Feeling great this morning! I guess the 1.5 liters of IV fluids really helped yesterday. On a mission to drink a lot today. The redness on my neck is even better this morning. Woke up hungry rather then nauseated, which was greatly welcome. Started my morning with a Lortab, but that’s been my daily friend, since the surgeries and all the post-radiation pain. Had an excellent breakfast of pancakes, strawberries, and a slice of bacon. Yum! Feeling good and hoping for a wonderful day with my boys!
First day of chemo
First day to get my chemo. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my mediport. To not have to be stuck with a catheter is the most awesome! 🙂
I got 1.5 L of fluids total (before, during, and after chemo) which is making me feel pretty darn good this evening. The chemo starts of with an antinauseant + steroid drip, then I get fluids, then fluids with the chemo (50 mg cisplatin), then more fluids. About 3-4 hours of sitting there and getting dripped into.
I was told that the chemo drug can give me constipation or diarrhea. Let’s see which one I’m going to be lucky enough to have. Hmmm??? Also, watch for nausea and start taking stuff for that immediately. I got sent home with more Lortabs :), ondansetron, and promethazine, and a very high recommendation for Miralax. Guess I’ll be shopping in the GI aisle at Walmart. Overall, it wasn’t a bad day at all, since all the chemo side effects apparently happen much later. More of the same next week? Let’s hope so!
And we’re on a roller coaster!
Today was much better than yesterday. I woke up feeling a bit painful, but that’s pretty much been the norm since surgery. I went ahead and grabbed my Vicodin and mixed one with a Tylenol. That made me feel much better. The morning nausea was mostly gone, so that was quite welcome. Through the day I felt much less tired than yesterday and was actually quite peppy in the afternoon. Of course my morning was brightened by Natasha’s delivery of my very own sopapilla cheesecake. Got hugs, cried a little, and was very happy to be reminded of having such an awesome friend.
My midday trip to radiation was less tiring than yesterday. Although I was starting to fall asleep on the table while I was getting the treatment. I am starting to get some red blotches on my neck and the itchiness is beginning. Good thing I have much practice at ignoring itchy skin. You can see the redness in the photo as well as the diagonal marks from my mask.
Noticed today that my tongue doesn’t feel as bad as yesterday. Could the overnight fluoride treatment been that detrimental to my oral health? Surely not! Or maybe yes, and I’ll still be able to taste things for a few more days. 🙂
My mediport insertion site is looking good and is practically not painful at all, even when I touch it. Very glad to have that, but will find out the gory details of its use tomorrow when I go in for my first chemo. Mama insisted to come with me tomorrow since John is going out of town. I’m pretty anxious about it, but I bet I won’t lose any sleep over it, since medical treatment anxiety has become the norm for me in the last month.
Feeling better and hoping for more days like today. 🙂
Horrible day #1
Woke up feeling nauseated. Not a good sign. Worked though it and had a normal cereal with fruit breakfast. Also pulled out my fluoride trays after keeping them in all night like the dentist recommended. First and last time! Gums were quite sore and bleeding when I brushed my teeth. Not going to work down the line when my mouth feels like crap. I wonder if I swallowed some of the fluoride cream and that’s why the nausea. We shall see tomorrow.
Tongue is starting to feel like it has a mild burn too. That’s starting to limit my ability to taste and it certainly is making eating less enjoyable. Oh well, I guess that’s my chance to eat healthy and diet a little. Had a Freebirds burrito to finish off yummy food eating. Should’ve had Chipotle. Dry mouth continues and I think is getting worse. Sipping water all day works wonders, but boy, do I have to go pee a lThird radiation treatment uneventful. Starting to get used to the routine. Neck starting to feel warm and slightly itchy. Not good. Hate itchy.
Otherwise feeling a little sore today from the mediport placement yesterday. By the end of the day at work I was feeling quite horrible, just tired and achy, but after a couple of Vicodin I’m feeling much better. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.
Surgery #2
Nutty day planned today. While getting breakfast ready realized that I have surgery today and probably shouldn’t eat. Good call. Went in at 9 am to Centennial for mediport placement. Major fubar from nurse on catheter placement. The anesthesiologist had to put in my IVC. Seriously! Woke up without any surprises unlike last time and got out of there in enough time to get to my second radiation treatment. Then had to get Marcus and Duncan (thankfully without a fever) from school, then dentist to pick up my fluoride trays, then Marcus’ therapy, then home for dinner. All day I felt like maybe my mouth was a little drier than normal, but I didn’t get to drink a lot, so maybe it was just my imagination. Tired at the end of the day, but not too much more than normal. I think it was just too full of a day.
Day 1 of treatment
First day of radiation treatment. Let’s get this show on the road! My mask got marked for the treatment and then went through the first one. Very quick. Of course in the afternoon, we get a call from daycare that Duncan’s running a fever. John picks him up, snaps at Patty after her sarcastic comment, and by the time he’s picking up the other two, daycare already says they’ll take care of Duncan tomorrow, since I’m having surgery. Thank goodness!
Mouth feels a little tingly by the end of the day, but nothing annoying. Otherwise feeling quite tired. I’m thinking I should have slept more this weekend.
Treatment, here I come!
Great news today, the cancer is only in my tonsil. Yay! So the treatment we’ve all been planning and talking about is a go. I even got the chemo people okay with me coming in on Fridays for the chemo. Told them I’d have my port put in next Tuesday and then see them on Friday. Everything is working out quite nicely. 😀
PET CT
The scan took about an hour and a half this morning, but only because I had to drink the marker in 2 increments 30 minutes apart. Again, place runs like clockwork. Now I await the results…
Radiation planning
Had my mask made today. I’m going to be strapped down to a table with a mask. Fun. Got my schedule for the radiation. 15 minutes per day at 12:30 pm for 7 weeks Monday thru Friday. Fun. Also met the lovely gentleman, James, who will be administering my PET CT scan tomorrow morning.
All I have to say is that radiation staff runs like clockwork. They tell you how long it’s gonna take and it takes 5 minutes less. And they’re ALWAYS on time. Love it. Glad I’m doing most of my therapy here.
First visit with the radiation oncologist
Met Dr. Greenberg today. I like him. Much more direct and to the point than Dr. Trillo. He informed me that therapy would be 7 weeks, and it only takes a few minutes per day, so I can do it during lunch. 🙂 He also wants the PET CT scan NOW! So we’re doing it down in Plano in 2 days, so that we can make sure that the cancer has not spread and all I have is the tonsil tumor. A little more than just the baseline Dr. Trillo led me to believe it was. Again, it’s the manner of communication. I did end up sniffling through some of my visit with him, but definitely not as much as on Friday with Trillo. Ugh! Coming back tomorrow for radiation planning and to have my mask made. 😐