Checking In

JDuke
JDuke Member Posts: 438
in Anal Cancer #1
Hi everyone. Well it has been an interesting 2 months. I finished radiation to my pleura at the end of March. It was ghastly and really knocked me to my knees. Rather than take the time to allow myself to regain my strength, I jumped in with both feet and resumed my regular activities about two weeks post treatment. Mistake! I spent a couple of days a week helping a friend who owns a catering business bake for a 600 people event and then spent the weekend of May 22 working the event. The fatigue was horrible but I could not give in. No admitting defeat. I know we are all guilty, like we have something to prove. Anyway, I thought I was coming down with a respiratory infection or something as my parents and my neighbor were both sick with bronchitis. I requested that my f/u appointment with the onc be moved up a week and that visit resulted in my being in the hospital for eight days. Is is a bloodclot?...is it pneunomonia?...final diagnosis - radiation pneumonitis. Basically inflamation of the lung that was radiated, making my breathing labored with even mild activity. I had eight days of antibiotics followed by two at home and am on a six week regimen of steroids. Already have the round face to prove it!!!! I am on a small amount of oxygen for the next few weeks, just to take the burden off my heart as the lack of oxygen makes it work harder. I am optimistic that this a a temporary condition that will improve with time. Two chest xrays and a CT scan during the hospital stay and no mention of any cancer showing up. I have a PET scan scheduled for June 21 to see how things look overall.

Have been catching up this week on everyone. Will try to be more active on the forum as things calm down. Got a lot of time on my hands right now. :)

Take care and blessings to each and everyone of you. Joanne

Comments

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #2
    Hi Joanne!
    It makes my day to hear from you! I often think about you and wonder how you're doing. I'm sorry the treatment was such a struggle to get through and that you ended up in the hospital. While it was so kind of you to agree to help your friend with the catering, your experience obviously lends new meaning to the phrase "No good deed goes left unpunished!" I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this, but hope that you are on the mend now. The news about your x-rays and scans sounds very encouraging and I'm so very happy to hear that. Like the rest of us, I'm sure you have a little scanxiety with your upcoming PET, but think positive thoughts and know that your friends here will be keeping you in their prayers--including me! I will look forward to seeing you here more often!

    Hugs--
    Martha
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #3
    O2SP
    Hi Joanne

    We've talked a little before this update - that radiation is a real hit to the lungs. You might feel a little "fatigued." LOL:)

    Yeah, right:)

    Your oxygen saturation levels (O2SP) should go back in time negating the need for oxygen supplentation. Your reading should be in the 90's in order to get off it.

    I'm still laboring breathing for even the simplest things and of course nobody gets it. But I've had 2 major lung operations and 30tx of the radiation too, so I knew something would give. I hope it improves one day but will deal with it if it does not.

    I'm sorry they whupped on you - am glad that you are cancer free. You take care of yourself.

    -Craig
  • z
    z Member Posts: 1,414 Member
    #4
    Sundanceh said:

    O2SP
    Hi Joanne

    We've talked a little before this update - that radiation is a real hit to the lungs. You might feel a little "fatigued." LOL:)

    Yeah, right:)

    Your oxygen saturation levels (O2SP) should go back in time negating the need for oxygen supplentation. Your reading should be in the 90's in order to get off it.

    I'm still laboring breathing for even the simplest things and of course nobody gets it. But I've had 2 major lung operations and 30tx of the radiation too, so I knew something would give. I hope it improves one day but will deal with it if it does not.

    I'm sorry they whupped on you - am glad that you are cancer free. You take care of yourself.

    -Craig

    Joanne
    I am so happy to hear from you. Hopefully, the oxygen will come off, but in the meantime I know it makes it easier to breath when our lungs are strained. It sounds to me like the cancer is gone and on the 21st when you have your pet it should be clear. That is the 1st day of summer. I hope to hear from you again soon, and now you need to rest up and let your body heal. I wish you well. Lori
  • JDuke
    JDuke Member Posts: 438
    #5
    Sundanceh said:

    O2SP
    Hi Joanne

    We've talked a little before this update - that radiation is a real hit to the lungs. You might feel a little "fatigued." LOL:)

    Yeah, right:)

    Your oxygen saturation levels (O2SP) should go back in time negating the need for oxygen supplentation. Your reading should be in the 90's in order to get off it.

    I'm still laboring breathing for even the simplest things and of course nobody gets it. But I've had 2 major lung operations and 30tx of the radiation too, so I knew something would give. I hope it improves one day but will deal with it if it does not.

    I'm sorry they whupped on you - am glad that you are cancer free. You take care of yourself.

    -Craig

    Sats
    Craig,
    Oh how I can relate. I got 25TX of radiation to the entire pleura. The interesting thing was that when they did the chest xray aside from seeing the area that was at first indistiguishable from pneumonia or pneumonitis, the Dr. said that the lung really didn't look that bad. I am sure I looked at him like he had two heads, but decided to just go with it. My SATS bounced back in forth from the low 70's to the mid 80's while in the hospital with ANY activity. Hard to believe that just getting out of the bed to go to the potty could make me weak as water. Like you say the least amount of exertion just caused them to plummet, but with about 90 seconds of rest they started to climb. Our bodies are such complex instruments and we really do take a lot for granted. Are you on oxygen at home? I do hope with time that you will see a marked improvement. It is hard to be patient when all we want is for things to be remotely normal again.
    Take care my friend,
    Joanne
  • sissy310
    sissy310 Member Posts: 300
    #6
    Joanne - I am so happy you
    Joanne - I am so happy you came in here with an update. I've been wondering how you were doing. Sorry that you had to go through a respiratory infection. I am sure I am not the only one who totally understands how you want things to be normal so you do more than what your body really can handle at the time. You push yourself regardless. The comment '...that we have something to prove.' resonated with me. Not to prove to anyone else...to prove to myself. And I'm sure that is how everyone feels. You get so tired of being sick and not doing much that emotionally it just feels wonderful to do normal things again! But sometimes it is just better to be patient and wait a little longer...for me anyway that is torture. You are always in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us posted and come in here often. Hugs, Marilyne
  • Fran Chandler
    Fran Chandler Member Posts: 29
    #7
    So really nice to see you are doing ok.
    I am so glad to find you on the board again. I haven't checked in for quite awhile. My best friend told me she thought she had cracked a rib and it was really hurting her. I told her to go to the emergency room even tho she had no insurance as the pain was getting really bad. She finally did and wound up in the hospital at 58 being told she had stage four lung cancer with a small spot on the brain. And they gave her 2 to 4 months to live. More if she can get chemo, but didn't say how much time. The first chemo seemed to go ok, but the second one stopped her heart. But she was able to be brought back. She is so tired, but I pray she can make it as she also is taking care of her 90 year old mother who has had cancer 11 years and is still doing ok. I am still reeling from the news. She has been such a good friend of mine while I have gone thru right kidney removal with bowel resection and 15 nodes removed,released from the hospital to be admitted to another hospital two days later for an infection. And was in there over two weeks. And sent home with a picc in my arm for two more months being treated for the infection. Four months later diagonased with bladder cancer and being treated for that now. These Cancer Journeys sure can be pretty rough trips. Take care and I am so very glad that you are such a great fighter.And such a great person to be the one to get this site going. It has been such a great place for people and helps them mentally.
    Fran
  • lizdeli
    lizdeli Member Posts: 569 Member
    #8
    Fran Chandler said:

    So really nice to see you are doing ok.
    I am so glad to find you on the board again. I haven't checked in for quite awhile. My best friend told me she thought she had cracked a rib and it was really hurting her. I told her to go to the emergency room even tho she had no insurance as the pain was getting really bad. She finally did and wound up in the hospital at 58 being told she had stage four lung cancer with a small spot on the brain. And they gave her 2 to 4 months to live. More if she can get chemo, but didn't say how much time. The first chemo seemed to go ok, but the second one stopped her heart. But she was able to be brought back. She is so tired, but I pray she can make it as she also is taking care of her 90 year old mother who has had cancer 11 years and is still doing ok. I am still reeling from the news. She has been such a good friend of mine while I have gone thru right kidney removal with bowel resection and 15 nodes removed,released from the hospital to be admitted to another hospital two days later for an infection. And was in there over two weeks. And sent home with a picc in my arm for two more months being treated for the infection. Four months later diagonased with bladder cancer and being treated for that now. These Cancer Journeys sure can be pretty rough trips. Take care and I am so very glad that you are such a great fighter.And such a great person to be the one to get this site going. It has been such a great place for people and helps them mentally.
    Fran

    Hi Joanne
    So good to hear from you. I think about you often. I'm sorry you are having a hard time and I hope you take the time to listen to your body and relax and help it heal.
    As always, you remain in my thoughts and prayers.
    Hugs,
    Liz

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