Update on Brain Radiation
Hi everyone. Thought it was time for an update. The radiation to the brain was the hardest, mainly due to the steroids and the radiation itself. I have had whole body cramping since 2 days after starting the steroids, we lowered the dose, but can't stop it as it is keeping the swelling down.
Like finished the rads 20 days ago, had scans last Thursday, both a whole body scan and CT scans from throat to pelvic. Will get the results Friday, which is an 8 day wait, then hopefully I will be weaned don't and off the steroids. I am usually up by midnight and walking off cramping until 5-6 am.
Have taken extra ativan, zanex, potassium, magnesiun, and calcium. It is the one steroid that works on the brain so I will continue as the side effects not taking a higher dose scared the living s*** out of me when it was cut back and I got a sudden headache and no vision for 3 hours in my right eye. I took the steroid that we cut out, and it did whatever it was suppose to do cause I could see again! Lol
The radio tech doing my scan and nurse who accessed my port asked me where the pain was, it was the lower right side of the back of my head and it was swollen, I guess the swelling put pressure on the optic nerve. So....
I have kept busy, it has slowed me down but not stopped me. The scans were done to see the progression. My oncology feels that the cancer is aggressive enough that it made it through the skull, linings, and into brain, which makes him believe that the other tumors throughout my body are most likely just as aggressive, so we will see.
I did the Suvivors to the Summit 2 weeks ago with The Cancer Wellness House, where you either hike other take the tram to the top of Snowbird Ski Resort, which as usual was an amazing event, and I took the tram. Most activity from 8a-noon was at 8000 ft. When I got to the top, I could not keep my balance 11,000 ft, so I missed a lot of the celebration but was thrilled that I was able to partcipate, and I do a 50/50 raffle which my goal was $1000, and surpassed it (This is a big fund raiser for the Wellness House). Most thought I was so nuts when I said my goal, but we were ecstatic as the raffle tickets were $4. My sister in law and I started it last year and almost doubled it.
I will know more by the weekend but don't know if I care to hear the results as so much of what's I have been dealing with is like a stroke, the headaches, balance, drooling, can't remember things, and trouble when I get tired forming sentences. But still feel so blessed to even be here much less still being so active.
I may go to Park City next week to do a zip line at the 2002 Olympic Village which I saw for the first time last week. They have a short one that accommodates all abilities. One thing I have always wanted to do.
One other thing, on July 25th we had fireworks here for Pioneer Day, celebrating the Mormon missionaries trek to Salt Lake. They were only being done at one park here that day. We took a gal who is 27 5 kids who has stage 4 cancer, her 10 year old who was visiting her had never seen real fireworks. A lady walking behind us we moaning everyone was taking to long walking behind me pushing a big stroller, and dragging 2 more behind her said to her sister, I am just going, she rimmed the stroller into the back of my legs, I flew into a man ahead of me then straight down on my left ribs (3 fractured), rolled the stroller over my right foot. The man asked if it was the bioch with the stroller, I said yes, he said she ran it into his 3 year old grandson right before that. He started after her, I asked him to help me up, he tried by lifting on the ribs, I kind of yelled stop, then told him I needed his arm to balance and get up as people were almost walking on me, just as I got up, and a cop came who was going after her for battery, guess shots rang out, a little gang thing about 40 feet away. This has been the weirdest month of my life.
So 2 days later, a friend and I took a two night getaway to Nevada! I sometimes think seeing humor in the weirdest places has kept me here all this time.
Will let you know when I hear more
Hugs and Prayers,
Carol
Comments
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Zipline! Really?
Oh my, Carol, some of the things on your bucket list really frighten me. I know ziplines are not on mine. I sure hope that woman was arrested and charged with battery. That was just awful what she did and she is an awful person. I'm pleased to see that you're able to keep on doing in spite of all of your troubles. Broken ribs now? Good grief.
Suzanne
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weird month indeed
Hi Carol
Thats just crazy, I agree with Double Whammy the woman who knocked you over is an awful person. A gang altercation at a celebration of Mormon culture? What is the world coming to? I think it is so cool that you are going to do the zip line at the Olympic village at Park City. I think I would be terrified of the height. Your spirit is amazing and inspiring. Love Surf
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Forever Ninja!
Oh Carol you never cease or cease to amaze me. Here I sit panicky about my solo travel to my son's wedding in 2 weeks and I read this and feel like a fool. So used to being able to deal and you perfectly remind us all that , yes, we still can!!!!
Lovin' ya
Sherry
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Seriously?
Only you could combine violent stroller encounters and zip line desires in a brain radiation update. You are so wonderfully alive and unique and amazing!!
I'm in awe. And sort of bummed about the crazy stroller lady hurting you.
xo
Victoria
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shen
Understand have been arrested, had the shooting not happeded. The ribs are fractured which is better than had the broke inhalf? Guess better chance of healing. The worst part was she was laughing according to the people around who were wonderful. Just some tried to pull me up until, my friend Lynn told them I had cancer thru my bones and you can't just pull me up. So amazing how wonderful strangers are, and you learn how willing people are to help, when you need it, so not everything was awful, but there is nothing you can do for cracked or broken ribs.
They said they use to bind them, and they were finding the ones who did need up with pneumonia as binding kept them from taking deep breaths.
And Sherry, it is the flying alone that has stopped me now for 2 years from going to CA. My sister in Sacramento, and brother in Mission Viejo keep offering to send me a ticket to sta1-2 weeks its them, high I would love to do, if I wasn't flying alone! I get that part of it all the way. Brother even offered to have dilemma co.e with me again, but she works full time, and my son and his girlfriend here work full time. He would have gone this summer except ripped his a chile's tendon in two, had surgery, but has ET (Essential Thrombosis Cytosis), a former of blood cancr, ended up with 13 embolism after the surgery, I got into it with his pulmonary Dr who was doing a study on blood clits, and wanted him to go home like that, made her call his oncologist who agreed with me to do an us on the calve of the foot they did the surgery and he had a 4 1/2 inch clot. After having clots myself and being on wayfaring forever now, I told her he has to be throwing pieces off something.
She was not happy when his onco, wanted him in until they could get his clotting factor don't. If he threw a clot any larger, he could have a heart attack or stroke, so he is still being treated for the clot, and now is back on the mess for his ET, as his spleen is swollen and his platelet count is just under a million, when it hits a million they are saying he will need a bonemarrow transplant, which he, like me says that is the least thing he will do, as recovery from that his onco says would be anywhere from 8 months to years. He knows how sick he will be if he has from just taking the chemo, and there is no guarantee that it will even work.... so. He ended up taking classes all summer towards his teaching, (he teaches at risk kids, who are on the brink of dropping out of high school. He is in the richest area, yet his kids have so little parental support that they feel whatever difference does it make?
So he points out would a he diploma they would be lucky to work at a fast fod, so they would have menial jobs, where just getting their diploma will at least give them an edge over high school kids on getting a job. Then for those definitely not going to college, if he can keep them in high cholesterol. He has been able to convince to many to go half day to getting their he diploma, and12-5p to the technical college where they can learn a trade, such as cnw, welding, aprentiship electrucians, animal techs, radiology tech programs... last year he set up a new program with his mentor, the school psychologist/assistant principwl, and he was successful in keeping about 90% in some program rather than drop out. So it has been an all around odd summer, but still happy to be here.
Thee zip line I will be going on is for all abilities including handicapped. It still is over the ski resort, but it is only the top part, and you have a break that you can control the speed. It has the padded chairs that you are harnessed in, like a car seat, rather than what's we see where people doing a zip line are hanging tethered upright to a harness.
Now the extreme zip line is also a seat but it is closers to 2000 feet and is faster, and has that long drop from where mine stops and the extreme Flys on. Pretty mild yet looks like so much fun!
I am waiting to get monco's results before doing it. But I know I will do it either way. I was closed as one of the 14 for coasting for Surbival. I asked him if he thought I could do it. He said go for it, as long as I am able to walk, he said to go. The worse that will happen is, if I am unable to do the fishing, I will have a 3 day pampered weekend on the Provo river. He has been the dr. On call for some of them and said the friendships and staying at a 4* resort right on the river, next to the Hokestead, is amazing, all the leaves will be changing.
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Dear Ninja
Believe me if it wasn't my son's wedding I wouldn't consider the trip. Enough of that
Teaching: One well-to-do public high school I taught in a student kept refusing to do the reading assignments. When I asked why he said because he would have a secretary. Okaaaaay. So I called his dad and he said, yes, he will always have a secretary and will not make him complete assignments. ACK! I have plenty of war stories in that genre from big city slum schools and every level on up economically. Lotta good stuff too. The universe always seeks balance.
However, none of that provides what you do my dear ninja saving more lives than you realize all the time.
Lovin' ya
Sherry
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thanks Sherry
Saw the pain PA yesterday, told him we
I was debating on doing the zip line until I finally get my results in another hour now. I was expecting him to say no way.
He left the room, came back said Dr. PULLEY said if your scans come out okwy! Meaning not well, he said these are state of the art, padded and you are sitting in a soft chair lift,,,, "GO FOR IT!",
SO I am doing the Casting for recovery September9-11, and zip lining this next
Tuesday or Wednesday! ;we lost 2 more from my cancer support group. Both of which quit living when they were diagnosed, one with pills, the other naturally. Either way extremely sad, but everyone has the right and respect to make there o
My sister's think the cancer in My brain is causing me to make decisions I wouldn't normally make, but I would have done this in a minute had I have know it was there. So we are looking at Wednesday.
I would have just done it before and not told them. They also think the fishing is too much excoriated my sister who just went thru her own BC!
Time to go back to living.
Love you guys! I will keep praying for everyone else also.
Hugs,
Carol
Well, I didn't want to go out saying, man I wish I would have done that, I always wanted it to beI can't believe I did that, not I wish I would have done a that"
So. If guess I am back on track with me. I have always loved wild rides, roller coasters, the faster the better, fshing, doing basic ally. All my sisters are shoppers, more indoor than out, and definitely would not choose Magic Mountain, or Disney over shopping, but could you imagine 5 daughters
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hi everyone,
I am still waiting, have the brain scan after Sept. 20th, my next appointment to see if the radiation worked. I am not optimistic at this point. My legs are weak, I took another spill, than God for the implant on the mastectomy side, it took 13,days, today to get my arms up over my head again. Went down bringing the dog in at 1a, my son heard me hit the tile floor in the kitchen, didn't know weather to laugh or cry.
Tomorrow I am going on the Canning for Recovery fly fishing retreat. I talked to my once and he said to go for it, but have to wait a little longer on the zip line, my blood was still too thin, so we dropped the dose further. The steroids are still horrible, my face and neck have rolled into one, but again trying to drop the dose makes me go further to the right.
I look in the mirror and still look like my son's old cabbage patch doll, Chester, with the sports hair, which we call the donald, I can do a come over that makes it a little better, just don't want a cold head as the weather is starting to collect off. People keep saying just shave it but I didn't like sleeping with a beanie, and my boys said it looks better than being bald. Just can't believe how puffed out this steroid is making me.
I am still enjoying so many things and am really blessed with my support system. The hardest part is at my support group for all cancers, we have 3 new ones, 27, 28, 28. 2 of the three with terminal cancer, one with young children, onedx'd w/ an acute children's leukemia, that is currently in remission. Her maintenence regimen to keep her here is a weekly chemo infusion, as well as a daily chemo drug! She was diagnosed at their one year anniversary, she thought they were pregnant because she was so exhausted, and they were ecstatic, but it was not to be. And we have a 9 yr old girl who had a double mastectomy, her parents do the caregiver support group, and she is at children's hosp. For support.
This is when, no matter how I feel, I realize just how blessed my life 'is and has been. Puts everything in perspective, even the drooling, headaches, and upper back pain!
I I'll update when I know more. If you look up the Zerlot Spa and Resort in Midway Utah, it is where the fishing retreat is. 12 women were chosen. This was the 4th year I applied, nothing the first 2 last year I was the 12th alternate, and this year I got the notification that I was #3 chosen the day before I learned it is in my brain. Kind of nervous, first time doing something like this not knowing anyone, but so looking forward to meeting new people and flyfishing! One of my son's who Flys was trying get to teach me but gave up. Lol.
Hugs and prayers to all,
Carol
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Hey Ninja!
So great to see you posting. Just got back from that trip I told you about. Everything went perfectly. I found asking for a wheelchair at the airport performs miracles bypassing all the lines at every checkin step AND Tsa!!!
Soooo they are married and all is good. Family is discussing my options considering various scenarios so much stress relieved.
One friend has a close very close friend in your situation but they are clueless about what to do and I told them all about you and what possible steps she could take as she does not live near any of them.
Thank you for being my guide in this and CHEERS TO THE NINJA!!!
Carol RULES!!! WOOT WOOT!!!!!love you
Sherry
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I love your posts
I haven't been on for a while and it was so nice to read your long posts. You have an amazing spirit and I love the things you do (ziplining?? Wow!) Keep well Carol. You are a very special person for feeling such empathy to the others in your cancer group! Love from Anna
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Inspiration
Hi, Carol
Your posts are an inspiration to anyone who thinks this "beast" has taken away our lives. Remembering to set goals and when those little "hiccups" happen in our plans, they only need to be readjusted, not cancelled forever.
Thank you for sharing your love and life with us! May each day be filled with smiles and laughter for you!
Blessings,
Kathy
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