It's been over a week since I have posted and what a week it has been! I received the results of my scans on Friday and everything is stable. The only blip is that I have another hernia (this makes six - the last required a piece of mesh placed in my abdomen that was the size of a cookie sheet). I'm off to church then over to talk to Dr. B about the latest development - or protrusion. Will post later about the excitement around my house last week.
KG
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
To Correct...
I am so happy someone is actually reading what I write, and am very humbled that so many are... a couple of things I need to correct: my husband did once attend an Ohio State game (it was more years ago then I have been alive so I didn't think it counted) and on a more serious note, a port feeds into a large vein, not an artery. If you haven't read my posts yet, I bet you are curious now aren't you?!...
Happy reading and thank you -
KG
Happy reading and thank you -
KG
Monday, February 11, 2008
You Can't Study For These Tests!
I had to have tests today at St. Francis. I underwent a MUGA Scan to make sure that my heart is tolerating the Herceptin well and a P.E.T. Scan to make sure that the cancer is not acting up anywhere. I receive the MUGA every three months and the PET every six months. I went to church this morning and was on the road by 7:15 to get started.
The test day itself is never too bad for me. It's the days that lead up to it that can really bother me. I seem to become much more agitated and stressed as the day approaches. Today was marked off on my calendar with the word "Tests". No work today, as I would be gone for the majority of it. Also, nervous energy had me up before 5:00 packing lunches, feeding the pets, etc. All without coffee.
Having done these tests now for many years, I have figured out a few tricks. First, I always have my nurse/angel Judy access my port at the cancer center. For each of these procedures, an IV needs to be started as different contrasts are administered. My veins gave out about the same time as my figure did, shortly after my bilateral mastectomy. My surgeon put in a port, which is a catheter that is laced directly into an artery. The nurses and doctors can access it by feeling for the little bump that protrudes on my chest and sticking it with a small needle. I have had it done so many times there is no feeling left in the skin around the port, so it doesn't hurt too bad. Before I learned that sweet Judy would be happy to access my port before a procedure, I endured many nurses that swore they were the BEST at finding a vein on a difficult arm.
So Judy was kind enough to see me at 7:30 this morning, before her first patient, to get me accessed. Small problem though; the port flushed beautifully, but would not let any blood be drawn back. It's been picky like that before. I'm sure that my blood was just frozen around it because it was something ridiculous like 2 degrees this morning. I flapped my arms and stood on my head and did all of the other things that have worked in the past, with no luck. The day was not starting well and I could feel my anxiety rising. We both hoped that maybe they would only need to push contrast in and not need to take any blood so I marched off to the Nuclear Dept. with the port still accessed.
Nurses in different departments are thrilled when you come in with a port already accessed. It gives them a big jump on their work load. The Nuclear nurse, Kathy, told me she had to draw 2cc. of blood - rats. I thought that by basically jogging across the hospital from department to department, that maybe I had got the bugger unclogged or whatever was going on. No luck. So now she says "No problem, I'm great at finding veins". Oh no. A blown vein below my thumb and an ugly bruise forming on the backside of my arm, was all of her great technique that I could stand. She called in another nurse who added another tourniquet (my arm was now as purple as the shirt I happened to be wearing) and slapped my hand so hard that I really thought she was angry at me. Nothing. Finally, 'Ron' (trumpets blaring) walked up. He moved me to a reclining chair (I must have looked faint by that time), rubbed my hand and proceeded to drive a needle into the vein that went across one of my knuckles. I was glad I was reclined. Success! He thanked me for being still and said he now needed a cup of coffee.
Some radioactive stuff was mixed with my blood and then given back to me. I then was placed in a machine that is very similar to a CT Scan machine where over the course of fifteen minutes, my heart was photographed pumping blood. It's not noisy, nor uncomfortable, so I think I actually dozed for a minute. Kathy, walked me to the front so that I could proceed across the street for my P.E.T Scan.
The P.E.T Scan is an amazing technological test. It is actually able to pick up any new cancer or cancer activity by highlighting "hot spots" of cellular activity to the radiologist. The prep involves nothing to eat or drink 6 hours prior to the scan (it's tricky when your test is at 10:00 or 11:00 in the morning and you last ate at 6:00 the night before) and then having an injection of a nuclear isotope. You must also drink about 16 oz. of a thick chalky substance conveniently labled apple, berry or vanilla. Personally, I choose the vanilla and imagine I am drinking a noncaloric VERY thick milkshake. A nice side effect of the drink, is that it is so thick it actually curbs your hunger pangs from your overnight fast! You are instructed to wait for 30 minutes, Drew Carey kept me entertained on The Price Is Right, then you are escorted to the scan room. At St. Francis, the P.E.T scan machine is actually housed in a semi trailer attached by a covered walkway to the building. Brrr.
Into a long tube you are placed . I was asked to put my arms over my head so that they can clearly see the lung and spine area. The test last about 25 minutes. It, too, is not noisy like an MRI, but does have a humming sound and vibration that certainly keeps you reminded of the scanning that is going on. The most uncomfortable part is keeping your arms over your head - my back started to cramp up and it was a test of wills not to move. If you move too much, they have to start over. Once the test was completed, I was free to go - directly to a Chinese takeout to treat myself to a bowl of Hot and Sour soup.
Now the waiting begins. Another lesson I have learned is to always schedule major tests such as these on a Monday or Tuesday so that results can be reported back in a timely manner. A Friday test can take days to get back as many times the tests are not even sent to be read until the following Monday. They then must be sent to the oncologist, then to you. Ugh. Having been a patient for 10 years, I have learned to not go too crazy until about 72 hours of not hearing anything. Dr. B. is wonderful about trying to curb my anxiety and I have no doubt I will receive the results before Wednesday.
I have a feeling of calm tonight. I stopped back at the church this afternoon and had a lovely chat with Fr. Sas. He quoted to me one of my favorite verses from the Bible - Exodus 14:14 - "The Lord will fight for you, you have only to remain still".
I am back to the normal routine of making dinner, homework and baths. Such a transition from the craziness and intensity of the morning. But that is what the life of a person fighting cancer is... crazy and intense with wonderful moments of normal routine life. Tonight when I go to bed though, I am sure I will remain very still while I let the Lord fight for me.
KG
The test day itself is never too bad for me. It's the days that lead up to it that can really bother me. I seem to become much more agitated and stressed as the day approaches. Today was marked off on my calendar with the word "Tests". No work today, as I would be gone for the majority of it. Also, nervous energy had me up before 5:00 packing lunches, feeding the pets, etc. All without coffee.
Having done these tests now for many years, I have figured out a few tricks. First, I always have my nurse/angel Judy access my port at the cancer center. For each of these procedures, an IV needs to be started as different contrasts are administered. My veins gave out about the same time as my figure did, shortly after my bilateral mastectomy. My surgeon put in a port, which is a catheter that is laced directly into an artery. The nurses and doctors can access it by feeling for the little bump that protrudes on my chest and sticking it with a small needle. I have had it done so many times there is no feeling left in the skin around the port, so it doesn't hurt too bad. Before I learned that sweet Judy would be happy to access my port before a procedure, I endured many nurses that swore they were the BEST at finding a vein on a difficult arm.
So Judy was kind enough to see me at 7:30 this morning, before her first patient, to get me accessed. Small problem though; the port flushed beautifully, but would not let any blood be drawn back. It's been picky like that before. I'm sure that my blood was just frozen around it because it was something ridiculous like 2 degrees this morning. I flapped my arms and stood on my head and did all of the other things that have worked in the past, with no luck. The day was not starting well and I could feel my anxiety rising. We both hoped that maybe they would only need to push contrast in and not need to take any blood so I marched off to the Nuclear Dept. with the port still accessed.
Nurses in different departments are thrilled when you come in with a port already accessed. It gives them a big jump on their work load. The Nuclear nurse, Kathy, told me she had to draw 2cc. of blood - rats. I thought that by basically jogging across the hospital from department to department, that maybe I had got the bugger unclogged or whatever was going on. No luck. So now she says "No problem, I'm great at finding veins". Oh no. A blown vein below my thumb and an ugly bruise forming on the backside of my arm, was all of her great technique that I could stand. She called in another nurse who added another tourniquet (my arm was now as purple as the shirt I happened to be wearing) and slapped my hand so hard that I really thought she was angry at me. Nothing. Finally, 'Ron' (trumpets blaring) walked up. He moved me to a reclining chair (I must have looked faint by that time), rubbed my hand and proceeded to drive a needle into the vein that went across one of my knuckles. I was glad I was reclined. Success! He thanked me for being still and said he now needed a cup of coffee.
Some radioactive stuff was mixed with my blood and then given back to me. I then was placed in a machine that is very similar to a CT Scan machine where over the course of fifteen minutes, my heart was photographed pumping blood. It's not noisy, nor uncomfortable, so I think I actually dozed for a minute. Kathy, walked me to the front so that I could proceed across the street for my P.E.T Scan.
The P.E.T Scan is an amazing technological test. It is actually able to pick up any new cancer or cancer activity by highlighting "hot spots" of cellular activity to the radiologist. The prep involves nothing to eat or drink 6 hours prior to the scan (it's tricky when your test is at 10:00 or 11:00 in the morning and you last ate at 6:00 the night before) and then having an injection of a nuclear isotope. You must also drink about 16 oz. of a thick chalky substance conveniently labled apple, berry or vanilla. Personally, I choose the vanilla and imagine I am drinking a noncaloric VERY thick milkshake. A nice side effect of the drink, is that it is so thick it actually curbs your hunger pangs from your overnight fast! You are instructed to wait for 30 minutes, Drew Carey kept me entertained on The Price Is Right, then you are escorted to the scan room. At St. Francis, the P.E.T scan machine is actually housed in a semi trailer attached by a covered walkway to the building. Brrr.
Into a long tube you are placed . I was asked to put my arms over my head so that they can clearly see the lung and spine area. The test last about 25 minutes. It, too, is not noisy like an MRI, but does have a humming sound and vibration that certainly keeps you reminded of the scanning that is going on. The most uncomfortable part is keeping your arms over your head - my back started to cramp up and it was a test of wills not to move. If you move too much, they have to start over. Once the test was completed, I was free to go - directly to a Chinese takeout to treat myself to a bowl of Hot and Sour soup.
Now the waiting begins. Another lesson I have learned is to always schedule major tests such as these on a Monday or Tuesday so that results can be reported back in a timely manner. A Friday test can take days to get back as many times the tests are not even sent to be read until the following Monday. They then must be sent to the oncologist, then to you. Ugh. Having been a patient for 10 years, I have learned to not go too crazy until about 72 hours of not hearing anything. Dr. B. is wonderful about trying to curb my anxiety and I have no doubt I will receive the results before Wednesday.
I have a feeling of calm tonight. I stopped back at the church this afternoon and had a lovely chat with Fr. Sas. He quoted to me one of my favorite verses from the Bible - Exodus 14:14 - "The Lord will fight for you, you have only to remain still".
I am back to the normal routine of making dinner, homework and baths. Such a transition from the craziness and intensity of the morning. But that is what the life of a person fighting cancer is... crazy and intense with wonderful moments of normal routine life. Tonight when I go to bed though, I am sure I will remain very still while I let the Lord fight for me.
KG
Monday, February 4, 2008
Thank you, Giants
The New York Giants upset the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII. I can't remember what the final score was, but it doesn't matter. New York has made it possible for my son Torrie to be a relatively happy camper (or Giant) this week.
Torrie is a very intense sports fan for only being nine years old. He is passionate about his teams (he has a lot) and is equally passionate about the sport being played (he loves them all). He has inherited this quality from Ken, who can find enjoyment in any type of competition on television, in person, in the newspaper or being recalled by another sports devotee. Two years ago, Ken and Torrie went on a 'sports weekend' roadtrip to Ohio. They made the 10 hour drive to arrive for kickoff of Ken's high school football game. The next day was off to see Ohio State play (the first time for Ken) - Torrie was sure that ESPN was broadcasting live there just because he and Ken had come. The next day they were able to go to the Cleveland Browns game. Monday they visited the Football Hall of Fame, and Tuesday was the icing with great seats at a Cleveland Indian's game, where Ken caught a foul ball during batting practice. Other than working at a toy store, I will never be able to achieve the status in Torrie's eyes as Ken did that weekend.
I was nervous going into this weekend. Torrie had a basketball game to play in and the other team was tough (they won). Then Ken broke the news that he has an extended business trip this week which will keep him away until Thursday. Torrie really misses Ken when he is gone. We had a little bit of rivalry in the house, as I was pulling for the Patriots. Torrie and Ken went down the street to a Super Bowl Party while Tessa and I curled up in front of a fire. Torrie called twice with updates just in case I had missed some great Giant plays. The pressure was building...
Thank you Giants. He is up, dressed and has a smile on his face. Signing Bonuses, Super Bowl Rings, parades - the most important reason for the win in my house just sat down for breakfast.
KG
Torrie is a very intense sports fan for only being nine years old. He is passionate about his teams (he has a lot) and is equally passionate about the sport being played (he loves them all). He has inherited this quality from Ken, who can find enjoyment in any type of competition on television, in person, in the newspaper or being recalled by another sports devotee. Two years ago, Ken and Torrie went on a 'sports weekend' roadtrip to Ohio. They made the 10 hour drive to arrive for kickoff of Ken's high school football game. The next day was off to see Ohio State play (the first time for Ken) - Torrie was sure that ESPN was broadcasting live there just because he and Ken had come. The next day they were able to go to the Cleveland Browns game. Monday they visited the Football Hall of Fame, and Tuesday was the icing with great seats at a Cleveland Indian's game, where Ken caught a foul ball during batting practice. Other than working at a toy store, I will never be able to achieve the status in Torrie's eyes as Ken did that weekend.
I was nervous going into this weekend. Torrie had a basketball game to play in and the other team was tough (they won). Then Ken broke the news that he has an extended business trip this week which will keep him away until Thursday. Torrie really misses Ken when he is gone. We had a little bit of rivalry in the house, as I was pulling for the Patriots. Torrie and Ken went down the street to a Super Bowl Party while Tessa and I curled up in front of a fire. Torrie called twice with updates just in case I had missed some great Giant plays. The pressure was building...
Thank you Giants. He is up, dressed and has a smile on his face. Signing Bonuses, Super Bowl Rings, parades - the most important reason for the win in my house just sat down for breakfast.
KG
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