ahead for future pleasures. So I'm preparing seed starting beds in my 'nursery' bed again and looking out 2+ years to the beauty I can so vividly imagine with the placing of each seed.

Keep making deposits on those vacations and don't hesitate to treat yourself to new clothes or household items just because you may not have decades to use them. LIVE! Be YOU!

Thinking of you, Ro
Again, I want to let you know that you are in my thoughts. I hope your scans will bring only good news and that your CA-125 will drop significantly after this last treatment.

I'm sorry that this treatment has been rough; but I will be rooting for you and wishing you a speedy return to the activities you love.

Jill

upsofloating

Glad the end of this chemo
Glad the end of this chemo course is in sight. Hope the nausea stays at bay for this round as you do sound weary and keeping your strength up through eating is important. I always worry than if I am too inactive I will put myself at risk for injury when I finally can do something. I try to do 'something' daily, operative word here is 'try' ;-)

I'm sending positive thoughts your way for squeaky clean scans!
Annie

Kaleena

Ro,
Keeping you in my
Ro,

Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. Hope you regain all your energy and strength soon.

Kathy

kkstef

Big Hug for you, Ro!
Ro, am counting on you getting very good reports from your lab and scans! I know this round of chemo has presented many challenges for you, but you have soldiered on and with such calmness!

Sending you big hugs and lots of positive healing energy!

Best to you always!!

Karen

Double Whammy

kkstef said:

Big Hug for you, Ro!
Ro, am counting on you getting very good reports from your lab and scans! I know this round of chemo has presented many challenges for you, but you have soldiered on and with such calmness!

Sending you big hugs and lots of positive healing energy!

Best to you always!!

Karen

One step at a time
You've made tremendous progress, Ro. Almost done with the stupid chemo, numbers dropping bigtime, and you can soon put this chapter behind you. Stay strong. Still sending those hugs and positive throughts and prayers for you.

Suzanne

daisy366

Double Whammy said:

One step at a time
You've made tremendous progress, Ro. Almost done with the stupid chemo, numbers dropping bigtime, and you can soon put this chapter behind you. Stay strong. Still sending those hugs and positive throughts and prayers for you.

Suzanne

Glad you are having good response
Hi Ro,

Glad that you are getting through these rough treatments. I, too, will keep you in thoughts and prayers for a good report.

Enjoy that easy chair! Love, Mary Ann

HellieC

So close to finishing this round of treatment, Ro
Oh Ro - you do sound weary - not surprisingly! I do hope that this round of chemo proves to be the last. Your markers have dropped down nearly into the reference range, so things are looking good. Try to hold on to that thought on the rough days. I, too, remember the "metallic pizza" - an acquired taste and not one I would like to repeat!
Wishing you well through this round of chemo.
Kindest wishes, Helen