Chemo #7 Postponed on Purpose

TeddyandBears_Mom

Hi All,

Today was supposed to be my 7th weekly treatment.  However, fatigue continued to plague me and I made the decision to move to the every 3 week schedule.

The changes that we made last week with the Decadron and adding Prilosec made a huge difference on my burning stomach and acid reflux.  I wanted to make sure to note this because just that helped so much in my stomach impacts.  Now, I did have more nausea that I managed farily well with the pills.  My appetite was low and I had to be careful what kind of foods I ate and how much. 

My hope going with the standard rounds, is that I'll have more good days together and that the bad days won't be 3 Xs as bad as my weekly have been.  I'm a bit apprehensive but feel that this is going to be better for me.  I have struggled over the last two weeks with the physical limitations and the emotional issues that seem to come along with having zero energy and a shortness of breath when I tried to move around.

My doctor was quite surprised when I approached him. He said that most of his patience have done well on the weekly.  Leave it to me to rock the boat.  He was a bit concerned over the fact that I won't have chemo for the next 2 weeks and that the smaller dose I received last week won't carry me through. And, he said there is no data to determine if that is a good or bad thing.  I'm looking at it like this: My end date for chemo remains the same.  I'm getting exactly the same dosage for round 3 that I would have gotten.  Just all at once at the end of what would have been the divided up weekly.  So, after much discussion, we both agreed this was an OK approach to take.  Fingers crossed it was the right choice.

So, I am feeling very good about the next two weeks.  Looking forward to having more energy and feeling more like my old self before I get that next big chemo. I plan to enjoy every waking minute of every day!  :-)

On a very sad note:  My husband and I went to visit our friends that live South of us yesterday. This couple has been together since college and they are 57/58 years old.  The wife has pancreatic cancer. I posted something earlier about that.  Seeing her yesterday just about broke my heart. She is completely bedridden and not aware of her surroundings any longer.  It was all I could do to keep it together.  I came home last night and prayed for God to let her go home.  Her husband called me as I was typing this post to tell me she passed away 30 minutes ago.  She was very special. And, she had tons of friends who will miss her.  But, I'm glad she is at peace now. And, I pray that her husband will heal and be able to find joy in his life down the road.   Cancer SUCKS!

Thanks to all of you for being here for all of us!

Love,

Cindi

 

 

Abbycat2

So much to deal with, Cindi

 I am sorry to hear of the loss of your dear friend and the trouble you've had with the weekly chemo.  We are all so different that there is no way to know how each person will respond to the various cancer treatments available.

I hope that your fatigue subsides soon and that you will be feeling stronger right away.

 

Warm Wishes,

Cathy

Kaleena

Hang in there Cindi.   Hugs

Hang in there Cindi.   Hugs and Prayers to your friends.

Hugs to you too!

Kathy

TeddyandBears_Mom

Kaleena said:

Hang in there Cindi.   Hugs

Hang in there Cindi.   Hugs and Prayers to your friends.

Hugs to you too!

Kathy

Thanks Kathy and Cathy

I think most of us have lost someone special. It does really suck. 

I'm so grateful that I had the chance to say goodbye yesterday.

And I know she is at peace now. She was ready to go. 

And I will be able to go to the services since I won't be in chemo sick land. 

 

NoTimeForCancer

Hang in there, Cindi.  You

Hang in there, Cindi.  You will get to the chemo finish line.  

On the loss of your friend, it is very sad.  I am so sorry.  I think it is why prayers are always for those left behind having to deal with the loss.  So sad.

 

TeddyandBears_Mom

NoTimeForCancer said:

Hang in there, Cindi.  You

Hang in there, Cindi.  You will get to the chemo finish line.  

On the loss of your friend, it is very sad.  I am so sorry.  I think it is why prayers are always for those left behind having to deal with the loss.  So sad.

 

No Time

Thanks. I know you have lost several friends recently. We all have to deal with the sadness of this crap at some point I guess. Hate it!

 

AWK

TeddyandBears_Mom said:

No Time

Thanks. I know you have lost several friends recently. We all have to deal with the sadness of this crap at some point I guess. Hate it!

 

So sorry about your friend.

I lost a close friend to ovarian cancer last October.  It was, and continues to be, hard.  We go back to pre marriage days.  I still go to pick up the phone to call her for advice on diet, constipation etc.  hugs to you and prayers for her family as well as you guys.  

Anne

TeddyandBears_Mom

AWK said:

So sorry about your friend.

I lost a close friend to ovarian cancer last October.  It was, and continues to be, hard.  We go back to pre marriage days.  I still go to pick up the phone to call her for advice on diet, constipation etc.  hugs to you and prayers for her family as well as you guys.  

Anne

Thanks Anne

And sorry for your loss too!  Her husband was sent a posting on FB regarding losing someone you love. He shared it with me when we visited both of them the day before she died. I thought it was a beautiful message. Maybe others here will too.   Here is a portion of that posting:

'Alright, here goes. I'm old. What that means is that I've survived (so far) and a lot of people I've known and loved did not. I've lost friends, best friends, acquaintances, co-workers, grandparents, mom, relatives, teachers, mentors, students, neighbors, and a host of other folks. I have no children, and I can't imagine the pain it must be to lose a child. But here's my two cents: I wish I could say you get used to people dying. I never did. I don't want to. It tears a hole through me whenever somebody I love dies, no matter the circumstances. But I don't want it to "not matter". I don't want it to be something that just passes. My scars are a testament to the love and the relationship that I had for and with that person. And if the scar is deep, so was the love. So be it. Scars are a testament to life. Scars are a testament that I can love deeply and live deeply and be cut, or even gouged, and that I can heal and continue to live and continue to love. And the scar tissue is stronger than the original flesh ever was. Scars are a testament to life.' 

I hope you are doing well. 

I haven't posted for several days but have been reading all of the input daily.

It has been such a gift having the chemo break. While I'm not my pre-chemo self, I do have a lot more energy and my breathing is better.  I have even been able to help my husband with the remodel of our master bedroom. Albeit much more slowly than normal.......  :-)

I'll post impacts to round 3 with a comparison to the weekly on our other thread once I have the infusion next Thursday and come out of whatever the impacts are going to be for me.

So, at least we will have input to both ways. It might help someone down the road.