Hi everyone,
First, thanks for all your prayers and well wishes. I appreciate it more than I can express. Just an update on what's been going on with me the past few weeks.
I started chemotherapy last Monday, April 28th. I will receive 4 cycles, one treatment every 21 days. Monday's are my designated days.
The cycle went well. I was infused through an i.v. for 5 hours. The toughest part was getting a good vein but, once again as so many things have happened with this breast cancer, the third time was the charm and we got a good vein. The treatment nurses were wonderful and experienced, it's my veins that want to be difficult, high maintenance and demanding of attention. Hmmmmm....SO unlike ME! ;0) I would say that my first week following chemo went even a little better than can be expected and I had what I considered to be an amazingly well week. Even so, infection is a constant concern while receiving chemo and so it's important to regularly monitor my temperature.
Day 7 of Cycle 1 (yes, new terms added to the ever increasing cancer jargon) (Sunday, May 4th) rather randomly I thought it would be a good idea to check my temperature. Pretty much just as unexpectedly I discovered I had a fever which ranged between 100.0 and 102.1. As promised to my Oncologist, this led me directly to the emergency room at Ft Belvoir. Well, ok, not SO directly. I checked my temperature at least 8 times and even tested the thermometer on my mom before believing I actually did have a fever. I also was adamant that I was going to have dinner first (must be the steroids!). Other than the fact I had been injected with poisons 7 days prior and had given myself a shot in the stomach to reproduce bone marrow which caused my entire body to ache, I felt o.k. Come on, I mean, seriously, how was a girl expected to feel considering all that?! On the way to the ER I had Will stop at CVS so that I could get an "old fashioned" thermometer, just in case that digital new age one really wasn't working. 102!
So we headed to Ft Belvoir where I received outstanding care in minimal time in a mini private room in the ER. I was pumped full of very strong, broad spectrum antibiotics which had to enter my system slowly intravenously. After a couple of hours (and bouts of sickness, either from the meds or the mysterious yet to be discovered infection) I was diagnosed as Neutropenic and ambulanced to Walter Reed at 2:30 in the morning where I have spent the last few days receiving even more wonderful care and even more antibiotics.
"Neutropenia" is a condition of an abnormally low number of a particular type of white blood cells called neutrophil. White blood cells (leukocytes) are the cells in the blood that play important roles in the body's immune by fighting off infection. Neutrophils function by actually killing and eating up microorganisms that invade our bodies. Not only was my blood count low, but this particular one was critically low, leaving me with no defense against common germs and possibly already having some type of infection. Neutropenia is not at all an uncommon occurrence for a chemo patient but is a very serious and potential fatal condition. The chemo itself is designed to kill the fast dividing cells, which of course includes the cancer cells but it also targets ALL the fast dividing cells, which includes marrow, blood, skin and hair. That's why people lose their hair through some/most chemo. The goal is for the long term benefits to outweigh the short term negative side affects.
Speaking of hair, mine is still here, and it's still cute. :) It's a bit shorter than usual. I got it cropped last Monday night after chemo, choosing to control what I can about this process. Will & I trimmed it again last night in the hospital room with a bit of "shear madness"! The prediction is that any now now what I do have may be departing. But hey! Who knows?! I have done amazing so far through chemo, other than being hospitalized of course! I can handle not having hair, especially since it is only temporary and I have had GREAT hair all my life. This will just be another opportunity to do something unexpected with the scalp! ;0)
They have weaned me from my antibiotics and my i.v and are now just making sure I don't spike a temperature again. My labs area ll looking good and I have not have a fever since yesterday morning. The goal is to let me go home this afternoon, but first I have to get a "picc" inserted. The pick is a catheter that will be placed in a large vein in my upper arm leading to my heart which will do nothing but benefit me. Although I'd like to think I won over the warmth of my nurses, it was with NO help from my veins at all! My veins are weak and will only get weaker with more treatment and more needle use and they have decided to become very difficult and stingy. The pick will allow blood to be taken without anymore sticks and my chemo will be infused in the same place, making it safer also. It will also eliminate all the nasty bruises I am getting with each and every stick, making me feel even more like I look sick.
By the way, they never found the cause of the mysterious infection. They say that happens about 50% of the time. They checked for nearly everything so at least we know I don't have appendicitis nor am I pregnant (either would have literally been a miracle!).
UPDATE: PICC was inserted successfully and I am clear to go home hopefully not to return until my next chemo cycle on the 19th!
Ta-Ta For Now!
