Pro-Time Is TOO HIGH

Just got a call from Kathleen: my Pro-Time is way too high!

6.0 (target is 2.0 to 3.0)

No Coumadin tonight or tomorrow!

Memorial Day

Last night was approaching unbearable. My legs felt awful.

When the muscle and bone pain comes on, I find it helpful to sort of rock myself. I end up falling asleep...or should I say I end up waking up?

I think I woke up almost every hour last night. But last night I had only taken the Vicodin for the muscle and bone pain. From now on, it's Dexamethasone and Vicodin...both!

I noticed a big bruise on my right wrist this afternoon. Hmmm. I don't remember doing anything that would have caused the bruise, though. I woke up from a nap and there it was. It is about the size of a silver dollar on the back of my hand. I am worried about this. Kathleen said to watch for bruises, but I don't want to call her on Memorial Day. I have to go in tomorrow anyway to get my Pro-Time checked (for my blood clot). I will call her to tell her about it tomorrow.

I spoke with my Auntie Lina today. Hopefully we will get together sometime in the next couple of weeks. I don't think I've seen her since my Uncle Jerry passed away. That was a couple of years ago at least.

Mark put out the US Flag today. We had a little barbeque of our own. Mark makes great snowball cheeseburgers! He also bbq'ed a slab of babyback pork ribs. Yummy! We brought a couple of burgers and some ribs over to our next door neighbor, Leonard, and his wife. We agreed to have a joint bbq soon!

Now Mark is working from home on his pc, and I am watching the A's host the Devil Rays. It has been a nice, relaxing day.

I am going to wash the bbq sauce off my face and take my medicine (2 Dexamethasone, 1 Vicodin, 1 Compazine, 7.5 mg of Coumadin, and an Astronaut Pop) and start relaxing.

God bless the USA

Sunday Whine

I am now experiencing what Kathleen told me about muscle and bone pain. It feels like I need to kick. There are aches and pains...pretty strange

It started in my feet and then traveled up to my knees and now in my hips, too. I took some Vicodin for it. Not sure if the Vicodin is going to squelch it.

I am also taking my Compazine for nausea. I was not expecting to have to take the Compazine so soon. With the previous chemotherapy drugs, the antinauseant (Aloxi) was in effect for 4 to 5 days. I don't get that drug in my IV anymore. Waaaaaaaaa!

I wish there was a family get-together this weekend. Family has become so much more important these days. Seems like no one is having a Memorial Day party. (not even us) For the last few years Mark and I have gone down to Golden Gate National Cemetery. My parents share a plot there under a nice tree in a beautiful meadow under the glorious United States Flag. The Cemetery hosts a wonderful Memorial Day Celebration complete with Pearl Harbor survivors as colorguards. But I am not feeling well enough to venture that far for an event where I will need to sit still or to walk very far. I don't want to test my body that far from home.

Shortly before Mom died, I remember her always wanting to get together, to go see family on holidays, birthday parties, etc. Now I understand better.

Cancer Sucks

Saturday was yucky. I threw up twice. So sleepy because I got zero sleep the night before. I thought it was the meds, but I remembered that it was the three glasses of iced tea at Tony Roma's the night before. Heheehee.

My sister Erin

Blog Title

My sister Erin asked me recently about my blog title...what was the meaning?

This breast cancer is a "project". It's not me, it is not my life's new meaning. It's just a little adventure. It's my path for the moment.

This project began the day I was diagnosed (February 3, 2005) and I anticipate the end of project in September 2005. 2005 is what the "05" symbolizes in the title.

"DJC" is me.

"174.9" is the diagnosis code (ICD-9) for breast cancer. Good question, Erin!

Chemo #5 - check!

Alright! I'm feeling fine, except for a little tingling in both hands.

Here's how it went:

We got there (doctor's office) at about 8:20 am. We got several chairs to choose from, as we were the second chemo patient there. Plus the other guy was just wrapping his up. (There are six chairs) Mary was my chemo nurse today and she hooked me up to my pole :)

1. Saline drip first (it will be the mode of transport for my pre-meds)
2. Then Kytril (antinauseant)
3. Next up: Benadryl (preemptive strike on allergic reaction..my skin has become very sensitive and I get rashes quite easily these days...I am battling one now)
4. A side order of Tagamet (for acid reflux. I was explaining to Kathleen how the antinauseant I was taking [Prilosec OTC] was working out for me: it brings me to the point of anticipating vomiting, needing to vomit, WANTING to vomit..then she finished my sentence:"Can't get no satisfaction?" Amen, sister. Thus, IV drip now includes Tagamet. Bless you, Kathleen.
5. For final pre-med: Decadron (steroid)

Then we start the cancer treatment!

1. Taxol in a lovely Camphor sauce (for killing cancer!)

Finally for dessert:

1. A shot of Neulasta (white blood cell booster) OUCH!
2. A bit of Heparin to keep my port from clotting up.

That's it. Four and a half hours. Whew! That is a long morning.

Mary is very nice. I don't have a picture of Mary, but I intend to take one of her in the next couple of weeks. And Cindy, too! And Gwennie-Gwen-Gwen. And Judy, and Jennifer, and Summer.

Fridays the doctor's office is not as crowded as Thursdays , but it works better for Mark if we continue on Thursdays instead of Fridays. Thursdays it is!

It seemed like the chemo took forever! Funny thing...I started to feel woozy after the Benadryl...really woozy. I told Mary about it and she explained it was probably the Benadryl. It felt like I was under the influence of alcohol, actually. Pretty weird. I don't like that feeling. However it did help me take a nice nap..which helped the time go by :D

Dr. Sherman visited Mark and me in the infusion room (that's where the recliners are and where I get my chemotherapy) and told me he was going to request a test on my cancer tissue for the HER2/neu thingy.

That's how the morning went. The rest of the day has been uneventful....except I had a lot of fun (as usual) watching Judge Millian and Judge Judy have their way for a couple of hours. Took a nap. Watched the A's lose to Indians as long as I could, and had a nice visit with my Auntie Josie and Uncle Luis.

Oh yes, and I took my Coumadin tonight, too. That is quite a lot of medicine today. I like that I didn't have to take much in tablet form...most of them were in my IV.

Have a good weekend...be safe!

Love,

Deirdre

The Meeting With Kathleen

Mark and I met with Kathleen today to learn about Taxol. It sounds like there are three things I need to worry about:

1. Muscle and Bone pain
2. Tingling and numbness in limbs and sometimes mouth
3. Allergic reaction

For the muscle and bone pain I will take Vicodin. If that doesn't work I will use Dexamethasone.

There is nothing much I can do about the tingling and numbness except keep an eye one it. I have already experienced some of this, and if I experience the numbness and tingling to a greater degree then I am told to report it immediately. The doctor may find it better to reduce the dose of Taxol. This tingling and numbness (I am going to call it neuropathy - because that is what it is... and it is easier to type) sometimes can be permanent. WE DON'T WANT THAT. Therefore, we will promise to communicate to Kathleen everything about the neuropathy. We swear.

As for the possible allergic reaction: I have already developed a skin irritation - a rash - since the chemotherapy infusions started. I will get some pre-meds in my IV drip to combat any allergic reactions - including this rash.

I learned from Kathleen that any allergic reation won't be from the Taxol, itself, but from the medium that it is administered in: camphor. Taxol is not soluble...so must be mixed in camphor in order to get it into my body...and it turns out that some people are allergic to the camphor. I tell you, that Kathleen is a wealth of information.

We asked Kathleen about Herceptin. (a month or so ago my buddy Bob sent me an article that told about how Herceptin has been shown to work hard on preventing cancer cell growth). You have to be HER2-neu positive for the Herceptin to work. We checked my records and my tumor tissue had not been HER2-neu receptor tested. So that is upcoming.

Also, we still need to get into imaging to get my new mass (new lump) in my left armpit accessed.

Taxol

I am a little scared about starting Taxol.

Whoops

We missed our appointment with Kathleen yesterday. We had an appointment to learn about the new drug I will get through chemotherapy: Taxol. Whoopsie!

We were planning on going to get my CBC from the lab downstairs, then take it up to Kathleen at 2:45 pm. But we were a day off. It was supposed to be yesterday. So looks like we will do what we had planned today...tomorrow. And then we will hopefully start Taxol on Friday morning.

My eyes are always burning. They water quite a bit, too. It seems like I constantly have crusty eyes. My nose runs more than ever before, too. So I have a crusty nose. Isn't that a lovely picture? Well it's just as lovely to live it.

My Blog has Returned

I don't know why but my blog was not viewable for the last day or so. Well it's back! Scared the crap out of me.

INR/PT = 2.8

Kathleen called me with the results of my Pro-Time test this afternoon:

2.8

Alright! Now the Coumadin is therapeutic. Now my blood is thin enough to help get rid of the blood clot. Now I use only 7.5 milligrams of the Coumadin every day...and no shots.

An INR/PT score of 2.8 means it takes 28 seconds for my blood to clot (a normal person's blood should take about 12 seconds to clot).

Still Bleeding...

On Friday, after Marevil took my blood for the Pro-Time test, she kinda pulled the cotton ball away to see if I was still bleeding...and I was...which is good. We gave each other a high-five and then she checked again, and I had stopped bleeding. Bummer.

BUT TODAY...(I just got back from Quest Diagnostics), I checked before she strapped the cotton ball on (still bleeding), then again when I left the office (still bleeding) then again when I left the building (still bleeding)! I checked one last time at the car door, and I had stopped bleeding. WOOHOO!!!

I told them "Hopefully I won't see you tomorrow for Pro-Time, but I will see you on Wednesday for my CBC!" Now I just wait until the afternoon when I can call Dr. Sherman's office for the results of the Pro-Time test.

10.0, 10.0 and 7.5

Well it's Sunday night, so I took 7.5 milligrams of Coumadin (Warfarin Sodium) tonight. Because of my 1.7 score on Friday afternoon, Kathleen had me continue to take 10.0 milligrams on both Friday and Saturday nights, then 7.5 milligrams on Sunday night. Hopefully, tomorrow morning's Pro-Time reading will be in the 2.0 to 3.0 range!

INR/PT = 1.7

An INR/PT score of 1.7 means that my blood will clot in 17 seconds. What we are aiming for is 25 seconds. We are getting closer to the goal.

It is going to be a beautiful weekend.

Looks Hopeful

I just got back from getting blood taken for the Pro-Time test. It looks hopeful: my blood took a little longer to clot before the cotton ball was strapped on.

New Priority

So I have a new priority: the blood clot. ...then the cancer.

I just got back from the doctor's office. I went upstairs and into the office where I would get my shot, but they had not yet received the Pro-Time (Prothrombin Time) test results from the Quest clinic downstairs. So they asked me to run downstairs to get it. Unfortunately, I could not have it. I guess they have to bring it up themselves. So I went back upstairs and waited. It wasn't long. Kathleen looked at my results (1.27) and told me that the meds weren't therapeutic at this point. I asked her "So they are basically recreational?!" WTF? Haha! She laughed. My results should be in the 2.0 to 3.0 range. This means do the same thing tomorrow that I did today: Coumadin tonight (10 mg) and another Lovenox shot tomorrow afternoon. Also a Pro-Time test in the morning (around 11 am).

(Because I have this blood clot, my doctor is trying to thin my blood so that the blood clot doesn't get any bigger and so that I don't get any more blood clots. That's all we can do. My body should be able to make the blood clot go away by itself [I hope so!]. So in order to get the blood thinner, I take Warfarin Sodium [generic for Coumadin] : 10 milligrams daily [I take it at the very same time every day 8:00 pm] but because it takes Coumadin a couple of days to get in the system and make a difference, I am also getting a shot of Lovenox everyday [it takes effect immediately]. It's pretty tricky to get the blood to the right viscosity. [I am sure that is not the right word but it works for me] You want the blood thin enough to reduce the likelihood of clotting [in my case], but you don't want it so thin so as to put you at risk for bleeding to death just because you have a cut on your finger, for example. So in addition to taking these drugs to make the blood thinner, you have to have a Pro-Time test regularly so the doctor (or nurse practitioner) can evaluate the test results and adjust your meds accordingly.)

In an attempt to butter-up the nurses, I wore my "I Love My Oncology Nurses...even when they show up with needles" shirt. They laughed. They said "We really like your shirt!" And then Kathleen said "Well, we like what's IN the shirt, too." :-)

So I stuck out my chest as I walked away.

Quest Diagnostics

I just got back from Quest Diagnostics. I had to give a little blood for a Prothrombin Time test. Marevil (the phlebotomist) is sure good at getting me to bleed. She spoke to me in tagalog today; something about being bald. I could tell because:

1. she ran her hand over her head when she said it
2. I know the little verse: 1,2,3 your father's bald....so I know the "bald" word

Marevil wasn't the one who gave me the finger prick last time before chemotherapy...it was a new girl. The first time the new girl tried, she barely got a drop of blood from my finger - she was too gentle and didn't want to hurt me I guess. I told her how Marevil does it: Marevil squeezes my finger first and holds it tight when she pricks it and the blood comes out fine...she scoops it into the little cup. Oh my goodness, after I told the new girl this - BOY DID THE BLOOD FLOW! I thought I might need a tourniquet to stem the flow! HA! I don't mind breaking in the new people.

Anyway, for today's test I had to have the blood drawn from my crook of my elbow. I just checked the cotton ball Marevil taped to my arm to see if I was still bleeding. I have to say it is a pretty big blot of blood...it is not seeping through, though. It seems to be stopped now. I am definitely going to keep the cotton ball taped on for the rest of the day, just in case. Quest is going to send the results upstairs to Dr. Sherman's office, so when I get there at 3:30 pm this afternoon for my shot of Lovenox, they will be able to let me know if there is an adjustment necessary for my Coumadin prescription, based on the results of the Prothrombin Time test, of course.

Second Shot Of Lovenox...

...hurt like hell.

I Think I Am Done Panicking

Ok. So much for getting back to sleep this morning.

Wow. I had a couple of dreams... In the first dream, I dreamt of my mom...she looked so beautiful...the family was all around...we were trying to find this one picture of her that was really pretty...I think we were trying to find it before she died or something. I guess we knew she was dying. This makes sense because I started to have morbid thoughts right before falling asleep...and I was wondering if Mark knew where my best picture was.

In the last dream, the whole family was around. I was taking pictures of everyone. It was sort of like viewing a family album. I had a bunch of pictures to look at, but I was supplementing them with pictures from today, too. It was a good dream, but I am afraid it was like a summary of my life.

Ok time to get my mind straight! No more of that crap.

The last time I woke up this morning was at 2:17 am. I haven't been able to get back to sleep yet, so I thought I would post to the blog....freak you guys out I guess. Well of course my intention is not to freak anyone out, but what can I say? I am a little freaked, myself.

I am going to be okay. I am tough. Plus, I am lucky. I am lucky that I found out about this clot. I am lucky that this is not a chemo week. I am lucky that I am an otherwise healthy woman. And I am lucky that I was paying enough attention to my own body to know to get my fanny in there to Dr. Sherman to find out what was up when I did.

About the clot: it is in my left arm. I will post more information about the clot when I know more. I don't know much at this point except that the clot does exist in my arm. I wonder if that is what is making the vein in my neck bulge out. I gotta ask Dr. Sherman about that. It seems unlikely to me, but then again, I am no doctor.