Sounds so final doesn't it? Not like- "This is my last shot at life!!" heh heh... Just my last vaccine shot.
It still hurt like a bitch. Waah. But now I'm looking into other stuff that evidently hasn't been tried and is very promising.
See, here I was- thinking that there wasn't anything after this and voila! New stuff always around the corner.
I guess there is something called CPT-11 and Erbitux... stuff I can get closer to home. Then there is some sort of yeast stuff I might start on that's supposed to attack the hell out of the cancer too. the other stuff is to shrink the tumor and the Doc sounded positive about it. By the way- I got Cindy- the one I LIKE- today. And YES- it does make a difference. She looked at my swollen lymph node on my neck... the one on my arm at the bendy part... see how clinical I am? Aaaaaannnd the coup de grâce of grody bumps= my sternum lump. It's gotten bigger and grosser. I need a name for it. A name that I can rejoice in getting rid of- any suggestions for my "Sternum Lump" name? Bring it.
The girls want to see it and touch it. I want to cut it off. You can't see it really well, but if you're looking for it, you, too can be disgusted just like me. Nom. I will NOT be posting pictures… though I did take pictures of it. I have no idea why. It’s not something I’d be excited about someone finding on my phone if I lost it.
Speaking of losing stuff. .. I have been losing crap left and right. I forgot to get my cash back from the self checkout machine at the grocery store. When I realized it- I went to the customer service counter- no one turned in any money. Nice. Now I’ve misplaced my ATM card. I know it’s at home, but where- I have NO idea. No one has been charging anything crazy on my account. I just don’t have my card. I don’t want a new one because that means re-doing all my accounts on Paypal and Amazon. Grrr.
All right... I think the nurses want me outta here. I will leave as soon as I get my information. I'm ready for a siesta. And maybe some cheesecake. Or some sort of Texas dessert. Though I think Texas dessert is brisket... or at least something meaty.
I'm up for it.
Later all. Happy, shrinking thoughts everyone.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Gotta Get With It
Wow- time flies when you don't even know it.
Actually it's been an interesting so-many days. Lots of running but I don't even feel like I've gotten anything done. All the stuff on my dining room table is the same stuff that's been there for the last month or so. yep. Papers and markers and a ton of random stuff. Throw in the mail, bills, coupons and you've got the picture complete. I DID get Vera's room and Iris' room cleaned... mostly. And I've got a trash bag and an industrial bin full of clothes to get rid of. Gonna have to crack the whip on myself to get my room totally overhauled.
The husband and I had another really good fight- about recognition and other stuff. He now says- after all is said and done- "You're not going to blog or Facebook about this are you?" Of course not. Saying we fight like any normal couple does is not blogging about the fight... it's just saying it happened, I'm not going into details. I DO think he needs to go to counseling. As do I. both of us for different reasons.
I'm in Dallas right now. My sister came with me this time. I love her. She's my best friend. But boy do we have our own arguments. She got a car and I asked her if I could drive because I know my way around pretty well here and didn't feel like giving directions or listening to the GPS. She is a little irked because she wanted to drive to give me a break. See the delimma? It's just one thing and then another. She worries about me a lot. I worry about her.
She's never been down here with me so she will be seeing the hospital for the first time. I will probably meet with the doctor I saw last time. I'd rather see the same nurse practitioner I'd been seeing since February. She seemed more receptive and nicer than the lady I'm seeing now. Of course since it's my last shot- I will probably be seeing a few more folks. eh- okay.
After this last shot I can start other stuff. Stuff I can take part in at home or closer to home at least. Not that distance matters... it's just a little perk.
Well, I will update tomorrow night with any info I've got. There might not be much to tell. Next CT scan isn't until the end of June.
Actually it's been an interesting so-many days. Lots of running but I don't even feel like I've gotten anything done. All the stuff on my dining room table is the same stuff that's been there for the last month or so. yep. Papers and markers and a ton of random stuff. Throw in the mail, bills, coupons and you've got the picture complete. I DID get Vera's room and Iris' room cleaned... mostly. And I've got a trash bag and an industrial bin full of clothes to get rid of. Gonna have to crack the whip on myself to get my room totally overhauled.
The husband and I had another really good fight- about recognition and other stuff. He now says- after all is said and done- "You're not going to blog or Facebook about this are you?" Of course not. Saying we fight like any normal couple does is not blogging about the fight... it's just saying it happened, I'm not going into details. I DO think he needs to go to counseling. As do I. both of us for different reasons.
I'm in Dallas right now. My sister came with me this time. I love her. She's my best friend. But boy do we have our own arguments. She got a car and I asked her if I could drive because I know my way around pretty well here and didn't feel like giving directions or listening to the GPS. She is a little irked because she wanted to drive to give me a break. See the delimma? It's just one thing and then another. She worries about me a lot. I worry about her.
She's never been down here with me so she will be seeing the hospital for the first time. I will probably meet with the doctor I saw last time. I'd rather see the same nurse practitioner I'd been seeing since February. She seemed more receptive and nicer than the lady I'm seeing now. Of course since it's my last shot- I will probably be seeing a few more folks. eh- okay.
After this last shot I can start other stuff. Stuff I can take part in at home or closer to home at least. Not that distance matters... it's just a little perk.
Well, I will update tomorrow night with any info I've got. There might not be much to tell. Next CT scan isn't until the end of June.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Post Relay
I knew I wouldn't get another chance to update for a while after Relay For Life. I was beyond exhausted all day Saturday, had Jasson take the girls to my Mom's and sister's houses for the night.
Well, to recap- Friday night was a whirlwind of crazy- here, there, here, there. I feel bad that I didn't get any real quality time with anyone on the team because there were just too many people there to be able to make a minute at all. We painted faces, sold VERY few raffle tickets. That was a huge bummer for me- last year it was the biggest moneymaker and this year, well, sucked.
We DID win 3rd place for Best Cancer Control Message. I thought we'd do better at that because no one had anything about Lynch Syndrome- and LOTS of people had never heard of it. I guess the bigger picture is that we got the word out to more people about it and they took pamphlets to educate themselves.
We also had printed letters and envelopes to Gov Kasich (sp?) asking him to make the last Wednesday in March "Lynch Syndrome Heriditary Cancers Awareness Day." We had quite a few people take those. All they had to do was sign the letter, put their return address and a stamp on the envelope and mail it out. So we will call it a success. Even though I didn't get to karaoke at all... the karaoke guy didn't come because he thought it would rain. What ev.
So here are some pictures for you to have a lookie-loo.
We raised around $1,900 total. That's below that $2,500 mark we were aiming for but it's still a start. Bigger and better next year I say. Now we know what we're doing.... and I'll leave my sister in charge. That seems to be a formula for success.
Tomorrow night is Iris' preschool graduation. It will be short and sweet and I don't think I'll cry. I want to be there for stuff but I am happy to be moving.. it seems fast but as long as I can be part of it and she remembers it, hooray! She's excited to go to Kindergarten- I'm excited for her and for me. Mommy of a kindergartener.
Saturday night the girls (grown up girls) and I are heading out for a theme night of sorts. We got together and fabbed it up for dinner and to see "Sex and the City 2" and went to Red Lobster then to see Pirhana 3-D when it came out. Well- I was looking for another opportunity to do something theme-y... so the movie "Bride's Maids" is out. It came out last weekend and that would have been ideal but we were busy with Relay and recovery. So Saturday we are meeting at Olive Garden and heading to the movie. The catch- we will all be dressed in hideous bride's maids dresses. Full Monty- Bad hair, Bad accessories, bad dresses. I can't wait. I've got my dress but unfortunately I don't remember how to do my hair supre-ridiculous. I may hit up the local beauty school and let them go to town.
Here's the dress.. it cost me all of $10. Worth it.
I hope to have some good ones for you the next time I post.
I just hope to catch up on some sleep so I can go out without any dragging.
I hope you all are doing well!
Well, to recap- Friday night was a whirlwind of crazy- here, there, here, there. I feel bad that I didn't get any real quality time with anyone on the team because there were just too many people there to be able to make a minute at all. We painted faces, sold VERY few raffle tickets. That was a huge bummer for me- last year it was the biggest moneymaker and this year, well, sucked.
We DID win 3rd place for Best Cancer Control Message. I thought we'd do better at that because no one had anything about Lynch Syndrome- and LOTS of people had never heard of it. I guess the bigger picture is that we got the word out to more people about it and they took pamphlets to educate themselves.
We also had printed letters and envelopes to Gov Kasich (sp?) asking him to make the last Wednesday in March "Lynch Syndrome Heriditary Cancers Awareness Day." We had quite a few people take those. All they had to do was sign the letter, put their return address and a stamp on the envelope and mail it out. So we will call it a success. Even though I didn't get to karaoke at all... the karaoke guy didn't come because he thought it would rain. What ev.
So here are some pictures for you to have a lookie-loo.
We raised around $1,900 total. That's below that $2,500 mark we were aiming for but it's still a start. Bigger and better next year I say. Now we know what we're doing.... and I'll leave my sister in charge. That seems to be a formula for success.
Tomorrow night is Iris' preschool graduation. It will be short and sweet and I don't think I'll cry. I want to be there for stuff but I am happy to be moving.. it seems fast but as long as I can be part of it and she remembers it, hooray! She's excited to go to Kindergarten- I'm excited for her and for me. Mommy of a kindergartener.
Saturday night the girls (grown up girls) and I are heading out for a theme night of sorts. We got together and fabbed it up for dinner and to see "Sex and the City 2" and went to Red Lobster then to see Pirhana 3-D when it came out. Well- I was looking for another opportunity to do something theme-y... so the movie "Bride's Maids" is out. It came out last weekend and that would have been ideal but we were busy with Relay and recovery. So Saturday we are meeting at Olive Garden and heading to the movie. The catch- we will all be dressed in hideous bride's maids dresses. Full Monty- Bad hair, Bad accessories, bad dresses. I can't wait. I've got my dress but unfortunately I don't remember how to do my hair supre-ridiculous. I may hit up the local beauty school and let them go to town.
Here's the dress.. it cost me all of $10. Worth it.
I hope to have some good ones for you the next time I post.
I just hope to catch up on some sleep so I can go out without any dragging.
I hope you all are doing well!
Friday, May 13, 2011
Excuses and Thanks
I've been stupid busy this last week and some- I have less time to blog at home than I do at work. Then when I actually tried to blog- Blogger was down.
So here I am.
Today is Friday the 13th and it is day one of the local Relay for Life. My team is 'Sorelle di Lotta' which is supposed to mean 'Fighting Sisters' in Italian but we haven't actually confirmed that. No one has told us otherwise and it's been a year so we're rolling with it.
Lots to do- it's insane and I kind of like it. It would be lots easier if I was (or is it "I were" ??) an organized person... but sadly, I'm far from it. My house is near certified disaster area and I'm crossing my fingers that I have a day or 50 to work on it and possibly get organized since I'll only have "I have 2 young children" and "I have cancer" as excuses instead of the "And I work full time" added to that.
Hm.... my house was cleaner when I was working- how the hell did I do that?
Eh, anyway- I also wanted to send out a HUGE "THANK YOU" to my friend- Navy Buddy- Michelle. Michelle captained "Team Rachel" at the Relay for Life in Monterey, California. I haven't seen her since 1999 when I still lived in Corpus Christi, TX. I was floored to find out that she named the team in my honor and just got a chance to see the pictures from the event last night. I couldn't stop crying. It was so moving to know that though we haven't seen each other in forever, she still thought of me. Here are pics of the team shirts...
Wow, right? I am still processing it. So, thank you Michelle- and all who teamed with you and gave. You're all awesome.
Well, Lots in the works as of right now. Nothing official but I will probably be on another trial as soon as I get the last vaccine. Onward, always, right? There are a couple of things to try and I will try them.
Aaaand- I'm off after a quick shower and grabbing all the stuff I need for Relay. I will surely forget something. And don't call me Shirley.
I will try (no promises) to post an update with pics tomorrow, recapping the Relay goings on.
Lata everyone!
So here I am.
Today is Friday the 13th and it is day one of the local Relay for Life. My team is 'Sorelle di Lotta' which is supposed to mean 'Fighting Sisters' in Italian but we haven't actually confirmed that. No one has told us otherwise and it's been a year so we're rolling with it.
Lots to do- it's insane and I kind of like it. It would be lots easier if I was (or is it "I were" ??) an organized person... but sadly, I'm far from it. My house is near certified disaster area and I'm crossing my fingers that I have a day or 50 to work on it and possibly get organized since I'll only have "I have 2 young children" and "I have cancer" as excuses instead of the "And I work full time" added to that.
Hm.... my house was cleaner when I was working- how the hell did I do that?
Eh, anyway- I also wanted to send out a HUGE "THANK YOU" to my friend- Navy Buddy- Michelle. Michelle captained "Team Rachel" at the Relay for Life in Monterey, California. I haven't seen her since 1999 when I still lived in Corpus Christi, TX. I was floored to find out that she named the team in my honor and just got a chance to see the pictures from the event last night. I couldn't stop crying. It was so moving to know that though we haven't seen each other in forever, she still thought of me. Here are pics of the team shirts...
Wow, right? I am still processing it. So, thank you Michelle- and all who teamed with you and gave. You're all awesome.
Well, Lots in the works as of right now. Nothing official but I will probably be on another trial as soon as I get the last vaccine. Onward, always, right? There are a couple of things to try and
Aaaand- I'm off after a quick shower and grabbing all the stuff I need for Relay. I will surely forget something. And don't call me Shirley.
I will try (no promises) to post an update with pics tomorrow, recapping the Relay goings on.
Lata everyone!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Scans and Round 4
Let's just say I knew it wouldn't be GREAT news. So I will start with a little perspective:
The tumors in my abdomen doubled in size in a month (between December and January)= Not good.
January was the last time I had CT scans.
12 weeks ago I had my first vaccine- They said it may take 8-12 weeks to start working (maybe longer). And that the body has to have time to build the immune system. So with time, the vaccine could progressively get stronger.
All that being said, CT scan news isn't "good."
The tumors have grown 16% since January. Yes, them growing at all sucks on toast. But they didn't double in size, they didn't triple... it's been 3 months and only 16%. So let's say the vaccine has slowed down the growth?
Let's say that. And let's say that after this 12 week point- the vaccine will be working at it's full potential, meaning it will be shrinking the hell out of the tumors.
I have another shot at the end of May, no scans. Then scans at the end of June. We'll see what comes of it.
In the meantime- My immune system will be getting boosts from being happy and with my girls- and a trip to Italy in June.
Plus, since I will have the time- I will be juicing a lot more and I will be meeting with the hippie doctor to see what kind of nasty concoctions I can drink or eat or whatever to help my immune system.
There are other trials I am elegible for and I will be doing those too- as soon as I get my last shot.
I'll have the details on those trials when I get more information about them.
In the meantime- I'm ready to start bashing heads to get it to the medical community that appendix cancer IS NOT colon cancer. The sooner they get that through their thick as hell skulls, the better. And I'm sure the more lives they can start saving.
Irritating.
So, let's focus on the marginal news and the hope of good news in the future instead of the 16%.
More later folks.
Thank you for the continued prayers.
The tumors in my abdomen doubled in size in a month (between December and January)= Not good.
January was the last time I had CT scans.
12 weeks ago I had my first vaccine- They said it may take 8-12 weeks to start working (maybe longer). And that the body has to have time to build the immune system. So with time, the vaccine could progressively get stronger.
All that being said, CT scan news isn't "good."
The tumors have grown 16% since January. Yes, them growing at all sucks on toast. But they didn't double in size, they didn't triple... it's been 3 months and only 16%. So let's say the vaccine has slowed down the growth?
Let's say that. And let's say that after this 12 week point- the vaccine will be working at it's full potential, meaning it will be shrinking the hell out of the tumors.
I have another shot at the end of May, no scans. Then scans at the end of June. We'll see what comes of it.
In the meantime- My immune system will be getting boosts from being happy and with my girls- and a trip to Italy in June.
Plus, since I will have the time- I will be juicing a lot more and I will be meeting with the hippie doctor to see what kind of nasty concoctions I can drink or eat or whatever to help my immune system.
There are other trials I am elegible for and I will be doing those too- as soon as I get my last shot.
I'll have the details on those trials when I get more information about them.
In the meantime- I'm ready to start bashing heads to get it to the medical community that appendix cancer IS NOT colon cancer. The sooner they get that through their thick as hell skulls, the better. And I'm sure the more lives they can start saving.
Irritating.
So, let's focus on the marginal news and the hope of good news in the future instead of the 16%.
More later folks.
Thank you for the continued prayers.
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