Challenges

I've been having fevers for the last 24 hrs. Very low fevers, 100° tops, with chills and body aches like the flu. My flu shot was last Wednesday in the hospital, so it's too late for that to be the cause. I called my Mayo team last night, but since the surgical and drain sites look fine my surgeon's resident said it can't be anything serious. I wonder if I've managed to finally catch something from one of the kids. They really don't have much going on, though, and I managed to catch nothing from them for the 6 months I was on chemo..... so I wonder if maybe it's some infection in the drains.

That makes me a bit nervous, but I'm going in tomorrow because to have one of them removed. Drain #1 has been putting out less than 30 ccs for 3 days now, and I'm supposed to have it removed after it's done that for 2. My "real" appt. is Thursday. I will change it unless drain #2's output goes down tomorrow. (That one's been putting out closer to 45ccs. That's the lymph drain.) ANyway I will tell the doctor about the fevers and see if I can get some antibiotics -- or what she thinks of how it all looks. This is a new doctor for me, a surgeon at G-town who agreed to do follow up care for my Mayo surgery so I could come home. (It looks mostly fine, but there ARE these wierd symptoms....)

I was feeling so much better -- went for a 4 m walk with Joan yesterday -- but these new symptoms are a setback; now I've been mostly sleeping. (Good thing ALan's taking most of the week off.)

The other challenge is my Mayo Oncologist's recommendation. I haven't had the energy to write about this here before, but now I will try. My pathology findings were that the tumor had shrunk to half its original size, and the remaining tumor was almost 50% dead, and over 50% live tumor. So my Onc said that I have a choice, go forward with tamoxifen and radiation (which at the Mayo are done together ROUTINELY, btw) and keep our fingers crossed, or do 4 more rounds of chemo first.

He recommends taxol and carboplatin. That combo is approved for use with metastatic cancer and lung cancer and ONE other thing -- so there will be no problem with insurance, he says. However, we won't be able to measure how well it's working, because my breast tumor is gone -- so it's possible that we will be just losing time. However, the taxol worked -- albeit slowly -- and I have no reason to think it was done working. And the fact that it works with metastatic cancer is actually good -- because the POINT is to kill any micro tumors that might not have gotten killed during the course of the chemo.....

The challenge is, will my G-town oncologist go for it? And if she doesn't, what will I do then? Getting on a plane to go to Mayo 4 times to get the chemo seems a bit much....

Home Again

Got home last night in the middle of Halloween. Barry managed to watch our kids for the week and STILL be interested in picking us up at the airport! He even parked and came out and met us! (He comes here often enough that I never do that anymore.....) Then I got home and found all the little improvements he'd made while he was here. There's a mirror in the downstairs bathroom now (on the wall I mean, besides the medicine chest one above the sink), a big fancy antenna for the TV that actually works, a new flourescent bulb for over the kitchen sink and... here's the big one -- a motion sensor light on the outside of the house! Last time Barry visited (just COlumbus day weekend) we'd taken a long walk at night and I'd pointed out a motion sensor light and mentioned that I'd always wanted one of those. I wasn't hinting, really.... at that point I was still thinking Kathy and Ted might be coming last week.

I asked the kids about it and they confirmed that Barry did indeed spend a lot of time at Home Depot last week.....

ANyway I am feeling pretty well, just more tired than usual. I mean, I feel like myself mostly, just sticking out in funny places (that's the drains, which I stick in these drain pockets in this camisole they prescribed at the Mayo.) However, I slept late today and then I took a nap -- and didn't walk the dog. It was a beautiful day -- I will have to get out earlier tomorrow and/or Monday so I don't miss the nice days -- I am allowed to walk the dog, even 4 miles if I feel like it, as long as I hold her in my left hand. (This might be the time to consider getting a "gentle leader" to discourage pulling....)

It's nice that ALan's making dinner. Hopefully he will be able to stay home the first half of next week and keep doing that. I got to Farmer's Market today without driving (Barry took me and brought me home before getting into the taxi he'd prearranged.) I'm not on any narcotics, but my right arm is a little stiff and sore and it's nice not to drive. ANyhow I might have gotten enough in the way of veggies to get us through the first half of the week until maybe I feel like driving again?

The wierdest thing is the itching. I itch in places I can't scratch, because they're numb (probably that's why I'm feeling so little pain) and even in places I don't HAVE anymore, like my right nipple. (What am I supposed to do about THAT? Call the Mayo and ask them to find it and scratch it?) Oh yeah and there is the buzzing after I strip and empty the drains. I'm pretty sure it's fluid draining out of me, but it feels more like my cell phone is going off while clipped to my side and set to vibe. (Of course my cell phone is on the other side of the room in my backpack, sent to ring, and it's nice and quiet.)

My flowers from the Bethesda Babes actually made the journey back, wrapped in a wet washcloth and plastic bag, and carried on the plane, with the nice glass vase packed in a suitcase. We took a few flowers from the arrangements Judy and Jeff sent too, and mixed them in. The others I gave to the nurses, who totally deserved them -- I haven't been to many hospitals, but I can tell you that I most definitely got superior care at that one (Rochester Methodist.) ANyway the flowers are now on the dining room table.

I'm allowed to walk and work out at home on the elliptical, as soon as I feel up to it, and allowed to bike for transportation as long as I feel balanced. I'm not on a narcotic, but I do have this stuff called ultram -- or tramidol, which I take at bedtime. Just one. It makes me sleepy and takes away what little discomfort I have from the surgery. Last night I rigged up a pillow structure so I could sleep face down and it was delicious.

I'm probably forgetting something -- but dinner's ready, so I'll leave it there.

Recovery

Thanks for all your well wishes, flowers, balloons, dinners, visits,prayers...... my goodness, no wonder I'm making such a speedy recovery, with all this help and support!

I'm going to spend one more night in the hospital, though it was my choice -- if I lived around here I'd likely have gone home, but the hotel wasn't so tempting. Plus, the nurses promised not to wake us every 4 hours to check our vitals tonight.

My surgery went well, and I feel pretty good. I have more arm mobility than I expected. I'm just a bit sore on the right, and can't sleep on my stomach. I have these drains I've been wearing on the outside of my clothes, but I guess outside of the hospital I should probably figure out how to fit them inside of my clothes. They're sort of gross, these two dangly plastic balls with body fluids in them -- but I guess guys do it all the time. ...

We're meeting with the PT people tomorrow and the oncologist. So far it looks like only 2 positive nodes were found during surgery, which makes a total of 3 with the initial one I had removed. If that is the final number it should bode well for me.

And now I'm going to sleep..... my surgeon's resident is going to come wiggle my leg at 6am.

Nadine is in her room and resting. She was pretty aware when she got settled and looks pretty good for having endured 3 1/2 hours of surgery. I won't be surprised if she is blogging and emailing before we leave Rochester, most likely on Friday.

Surgery finished - in recovery

Nadine's surgery began at 8:30 am and was finished at noon. I spoke with her doctor, who said it went very well. I've just been told that she's ready to be moved up to her hospital room, and will be brought up as soon as they have an orderly available. The room is small, so we have to clear out of it so that they can bring her in.

More later.

Nadine surgery update 1

Not being a morning person, Nadine was asked to report to the hospital at 5:45 am this morning. She was brought to pre-op at about 7 am, and the surgery began at 8:30 am. We have somewhat conflicting information regarding how long the surgery will take - it may take 2 hours, or it may take 3 - 4 hours. She'll then be in recovery for a couple of hours before being brought to her room.

Nadine was in great spirits this morning, until they told her she couldn't bring her pen and paper down to the pre-op to take notes!

At the Mayo again

I have to report for surgery at 5:45am tomorrow. (I bet they scheduled the morning people for noon....) Tonight I ate dinner with Alan and Mom and Zack and Lynn, and it was great, like a party! Lynn looks like a million bucks, boobless and with this great short haircut. (She says she looks a lot like her brother, now.) I had to remind myself that she used to have breasts. She looked good then, but she may well look better, now.

And the thing I was the most worried about Barry seems to be taking good care of.... apparently my kids have been helping!

I met everyone today except for the anesthesiologist, who I meet in the morning. And when I asked my surgeon today if she was going to write something on my breast to make sure she got the right one, she wrote her initials on my breast. It cracks me up, as though my breast is hers, now.

It will all be over before I celebrate my birthday on Wednesday (yeah, in the hospital -- but hopefully cancer free....) That works for me. Actually, I'm goign to get my knee scanned on my b-day -- if I remember! Even if I'm still in the hospital -- the scan is in the same building. It's my right knee -- because when they scanned my right hip last summer at G-town, when I was having that right butt pain like when I drive for a long time, they saw something they have to make sure is normal. (It's something my onc wanted done and I didn't get done, and suddenly realized that if it's NOT normal I want it known while I'm here.)

Anyway I should go to bed for a bit -- or at least shut this off so Alan and Mom can sleep. (I'm sharing a hotel room with them -- and then after surgery I'm sharing a hospital room with someone I don't know. I could have asked for a private roomfor $50 more -- but I honestly don't know if I will need it. I don't sleep through light and noise -- but I brought earplugs and my favorite ripped shirt to put over my eyes.....

Alan will update tomorrow, he says. Good night and thanks everyone for all your wonderful support. I don't always answer all the emails but I love them.