Hello again! Sorry it has been so long since my last post. But no news is good news at this point I guess. Things have been going fairly well since my last update. Jess and I were able to make it up to the U.P. for about a week which was really great. It had been a couple of months since we'd been to our house so it felt really good to get back and settle in for a few days. We did manage to take a day to drive up the Keweenaw - it was a gorgeous day, nice and cool. I had been sweltering in the humid 90's of southeast Michigan for too long. Of course I had a hyperactive thyroid and hot flashes during those 90's too, so that may be why it was so miserable.
The other great thing about our trip up there was that I actually was feeling pretty good. I hadn't felt well since the beginning of August since my interleukin-2 treatments. I had a good amount of energy back and just in general felt good. Part of it I'm sure was just being home again too. So anyway we had a successful trip up there and the weather was great - it was really what I needed to recuperate and build up some strength for the next set of treatments. I also continued to eat a lot of food and I'm happy to report that I've gained most of the weight back that I lost so quickly. Now I'll have to tone down the high calorie foods I've been enjoying constantly! :)
We had to get back down to Ann Arbor last Friday for another appointment with the endocrinologist. That went fairly well. She was happy with my progress and based on my bloodwork was able to take me off of one medication and is slowly taking me off of another. So it seems that a combination of the interferon and interleukin treatments really messed up my thyroid for a time but it probably will not be a chronic problem. However, I still do have thyroid cancer as well so my thyroid will be coming out at some point.
This Tuesday I had an appointment in Ann Arbor with the oncologist as well as some blood work before I started this next round of chemotherapy. They seemed to be happy with how I was looking and feeling and my bloodwork looked good. As a precautionary measure they took some extra labs called tissue typing. Depending on how my next set of CT scans and MRI look like, I may have to go to the National Cancer Center in Maryland (I think that's where it is). They are expecting and hoping that my scans will show shrinkage of the melanoma and we can continue with the chemo regimen that I am currently on. Apparently these tissue typing labs take a while to get results so they wanted to have them ready and on file just in case they need to send me anywhere for further evaluation. But in general I am feeling pretty positive about how things are going with all of this and am quite hopeful that the scans look good! These scans will be two weeks from Friday.
So after that appointment on Tuesday I had about a six hour infusion of the three drugs I receive on the first day. It went quite well. One of the drugs really burned my vein as it went in during the last set of treatments, but did not do so this time - that made me happy! I've been through two more days since them and amazingly only have one more day to go. I felt so much stronger going into this set of the treatments than the first set and so far I think that has really helped how I've felt. I'm starting to get more fatigued as the week progresses, but the difference between this time and last time is really phenomenonal. It may be more difficult over the weekend as I'll be on extra anti-nausea drugs, but I'm keeping my hopes up that it won't sap my energy quite as much as last time. I'm curious to see whether or not I lose my hair after this week. I lost quite a bit during the first round of treatments - I could tell especially when I washed my head - my hands would just be covered with hair when I was done. It's not really noticeable yet though. So we'll see how it goes after this week. Maybe a new look would do me good. :)
After Friday I have two whole weeks before my next doctor's appointment - provided I feel ok during that time of course. So I'm really excited about that. We'll be heading up to the U.P. again at some point after tomorrow depending on how I'm feeling. My parents will be coming up for a few days as well to help with projects around the house that I just haven't been able to do. That will be really nice.
So that is the story at the moment. My spirits are pretty high and I really feel like I've made great progress during the last few weeks. I can't express how much I continue to appreciate all of your prayers and support. Thank you! I'll try to update this again sooner rather than later! Enjoy the fall weather and I'll talk to you soon...
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Fattening up
It's been quite a week since I last wrote anything here. I had four chemotherapy infusions last Tues-Friday. Three drugs on Tuesday and two drugs on the other days. The infusions themselves weren't that bad - the main thing is that they are quite time consuming, usually lasting at least 4 hours. I don't have a permanent line in me at the moment so I have to get a new IV put in each day. Fortunately, the nurses were all great and (for the most part) were able to get me hooked up on the first try. There is something about getting poked repeatedly that doesn't sit well!
The side effects weren't too bad from the chemo. There was a whole host of possibilities, but nausea was the main one. Fortunately, they seem to have that side effect pretty well figured out with medications. I was on a couple extra meds over the weekend because of the possibility of delayed nausea. These wiped me out for a few days. I'm sure the chemo added to it as well, but I just was extremely tired with no energy for about three days. I'm feeling more like myself today though so I'm quite happy about that.
While I was getting an infusion last week we had a chance to talk with a nutritionist. I had lost 20-25 pounds over the past month or so - she gave us a bunch of ideas to help me regain the weight. I had been eating fairly well, but hadn't realized that I really needed to start paying attention to calorie and protein intake to make sure I was getting everything my body needed. So we went out and bought a lot of whole milk dairy products, protein shakes, and other protein and calorie rich foods. I've been working hard at eating as much as possible. Fortunately, I've been able to maintain a fairly good appetite through the treatments. I think that I at least have stopped losing weight and hopefully have gained some back.
Tomorrow I have an appointment for some blood work and a check up to make sure I got through the first round of chemo well enough. After that we are hoping to head home to the U.P. for a week or so. Hopefully they won't need to schedule any more new appointments during that time. We haven't really been home in about 2 months or so with our work at Traverse City this summer and then all of the medical issues. It will be amazingly good for us to get back even if it's not for long.
It's a little overwhelming too though because we're not sure what all we should try to get done while were there. We both longing for a drive up the Keweenaw and of course a stop at the JamPot along the way. For those of you who don't know - the Keweenaw is the most beautiful peninsula on Lake Superior - and the jampot is a bakery run by monks who make otherwordly baked goods and jams. We can't wait!
Otherwise, we're keeping our spirits as high as we can and trying to keep taking a day or two at a time. Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and prayers!
The side effects weren't too bad from the chemo. There was a whole host of possibilities, but nausea was the main one. Fortunately, they seem to have that side effect pretty well figured out with medications. I was on a couple extra meds over the weekend because of the possibility of delayed nausea. These wiped me out for a few days. I'm sure the chemo added to it as well, but I just was extremely tired with no energy for about three days. I'm feeling more like myself today though so I'm quite happy about that.
While I was getting an infusion last week we had a chance to talk with a nutritionist. I had lost 20-25 pounds over the past month or so - she gave us a bunch of ideas to help me regain the weight. I had been eating fairly well, but hadn't realized that I really needed to start paying attention to calorie and protein intake to make sure I was getting everything my body needed. So we went out and bought a lot of whole milk dairy products, protein shakes, and other protein and calorie rich foods. I've been working hard at eating as much as possible. Fortunately, I've been able to maintain a fairly good appetite through the treatments. I think that I at least have stopped losing weight and hopefully have gained some back.
Tomorrow I have an appointment for some blood work and a check up to make sure I got through the first round of chemo well enough. After that we are hoping to head home to the U.P. for a week or so. Hopefully they won't need to schedule any more new appointments during that time. We haven't really been home in about 2 months or so with our work at Traverse City this summer and then all of the medical issues. It will be amazingly good for us to get back even if it's not for long.
It's a little overwhelming too though because we're not sure what all we should try to get done while were there. We both longing for a drive up the Keweenaw and of course a stop at the JamPot along the way. For those of you who don't know - the Keweenaw is the most beautiful peninsula on Lake Superior - and the jampot is a bakery run by monks who make otherwordly baked goods and jams. We can't wait!
Otherwise, we're keeping our spirits as high as we can and trying to keep taking a day or two at a time. Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and prayers!
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