Maggie

maggie_wilson said:

cindy
thanks so much, cindy. right now they're still trying to schedule a ct/pet scan for me, so i doubt i'll have another ca 125 at this point. my doctor doesn't think having a cold really would make much of a difference. at my request, she is ordering megadoses of vit d, since i'm low, and there's evidence that it helps protect against certain cancers. so, we'll see. in the meantime, i just go about my daily life, celebrating chanukkah with my family this week, and partner and i going to commonweal, the cancer support institute in bolinas, california on monday for a week. very healing place. so, hopefully, will have the scans scheduled before the end of the year, or insurance won't pay for it. the jerks!

thanks again for your positive and healing thoughts my way. i appreciate them very much.

hope all is going well with you.
sisterhood, maggie

hopeful girl 1 said:

Maggie,

I think the retreat to commonweal will do a world of good-sounds great from your various postings, gourmet veggie meals, massages, ocean etc. It sounds just wonderful, and just the kind of peace and tranquility we all need to rest our minds. I hope they have some interesting information as well. We all look forward to hearing about it.

Sorry to hear the doc doesn't think another CA125 test is needed. If he ordered one, it might help ease your mind a bit. Well, I guess the scan will show if there is anything to be concerned about. Hopefully they can schedule for you before end of year as you mentioned. Perhaps this is just a little scare, and they won't find anything going on.
These tests are so anxiety ridden waiting on results aren't they? All part of our new normal.

You asked about me also. Well I am done with my initial treatment protocol for uterine 3C-it has been 4 weeks since my 6th chemo. The 6th chemo was rather hard on me and totally wiped out my bloodcounts and tired me out. I am still rather tired out, probably because my counts are still low and my body is having to make alot more platelets and white cells.
That must take a lot of the body's energies right?

I did come up a bit with the bloodtest on Monday, two days ago. They are sending me back for another bloodtest next week to monitor.

My WBC went up from 1.3 to 1.8
My neutrophils went up from 750 to 1,300
My platelets went up from 21,000 to 34,000 (so they are hoping the trend will continue upward)
My hemoglobin dropped form 10.6 to 10.3 (I had a hemoglobin transfusion on Nov 17th. Before the transfusion it was 8.5 and after the transfusion 11.2. I was told by one of the chemo nurses that not all of the cells are alive in the transfusion so for 2 weeks you will drop alittle bit). Good thing I had that done when I did.

So I am just resting, reading and renting movies etc. I was doing the recumbant bike 30 minutes a day, but decided to hold off on that until the platelets get passed 50,000. That was Susafina's advice to me as well.

In February I go for 3 month follow up with my radiation and chemo oncologists (chemo oncologist was also my surgeon) and they will do exam, CA125 and they may order a CT/pet scan.

Peace, healing and hugs,

Cindy

bots said:

Happy Chanukkah, Maggie
Happy Chanukkah, Maggie. I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing time in Bolinas--one of my very favorite places. I think of you so often--am keep fingers, toes,and eyes crossed for you. Let's have coffee when you get back. My email is lwarnold@comcast.net.

Lori (Bots)

maggie_wilson said:

lori
i think of you as well, since my office and massage therapist are right around the block from you. it would be good to get together some time after i return from bolinas. i do have a schedule now for my ct/pet, towards middle of december, then i do have to wait 10 days for results since my doctor is on vacation. it's actually ok, gives me time to settle back into my life after bolinas, after pet, though i'll be anxious, gives us time to prepare for the results. frankly. i do think i have a recurrence; my hope is it's not extensive, so that i can do hormonal therapy. i always want to try the least invasive treatment first. then, if hormonal therapy isn't appropriate, then probably back to chemo, tho' frankly. doxil scares me. i know people have had differing reactions to it, but it sounds like a huge headache, hand and feet ache, etc. well, one step at a time.

thanks for your chanukkah wishes, lori. do you celebrate chanukkah? had two small family gatherings at our house wednesday and thursday night, and we're done. do like xmas, too, so may do something for that, but we, fortunately, won't be hosting it.

sisterhood,
maggie

maggie_wilson said:

lori
you would be surprised at what one can live with if one has to. i'm actually doing pretty well most of the time, and feeling quite good, which helps. i'm not feeling hopeless, though when it comes time to see doctor for ct/pet scan results i know i'll be very anxious. actually, i am glad to be alive, and to have had over a year of no treatment, almost like normal. i don't worry about every little twinge anymore, ever since i kept pointing out new pains to my doctor, who finally said she was "unimpressed" with my pains, which really made me laugh, i.e., she didn't take them seriously. and she was right, none of my pains or other symptoms were ever cancer: nausea was lactose intolerance, newly acquired, cancer on vaginal cuff, then uti, was actually normal post menopausal irritated urethra which a little natural yam progesterone cleared up. so, don't sweat the pains. i'm relatively old, 69 in january, and have lived, until 09, a long, extraordinarily healthy life. so, who knows how long is left, but i imagine i'll be around for awhile yet. it's the chemo i hate!

thanks for the long message re: your family; i really enjoyed reading it. we, too, have a pretty much mini u.n. here. my granddaughter is half ecuodorian, quarter jewish, quarter irish/english. my son married an african woman and she had a 7 year old daughter, and now they have a 20 month son, my grandson, shiloh, who is a show stopper. actually, all three are. my mother died last year at 96, peacefully of pneumonia. i don't feel i've fully grieved her death because i was just released from a week in the hospital after some stupid blockage after my first chemo. it cleared right up with an ng tube, but they kept me because of my low blood counts. never had to miss a chemo, though. though feel like so much of me missed my mother's death. i hope to be able to use commonweal to help me grieve--not my strong suit.

yes, will get in touch with you when we return from bolinas. just got the names of two shamans who apparently helped heal a very, very sick woman with cancer. think i'll try them out at some point, can't hurt, and i like that kind of thing. can only hurt my pocket book, and right now i can deal with that.

so, happy chanukkah to you and yours, as well, lori.

sisterhood,
maggie