Cancer: Chemo Round #4 - Miss Gwen Update
Arrived at the Bruno Cancer Center right on time....9:00 am. They were running behind this morning. Lots of patients getting in to get their treatments before Thanksgiving. Although, that is true....they are always full and busy. I eventually got called back to weigh, take my temp, and blood pressure. I got my port hooked up, flushed out, and had blood taken. Once again...PRAISE GOD....all of my blood work was great and chemo is a go. YAY! Now, I go back to the central waiting room.
I was expecting to have a brief meeting and check-up with my Oncologist, but she was out this week as she was ending up her vacation. I was disappointed because I wanted to know if my larger tumor showed signs of shrinking since my last treatment. I do, however, believe that it might have shrunk a little as it seems more flat and has some scaling. I have some issues that I wanted to go over with her. One is that I know have red splotches, blister/sores and such that has broke-out all over, but especially my chest, hands, and arms. I know though that this is just another "normal" side-effect of chemo. My skin is drying terribly. I feel I am going to look like a dried up prune when all of this is over, BUT.....I will be a living dried prune. LOL I am still having a bad cough at times; although, I do have a prescription for it. One of the "serious" side-effects is pain in the throat in the thyroid area. I am experiencing the pain and really wanted to discuss issue with Dr. Bondly. Chemo can have serious negative effects on the thyroid and that doesn't need to be left unattended. My other issue is my mouth. I can barely eat anything without it hurting. I sit in tears trying to eat food that sets my mouth on fire....yet, I can barely, if at all, actually taste the flavor of the food. I did relay all of this information to Dr. Bondly's nurse and it was put into my records. Dr. Bondly will see the information when she returns Monday and I might get a call from her at that time. I know they will be on top of my throat - possible thyroid issue - if they deem it necessary before I return in two weeks. They are on top of their game at the Bruno Cancer Center and I have full confidence in them and their wonderful, personalized care. I could not ask for any better.
I am called back for chemo and I was able to get an open bay right away. Got my steroid nausea medicine first. This nurse did not go slow with the injection like the nurse did last treatment so I got to feel the full force of the firey needle stings in my "private" area. Truly a strange and not to fun experience. Then, I receive my other three nausea medicines and am ready for my chemo treatments. First I received the three Large vials of "Red Push" and then the chemo that is in a bag drip starts. I had the $8,000+ Neulasta on-body injector placed on my stomach as I do after each treatment. It shoots a little needle in my stomach and then retracts. About 24 hours later, for about 45 minutes, it sends life-saving medicine in my body. It is a bone marrow stimulant that helps make white blood cells after chemo. Praise God for this medication! It works because my blood count has been perfect each treatment! Nothing out of the ordinary today as all went as routine. And, I might add....that is a very strange comment to make! "Nothing out of the ordinary," yet I just finished my 4th round of chemo. Since when did chemo treatments become routine or ordinary? WOW! How quickly like changes!
I talked to a couple of the nurses about Miss Gwen to see what I could find out. The last treatment, she was not there but was to come in to meet with her Oncologist. I was told that they would get her blanket, card, and "Pray First" blanket to her when she came in. Well, I was very happy to hear that she did come in for a consultation and did receive the blanket that I made for her. I was very disappointed to find out that she had been admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital that same day and was still in the hospital two weeks later. They did not know why she was there or what had happened that they had to stop treatments and put in the hospital. As I said before, however, Miss Gwen is 77 years of age, frail, and suffering both colon cancer and now cancer spots on her liver. I was given medicine in my port to help not get a blood clot, my port was flushed, disconnected from the line and I was free to leave.
Ashleigh and I walked out the door wondering what to do next about Miss Gwen. I knew that with my compromised immune system, I did not need to go on hospital floors where there are all kinds of illnesses and disease and wasn't sure of the condition of Miss Gwen....if she was up to visitors or not. But, we were not satisfied just leaving the Cancer Center knowing that she was in a hospital room and had been there for two weeks. So, we decided to take a golf cart shuttle over to the hospital and go to the St. Vincent's Hospital Gift Shop.
We picked out a pretty, good smelling candle in a ceramic votive, a "The Bible Promise Book" For Hope and Healing Adult Coloring Book, Crayons, Color Markers, and a beautiful card and gift bag. We chose the coloring book because when Ashleigh and I last saw Miss Gwen she took note of the biblical coloring books that Ashleigh brought to chemo for us to color. Miss Gwen asked if coloring was relaxing. We told her that it was soothing and relaxing, so we thought it would be the perfect gift. I included my phone number in case she needed anything I told her to contact me. I really hated not going on the hospital floor to see her, but I knew it would not be the best thing for me and might not be for her either since I am not sure what is going on with her. One thing I do know is that she must not be doing well at all and I would love for each of you to say a special prayer for Miss Gwen. She doesn't have a lot of people in her life who take care of her. She really mentioned only one grandson that watches over her and takes good care of her. Ashleigh and I left the gift bag with the Gift Shop and they said they would deliver it for us to her room.
One thing is for sure, as I have noted before, cancer is not a gift and it is NOT from God! We pray and pray that we will never get cancer....that our family, our friends will never get cancer. However, when we DO get cancer, our prayers change, our perspective changes. We now pray for what comes next and that it will be the best of the options. For me, I knew from the beginning that I was not going to give in or give up. Those are just not options when you are trying to win a battle for your life. God has already told satan that he cannot have His girl, Patricia. Just like God told satan he could have his way with Job in every way, except to take Job's life....God has gone before me and my cancer journey and told satan the same again. Satan can give me cancer, he can burden me with side-effects, blister my skin, my mouth, scar me in surgery....on and one, but he will NOT take my life. God has said NO! And, I am claiming God's desire for me. My focus weighs heavily on what I can do for His glory....how can I take what satan has done and shine the brightest for God. I know that God is forging a new purpose for my life when I am healed and I am excited to see where this journey will lead me. God is my forever strength, He is my fortress, He is my loving Father, my Holy Creator and the Great Physician. How blessed am I that He is leading my journey, mapping out my path, and healing me daily. That is overwhelming at times to imagine, but I know it is true although I am so undeserving. Just to think of how much He loves me!
A special prayer request: I ask that each of you continue to lift me in your prayers. We see that they are working. I will be starting a new chemo at my next treatment. It is called Taxotere. One of the nurses spoke to me at the end of my treatment on Tuesday and told me that there is a huge Class Action Lawsuit against Taxotere because a lot of patients are not growing their hair back after loosing it. It is a possibility that I face; however, as the nurse told me.....Taxotere is the best chemo for me to take next for the type cancer I have and I am not going to elect not to take it because of possibilities. I would like for y'all to join me in praying that this will not be an issue for me. I do NOT believe it will be and I am going to be claiming that daily before God. Also, one of the more serious side-effects of Taxotere is neuropathy. The nurse also told me that most people who get it do not regain their feeling. This is a common issue with Taxotere. The nurse went on to share with me that she knew of a patient who lost complete feeling in their feet and could not walk again. Okay....I think she shared a bit too much with me; however, I do need to know exactly what I am facing. If I start to feel any tingling or loss of sensitivity in my hands and feet, I have to alert them immediately. They will then have to lessen my chemo dosage. That, however, can have an affect on my cancer treatment and cure plan. So, please pray that I will be blessed not to have any nerve damage and certainly not any permanent nerve damage from Taxotere.
Life is a beautiful gift and not one moment should ever be taken for granted! God is a loving Father, His Son loved so much He came and walked the life of a common man and then died a cruel for us to have eternal life, His Holy Spirit lives within each believer to guide us, to comfort us, and to make groanings before our Father on our behalf when we don't have the words to utter ourselves. How awesome is that!
God has made me a promise...written me a love note, and it is that promise to which I cling daily...."I will never leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5
Me....waiting for chemo and during chemo:
Miss Gwen's Gifts and Gift Bag:
I was expecting to have a brief meeting and check-up with my Oncologist, but she was out this week as she was ending up her vacation. I was disappointed because I wanted to know if my larger tumor showed signs of shrinking since my last treatment. I do, however, believe that it might have shrunk a little as it seems more flat and has some scaling. I have some issues that I wanted to go over with her. One is that I know have red splotches, blister/sores and such that has broke-out all over, but especially my chest, hands, and arms. I know though that this is just another "normal" side-effect of chemo. My skin is drying terribly. I feel I am going to look like a dried up prune when all of this is over, BUT.....I will be a living dried prune. LOL I am still having a bad cough at times; although, I do have a prescription for it. One of the "serious" side-effects is pain in the throat in the thyroid area. I am experiencing the pain and really wanted to discuss issue with Dr. Bondly. Chemo can have serious negative effects on the thyroid and that doesn't need to be left unattended. My other issue is my mouth. I can barely eat anything without it hurting. I sit in tears trying to eat food that sets my mouth on fire....yet, I can barely, if at all, actually taste the flavor of the food. I did relay all of this information to Dr. Bondly's nurse and it was put into my records. Dr. Bondly will see the information when she returns Monday and I might get a call from her at that time. I know they will be on top of my throat - possible thyroid issue - if they deem it necessary before I return in two weeks. They are on top of their game at the Bruno Cancer Center and I have full confidence in them and their wonderful, personalized care. I could not ask for any better.
I am called back for chemo and I was able to get an open bay right away. Got my steroid nausea medicine first. This nurse did not go slow with the injection like the nurse did last treatment so I got to feel the full force of the firey needle stings in my "private" area. Truly a strange and not to fun experience. Then, I receive my other three nausea medicines and am ready for my chemo treatments. First I received the three Large vials of "Red Push" and then the chemo that is in a bag drip starts. I had the $8,000+ Neulasta on-body injector placed on my stomach as I do after each treatment. It shoots a little needle in my stomach and then retracts. About 24 hours later, for about 45 minutes, it sends life-saving medicine in my body. It is a bone marrow stimulant that helps make white blood cells after chemo. Praise God for this medication! It works because my blood count has been perfect each treatment! Nothing out of the ordinary today as all went as routine. And, I might add....that is a very strange comment to make! "Nothing out of the ordinary," yet I just finished my 4th round of chemo. Since when did chemo treatments become routine or ordinary? WOW! How quickly like changes!
I talked to a couple of the nurses about Miss Gwen to see what I could find out. The last treatment, she was not there but was to come in to meet with her Oncologist. I was told that they would get her blanket, card, and "Pray First" blanket to her when she came in. Well, I was very happy to hear that she did come in for a consultation and did receive the blanket that I made for her. I was very disappointed to find out that she had been admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital that same day and was still in the hospital two weeks later. They did not know why she was there or what had happened that they had to stop treatments and put in the hospital. As I said before, however, Miss Gwen is 77 years of age, frail, and suffering both colon cancer and now cancer spots on her liver. I was given medicine in my port to help not get a blood clot, my port was flushed, disconnected from the line and I was free to leave.
Ashleigh and I walked out the door wondering what to do next about Miss Gwen. I knew that with my compromised immune system, I did not need to go on hospital floors where there are all kinds of illnesses and disease and wasn't sure of the condition of Miss Gwen....if she was up to visitors or not. But, we were not satisfied just leaving the Cancer Center knowing that she was in a hospital room and had been there for two weeks. So, we decided to take a golf cart shuttle over to the hospital and go to the St. Vincent's Hospital Gift Shop.
We picked out a pretty, good smelling candle in a ceramic votive, a "The Bible Promise Book" For Hope and Healing Adult Coloring Book, Crayons, Color Markers, and a beautiful card and gift bag. We chose the coloring book because when Ashleigh and I last saw Miss Gwen she took note of the biblical coloring books that Ashleigh brought to chemo for us to color. Miss Gwen asked if coloring was relaxing. We told her that it was soothing and relaxing, so we thought it would be the perfect gift. I included my phone number in case she needed anything I told her to contact me. I really hated not going on the hospital floor to see her, but I knew it would not be the best thing for me and might not be for her either since I am not sure what is going on with her. One thing I do know is that she must not be doing well at all and I would love for each of you to say a special prayer for Miss Gwen. She doesn't have a lot of people in her life who take care of her. She really mentioned only one grandson that watches over her and takes good care of her. Ashleigh and I left the gift bag with the Gift Shop and they said they would deliver it for us to her room.
One thing is for sure, as I have noted before, cancer is not a gift and it is NOT from God! We pray and pray that we will never get cancer....that our family, our friends will never get cancer. However, when we DO get cancer, our prayers change, our perspective changes. We now pray for what comes next and that it will be the best of the options. For me, I knew from the beginning that I was not going to give in or give up. Those are just not options when you are trying to win a battle for your life. God has already told satan that he cannot have His girl, Patricia. Just like God told satan he could have his way with Job in every way, except to take Job's life....God has gone before me and my cancer journey and told satan the same again. Satan can give me cancer, he can burden me with side-effects, blister my skin, my mouth, scar me in surgery....on and one, but he will NOT take my life. God has said NO! And, I am claiming God's desire for me. My focus weighs heavily on what I can do for His glory....how can I take what satan has done and shine the brightest for God. I know that God is forging a new purpose for my life when I am healed and I am excited to see where this journey will lead me. God is my forever strength, He is my fortress, He is my loving Father, my Holy Creator and the Great Physician. How blessed am I that He is leading my journey, mapping out my path, and healing me daily. That is overwhelming at times to imagine, but I know it is true although I am so undeserving. Just to think of how much He loves me!
A special prayer request: I ask that each of you continue to lift me in your prayers. We see that they are working. I will be starting a new chemo at my next treatment. It is called Taxotere. One of the nurses spoke to me at the end of my treatment on Tuesday and told me that there is a huge Class Action Lawsuit against Taxotere because a lot of patients are not growing their hair back after loosing it. It is a possibility that I face; however, as the nurse told me.....Taxotere is the best chemo for me to take next for the type cancer I have and I am not going to elect not to take it because of possibilities. I would like for y'all to join me in praying that this will not be an issue for me. I do NOT believe it will be and I am going to be claiming that daily before God. Also, one of the more serious side-effects of Taxotere is neuropathy. The nurse also told me that most people who get it do not regain their feeling. This is a common issue with Taxotere. The nurse went on to share with me that she knew of a patient who lost complete feeling in their feet and could not walk again. Okay....I think she shared a bit too much with me; however, I do need to know exactly what I am facing. If I start to feel any tingling or loss of sensitivity in my hands and feet, I have to alert them immediately. They will then have to lessen my chemo dosage. That, however, can have an affect on my cancer treatment and cure plan. So, please pray that I will be blessed not to have any nerve damage and certainly not any permanent nerve damage from Taxotere.
Life is a beautiful gift and not one moment should ever be taken for granted! God is a loving Father, His Son loved so much He came and walked the life of a common man and then died a cruel for us to have eternal life, His Holy Spirit lives within each believer to guide us, to comfort us, and to make groanings before our Father on our behalf when we don't have the words to utter ourselves. How awesome is that!
God has made me a promise...written me a love note, and it is that promise to which I cling daily...."I will never leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5
Me....waiting for chemo and during chemo:
Miss Gwen's Gifts and Gift Bag:
#GodisLeading #BreastCancer #DoubleMastectomy #IBelieve
#BeatCancer #GodisHealing #PrayforaCure #PrayerWarriors
#BilateralBreastCancer #BreastReconstruction #HeProtectsMe
#WhereHeLeadsIWillFollow #GodisinControl #GodisaGoodGod #PraiseGod #ThankYouJesus
#MyGoalisCancerFree #MyCancerWarisOn #CrushingCancer
#MyGoalisCancerFree #MyCancerWarisOn #CrushingCancer
#CancerWillNotWin #IAmBeingHealed #MyGoalisCancerFree
Comments
Post a Comment