Greetings.
Yesterday I went in for my fourth round of chemo and to hear the results of the blood and CT-scans, along with what the geneticists discovered. I didn’t get any printed results, so I can’t provide any numbers, but here’s the gist of what we were told:
1. Hemoglobin is still rising; it’s up to about 11-something. In addition, the size of my red blood cells is also increasing, so the shots and the daily multi-vitamins I’m taking must be working. Dr. Pitot also said I didn’t have to take the icky iron supplements, unless I had a day where I thought I could tolerate them. I’ve decided that day is never, so they’ll just have to come and shove them down my throat if they really want me to take them.
2. The two enzymes I mentioned in a previous post that act as tumor markers are still decreasing, so yay for that.
3. We got to see the CT-scans and the outsides of the tumors in my liver are darkening, which I guess is a sign that they are reacting to the chemotherapy and that the tumor cells on the inside of my liver will soon begin to die. The main tumor in my intestine is starting to shrink as well.
4. The test results to see if there were mutations in my genes that would cause FAP (condition where there are thousands of polyps in your intestine) and MYH (multiple polyps, but not so many as FAP, in your intestine) both came back negative. This means I won’t pass either mutation on to any children I have in the future. I thought that was good news.
So now the question is, “What comes next?” Well, we don’t know. We have to consult with my original oncologist (Dr. Erlichman) and with my surgeon (Dr. Cima) about whether I’ll be having surgery next or if I’ll have another set of chemo like I just had. The problem with surgery is that we don’t know if it will be a laparoscopic surgery or one where they’ll have to cut me open. Either way, there is a strong chance that I’ll end-up having to have a colostomy bag. I was in a rather sour/cry-ish mood when I was told that and was presented with a lecture by Dr. Pitot that there are tons of people who live normal lives with a colostomy bags and no one even knows. I don’t think he understood that I was upset because having a colostomy bag is not a normal choice for a lifestyle change in a teenage girl. I know it’s not the end of the world to have one, I would just prefer not to have one. I was also scared to death at the thought of having to go through a big surgery. Surgery is scary and I was hoping that the tumor in my intestine would melt away so that the only procedure I would have to have would be removing the stent. Doesn’t seem like it’s going to be that way. The other problem is that if I continue chemotherapy, I’ll probably have to have my chemicals changed around a bit. I can’t continue taking the Oxaliplatin because it will cause permanent nerve damage, so I don’t know if they’ll just have me stop taking that drug or if they’ll switch me over to something else. Another reason I was in a poor mood during my visit with Dr. Pitot included learning that I was still losing weight when I was positive that I had gained weight. Also, I guess I won’t be just bounding off to college second semester. They say it will be too stressful, physically and mentally, so I’ll probably only be able to be a part-time student at most. Not quite the news I wanted to hear. I guess I had it in my head that this all was really just a short detour in my life, that by the start of the new year I could leave all this cancer business behind. It was quite a slap in the face to be told that’s not how it’s going to be. Oh well.
In other news…
My birthday went well. I got a new mp3 player, clothes, a CD, and a date for dinner and movie of my choice. Very good gifts, I must say, and a pretty fun day.
Yesterday, like I said, I had chemo, so now I’m hooked-up to the pump until Saturday. I’m not sure what my plans are for today. I think Mom and I might go visit Petit Music to see their new showroom and see if my piano book is in. I don’t think I’ll be going to the football game in Goodhue; it just looks too icky outside and if it’s too cold I’ll have a problem ‘cause of the chemo-sensitivity. Might be a good night to curl-up and read.
Saturday I plan on going to help with play practice. Actually, I might do that today too. Veronika is arriving in Minnesota late tonight, so I’ll get to see her tomorrow at practice. I’m so excited! I haven’t seen her in over a year and she is my best-est Australian friend. =D
Oh, I must give a thank-you to whoever left me the basket of bread, cider, and mulling spices. You didn’t leave a note in the basket putting your claim to it, but I love it all the same, so thank-you. =D
I guess that’s about it.
Much love,
Cheryl
Friday, September 22, 2006
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
"So if you care to find me, look to the western sky..."
Hola!
Well, life has plodded along and it has brought us to this day, which is remarkable solely because it is Shania Twain’s birthday. =P
I guess I’ve been keeping somewhat busy. Since last Monday I have: helped with play practice, had a saxophone lesson, pretended I was a teacher (I got to lead the ninth-grade choir while Mrs. Forsman dealt with some troublesome boys), went to a football game, and have played in both a brass band and a jazz band. I had a lot of fun playing with the Chatfield Brass Band; we have fun songs that we’re working on and the people there are great. Last night I played with 37th Street Gold, the IBM jazz band. I must say that I played horribly; I was playing lots of music wrong that should have been easy enough for me to sight-read. I don’t know if it’s because my brain was turned off, that the music was too far away on those silly jazz stands, or if I just can’t read jazz music like I can other music, but I was not impressed with how I played in the least. However, the people there were a fun bunch and didn’t mind having me play with them, so I might try another rehearsal before I decide if I’m just going to be a hindrance if I join them or not.
What else…
Saturday I went to Ben’s house for a gathering of friends. It was fun. We visited, had popcorn, and strapped people into this odd machine that tips you upside-down and lets you just hang there by your ankles. I have no idea what the machines true purpose is, but it was interesting, especially when people came and tickled the person who was trapped and hanging by their ankles. =D
Sunday I finally got to go book shopping. I have been in desperate need of some books for the past couple of weeks, so Mom and I made a trip to Barnes & Noble and I got a couple of books. I’ve already finished the one and I think I’ll probably start the other one today. It looks like it should be a good book.
Also on Sunday I had both sets of grandparents and Ben over for a birthday dinner. My dad made sweet and sour pork and it was delicious, definitely better than anything the Chinese restaurants can come up with. After dinner I got to open some gifts. I love everything I got: a sweater (which I definitely needed since the temperature has plummeted), a music T-shirt, fuzzy socks (yay! I love fuzzy socks…), some money, and a super-cute doll/figurine who’s playing the saxophone (his face is adorable). My mom and dad decided to let me open a gift from them too; they gave me the Renewal Angel with Attitude pendant that I’d seen at Lasker’s during one of our hospital visits. It’s absolutely gorgeous; here’s a link to a picture of it: Angel of Renewal. After opening gifts we were going to have dessert, but we were all still full so we had to postpone eating the wonderful peach, blueberry, and pound cake dessert Mom had made until later in the evening.
So, yep. That was my weekend. A rather good one all-in-all.
Oh, yesterday I also took another biology test. It went very well, I think. I had forty-five minutes to take it, used only twelve, and I know I got 100% on the multiple-choice. I think I answered the short answer questions satisfactorily as well, but we’ll just have to see. I have yet to take the pretest and test for chapter 1 in my math class, but I’m not too concerned. I don’t think the material for the class will get too difficult, so I should be able to breeze through most of it and if I ever have problems or questions, I’ll just go bug Mr. Harris or Mrs. Houghton at the high school.
Yay! I just got flowers. Thanks, Veronika! They are very pretty. =D
Later today I’ll probably go to play practice and then just stick around and watch the girls’ soccer game. Hopefully it doesn’t rain then.
Tomorrow I have blood tests and CT-scans. I’m kind-of anxious for Thursday since we’ll get to meet with Dr. Pitot and see what the results of the scans were, plus we’ll get to maybe learn why I have this cancer when we meet with the geneticist. The only downside of Thursday is that I have another round of chemo *wrinkles nose*. CT-images are so cool to look at, though I’d have to say bone scans are better because you can watch the image of your skeleton slowly appear on the screen as it scans you rather than waiting for a doctor to bring it up during an evaluation meeting. Actually, I think bone scans are better overall. Sure, you have to drink so much water that you have to scuttle to the bathroom every other minute prior to the scan and the scan itself takes awhile, but at least the medium they use doesn’t require an icky arm IV like the CT-scans do and you don’t have to worry about the possibility that they’ll make you drink a contrast-medium shake. Blech.
I see sunshine! Hooray!
I guess that’s it. I think I’m going to go have lunch and figure out whether I want to make the journey to Schmidt Music by myself to snag the last copy of the “Wicked” piano/vocal book or wait to go with someone else. Then again, I wonder if Petit Music has it. I still haven’t seen the new showroom and I’ve heard it is spectacular. Maybe I’ll ring them up and see if they have a copy. Yeah, I like that plan better.
Anyways, I’ll be sure to post the results of the scans on Thursday.
Thanks to everyone for cards and comments!
Much love,
Cheryl
Well, life has plodded along and it has brought us to this day, which is remarkable solely because it is Shania Twain’s birthday. =P
I guess I’ve been keeping somewhat busy. Since last Monday I have: helped with play practice, had a saxophone lesson, pretended I was a teacher (I got to lead the ninth-grade choir while Mrs. Forsman dealt with some troublesome boys), went to a football game, and have played in both a brass band and a jazz band. I had a lot of fun playing with the Chatfield Brass Band; we have fun songs that we’re working on and the people there are great. Last night I played with 37th Street Gold, the IBM jazz band. I must say that I played horribly; I was playing lots of music wrong that should have been easy enough for me to sight-read. I don’t know if it’s because my brain was turned off, that the music was too far away on those silly jazz stands, or if I just can’t read jazz music like I can other music, but I was not impressed with how I played in the least. However, the people there were a fun bunch and didn’t mind having me play with them, so I might try another rehearsal before I decide if I’m just going to be a hindrance if I join them or not.
What else…
Saturday I went to Ben’s house for a gathering of friends. It was fun. We visited, had popcorn, and strapped people into this odd machine that tips you upside-down and lets you just hang there by your ankles. I have no idea what the machines true purpose is, but it was interesting, especially when people came and tickled the person who was trapped and hanging by their ankles. =D
Sunday I finally got to go book shopping. I have been in desperate need of some books for the past couple of weeks, so Mom and I made a trip to Barnes & Noble and I got a couple of books. I’ve already finished the one and I think I’ll probably start the other one today. It looks like it should be a good book.
Also on Sunday I had both sets of grandparents and Ben over for a birthday dinner. My dad made sweet and sour pork and it was delicious, definitely better than anything the Chinese restaurants can come up with. After dinner I got to open some gifts. I love everything I got: a sweater (which I definitely needed since the temperature has plummeted), a music T-shirt, fuzzy socks (yay! I love fuzzy socks…), some money, and a super-cute doll/figurine who’s playing the saxophone (his face is adorable). My mom and dad decided to let me open a gift from them too; they gave me the Renewal Angel with Attitude pendant that I’d seen at Lasker’s during one of our hospital visits. It’s absolutely gorgeous; here’s a link to a picture of it: Angel of Renewal. After opening gifts we were going to have dessert, but we were all still full so we had to postpone eating the wonderful peach, blueberry, and pound cake dessert Mom had made until later in the evening.
So, yep. That was my weekend. A rather good one all-in-all.
Oh, yesterday I also took another biology test. It went very well, I think. I had forty-five minutes to take it, used only twelve, and I know I got 100% on the multiple-choice. I think I answered the short answer questions satisfactorily as well, but we’ll just have to see. I have yet to take the pretest and test for chapter 1 in my math class, but I’m not too concerned. I don’t think the material for the class will get too difficult, so I should be able to breeze through most of it and if I ever have problems or questions, I’ll just go bug Mr. Harris or Mrs. Houghton at the high school.
Yay! I just got flowers. Thanks, Veronika! They are very pretty. =D
Later today I’ll probably go to play practice and then just stick around and watch the girls’ soccer game. Hopefully it doesn’t rain then.
Tomorrow I have blood tests and CT-scans. I’m kind-of anxious for Thursday since we’ll get to meet with Dr. Pitot and see what the results of the scans were, plus we’ll get to maybe learn why I have this cancer when we meet with the geneticist. The only downside of Thursday is that I have another round of chemo *wrinkles nose*. CT-images are so cool to look at, though I’d have to say bone scans are better because you can watch the image of your skeleton slowly appear on the screen as it scans you rather than waiting for a doctor to bring it up during an evaluation meeting. Actually, I think bone scans are better overall. Sure, you have to drink so much water that you have to scuttle to the bathroom every other minute prior to the scan and the scan itself takes awhile, but at least the medium they use doesn’t require an icky arm IV like the CT-scans do and you don’t have to worry about the possibility that they’ll make you drink a contrast-medium shake. Blech.
I see sunshine! Hooray!
I guess that’s it. I think I’m going to go have lunch and figure out whether I want to make the journey to Schmidt Music by myself to snag the last copy of the “Wicked” piano/vocal book or wait to go with someone else. Then again, I wonder if Petit Music has it. I still haven’t seen the new showroom and I’ve heard it is spectacular. Maybe I’ll ring them up and see if they have a copy. Yeah, I like that plan better.
Anyways, I’ll be sure to post the results of the scans on Thursday.
Thanks to everyone for cards and comments!
Much love,
Cheryl
Monday, September 11, 2006
Denim, Hoodies, & Cider
Today is September 11, 2006, five years after the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. I feel like I should write something concerning this topic, but I don’t know what to say that doesn’t sound lame and doesn’t repeat the general feelings of having our lives touched by such a tragic event. I guess what I would really like to say is just a thank-you to those who are currently serving our country in the armed forces. I don’t really know anyone personally who is fighting in Iraq, but I’m sure that there is somebody who reads my blog and knows someone who is serving and could possibly pass on my thank-you to them. Just let them know that I am grateful that they are fighting for my life there so that I can fight for my life here. (I hope that doesn’t sound too dramatic. If it does, tell me and I’ll change it to something a bit more normal.)
Well, I’ve had various people asking me how my third round of chemo went, so I figured I had better update the blog a bit.
My third round went pretty well. I had to stop taking the iron pills again; they were making me ill, which doesn’t help when I already feel icky from the chemo. Otherwise everything went according to how it should: I felt like I had been run over by a steamroller for a couple of days, couldn’t consume/touch anything cold for a few days, and did quite a bit of sleeping. Yep. Hopefully Erlichman understands me giving up the iron supplements again. I just don’t like feeling more sick than I have to while I’m hooked-up to the pump.
Yay! It’s almost fall! It already feels like fall, I know, but soon it will officially be the best season ever.
There are many reasons that autumn is the best of all seasons, a few of them being listed as the title to this post. The return of jeans I think is one of the best things about fall. My pasty, pale legs can exist in a state of Sasquatch-i-ness and no one will even know. Mwa-ha-ha, I love it. The second bit of wonderfulness concerning fall is being able to wear comfortable hoodies. Not much can beat a long-sleeved shirt with a hood that you can cuddle into and wear over multiple layers of clothing. And last, but definitely not least, is hot apple cider. When it’s cool and yucky outside (sort-a like it has been most of this week), a mug of hot cider with cinnamon will always put a smile on your face. I must say that the best hot apple cider is done on the stove and is mixed with cinnamon and a couple cloves of nutmeg or mulling spices, but seeing as how my cooking abilities (even just mixing a couple ingredients for cider) are null, I’ve had to settle with it being nuked in the microwave. It still contains smile-making powers when done that way, it’s just that they aren’t as potent, if that makes any sense. =P So, yeah, I love autumn. It’s not just the denim, hoodies, and cider, it’s that whole country-feeling of harvest, colorful leaves, and high-school fall athletics too. =D
Okay, if you’ve gotten to here you’ve survived my whimsical rant about fall. Next is an account of what else is going on and is to be expected in my life within the next week or so. Probably not the most interesting stuff to read, so I’ll understand if you stop reading now.
I’ll begin with how my biology test went. I took it Wednesday morning before I started chemotherapy. I believe it went rather well. I had forty-five minutes to take it, though it took only about twenty minutes to complete it, and I know I got 100% on the multiple-choice. I think I did well on the short answer too; none of the questions really scared me since I’d studied beforehand, so I’m confident I got an A on the test overall.
Next I had chemo and didn’t do much else for that day. Thursday I slept all day and Friday was fairly similar. Oh, wait, Thursday I went to the high school with Dad to see if my saxophone had been fixed. Unfortunately, and fortunately, it hadn’t even been looked at yet and was still up at Eckroth music. That meant I got to take home the most gorgeous saxophone ever and I get to keep/play it at my house until this Thursday. It is the best saxophone in the whole wide world (well, at least to me it is). The low notes, even the low D, play wonderfully for me: they sound so full and in-tune. It makes me happy. There is a picture of it at this link: http://www.cannonballmusic.com/images/a5l.jpg. The only difference is that the saxophone in that picture has jasper keys and the one I’ve been playing has tiger-eye keys. It’s gorgeous. I’m hoping that my saxophone will be returned and play its low notes just as well as the Cannonball saxophone, but if it doesn’t I think I’ll be looking into the permanent possession of a Cannonball saxophone a little bit more.
Like I said, Friday’s activity included more sleeping, so onto what I did Saturday…
First I got-up and went to play practice at the high school. I thought maybe I was going to be useful and paint something or work with someone, but I ended-up just watching and periodically telling people to be louder as they said their lines. It was still fun to be there though. Saturday evening I hung-out with Ben. We were at his church for a while since his family was helping get the church ready for an auction and after that Ben and his brother were a part of a student panel who explained the benefits of their mission trip to the group’s sponsors. Then Ben and I came to my house and we watched “Without a Paddle,” the end of “The Parent Trap,” and various HG-TV shows.
Sunday was pretty uneventful. I went to church at Faith United Methodist. It was a good service and I got to see those who have been praying for me and sending me cards, so I had fun. When I got home Dad and Greg were cleaning and removing the fireplace downstairs so that we can have a new gas fireplace installed this Thursday. When they were done with that Dad went to get groceries, which included picking-up apple cider for me; therefore, I had a mug of hot apple cider when he returned. Actually, I think I was sleeping when he returned. I had a very nice three-hour nap on Sunday; I was cuddled under my fleece blanket and had my fuzzy socks on, so I was pretty content to sleep the afternoon away. Later we had Ben over for enchiladas/tacos and we watched “The Fantastic Four” before he had to go home.
So that concludes my update. Today I think I’ll go to play practice and see if I can be of any use. I’ll also probably start working on homework again. Blech. Actually, it’s not too bad. I don’t mind listening to biology lectures and math isn’t anything horrible either. I think I’m going to be dropping sociology. The topic never really interested me and I think it’s odd to be taking a class about the study of people when I am trapped at home in front of a computer and the only people I see are my mom and dad. Actually, the main reason is that the class isn’t set-up easily so that I can juggle it and chemo at the same time. There’s lots of work and information that needs to be retained over a long period of time, which is hard when the chemo treatments shut me down periodically for a few days at a time. So hopefully I can drop the class without any consequences and I’ll just continue on with math and biology.
Okay, that’s officially it.
Much love,
Cheryl
Well, I’ve had various people asking me how my third round of chemo went, so I figured I had better update the blog a bit.
My third round went pretty well. I had to stop taking the iron pills again; they were making me ill, which doesn’t help when I already feel icky from the chemo. Otherwise everything went according to how it should: I felt like I had been run over by a steamroller for a couple of days, couldn’t consume/touch anything cold for a few days, and did quite a bit of sleeping. Yep. Hopefully Erlichman understands me giving up the iron supplements again. I just don’t like feeling more sick than I have to while I’m hooked-up to the pump.
Yay! It’s almost fall! It already feels like fall, I know, but soon it will officially be the best season ever.
There are many reasons that autumn is the best of all seasons, a few of them being listed as the title to this post. The return of jeans I think is one of the best things about fall. My pasty, pale legs can exist in a state of Sasquatch-i-ness and no one will even know. Mwa-ha-ha, I love it. The second bit of wonderfulness concerning fall is being able to wear comfortable hoodies. Not much can beat a long-sleeved shirt with a hood that you can cuddle into and wear over multiple layers of clothing. And last, but definitely not least, is hot apple cider. When it’s cool and yucky outside (sort-a like it has been most of this week), a mug of hot cider with cinnamon will always put a smile on your face. I must say that the best hot apple cider is done on the stove and is mixed with cinnamon and a couple cloves of nutmeg or mulling spices, but seeing as how my cooking abilities (even just mixing a couple ingredients for cider) are null, I’ve had to settle with it being nuked in the microwave. It still contains smile-making powers when done that way, it’s just that they aren’t as potent, if that makes any sense. =P So, yeah, I love autumn. It’s not just the denim, hoodies, and cider, it’s that whole country-feeling of harvest, colorful leaves, and high-school fall athletics too. =D
Okay, if you’ve gotten to here you’ve survived my whimsical rant about fall. Next is an account of what else is going on and is to be expected in my life within the next week or so. Probably not the most interesting stuff to read, so I’ll understand if you stop reading now.
I’ll begin with how my biology test went. I took it Wednesday morning before I started chemotherapy. I believe it went rather well. I had forty-five minutes to take it, though it took only about twenty minutes to complete it, and I know I got 100% on the multiple-choice. I think I did well on the short answer too; none of the questions really scared me since I’d studied beforehand, so I’m confident I got an A on the test overall.
Next I had chemo and didn’t do much else for that day. Thursday I slept all day and Friday was fairly similar. Oh, wait, Thursday I went to the high school with Dad to see if my saxophone had been fixed. Unfortunately, and fortunately, it hadn’t even been looked at yet and was still up at Eckroth music. That meant I got to take home the most gorgeous saxophone ever and I get to keep/play it at my house until this Thursday. It is the best saxophone in the whole wide world (well, at least to me it is). The low notes, even the low D, play wonderfully for me: they sound so full and in-tune. It makes me happy. There is a picture of it at this link: http://www.cannonballmusic.com/images/a5l.jpg. The only difference is that the saxophone in that picture has jasper keys and the one I’ve been playing has tiger-eye keys. It’s gorgeous. I’m hoping that my saxophone will be returned and play its low notes just as well as the Cannonball saxophone, but if it doesn’t I think I’ll be looking into the permanent possession of a Cannonball saxophone a little bit more.
Like I said, Friday’s activity included more sleeping, so onto what I did Saturday…
First I got-up and went to play practice at the high school. I thought maybe I was going to be useful and paint something or work with someone, but I ended-up just watching and periodically telling people to be louder as they said their lines. It was still fun to be there though. Saturday evening I hung-out with Ben. We were at his church for a while since his family was helping get the church ready for an auction and after that Ben and his brother were a part of a student panel who explained the benefits of their mission trip to the group’s sponsors. Then Ben and I came to my house and we watched “Without a Paddle,” the end of “The Parent Trap,” and various HG-TV shows.
Sunday was pretty uneventful. I went to church at Faith United Methodist. It was a good service and I got to see those who have been praying for me and sending me cards, so I had fun. When I got home Dad and Greg were cleaning and removing the fireplace downstairs so that we can have a new gas fireplace installed this Thursday. When they were done with that Dad went to get groceries, which included picking-up apple cider for me; therefore, I had a mug of hot apple cider when he returned. Actually, I think I was sleeping when he returned. I had a very nice three-hour nap on Sunday; I was cuddled under my fleece blanket and had my fuzzy socks on, so I was pretty content to sleep the afternoon away. Later we had Ben over for enchiladas/tacos and we watched “The Fantastic Four” before he had to go home.
So that concludes my update. Today I think I’ll go to play practice and see if I can be of any use. I’ll also probably start working on homework again. Blech. Actually, it’s not too bad. I don’t mind listening to biology lectures and math isn’t anything horrible either. I think I’m going to be dropping sociology. The topic never really interested me and I think it’s odd to be taking a class about the study of people when I am trapped at home in front of a computer and the only people I see are my mom and dad. Actually, the main reason is that the class isn’t set-up easily so that I can juggle it and chemo at the same time. There’s lots of work and information that needs to be retained over a long period of time, which is hard when the chemo treatments shut me down periodically for a few days at a time. So hopefully I can drop the class without any consequences and I’ll just continue on with math and biology.
Okay, that’s officially it.
Much love,
Cheryl
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
"And would it be okay if I didn't know the way"
Aloha!
Here is a quick weekend-in-review before I get to some exciting information:
Saturday: A little shopping with Mom at the mall, going to Quarry Hill with Ben and exploring some of the trails, and watching Emperor’s New Groove with Ben, Robert, and Laura. Fun Saturday.
Sunday: Un viaje al Centro Comercial de America con mi madre (a trip to the Mall of America with my mom). It was a very successful trip, I must say. I found quite a few clothes I really liked that will work well for wearing in the fall. We got to eat at Tony Roma’s for lunch too, which means a delicious meal of Carolina honey baby-back ribs. Yum. Then we stopped at Linda’s for a bit, came home, ate pizza, and watched "Take the Lead" with Antonio Banderas. I thought it was a good movie and would recommend it to those who like dancing movies.
Monday: A shopping trip with Nicole to Michael’s to spend my gift card and purchase a craft for the afternoon. We decided on making moccasins from a kit and decorating them with rhinestones. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon and our moccasins look awesome. =D Then I ate lasagna with the family for dinner and later Ben and I went to DQ for some ice cream.
So my weekend was quite enjoyable. My room even managed to remain in a state of cleanliness, which is an added bonus.
But now for my exciting news:
Today I went in to have my blood drawn and for another meeting with Dr. Erlichman…
Good News #1: My hemoglobin is up to 10.8 from 9.0. Hopefully it will keep going up until it is in the normal range of 12-15.5.
Good News #2: My white blood and platelet counts are normal. I kind-of figured they would be, but it’s still good news to know that they are as they’re supposed to be.
Good News #3: Okay, this one takes a bit to explain, but it is the best one of all. When I get my blood drawn and tested, Dr. Erlichman watches the levels of two different enzymes in my blood. One is Alkaline Phosphatase and the other is Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (sGOT), also known as AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase). The first (Alkaline Phophatase) is an enzyme found in the liver, especially when there is tissue damage. The second (sGOT/AST) is an enzyme used as a tumor marker. My good news is that the levels of both enzymes in my blood are going down, which means something must be going right with my treatment. =D
Good News #4: The first time I was examined by Dr. Erlichman he told me he could feel my liver; this is not a good thing since your liver is supposed to be hidden beneath your ribcage. But today he examined me again and said he could no longer feel my liver, which means it isn’t inflamed like it was before. Just another sign that something is going right.
That concludes my happy news. I still have a ways to go before the enzyme levels are in the normal range, but it’s nice to know that they’re continuing to decrease towards normalcy. I also found I’m still anemic, despite the increase in hemoglobin. Apparently the general size of my red blood cells is still too small (mine: 69.9 fL; normal: 81.6-98.3 fL), but the problem is due, of course, to being low on iron. Dr. Erlichman didn’t sound too concerned about me being anemic since it is a common problem amongst teenage girls and told me to try taking one iron supplement a day and to continue taking the funky green pills that keep me from feeling nauseous in order to correct the problem. I’m also underweight yet, but I’ve been eating better the last few days and hopefully that trend will continue.
Tomorrow I have my third round of chemo. I’m assuming it will be like the last couple rounds and I can’t wait to get it over with and go back to being able to eat cold things and not being tired all the time.
After this next round I have one more round of chemo left in this set. The week I have my fourth round of chemo I’ll go in for a couple of CT-scans to see how everything is actually doing verses just basing it off of blood work. Dr. Erlichman suspects that after the fourth round I’ll probably go through another four-round set of chemo and then I don’t know what will happen after that. It all depends on how the cancer reacts to the continued rounds of chemo. I’m thinking it will be annihilated and that I’ll be at Iowa State in the spring, just fine and dandy. =D
So that’s about it. I’m taking a biology test tomorrow before I start chemo and my brain goes all fuzzy (gasp! first college test! eep!) and the rest of the week will probably be spent in a state of tiredness with a little homework and possibly a football game in there somewhere too.
Oh, if anyone is interested in learning more about what gets tested when you get blood drawn, here’s a very helpful website: Cellmate Wellness Systems. I thought it was kind-of interesting, maybe you will too.
Much love,
Cheryl
Here is a quick weekend-in-review before I get to some exciting information:
Saturday: A little shopping with Mom at the mall, going to Quarry Hill with Ben and exploring some of the trails, and watching Emperor’s New Groove with Ben, Robert, and Laura. Fun Saturday.
Sunday: Un viaje al Centro Comercial de America con mi madre (a trip to the Mall of America with my mom). It was a very successful trip, I must say. I found quite a few clothes I really liked that will work well for wearing in the fall. We got to eat at Tony Roma’s for lunch too, which means a delicious meal of Carolina honey baby-back ribs. Yum. Then we stopped at Linda’s for a bit, came home, ate pizza, and watched "Take the Lead" with Antonio Banderas. I thought it was a good movie and would recommend it to those who like dancing movies.
Monday: A shopping trip with Nicole to Michael’s to spend my gift card and purchase a craft for the afternoon. We decided on making moccasins from a kit and decorating them with rhinestones. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon and our moccasins look awesome. =D Then I ate lasagna with the family for dinner and later Ben and I went to DQ for some ice cream.
So my weekend was quite enjoyable. My room even managed to remain in a state of cleanliness, which is an added bonus.
But now for my exciting news:
Today I went in to have my blood drawn and for another meeting with Dr. Erlichman…
Good News #1: My hemoglobin is up to 10.8 from 9.0. Hopefully it will keep going up until it is in the normal range of 12-15.5.
Good News #2: My white blood and platelet counts are normal. I kind-of figured they would be, but it’s still good news to know that they are as they’re supposed to be.
Good News #3: Okay, this one takes a bit to explain, but it is the best one of all. When I get my blood drawn and tested, Dr. Erlichman watches the levels of two different enzymes in my blood. One is Alkaline Phosphatase and the other is Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (sGOT), also known as AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase). The first (Alkaline Phophatase) is an enzyme found in the liver, especially when there is tissue damage. The second (sGOT/AST) is an enzyme used as a tumor marker. My good news is that the levels of both enzymes in my blood are going down, which means something must be going right with my treatment. =D
Good News #4: The first time I was examined by Dr. Erlichman he told me he could feel my liver; this is not a good thing since your liver is supposed to be hidden beneath your ribcage. But today he examined me again and said he could no longer feel my liver, which means it isn’t inflamed like it was before. Just another sign that something is going right.
That concludes my happy news. I still have a ways to go before the enzyme levels are in the normal range, but it’s nice to know that they’re continuing to decrease towards normalcy. I also found I’m still anemic, despite the increase in hemoglobin. Apparently the general size of my red blood cells is still too small (mine: 69.9 fL; normal: 81.6-98.3 fL), but the problem is due, of course, to being low on iron. Dr. Erlichman didn’t sound too concerned about me being anemic since it is a common problem amongst teenage girls and told me to try taking one iron supplement a day and to continue taking the funky green pills that keep me from feeling nauseous in order to correct the problem. I’m also underweight yet, but I’ve been eating better the last few days and hopefully that trend will continue.
Tomorrow I have my third round of chemo. I’m assuming it will be like the last couple rounds and I can’t wait to get it over with and go back to being able to eat cold things and not being tired all the time.
After this next round I have one more round of chemo left in this set. The week I have my fourth round of chemo I’ll go in for a couple of CT-scans to see how everything is actually doing verses just basing it off of blood work. Dr. Erlichman suspects that after the fourth round I’ll probably go through another four-round set of chemo and then I don’t know what will happen after that. It all depends on how the cancer reacts to the continued rounds of chemo. I’m thinking it will be annihilated and that I’ll be at Iowa State in the spring, just fine and dandy. =D
So that’s about it. I’m taking a biology test tomorrow before I start chemo and my brain goes all fuzzy (gasp! first college test! eep!) and the rest of the week will probably be spent in a state of tiredness with a little homework and possibly a football game in there somewhere too.
Oh, if anyone is interested in learning more about what gets tested when you get blood drawn, here’s a very helpful website: Cellmate Wellness Systems. I thought it was kind-of interesting, maybe you will too.
Much love,
Cheryl
Friday, September 01, 2006
The Battle
I rose at the crack of dawn and surveyed the blood red sky. Today there would be a battle.
It was actually more like 9:15 a.m. and the weather outside was beautiful, but today was the day, after over a month of neglect, that I was going to clean my room.
I consumed a hearty meal and bathed in an ice cold pool to strengthen my mind and body for the coming battle.
Two delicious cinnamon roles, compliments of Mrs. Hackler. Next was the decision to shower and shave my legs so I no longer resembled Sasquatch; however, I ran out of hot water and was forced to complete said shower with cold water. Eep.
Armed with only wrist armor and the protection of a guardian angel, I stood at the edge of the battlefield, viewing the treacherous mountains and the lone path that would provide my only chance at victory.
I wore my lucky monkey bracelet and kept the angel-type worry stone that was given to me by Diane Tri (Thanks, I love it!) in my pocket: I needed all the help I could get. There were clothes everywhere, no joke. They were forming piles over almost every bit of floor space, leaving one small path that let me reach my bed at night, and even that was beginning to be filled with clutter.
This was it. It was now that destiny would take me in its arms and hurl me wherever it pleased. I could enter this battle and return triumphant or I could be lost forever, left to rot at the base of some cruel mountain. But I could not turn back. I took the one step that brought me face to face with the enemy.
One last thought of letting it stay messy for just one more day and I walked in and grabbed the first pile of clothes to be taken and sorted in the living room.
They were everywhere, creeping out of dark crevices and leaping at me from all sides. I charged and threw a fraction to the side. I could win this battle, if only I could persevere until its end.
Grab a pile, sort a pile, throw some of it away, keep some of it to be put away, and repeat…
The battle was not yet over, but my enemies were falling at my feet and the count of their less fortunate comrades was increasing.
Four bags to send to Good Will and a considerably smaller fraction of clothes to be returned to my closet, but there was still some various junk that I needed to sort through and throw away before my room could pass for "clean."
At last, victory! I proudly stood at the center of the battlefield, feeling the pride and glory that could only come after a great battle.
After four and a half hours, my room was finally clean. Woooooo! My bed was made and everything! I even sorted out some of the storage tubs and vacuumed under my bed. You should have heard the screams as the dust bunnies tried to flee. Mwa-ha-ha! =D
So that was basically my day: with the help of my mother, I cleaned my room. I took a picture of it, but then my camera died and I don’t know where its charger is so I can't post it on the blog. But besides the new-found cleanliness of my room, I think the rest of today will be filled with eating dinner and going to the D-E football game. Should be fun.
Let’s see what else have I done this week…
Monday I started my online class work, just like I promised. I got through a chapter of biology Monday, a chapter of sociology Tuesday and Wednesday, and Thursday a chapter of math and some other odds and ends involving all the classes.
Besides class work, my week has included…
Monday night I went to the ninth grade football game and got to sit in the announcer’s stand with Ben while he ran the clock. That was fun.
Tuesday evening Ben was at my house and we watched some TV with Greg. That was pretty much the highlight of my day.
Wednesday was a good day. I got blood drawn at the Northeast clinic (a nice, easy to get at facility) and after that Greg and I went to the high school so I could have a saxophone lesson. I’m really enjoying having lessons. We work on everything: scales, tone, breathing, and different styles of music. Mr. Anderson and I had another go at the piano/sax piece and it went a lot better this time and actually started to sound like a song. I’m excited to see how it turns out once we both get our parts down. I sent my saxophone off to Eckroth music too. Hopefully they can tell me if it’s my horn or me who is at fault for making my low D sound so horrible. Wednesday evening I went to the movie “Accepted” with Beth. It was a good time. The movie was actually pretty funny. “I want to blow up stuff with my mind.” Hehe. I recommend you see it.
Thursday was Greg’s cross country meet at Stewartville. I think this year was the first year I’ve ever been to a Stewartville meet and it hasn’t been over a hundred degrees. Greg did quite well, I think. He placed fifteenth against twenty other schools worth of boys, even with a bad blister on his foot. Yay, Greg! After the meet Mom, Ben, and I headed to Hangars Bar & Grill for dinner since Dad and Greg were off to go fishing up north.
So now it’s Friday and I’ve already reported the day’s activities. I don’t know what my plans are for the weekend, though I’m hoping they involve swimming and some shopping.
Oh, I have some thank-you’s. I’d like to thank Master Park and the Black Belt Association of Park Institute for the Michael’s/Hobby Lobby gift cards. They will most definitely be put to use. I’d also like to thank the following families for the parking permit money and signed T-shirt: Crowson’s, Daniels’, Erickson’s, Hackler’s, Hedin’s, Johnson’s, Kaehler’s, Lund’s, Mayers’, and Winter’s. The money for the parking permit is appreciated and we thank you for your support. =D
I hope everyone has a good Labor Day weekend and with that I’ll conclude today’s post.
~Cheryl
It was actually more like 9:15 a.m. and the weather outside was beautiful, but today was the day, after over a month of neglect, that I was going to clean my room.
I consumed a hearty meal and bathed in an ice cold pool to strengthen my mind and body for the coming battle.
Two delicious cinnamon roles, compliments of Mrs. Hackler. Next was the decision to shower and shave my legs so I no longer resembled Sasquatch; however, I ran out of hot water and was forced to complete said shower with cold water. Eep.
Armed with only wrist armor and the protection of a guardian angel, I stood at the edge of the battlefield, viewing the treacherous mountains and the lone path that would provide my only chance at victory.
I wore my lucky monkey bracelet and kept the angel-type worry stone that was given to me by Diane Tri (Thanks, I love it!) in my pocket: I needed all the help I could get. There were clothes everywhere, no joke. They were forming piles over almost every bit of floor space, leaving one small path that let me reach my bed at night, and even that was beginning to be filled with clutter.
This was it. It was now that destiny would take me in its arms and hurl me wherever it pleased. I could enter this battle and return triumphant or I could be lost forever, left to rot at the base of some cruel mountain. But I could not turn back. I took the one step that brought me face to face with the enemy.
One last thought of letting it stay messy for just one more day and I walked in and grabbed the first pile of clothes to be taken and sorted in the living room.
They were everywhere, creeping out of dark crevices and leaping at me from all sides. I charged and threw a fraction to the side. I could win this battle, if only I could persevere until its end.
Grab a pile, sort a pile, throw some of it away, keep some of it to be put away, and repeat…
The battle was not yet over, but my enemies were falling at my feet and the count of their less fortunate comrades was increasing.
Four bags to send to Good Will and a considerably smaller fraction of clothes to be returned to my closet, but there was still some various junk that I needed to sort through and throw away before my room could pass for "clean."
At last, victory! I proudly stood at the center of the battlefield, feeling the pride and glory that could only come after a great battle.
After four and a half hours, my room was finally clean. Woooooo! My bed was made and everything! I even sorted out some of the storage tubs and vacuumed under my bed. You should have heard the screams as the dust bunnies tried to flee. Mwa-ha-ha! =D
So that was basically my day: with the help of my mother, I cleaned my room. I took a picture of it, but then my camera died and I don’t know where its charger is so I can't post it on the blog. But besides the new-found cleanliness of my room, I think the rest of today will be filled with eating dinner and going to the D-E football game. Should be fun.
Let’s see what else have I done this week…
Monday I started my online class work, just like I promised. I got through a chapter of biology Monday, a chapter of sociology Tuesday and Wednesday, and Thursday a chapter of math and some other odds and ends involving all the classes.
Besides class work, my week has included…
Monday night I went to the ninth grade football game and got to sit in the announcer’s stand with Ben while he ran the clock. That was fun.
Tuesday evening Ben was at my house and we watched some TV with Greg. That was pretty much the highlight of my day.
Wednesday was a good day. I got blood drawn at the Northeast clinic (a nice, easy to get at facility) and after that Greg and I went to the high school so I could have a saxophone lesson. I’m really enjoying having lessons. We work on everything: scales, tone, breathing, and different styles of music. Mr. Anderson and I had another go at the piano/sax piece and it went a lot better this time and actually started to sound like a song. I’m excited to see how it turns out once we both get our parts down. I sent my saxophone off to Eckroth music too. Hopefully they can tell me if it’s my horn or me who is at fault for making my low D sound so horrible. Wednesday evening I went to the movie “Accepted” with Beth. It was a good time. The movie was actually pretty funny. “I want to blow up stuff with my mind.” Hehe. I recommend you see it.
Thursday was Greg’s cross country meet at Stewartville. I think this year was the first year I’ve ever been to a Stewartville meet and it hasn’t been over a hundred degrees. Greg did quite well, I think. He placed fifteenth against twenty other schools worth of boys, even with a bad blister on his foot. Yay, Greg! After the meet Mom, Ben, and I headed to Hangars Bar & Grill for dinner since Dad and Greg were off to go fishing up north.
So now it’s Friday and I’ve already reported the day’s activities. I don’t know what my plans are for the weekend, though I’m hoping they involve swimming and some shopping.
Oh, I have some thank-you’s. I’d like to thank Master Park and the Black Belt Association of Park Institute for the Michael’s/Hobby Lobby gift cards. They will most definitely be put to use. I’d also like to thank the following families for the parking permit money and signed T-shirt: Crowson’s, Daniels’, Erickson’s, Hackler’s, Hedin’s, Johnson’s, Kaehler’s, Lund’s, Mayers’, and Winter’s. The money for the parking permit is appreciated and we thank you for your support. =D
I hope everyone has a good Labor Day weekend and with that I’ll conclude today’s post.
~Cheryl
Sunday, August 27, 2006
A Brief Sunday Post
Hola!
What to say about today...
Well, I haven't gotten sick in two days. My family and I have identified the culprit of my sickness as the iron supplement pills my oncologist prescribed and have therefore decided that I won't be taking them anymore until we've talked to the doctor again.
I am thoroughly sick of taking all these pills. I wouldn't be surprised if I turned into a drug addict by the time all of this is over. You'll see my wandering the streets, randomly asking for Tylenol-3. Well, hopefully not, but wouldn't that be a sight? =P But you know what really drives me crazy? They keep telling me to take pills (I have at least three) that all have warnings that nausea, constipation, and/or diarrhea are common side effects. As if my digestive track didn't have enough problems without it being bombarded from the medicinal angle. Sheesh.
But life goes on.
Today Dad and I created a team for the World Community Grid project. If you're interested in joining the team, simply click here. I don't know how many people have joined the project, so I'd love it if you gave a shout-out on the other blog to say that you've joined the team. =D
I guess that's about it. My weekend has been full of sleeping, a little walking and watching TV, and procrastinating starting my online courses (though that will end shortly, I promise).
I really don't have anything else to report on, so I'll end my post with that.
Much love,
Cheryl
What to say about today...
Well, I haven't gotten sick in two days. My family and I have identified the culprit of my sickness as the iron supplement pills my oncologist prescribed and have therefore decided that I won't be taking them anymore until we've talked to the doctor again.
I am thoroughly sick of taking all these pills. I wouldn't be surprised if I turned into a drug addict by the time all of this is over. You'll see my wandering the streets, randomly asking for Tylenol-3. Well, hopefully not, but wouldn't that be a sight? =P But you know what really drives me crazy? They keep telling me to take pills (I have at least three) that all have warnings that nausea, constipation, and/or diarrhea are common side effects. As if my digestive track didn't have enough problems without it being bombarded from the medicinal angle. Sheesh.
But life goes on.
Today Dad and I created a team for the World Community Grid project. If you're interested in joining the team, simply click here. I don't know how many people have joined the project, so I'd love it if you gave a shout-out on the other blog to say that you've joined the team. =D
I guess that's about it. My weekend has been full of sleeping, a little walking and watching TV, and procrastinating starting my online courses (though that will end shortly, I promise).
I really don't have anything else to report on, so I'll end my post with that.
Much love,
Cheryl
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Tummy Talk
Today is Saturday.
The date is August 26, 2006.
The weather is rainy.
I don't know what I'm writing about.
This round of chemo has been a bit rough.
I got sick to my stomach both Thursday and Friday night.
It was not fun.
Now I am being told to constantly be eating something, even though my stomach protests with every bite.
We called the doctors and they said they'll give me some stronger meds to help with the nausea.
I really hope they work.
Thursday I slept all day, literally.
I only got up a couple times to: a)get a stitch pulled (not fun); b)hair cut (still deciding if I like it or not; c) be de-accessed from my chemo pump.
Yep, that was my Thursday.
Friday was pretty similar.
I slept, I ate, I slept...I slept...
I also went to the girls' soccer game at the high school with Ben.
They lost, but I still enjoyed getting out and seeing them play.
Then I went to Ben's house to watch the "Longest Yard," the new one with Adam Sandler.
It's a good flick.
Then Ben took me home, hung around at my place for a bit to see if I was okay, said goodbye and left.
After this I got sick and started a night where I was waking up a lot and got sick to my stomach once more.
Blech.
Now it's Saturday.
I tried to sign into my online courses, but was unable to since the page seems to undergo a weekly maintenance check on Saturday mornings.
So instead I wrote this rambling post and updated my online calendar.
Yep. That’s about it.
I don’t know what my plans are for the rest of today, but they’ll probably include me working on some homework eventually.
Okay, that’s it.
Will continue to update.
~Cheryl
The date is August 26, 2006.
The weather is rainy.
I don't know what I'm writing about.
This round of chemo has been a bit rough.
I got sick to my stomach both Thursday and Friday night.
It was not fun.
Now I am being told to constantly be eating something, even though my stomach protests with every bite.
We called the doctors and they said they'll give me some stronger meds to help with the nausea.
I really hope they work.
Thursday I slept all day, literally.
I only got up a couple times to: a)get a stitch pulled (not fun); b)hair cut (still deciding if I like it or not; c) be de-accessed from my chemo pump.
Yep, that was my Thursday.
Friday was pretty similar.
I slept, I ate, I slept...I slept...
I also went to the girls' soccer game at the high school with Ben.
They lost, but I still enjoyed getting out and seeing them play.
Then I went to Ben's house to watch the "Longest Yard," the new one with Adam Sandler.
It's a good flick.
Then Ben took me home, hung around at my place for a bit to see if I was okay, said goodbye and left.
After this I got sick and started a night where I was waking up a lot and got sick to my stomach once more.
Blech.
Now it's Saturday.
I tried to sign into my online courses, but was unable to since the page seems to undergo a weekly maintenance check on Saturday mornings.
So instead I wrote this rambling post and updated my online calendar.
Yep. That’s about it.
I don’t know what my plans are for the rest of today, but they’ll probably include me working on some homework eventually.
Okay, that’s it.
Will continue to update.
~Cheryl
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Umm...A New Post...Posted Later Than It Was Written
Well, today begins my second day of my second round of chemo. So far it has been pretty uneventful. I woke-up around 7:30 a.m., wandered out into the living, sat on the couch, looked at the cloudy weather, thought about starting my online courses, and then wandered back into my bedroom, crawled under the covers, fell back asleep, and didn't get up again until 9:30 a.m. Now I’m working on this blog post and slowly eating a bowl of oatmeal as Dad threatens that I’ll get a tube shoved down my nose if I don’t eat enough.
Out of the two days this week, I must say that Monday has been my favorite day thus far. I had a saxophone lesson Monday morning, which was a lot of fun. I got to play out of a jazz fake book and then look at some classical pieces. Mr. Anderson even acted as my accompanist and went after the piano part while I stumbled through my part and its crazy sharp and double sharp patterns and runs of sixteenth notes. To say the least, I bombed the first movement of the song since I wasn't ready to think in 6/8 yet that morning and figure out how my part was supposed to fit with the accompaniment. The second movement went better. Luckily it was in 2/4 and was mostly straight sixteenths notes; however, there were still lots of sharps that my brain would blank on any time I reached them. But yeah, the lesson was the highlight of my morning and I even got to take home the music we’d looked at, so maybe next time I’ll be able to actually play some of it. =D
After the saxophone lesson I came home and Mom had me look at my online courses to see if I could access them and see what the syllabus for each class was. This was the low point of my day. I looked at the requirements for the health class and that alone made me break out in tears. There was so much to do and just for one class. I was thinking that the online courses would follow a pattern of, “Here’s the work. Go. Have all of it done by December 15,” but no. Instead, the classes have due dates for tests, quizzes, homework assignments, and online discussions. It was too much for me. I don’t even have the books for the courses yet! I had no idea how I was supposed to be able to get it all done when there are stretches of days where I’m too tired to do much of anything because of the chemo. So Mom decided the answer to my questions would lie in my aunt Linda, who is an assistant professor and uses the same program as my college for online courses. We met with her and started looking through the syllabi and some due dates. In the end, we decided I should drop the health class due to its heavy course load and strict schedule and that I would keep my environmental biology, sociology, and math class (my advisor never did sign me up for the 1 credit astronomy class). Hopefully I’ll be able to get everything done, and done well, for the online courses I’m keeping and that my books get here sometime today since they are still missing in action.
Anyways, my day improved later in the afternoon once I pushed aside all thought of online courses and went swimming with Ben. We swam at the St. Charles pool and it was wonderful since there were only about six families there plus some random kids that were swimming too. I really had fun. It was nice to get out and move around and enjoy what was probably the last time I’d go swimming this summer. There was enough room in the pool that I could swim laps, had I wanted to, and few enough people there that they had free swim in the deep end. I’d have to say the best part of the outing was when Ben got put on a time out for doing flips into the pool. He and a kid that was old enough just to come up to his shoulder both got yelled at and told to sit apart from each other on the cement surrounding the pool until a few minutes later when the lifeguards dismissed them. It was hilarious seeing them just sitting there.
After swimming I rushed home to get ready to see the Tamburitzans with Jase, Mom, Linda, and Grandma. For those who don’t know, the Tamburitzans are college students who perform traditional songs and dances from small, mostly forgotten European countries. I know most people think, “Oh, cultural dances. Those aren’t that exciting,” but I must say that these kids were insane performers who made you tired just watching them. They had interesting and entertaining acts, including one where a guy played a whistle with his nose and another where a guy was bent over in a costume that made him look like he was two small men wrestling with each other. It was a great show. It’s difficult to describe all the various dances and what they included, so I would definitely recommend that you see the Tamburitzans the next time they’re touring in the area.
So that concludes Monday. Tuesday was considerably less exciting. I woke up early for an appointment to have blood drawn at 8:30 a.m.; however, I was checked in and sat there waiting with Mom for forty-five minutes before I was even brought back to where my blood would be drawn. Since I have a port, it’s easier for me just have blood drawn from there. The original intention was that I’d be stuck with a needle only once that day, but then the fellow who was doing the whole procedure used a one-inch port needle instead of a ¾ inch needle to draw blood, so they had to take it out and re-stick me later in the day for chemo. Oh, by the way, I was told I had to fast before having my blood drawn, so I was starving by the time I was done getting blood drawn since I hadn’t eaten since 6:00 p.m. the night before. Mom and I ran down to the subway level and I got to have a raspberry smoothie and a slice of lemon poppy seed bread for breakfast. After that I had an appointment with Dr. Erlichman. It was rather brief. He told me my hemoglobin had dropped from 9.9 to 9.0 since the last time I had blood drawn. Sadly that meant I had to have another stinging shot meant to bring up my blood count. He also showed me some results that were about levels that related to my liver and bones. I can’t recall what they were, but I got the impression that the change in them was a good sign.
Once we were done visiting Dr. Erlichman, Mom and I bummed downtown, window shopping at a couple jewelry shops and galleries and stopping by the Galleria Mall. Nothing too exciting, just something to kill the time. I did find some jewelry I liked at Lasker Jewelers. The store has a collection known as “Angels with Attitudes” and they’re gorgeous. My favorite was “Renewal.” I’m hoping it comes as a small pendant instead of just as a brooch/pendant combination so that I can put it on my birthday list. =D
Afterwards we went back up to the tenth floor of the Gonda building and waited to start my chemotherapy. I was given my nausea pills, my shot, waited, had my port hooked-up, and then started receiving my meds. I was on the Avastin for an hour this time instead of 90 minutes, though I still received the same dosage as last time. Then I was hooked-up to the other two for a couple of hours and now I’m wearing the portable pump and receiving the 5-Fu until about 2 p.m. tomorrow.
All the normal side effects have returned. I can’t touch/consume anything cold, the most annoying part of the treatment. I’m also having pins and needles sensations in my hands sometimes, but it’s not too bad. Lastly, I’m starting to get a little lethargic, but again it’s not as bad as what it will probably be in a couple days.
After chemo I came home and was delighted to find that my replacement orchid had arrived unharmed. I repotted and watered it and placed it in the window beside my other two orchids. It’s a healthy plant with gorgeous blossoms and I’m happy it got here safely.
The next few fractions of my day included a two hour long nap, dinner, and a visitation from Ben, and bed. A relaxing and fairly uneventful evening. I liked it.
Well, my books have just arrived and Dad is encouraging me to look more alive and to at least contact my professors and let them know what my current situation is.
So I will conclude my post with a thank you to everyone for the cards and comments and a reminder that I need help thinking of some ideas for a team name for the World Grid project.
Much love,
Cheryl
Out of the two days this week, I must say that Monday has been my favorite day thus far. I had a saxophone lesson Monday morning, which was a lot of fun. I got to play out of a jazz fake book and then look at some classical pieces. Mr. Anderson even acted as my accompanist and went after the piano part while I stumbled through my part and its crazy sharp and double sharp patterns and runs of sixteenth notes. To say the least, I bombed the first movement of the song since I wasn't ready to think in 6/8 yet that morning and figure out how my part was supposed to fit with the accompaniment. The second movement went better. Luckily it was in 2/4 and was mostly straight sixteenths notes; however, there were still lots of sharps that my brain would blank on any time I reached them. But yeah, the lesson was the highlight of my morning and I even got to take home the music we’d looked at, so maybe next time I’ll be able to actually play some of it. =D
After the saxophone lesson I came home and Mom had me look at my online courses to see if I could access them and see what the syllabus for each class was. This was the low point of my day. I looked at the requirements for the health class and that alone made me break out in tears. There was so much to do and just for one class. I was thinking that the online courses would follow a pattern of, “Here’s the work. Go. Have all of it done by December 15,” but no. Instead, the classes have due dates for tests, quizzes, homework assignments, and online discussions. It was too much for me. I don’t even have the books for the courses yet! I had no idea how I was supposed to be able to get it all done when there are stretches of days where I’m too tired to do much of anything because of the chemo. So Mom decided the answer to my questions would lie in my aunt Linda, who is an assistant professor and uses the same program as my college for online courses. We met with her and started looking through the syllabi and some due dates. In the end, we decided I should drop the health class due to its heavy course load and strict schedule and that I would keep my environmental biology, sociology, and math class (my advisor never did sign me up for the 1 credit astronomy class). Hopefully I’ll be able to get everything done, and done well, for the online courses I’m keeping and that my books get here sometime today since they are still missing in action.
Anyways, my day improved later in the afternoon once I pushed aside all thought of online courses and went swimming with Ben. We swam at the St. Charles pool and it was wonderful since there were only about six families there plus some random kids that were swimming too. I really had fun. It was nice to get out and move around and enjoy what was probably the last time I’d go swimming this summer. There was enough room in the pool that I could swim laps, had I wanted to, and few enough people there that they had free swim in the deep end. I’d have to say the best part of the outing was when Ben got put on a time out for doing flips into the pool. He and a kid that was old enough just to come up to his shoulder both got yelled at and told to sit apart from each other on the cement surrounding the pool until a few minutes later when the lifeguards dismissed them. It was hilarious seeing them just sitting there.
After swimming I rushed home to get ready to see the Tamburitzans with Jase, Mom, Linda, and Grandma. For those who don’t know, the Tamburitzans are college students who perform traditional songs and dances from small, mostly forgotten European countries. I know most people think, “Oh, cultural dances. Those aren’t that exciting,” but I must say that these kids were insane performers who made you tired just watching them. They had interesting and entertaining acts, including one where a guy played a whistle with his nose and another where a guy was bent over in a costume that made him look like he was two small men wrestling with each other. It was a great show. It’s difficult to describe all the various dances and what they included, so I would definitely recommend that you see the Tamburitzans the next time they’re touring in the area.
So that concludes Monday. Tuesday was considerably less exciting. I woke up early for an appointment to have blood drawn at 8:30 a.m.; however, I was checked in and sat there waiting with Mom for forty-five minutes before I was even brought back to where my blood would be drawn. Since I have a port, it’s easier for me just have blood drawn from there. The original intention was that I’d be stuck with a needle only once that day, but then the fellow who was doing the whole procedure used a one-inch port needle instead of a ¾ inch needle to draw blood, so they had to take it out and re-stick me later in the day for chemo. Oh, by the way, I was told I had to fast before having my blood drawn, so I was starving by the time I was done getting blood drawn since I hadn’t eaten since 6:00 p.m. the night before. Mom and I ran down to the subway level and I got to have a raspberry smoothie and a slice of lemon poppy seed bread for breakfast. After that I had an appointment with Dr. Erlichman. It was rather brief. He told me my hemoglobin had dropped from 9.9 to 9.0 since the last time I had blood drawn. Sadly that meant I had to have another stinging shot meant to bring up my blood count. He also showed me some results that were about levels that related to my liver and bones. I can’t recall what they were, but I got the impression that the change in them was a good sign.
Once we were done visiting Dr. Erlichman, Mom and I bummed downtown, window shopping at a couple jewelry shops and galleries and stopping by the Galleria Mall. Nothing too exciting, just something to kill the time. I did find some jewelry I liked at Lasker Jewelers. The store has a collection known as “Angels with Attitudes” and they’re gorgeous. My favorite was “Renewal.” I’m hoping it comes as a small pendant instead of just as a brooch/pendant combination so that I can put it on my birthday list. =D
Afterwards we went back up to the tenth floor of the Gonda building and waited to start my chemotherapy. I was given my nausea pills, my shot, waited, had my port hooked-up, and then started receiving my meds. I was on the Avastin for an hour this time instead of 90 minutes, though I still received the same dosage as last time. Then I was hooked-up to the other two for a couple of hours and now I’m wearing the portable pump and receiving the 5-Fu until about 2 p.m. tomorrow.
All the normal side effects have returned. I can’t touch/consume anything cold, the most annoying part of the treatment. I’m also having pins and needles sensations in my hands sometimes, but it’s not too bad. Lastly, I’m starting to get a little lethargic, but again it’s not as bad as what it will probably be in a couple days.
After chemo I came home and was delighted to find that my replacement orchid had arrived unharmed. I repotted and watered it and placed it in the window beside my other two orchids. It’s a healthy plant with gorgeous blossoms and I’m happy it got here safely.
The next few fractions of my day included a two hour long nap, dinner, and a visitation from Ben, and bed. A relaxing and fairly uneventful evening. I liked it.
Well, my books have just arrived and Dad is encouraging me to look more alive and to at least contact my professors and let them know what my current situation is.
So I will conclude my post with a thank you to everyone for the cards and comments and a reminder that I need help thinking of some ideas for a team name for the World Grid project.
Much love,
Cheryl
Saturday, August 19, 2006
"If all the rain drops were lemon drops..."
Good morning everyone!
So, I had the most interesting thing happen to me the other day. I received 64 cards via snail mail. That's right, 64 cards. I'm pretty sure the price of stamps may eventually drop because of all those cards. =P Thank you to everyone who sent them to cheer me up and to let me know I am in their thoughts and prayers. They really made my day. I even received three cards that sung at me. I didn't know they made singing cards, so I was a bit surprised when I opened one of them and it started playing "Kung-Fu Fighting." =D
A picture of what 64 cards look like in a pyramid-type formation.
My week has been filled with various activities. I've already reported about Monday in my previous post, except for the fact that I ended-up with a persistent migraine that evening and felt like a freight train was running over my head most the night. Fortunately three migraine pills and a good night's sleep (that did not include the neighbor's puppy constantly barking) later, I was back to normal.
Tuesday through Thursday I continued helping at the day-camp for elementary band kids. They had their instruments put together the right way (for the most part) on Tuesday and were starting to get some decent sounding notes out. Throughout the rest of the week they kept improving little by little. There's still lots of squeaking and funny sounding notes, but they're learning. It was a fun experience to help out and watch the kids as they begin diving into the musical aspect of their lives.
Let's see...
Tuesday evening I hung-out with cousins Beth and Brianne. We watched a movie, ate Chinese food, gossiped, and made future plans for a team of goats. =P It was a good time.
Wednesday I was at Ben's house once he was done with football practice and I with band camp in order to figure out what we were doing for the evening. The end result was the decision to go see the movie "Step Up" with Robert and Laura.
I must say I thought "Step Up" was a really good movie. I thought it might be a rip-off of "Save the Last Dance," but it wasn't. Instead of the typical bad boy influencing a good girl, the movie was more about a good guy who has made a couple mistakes teaming up with a good girl who just needs to learn to think outside the box a bit more. The plot's a bit predictable, but I thought it was still a good movie. I recommend y'all see it. Even guys. It's not just a chick-flick. There are many scenes that had the guys in the theatre laughing too. So ha. =P
Thursday I was at band camp again. A representative from Eckroth Music was there and he brought me some new mouthpieces to try on my saxophone. I've tried both mouthpieces and I like how one of them plays, but there must be something wrong with my horn since it still won't play its low D very well no matter what mouthpiece I use.
After camp I was home by myself. I started looking on the internet for some statistics about younger people with colorectal carcinoma. It took me a while to find something and I wasn't too happy with what I found. According to this article, there is only one young person in a million with colorectal carcinoma. That would mean that in the United States there are only about two kids with this cancer. Needless to say that dashed all my hopes of finding a nation wide support group with kids my age going through exactly what I'm going through. I know I could always meet with other kids who have different cancers since they are undergoing similar treatments and life-alterations, but it would have been nice to have someone my age to talk to who has all the same symptoms, quirks, and treatments as myself. It's hard to explain what I mean and the whole thing is a bit selfish, but that's what I was dealing with Thursday.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Thursday evening I got a live plant in the mail. An orchid, to be specific. However, the stalk with the flowers was broken off and a couple of the leaves were snapped in half. So we called the flower company and told them about the damage and they said they'll send me another orchid that's in better condition. I even get to keep the hurt plant, so I'll have two new orchids. Happiness!
The rest of Thursday evening was spent going to Walmart to pick-up orchid food (the flower company also failed to give enough orchid potting soil) and some cotton cord and paint then coming home and discussing what online courses I'll be taking with Iowa State.
It looks like Iowa State is not going to consider me an honors student until I join them in the spring, so I won't be able to participate in freshman honors courses or activities. My online courses will be the following: health, astronomy, sociology, environmental biology, and math. Nothing overly exciting since most of these classes I've pretty much taken in high school, except for the astronomy class. Oh well. I'll be earning 13 college credits and keeping my brain active, so I guess that's a good thing.
Yesterday morning Mom, Dad, and I met with a geneticist. It was a long meeting that included going through the past three generations and remembering who has what and repeating the question of if they’ve had colonoscopies. We also discussed what’ll come next. It looks like I’ll be having blood drawn in order to have it studied for certain genes to see if I have the gene alterations that represent FAP (info on FAP here) or MYH (info on MYH here). It also seems that I have doomed everyone in my immediate family to colonoscopies. =S
The rest of Friday was pretty laid back. Ben came over and we played Stratego and watched “V for Vendetta.” I thought it was a pretty good movie if you overlooked some of the political correctness.
Well, that’s about it. I have some gatherings with friends planned for this weekend and a saxophone lesson on Monday. Then chemo starts again and we’ll just have to see how that goes.
Oh, I owe a thank you to my seventh grade cross country team for the gorgeous bouquet of gladiolus and to the GHD & AB4 staff for the orchid (its flowers are beautiful- even though they broke off). I also need to thank Lisa for the French silk pie; it's delicious.
And one last thing. We are planning to form a team on the World Community Grid, but the team is in need of a name. So post your ideas for a team name under the comments section of the “Message from Steve & Kathy” post and anyone who wants to join the team can give their two cents worth for what suggestions they think would make the best team name.
Thanks again to everyone.
~Cheryl Tri
So, I had the most interesting thing happen to me the other day. I received 64 cards via snail mail. That's right, 64 cards. I'm pretty sure the price of stamps may eventually drop because of all those cards. =P Thank you to everyone who sent them to cheer me up and to let me know I am in their thoughts and prayers. They really made my day. I even received three cards that sung at me. I didn't know they made singing cards, so I was a bit surprised when I opened one of them and it started playing "Kung-Fu Fighting." =D
A picture of what 64 cards look like in a pyramid-type formation.
My week has been filled with various activities. I've already reported about Monday in my previous post, except for the fact that I ended-up with a persistent migraine that evening and felt like a freight train was running over my head most the night. Fortunately three migraine pills and a good night's sleep (that did not include the neighbor's puppy constantly barking) later, I was back to normal.
Tuesday through Thursday I continued helping at the day-camp for elementary band kids. They had their instruments put together the right way (for the most part) on Tuesday and were starting to get some decent sounding notes out. Throughout the rest of the week they kept improving little by little. There's still lots of squeaking and funny sounding notes, but they're learning. It was a fun experience to help out and watch the kids as they begin diving into the musical aspect of their lives.
Let's see...
Tuesday evening I hung-out with cousins Beth and Brianne. We watched a movie, ate Chinese food, gossiped, and made future plans for a team of goats. =P It was a good time.
Wednesday I was at Ben's house once he was done with football practice and I with band camp in order to figure out what we were doing for the evening. The end result was the decision to go see the movie "Step Up" with Robert and Laura.
I must say I thought "Step Up" was a really good movie. I thought it might be a rip-off of "Save the Last Dance," but it wasn't. Instead of the typical bad boy influencing a good girl, the movie was more about a good guy who has made a couple mistakes teaming up with a good girl who just needs to learn to think outside the box a bit more. The plot's a bit predictable, but I thought it was still a good movie. I recommend y'all see it. Even guys. It's not just a chick-flick. There are many scenes that had the guys in the theatre laughing too. So ha. =P
Thursday I was at band camp again. A representative from Eckroth Music was there and he brought me some new mouthpieces to try on my saxophone. I've tried both mouthpieces and I like how one of them plays, but there must be something wrong with my horn since it still won't play its low D very well no matter what mouthpiece I use.
After camp I was home by myself. I started looking on the internet for some statistics about younger people with colorectal carcinoma. It took me a while to find something and I wasn't too happy with what I found. According to this article, there is only one young person in a million with colorectal carcinoma. That would mean that in the United States there are only about two kids with this cancer. Needless to say that dashed all my hopes of finding a nation wide support group with kids my age going through exactly what I'm going through. I know I could always meet with other kids who have different cancers since they are undergoing similar treatments and life-alterations, but it would have been nice to have someone my age to talk to who has all the same symptoms, quirks, and treatments as myself. It's hard to explain what I mean and the whole thing is a bit selfish, but that's what I was dealing with Thursday.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Thursday evening I got a live plant in the mail. An orchid, to be specific. However, the stalk with the flowers was broken off and a couple of the leaves were snapped in half. So we called the flower company and told them about the damage and they said they'll send me another orchid that's in better condition. I even get to keep the hurt plant, so I'll have two new orchids. Happiness!
The rest of Thursday evening was spent going to Walmart to pick-up orchid food (the flower company also failed to give enough orchid potting soil) and some cotton cord and paint then coming home and discussing what online courses I'll be taking with Iowa State.
It looks like Iowa State is not going to consider me an honors student until I join them in the spring, so I won't be able to participate in freshman honors courses or activities. My online courses will be the following: health, astronomy, sociology, environmental biology, and math. Nothing overly exciting since most of these classes I've pretty much taken in high school, except for the astronomy class. Oh well. I'll be earning 13 college credits and keeping my brain active, so I guess that's a good thing.
Yesterday morning Mom, Dad, and I met with a geneticist. It was a long meeting that included going through the past three generations and remembering who has what and repeating the question of if they’ve had colonoscopies. We also discussed what’ll come next. It looks like I’ll be having blood drawn in order to have it studied for certain genes to see if I have the gene alterations that represent FAP (info on FAP here) or MYH (info on MYH here). It also seems that I have doomed everyone in my immediate family to colonoscopies. =S
The rest of Friday was pretty laid back. Ben came over and we played Stratego and watched “V for Vendetta.” I thought it was a pretty good movie if you overlooked some of the political correctness.
Well, that’s about it. I have some gatherings with friends planned for this weekend and a saxophone lesson on Monday. Then chemo starts again and we’ll just have to see how that goes.
Oh, I owe a thank you to my seventh grade cross country team for the gorgeous bouquet of gladiolus and to the GHD & AB4 staff for the orchid (its flowers are beautiful- even though they broke off). I also need to thank Lisa for the French silk pie; it's delicious.
And one last thing. We are planning to form a team on the World Community Grid, but the team is in need of a name. So post your ideas for a team name under the comments section of the “Message from Steve & Kathy” post and anyone who wants to join the team can give their two cents worth for what suggestions they think would make the best team name.
Thanks again to everyone.
~Cheryl Tri
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
A Message from Steve & Kathy
Over the last couple weeks, people have asked Kathy & I what they could do to help. It is great to have such loving & supportive friends and we really do appreciate the offers! We are all adjusting to these new challenges and just taking them day by day. At this moment there is nothing I can point to that we need help with beyond your prayers.
If you are interested in helping find a cure for all forms of cancer, there is something you can do on your PC today. A team of doctors is conducting cancer research using GRID technology. Grid computing is a method of joining together PCs and creating a virtual system with the computational power that far surpasses supercomputers in existence today. (You can get more information on Grid Computing at: World Grid Link #1.) All you need to do to participate is download the code and let it run on your PC but to run the Help_Defeat_Cancer project, your PC must have at least 750MB of memory installed and 500MB of available disk space.
The code is very easy to download and install and will run as a screen saver or as a background job depending on how you configure it. Within the World Community Grid, the Cancer research site is located at: World Grid Link #2. The Home page has a large Download Now button to install the grid code on your PC.
To select the Cancer research project after installing the code, you have open the program with a right mouse button click. Select Preferences, and then select Modify Device Profile. On the left side of the website screen, select My Projects and on the next screen de-select FightAids@Home. Select Save at the bottom of the screen and the next project that runs on your PC will be the Help_Defeat_Cancer.
It takes anywhere from 6 to 14 hours to process one result. The program will calculate your processing results and provide you with a ranking for your total processing. Like in 'Who's Line Is It Anyway', the points really don't matter but it is fun to see your ranking climb. If there is enough interest, I can form a team for folks to join and submit their points to. The results of the research data being processed by your PC really does count!
Thanks for your help and making a difference in Cancer research!
If you are interested in helping find a cure for all forms of cancer, there is something you can do on your PC today. A team of doctors is conducting cancer research using GRID technology. Grid computing is a method of joining together PCs and creating a virtual system with the computational power that far surpasses supercomputers in existence today. (You can get more information on Grid Computing at: World Grid Link #1.) All you need to do to participate is download the code and let it run on your PC but to run the Help_Defeat_Cancer project, your PC must have at least 750MB of memory installed and 500MB of available disk space.
The code is very easy to download and install and will run as a screen saver or as a background job depending on how you configure it. Within the World Community Grid, the Cancer research site is located at: World Grid Link #2. The Home page has a large Download Now button to install the grid code on your PC.
To select the Cancer research project after installing the code, you have open the program with a right mouse button click. Select Preferences, and then select Modify Device Profile. On the left side of the website screen, select My Projects and on the next screen de-select FightAids@Home. Select Save at the bottom of the screen and the next project that runs on your PC will be the Help_Defeat_Cancer.
It takes anywhere from 6 to 14 hours to process one result. The program will calculate your processing results and provide you with a ranking for your total processing. Like in 'Who's Line Is It Anyway', the points really don't matter but it is fun to see your ranking climb. If there is enough interest, I can form a team for folks to join and submit their points to. The results of the research data being processed by your PC really does count!
Thanks for your help and making a difference in Cancer research!
Monday, August 14, 2006
"I know the sun's still shining when I close my eyes..."
Greetings!
Wow. The weekend went by fast. One minute it was Friday and now it's Monday already (sorry for saying the "M" word for all you work-goers).
Friday fondue was fantabulous. It was fun to get together with the girls and pig-out on fondue, twice-baked potatoes, and pumpkin pie. I finally got to play the game "In a Pickle" that Mom and I had bought a while ago. I give it a thumbs-up, though I think I may need to read through the rules again. I think everyone had a good time, which is the goal for such gatherings, so all-in-all the night was a success.
Saturday was Western Days. We (the family, Ben, and I) headed to Chatfield to watch the parade and eat festival food. The parade was pretty good. The Budweiser Clydesdales were there and pretty much put the other horse exhibits to shame (no offense to anybody- the other carts and horses all looked and behaved wonderfully as well). The Legion go-carts were there too and re-sparked my cousin Brianne and my inner ambitions to someday join the go-cart ranks and do fancy routines at high speeds for parades (though by the end of the evening we decided we're going to train a team of goats to pull us in a cart for the next Western Days).
Later in the evening we were at Deb and Gary's for buffalo burgers, hayrides, and fireworks. The hay-ride was...entertaining. My aunt, cousin, Ben, and I ended-up on the wagon with a man who was drunk enough to continually speak in third-person, brag about he had hunted rattle snakes since he was nine (a story which he repeated on several accounts: basically any time a grass hopper sounded), claim he ruled the world, and believed it when we told him that my mom was dead and that the person he was seeing was a ghost. Annoying, but amusing. We really should have shoved him off the wagon. =P
The firework display was awesome. About 40 cases worth of fireworks were lit directly overhead. There were times where it seemed you could hold out your arms and catch sparks. It was sweet. The night became even more entertaining when the cops showed-up after they got a call about gun-shots. It's funny since it's the first party I've ever been at with cops; even funnier since my parents and family were there. =D
Sunday went by super fast. Jaselyn, Laura, Mom, and I went to LaCrosse so we could hang-out at Irishfest and Mom could go horseback riding. There wasn't as much there as I thought there would be, but it was still fun. We got to listen to a story-teller, a couple harpist, and we learned some Gaelic. I can now say, "God be with you" in Irish. It's pronounced "Dee-ah gitch," but it's spelled "Dia duit." Crazy Irish spellings.
We got home Sunday evening and Grandma and Grandpa Tri were over to visit. Unfortunately I was dead-tired by then and slept most the time. I felt bad about that, but I couldn't help it.
I suppose I should have put this first since I said my blog wasn't going to be a diary, but here is a medical update:
This morning I went to see a psychiatrist. She was really nice and surprisingly has an obsession with Ireland, Irish music and dance, and photography- very much like myself. I liked meeting with her and will probably do so again.
Oh, by-the-way, I'm not crazy, suffering from depression, or anything like that. I'm just seeing a psychiatrist in order to have a professional third-party perspective and someone different to talk to (which is not to say I don't like talking with any of you; I like talking with all of you and knowing I can helps me cope a lot).
Continuing the medical update...
I got prescribed some sleep-aid medicine since I'm having problems sleeping at night. It's easy enough to fall asleep since I've been pretty tired, but staying asleep is a different matter. I wake-up several times a night and as the doctor says I have "vivid dreams." So basically I'm remembering everything I'm dreaming and sometimes I'm still dreaming when I wake-up for periods during the night, which is stressful. So the doctor game me some meds and I'll see if they help keep me asleep at night and don't make me groggy during the day. Hopefully they work because I would really like a good, full night's sleep.
Lastly, I got blood drawn today to check if I'm still anemic. I'm hoping the shot they gave me during my last chemo appointment helped that problem and I won't need to get any more blood drawn because of low hemoglobin counts. Guess we'll have to see though.
This post is getting kind-a long. You can stop reading now if you want. I'm just going to ramble about what I've done today and hope to do for the rest of the week.
After all the running-around at the clinic buildings, Mom and I came home and I got to take a nap. It was a good nap. It made me happy.
Then, this is the best part of my day, I got to go to school! That's right, I went to the high school and I got to help soon-to-be fifth-grade clarinet and flute players put together and play their instruments for the first time. It was awesome. They were all so clueless. They would try to put their clarinets together upside-down and backwards and had no idea which way to put the mouthpiece in their mouths and the flutes would hold their instrument out to the left instead of to the right. Sometimes it got a little scary when they'd carelessly put their instruments on the floor in a heap and there were a few times I thought the clarinets were going to mutilate their reeds before they even got to play their horn. It was so fun though. I liked having something busy like that to do. Something where I got to feel useful. Made me really happy. And I get to do it again! The "camp" is through Thursday so I get to work with the kids through then and hopefully see them improve.
That's about it, I think.
Oh, I have about a zillion thank-you's I owe to several people:
Thank you Bart and family for the flowers; they're beautiful.
Carla, Scott, and Sam- thanks for the blanket; I've already used it during my naps and it works wonderfully. =D
Sami, I had no idea they made bags with only one color of M&M's in them; it's cool they do though. Thanks for the blue M&M's and the TY-kitty.
Last, but not least, I wanna thank Marie at Crossings for the lucky-cricket pendant; it's gorgeous.
Maybe I should explain my method-of-madness for online thank-you's. When I can't thank someone in person for a gift, I usually post it on my blog, otherwise I try to get a hug and a thank-you to anyone else who presents me with a card or gift.
So thank-you to everyone again for the comments, cards, and gifts and for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.
Much love,
Cheryl
Wow. The weekend went by fast. One minute it was Friday and now it's Monday already (sorry for saying the "M" word for all you work-goers).
Friday fondue was fantabulous. It was fun to get together with the girls and pig-out on fondue, twice-baked potatoes, and pumpkin pie. I finally got to play the game "In a Pickle" that Mom and I had bought a while ago. I give it a thumbs-up, though I think I may need to read through the rules again. I think everyone had a good time, which is the goal for such gatherings, so all-in-all the night was a success.
Saturday was Western Days. We (the family, Ben, and I) headed to Chatfield to watch the parade and eat festival food. The parade was pretty good. The Budweiser Clydesdales were there and pretty much put the other horse exhibits to shame (no offense to anybody- the other carts and horses all looked and behaved wonderfully as well). The Legion go-carts were there too and re-sparked my cousin Brianne and my inner ambitions to someday join the go-cart ranks and do fancy routines at high speeds for parades (though by the end of the evening we decided we're going to train a team of goats to pull us in a cart for the next Western Days).
Later in the evening we were at Deb and Gary's for buffalo burgers, hayrides, and fireworks. The hay-ride was...entertaining. My aunt, cousin, Ben, and I ended-up on the wagon with a man who was drunk enough to continually speak in third-person, brag about he had hunted rattle snakes since he was nine (a story which he repeated on several accounts: basically any time a grass hopper sounded), claim he ruled the world, and believed it when we told him that my mom was dead and that the person he was seeing was a ghost. Annoying, but amusing. We really should have shoved him off the wagon. =P
The firework display was awesome. About 40 cases worth of fireworks were lit directly overhead. There were times where it seemed you could hold out your arms and catch sparks. It was sweet. The night became even more entertaining when the cops showed-up after they got a call about gun-shots. It's funny since it's the first party I've ever been at with cops; even funnier since my parents and family were there. =D
Sunday went by super fast. Jaselyn, Laura, Mom, and I went to LaCrosse so we could hang-out at Irishfest and Mom could go horseback riding. There wasn't as much there as I thought there would be, but it was still fun. We got to listen to a story-teller, a couple harpist, and we learned some Gaelic. I can now say, "God be with you" in Irish. It's pronounced "Dee-ah gitch," but it's spelled "Dia duit." Crazy Irish spellings.
We got home Sunday evening and Grandma and Grandpa Tri were over to visit. Unfortunately I was dead-tired by then and slept most the time. I felt bad about that, but I couldn't help it.
I suppose I should have put this first since I said my blog wasn't going to be a diary, but here is a medical update:
This morning I went to see a psychiatrist. She was really nice and surprisingly has an obsession with Ireland, Irish music and dance, and photography- very much like myself. I liked meeting with her and will probably do so again.
Oh, by-the-way, I'm not crazy, suffering from depression, or anything like that. I'm just seeing a psychiatrist in order to have a professional third-party perspective and someone different to talk to (which is not to say I don't like talking with any of you; I like talking with all of you and knowing I can helps me cope a lot).
Continuing the medical update...
I got prescribed some sleep-aid medicine since I'm having problems sleeping at night. It's easy enough to fall asleep since I've been pretty tired, but staying asleep is a different matter. I wake-up several times a night and as the doctor says I have "vivid dreams." So basically I'm remembering everything I'm dreaming and sometimes I'm still dreaming when I wake-up for periods during the night, which is stressful. So the doctor game me some meds and I'll see if they help keep me asleep at night and don't make me groggy during the day. Hopefully they work because I would really like a good, full night's sleep.
Lastly, I got blood drawn today to check if I'm still anemic. I'm hoping the shot they gave me during my last chemo appointment helped that problem and I won't need to get any more blood drawn because of low hemoglobin counts. Guess we'll have to see though.
This post is getting kind-a long. You can stop reading now if you want. I'm just going to ramble about what I've done today and hope to do for the rest of the week.
After all the running-around at the clinic buildings, Mom and I came home and I got to take a nap. It was a good nap. It made me happy.
Then, this is the best part of my day, I got to go to school! That's right, I went to the high school and I got to help soon-to-be fifth-grade clarinet and flute players put together and play their instruments for the first time. It was awesome. They were all so clueless. They would try to put their clarinets together upside-down and backwards and had no idea which way to put the mouthpiece in their mouths and the flutes would hold their instrument out to the left instead of to the right. Sometimes it got a little scary when they'd carelessly put their instruments on the floor in a heap and there were a few times I thought the clarinets were going to mutilate their reeds before they even got to play their horn. It was so fun though. I liked having something busy like that to do. Something where I got to feel useful. Made me really happy. And I get to do it again! The "camp" is through Thursday so I get to work with the kids through then and hopefully see them improve.
That's about it, I think.
Oh, I have about a zillion thank-you's I owe to several people:
Thank you Bart and family for the flowers; they're beautiful.
Carla, Scott, and Sam- thanks for the blanket; I've already used it during my naps and it works wonderfully. =D
Sami, I had no idea they made bags with only one color of M&M's in them; it's cool they do though. Thanks for the blue M&M's and the TY-kitty.
Last, but not least, I wanna thank Marie at Crossings for the lucky-cricket pendant; it's gorgeous.
Maybe I should explain my method-of-madness for online thank-you's. When I can't thank someone in person for a gift, I usually post it on my blog, otherwise I try to get a hug and a thank-you to anyone else who presents me with a card or gift.
So thank-you to everyone again for the comments, cards, and gifts and for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.
Much love,
Cheryl
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Laziness: A Fine Art
Hello to everyone!
This week has gone by fast, though it may seem that way since I've slept through most of it.
My first batch of chemotherapy went pretty well. I was hooked-up to the pump for 46 hours in order to receive the 5-Fu part of my chemotherapy. The pump wasn't so bad, just a little annoying in that I had to remember I was leashed to it.
The only real side-effect I'm feeling now is sleepiness. My schedule is somewhat messed-up since I tend to nap well during the day and then wake-up several times during the night. Hopefully I'll get back to sleeping more at night and remaining more attentive throughout the day.
My sensitivity to cold has faded for the week, thankfully. I can now drink cold water and eat ice cream, which is a bonus during the summer. I guess it wasn't really all that bad to begin with, just a couple of times it felt like my hands had mildly fallen asleep when I had them under cold water.
What else...
Tonight I went to see the Prairie Fire Children's Theatre production of Cinderella. It was very cute. The kids did a good job with their performace, especially since they only had four days of rehearsal.
I think that's about it. I really have slept most the week away, so I don't have anything new and exciting to report. This weekend should change that though since I'll be having friends over for fondue tomorrow, Western Days on Saturday, and hopefully run to LaCrosse for Irishfest on Sunday. Should be a good time. Well, if I can manage to stay awake for most of it. =D
~Cheryl
This week has gone by fast, though it may seem that way since I've slept through most of it.
My first batch of chemotherapy went pretty well. I was hooked-up to the pump for 46 hours in order to receive the 5-Fu part of my chemotherapy. The pump wasn't so bad, just a little annoying in that I had to remember I was leashed to it.
The only real side-effect I'm feeling now is sleepiness. My schedule is somewhat messed-up since I tend to nap well during the day and then wake-up several times during the night. Hopefully I'll get back to sleeping more at night and remaining more attentive throughout the day.
My sensitivity to cold has faded for the week, thankfully. I can now drink cold water and eat ice cream, which is a bonus during the summer. I guess it wasn't really all that bad to begin with, just a couple of times it felt like my hands had mildly fallen asleep when I had them under cold water.
What else...
Tonight I went to see the Prairie Fire Children's Theatre production of Cinderella. It was very cute. The kids did a good job with their performace, especially since they only had four days of rehearsal.
I think that's about it. I really have slept most the week away, so I don't have anything new and exciting to report. This weekend should change that though since I'll be having friends over for fondue tomorrow, Western Days on Saturday, and hopefully run to LaCrosse for Irishfest on Sunday. Should be a good time. Well, if I can manage to stay awake for most of it. =D
~Cheryl
Monday, August 07, 2006
Olbrich Photos
Here are a couple of photographs from my trip to the Olbrich Gardens. I don't know what the brown butterfly is, but the black, striped one is a zebra butterfly. The lily pad picture was taken outside by the Thai pavillion rather than in the consveratory with the butterflies.
Living La Vida Loca
Happy Monday to everyone!
I'm currently residing in the Gonda building, hooked-up to a pump, and receiving my first dose of chemotherapy. So far it's been an easy day. We got here around 8 a.m. and were checked-in and brought back almost right away. I'm actually kind-of glad I've got this started; it makes things seem a little less scary.
Well, people have been asking what is involved in my chemotherapy and I finally have some answers and correct spellings to fill you in with.
First, I'll be coming into the Gonda every other week to receive the first half of my chemo coctail. The nurse accesses my port by sticking in a needle connected to an IV tube. Then I sit in here for a few hours and receive meds. After that I'm given a portable pump that I'm hooked-up to for 48 hours to receive the rest of the chemo. I'll repeat this procedure four times and then I'll go through some tests to see how everything is working.
This is what I'm receiving through chemotherapy:
1. Avastin: antibody- protein specific (a.k.a. targets cancer)
2. Oxaliplatin: kills cells...all of them
3. Leucovorin: Vitamin B
4. 5-Fluorouracil: kills cells...all of them...again
It doesn't look like hair loss is one of the side-effects for any of these meds, but Dr. Erlichman said it was a possibility before. I guess we’ll have to see.
There is one side-effect though that is a given. I have to be careful about touching/consuming anything cold. Were I to, for example, touch a cold can of pop, it would feel like I had just stuck my hand in an electrical outlet. If I drank anything colder than room temperature, my throat would constrict and I would have problems breathing and could possibly pass out. I'm writing this as a reminder to myself and as a heads-up to everyone else in case I forget; however, the nurse said I'm not likely to forget after I’ve forgotten once.
Another is the typical mouth sores and such not that’s associated with most chemotherapy. I shouldn’t be nauseous at all since they’re giving me meds for that. Oh, I also got a shot today to help my hemoglobin count. Should resolve the anemic problem.
What else…
My weekend was good. I hung-out with friends and Ben (boyfriend). Saturday we went to Applebee’s, which is always a good time. Then on Sunday, Mom and I traveled to Madison, Wisconsin to the Olbrich Gardens to visit the conservatory and butterfly exhibit. I took my camera along and I’m hoping I got a few good photographs. I’ll load them onto my computer later this evening and see how they turned out. Maybe I’ll post a couple of the good ones.
So now I’m watching Sky High with Mom, Dad, and Ben and starting two more bags of chemicals… simultaneously: the advantages of having a port. =D
Continued thanks for everyone’s support.
~Cheryl
I'm currently residing in the Gonda building, hooked-up to a pump, and receiving my first dose of chemotherapy. So far it's been an easy day. We got here around 8 a.m. and were checked-in and brought back almost right away. I'm actually kind-of glad I've got this started; it makes things seem a little less scary.
Well, people have been asking what is involved in my chemotherapy and I finally have some answers and correct spellings to fill you in with.
First, I'll be coming into the Gonda every other week to receive the first half of my chemo coctail. The nurse accesses my port by sticking in a needle connected to an IV tube. Then I sit in here for a few hours and receive meds. After that I'm given a portable pump that I'm hooked-up to for 48 hours to receive the rest of the chemo. I'll repeat this procedure four times and then I'll go through some tests to see how everything is working.
This is what I'm receiving through chemotherapy:
1. Avastin: antibody- protein specific (a.k.a. targets cancer)
2. Oxaliplatin: kills cells...all of them
3. Leucovorin: Vitamin B
4. 5-Fluorouracil: kills cells...all of them...again
It doesn't look like hair loss is one of the side-effects for any of these meds, but Dr. Erlichman said it was a possibility before. I guess we’ll have to see.
There is one side-effect though that is a given. I have to be careful about touching/consuming anything cold. Were I to, for example, touch a cold can of pop, it would feel like I had just stuck my hand in an electrical outlet. If I drank anything colder than room temperature, my throat would constrict and I would have problems breathing and could possibly pass out. I'm writing this as a reminder to myself and as a heads-up to everyone else in case I forget; however, the nurse said I'm not likely to forget after I’ve forgotten once.
Another is the typical mouth sores and such not that’s associated with most chemotherapy. I shouldn’t be nauseous at all since they’re giving me meds for that. Oh, I also got a shot today to help my hemoglobin count. Should resolve the anemic problem.
What else…
My weekend was good. I hung-out with friends and Ben (boyfriend). Saturday we went to Applebee’s, which is always a good time. Then on Sunday, Mom and I traveled to Madison, Wisconsin to the Olbrich Gardens to visit the conservatory and butterfly exhibit. I took my camera along and I’m hoping I got a few good photographs. I’ll load them onto my computer later this evening and see how they turned out. Maybe I’ll post a couple of the good ones.
So now I’m watching Sky High with Mom, Dad, and Ben and starting two more bags of chemicals… simultaneously: the advantages of having a port. =D
Continued thanks for everyone’s support.
~Cheryl
Friday, August 04, 2006
It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Woohoo!! All done with doctors appointments for this weekend. Happiness!
I'm sorry I couldn't update things yesterday. After I got the stent put in I felt like crud. I spent most of the day sleeping, refusing food, feeling nauseous, and just hurting in general. The night didn't go much better: I slept little and hurt much.
Today went lots better. We left home around 5:20 a.m. and went to St. Mary's hospital. I got all checked in and assigned to a room. My parents filled the nurses in that I was having bad cramps and asked if they could give me something for that, which the nurses said they could easily do. So we walked down to the waiting room and I got to lay on a cot and get hooked-up to an IV with this huge needle (I had to have a numbing shot first since I was starting to freak out about getting the IV-needle in my hand). Once the IV was in, the nurse gave me some pain killers and I finally started to relax.
Again we waited, but this time it was my fault since I thought I was getting the port in on the left side and the doctors were saying I was going to get it on the right side. We came to the agreement that it'd just be easier to get it in on the right and I was wheeled into the operating room.
It was scary, but I think I had the nicest bunch of hospital staff ever so it wasn't too bad. The only thing I can complain about was the gels they put under my heels to take pressure off them while I was operated on. The gels were freezing cold, which totally defeated the purpose of giving me a warm blanket when my toes are freezing off. Oh well. I was asleep soon anyway.
The procedure went well. Really well actually. I woke up after the the best sleep I've had in a week and my abdominal cramps were gone and the only pain I feel from port is the type of stiffness you get when you haven't stretched in a while. I had really buttery toast, a sandwhich, and cold water at the hospital for lunch. After that I was just peachy.
Finally, I got X-rays of my abdomen to make sure the cramping wasn't caused by a problem with the stent and then I came home.
So that's my morning. I'm still not sure what to think of the port. It's kind-of odd. I'm thinking of using the scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding about the lump in the neck and finding a twin sister as a story if people ever ask what it is. =P
Monday I start chemo. I'm a little apprehensive, but I figure I'll worry about that when Monday comes and just enjoy my weekend. =D
Talk to you all later.
Thanks again for the cards and comments.
~Cheryl
I'm sorry I couldn't update things yesterday. After I got the stent put in I felt like crud. I spent most of the day sleeping, refusing food, feeling nauseous, and just hurting in general. The night didn't go much better: I slept little and hurt much.
Today went lots better. We left home around 5:20 a.m. and went to St. Mary's hospital. I got all checked in and assigned to a room. My parents filled the nurses in that I was having bad cramps and asked if they could give me something for that, which the nurses said they could easily do. So we walked down to the waiting room and I got to lay on a cot and get hooked-up to an IV with this huge needle (I had to have a numbing shot first since I was starting to freak out about getting the IV-needle in my hand). Once the IV was in, the nurse gave me some pain killers and I finally started to relax.
Again we waited, but this time it was my fault since I thought I was getting the port in on the left side and the doctors were saying I was going to get it on the right side. We came to the agreement that it'd just be easier to get it in on the right and I was wheeled into the operating room.
It was scary, but I think I had the nicest bunch of hospital staff ever so it wasn't too bad. The only thing I can complain about was the gels they put under my heels to take pressure off them while I was operated on. The gels were freezing cold, which totally defeated the purpose of giving me a warm blanket when my toes are freezing off. Oh well. I was asleep soon anyway.
The procedure went well. Really well actually. I woke up after the the best sleep I've had in a week and my abdominal cramps were gone and the only pain I feel from port is the type of stiffness you get when you haven't stretched in a while. I had really buttery toast, a sandwhich, and cold water at the hospital for lunch. After that I was just peachy.
Finally, I got X-rays of my abdomen to make sure the cramping wasn't caused by a problem with the stent and then I came home.
So that's my morning. I'm still not sure what to think of the port. It's kind-of odd. I'm thinking of using the scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding about the lump in the neck and finding a twin sister as a story if people ever ask what it is. =P
Monday I start chemo. I'm a little apprehensive, but I figure I'll worry about that when Monday comes and just enjoy my weekend. =D
Talk to you all later.
Thanks again for the cards and comments.
~Cheryl
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Star of Hope
I was out searching the web tonight to see if colon/rectal cancer had a designated ribbon symbol, like leukemia has the orange ribbon and breast cancer the pink. I stumbled upon this link in my searching. It looks like the symbol for colon/rectal cancer is the blue star. I have it posted there in the sidebar. It makes me happy. Blue is a good color. At least it's not brown. In conclusion, kudos to the thinker with the original thought that the ribbon for colon/rectal should be blue and for coming up with the twist of turning it into the star. Way to think outside the box.
~Cheryl
~Cheryl
Waiting
Today started out pretty well.
I woke up around 8:30 a.m., wandered out into the living, and fell asleep again on the couch until about 10 a.m. Then I had peach pie for breakfast. Nothing beats having pie for breakfast. Well, except for maybe warm lefse with sugar and butter, but it's definitely a close call between the two.
Anyways, I didn't do anything productive for the rest of the morning, so onto what happened at the doctors today...
We met with Dr. Bruining, who reviewed what's going on and the options for what's to come. He told us that the upper CT-scan and bone scan showed that the cancer hasn't visibly spread anywhere else, but that it is definitely in my hip. Then we waited for Dr. Cima. He arrived and told us the options were: A) surgically remove the tumor and postpone chemo a few weeks. B) put in a stent to prevent the tumor from closing and start chemo right away. The end decision was to proceed with getting a stent put in and to start the chemotherapy process.
So we left the Mayo building and headed for the Gonda building to meet with Dr. Erlichman, my oncologist.
This is where the real waiting began. We sat in the office for almost 45 minutes, with only a couple magazines in the room to entertain us. It was like the show Survivor, a test to see how long we could remain patient and not explode out of the door in boredom and ask where the heck Dr. Erlichmen was. Finally Erlichman shows up with his resident in tow. He explains to us what's going to happen with the chemo therapy. It looks like I'll be having a port put in to make injecting the chemo a little easier. Then every two weeks I'm going to be hooked-up to a pump (that's supposedly small enough to fit into a fanny pack so I can be mobile and receive meds at the same time) for 48 hours and receive a dose of four different substances to help battle the cancer. Also, every week I'll be going in to have blood drawn to see if the chemo is helping and to check iron levels.
Doc says I may lose some of my hair, probably not all of it, but then again it just all depends with how I actually react to the treatment. I'm not too concerned about losing my hair. I mean, I like having it on my head, but I've always wondered what the actual shape of my head looks like. If I do start losing my hair though, I will definitely need some guidance from Nikki about how to fashionably tie a bandana on my head because I am completely hopeless when it comes to tying bandanas.
The symptoms I'm most concerned about are the nausea and the pins-and-needles sensation in my fingers. I don't know how well I'll be able to play the piano or saxophone if my fingers feel all funny.
Which brings about another point.
I was so excited for tomorrow because I didn't have any medical appointments planned. I could get up in the morning for my saxophone lesson, even though I haven't practiced, and in the evening I could go to clogging/Irish dance lessons. A normal day. No being poked with needles or having something shoved up my bum, just a relaxing day where I could spend time how I wanted to. But not anymore. They went and scheduled my colonoscopy/insertion-of-stent for 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, the exact time my sax lesson would be ending. To add to that, you get sedated for colonoscopies (though that didn't really work for me last time), so then you aren't supposed to do much in the way of exercising for the rest of the day, which means no dance either. Grr. It would have been nice to have a break just for one day this week. Meh.
However, on a happier note...
I would like to thank Corey, Jon, Missi, and Brandon for sending me the lovely flowers and stuffed animal monkey. Receiving them was truly the highlight of my day.
I would also like to thank Phillipa for sending me the lucky bamboo. It's adorable and I'm sure it'll bring me luck. =D
Another thanks to everybody for your support.
Much love,
Cheryl
I woke up around 8:30 a.m., wandered out into the living, and fell asleep again on the couch until about 10 a.m. Then I had peach pie for breakfast. Nothing beats having pie for breakfast. Well, except for maybe warm lefse with sugar and butter, but it's definitely a close call between the two.
Anyways, I didn't do anything productive for the rest of the morning, so onto what happened at the doctors today...
We met with Dr. Bruining, who reviewed what's going on and the options for what's to come. He told us that the upper CT-scan and bone scan showed that the cancer hasn't visibly spread anywhere else, but that it is definitely in my hip. Then we waited for Dr. Cima. He arrived and told us the options were: A) surgically remove the tumor and postpone chemo a few weeks. B) put in a stent to prevent the tumor from closing and start chemo right away. The end decision was to proceed with getting a stent put in and to start the chemotherapy process.
So we left the Mayo building and headed for the Gonda building to meet with Dr. Erlichman, my oncologist.
This is where the real waiting began. We sat in the office for almost 45 minutes, with only a couple magazines in the room to entertain us. It was like the show Survivor, a test to see how long we could remain patient and not explode out of the door in boredom and ask where the heck Dr. Erlichmen was. Finally Erlichman shows up with his resident in tow. He explains to us what's going to happen with the chemo therapy. It looks like I'll be having a port put in to make injecting the chemo a little easier. Then every two weeks I'm going to be hooked-up to a pump (that's supposedly small enough to fit into a fanny pack so I can be mobile and receive meds at the same time) for 48 hours and receive a dose of four different substances to help battle the cancer. Also, every week I'll be going in to have blood drawn to see if the chemo is helping and to check iron levels.
Doc says I may lose some of my hair, probably not all of it, but then again it just all depends with how I actually react to the treatment. I'm not too concerned about losing my hair. I mean, I like having it on my head, but I've always wondered what the actual shape of my head looks like. If I do start losing my hair though, I will definitely need some guidance from Nikki about how to fashionably tie a bandana on my head because I am completely hopeless when it comes to tying bandanas.
The symptoms I'm most concerned about are the nausea and the pins-and-needles sensation in my fingers. I don't know how well I'll be able to play the piano or saxophone if my fingers feel all funny.
Which brings about another point.
I was so excited for tomorrow because I didn't have any medical appointments planned. I could get up in the morning for my saxophone lesson, even though I haven't practiced, and in the evening I could go to clogging/Irish dance lessons. A normal day. No being poked with needles or having something shoved up my bum, just a relaxing day where I could spend time how I wanted to. But not anymore. They went and scheduled my colonoscopy/insertion-of-stent for 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, the exact time my sax lesson would be ending. To add to that, you get sedated for colonoscopies (though that didn't really work for me last time), so then you aren't supposed to do much in the way of exercising for the rest of the day, which means no dance either. Grr. It would have been nice to have a break just for one day this week. Meh.
However, on a happier note...
I would like to thank Corey, Jon, Missi, and Brandon for sending me the lovely flowers and stuffed animal monkey. Receiving them was truly the highlight of my day.
I would also like to thank Phillipa for sending me the lucky bamboo. It's adorable and I'm sure it'll bring me luck. =D
Another thanks to everybody for your support.
Much love,
Cheryl
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Tuesday of Thee I Sing
Today has gone pretty well.
This morning at 8:30 a.m. I went to the "Section of Nuclear Medicine." There I got an injection to help my bones show up better for a bone scan scheduled for a few hours later. So I got the shot, drank lots of water to make sure I was thoroughly radioactive, went to the bathroom about every two minutes, and did a lot of waiting in the downstairs lobby. Luckily my aunt and uncle brought me a long-sleeved shirt to keep me from freezing while I waited and visited to help pass the time. At 11:30 a.m. it was time for my bone scan. We went back upstairs and met-up with April H. She hung-out with my parents while I had my bone scan.
The bone scan was pretty simple. I went back there and was told to lay still on a table while this machine hovered a couple inches from my face and slowly scanned my entire body. It was kind-a boring since you can't see anything for the first five-ten minutes and whoever runs the section of nuclear medicine has decided that background music isn't necessary. So I laid there for about a half an hour, trying to recite the entirety of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in my head until I could turn my head and watch the digital images the scanner was creating on the monitor beside me. That was cool. It's interesting seeing your skeleton slowly being reproduced on a computer screen. I could easily see my skull, spine, ribs, and hip. My limbs were a bit harder to see, but my bladder was a nice bright, white spot since it was the current center of the radioactive stuff they'd injected me with earlier.
After the bone scan was done Mom, Dad, April, and I went to grab lunch and then we came home.
So, yeah, today has been pretty laid back.
I've worked on my blog most this afternoon, trying to get all the links to work and playing with its template. I ended up with the flowers in the header (I took that picture! =D ) and managed to keep the criss-cross divider beneath it (that was a pain-in-the-butt to figure out).
I've set up a calendar (link to it on the right side-bar). Its main purpose is to help me keep everything neatly organized, but I figure others might like knowing what I have coming up concerning my trips to the doctor.
That's all for now. I think I may be hanging out with some friends later today. Should be fun.
Oh, I want to thank everyone for their supportive comments, emails, and letters. I know that with the strength and love you all share with me that I can give this cancer a run for its money.
Love,
Cheryl
This morning at 8:30 a.m. I went to the "Section of Nuclear Medicine." There I got an injection to help my bones show up better for a bone scan scheduled for a few hours later. So I got the shot, drank lots of water to make sure I was thoroughly radioactive, went to the bathroom about every two minutes, and did a lot of waiting in the downstairs lobby. Luckily my aunt and uncle brought me a long-sleeved shirt to keep me from freezing while I waited and visited to help pass the time. At 11:30 a.m. it was time for my bone scan. We went back upstairs and met-up with April H. She hung-out with my parents while I had my bone scan.
The bone scan was pretty simple. I went back there and was told to lay still on a table while this machine hovered a couple inches from my face and slowly scanned my entire body. It was kind-a boring since you can't see anything for the first five-ten minutes and whoever runs the section of nuclear medicine has decided that background music isn't necessary. So I laid there for about a half an hour, trying to recite the entirety of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in my head until I could turn my head and watch the digital images the scanner was creating on the monitor beside me. That was cool. It's interesting seeing your skeleton slowly being reproduced on a computer screen. I could easily see my skull, spine, ribs, and hip. My limbs were a bit harder to see, but my bladder was a nice bright, white spot since it was the current center of the radioactive stuff they'd injected me with earlier.
After the bone scan was done Mom, Dad, April, and I went to grab lunch and then we came home.
So, yeah, today has been pretty laid back.
I've worked on my blog most this afternoon, trying to get all the links to work and playing with its template. I ended up with the flowers in the header (I took that picture! =D ) and managed to keep the criss-cross divider beneath it (that was a pain-in-the-butt to figure out).
I've set up a calendar (link to it on the right side-bar). Its main purpose is to help me keep everything neatly organized, but I figure others might like knowing what I have coming up concerning my trips to the doctor.
That's all for now. I think I may be hanging out with some friends later today. Should be fun.
Oh, I want to thank everyone for their supportive comments, emails, and letters. I know that with the strength and love you all share with me that I can give this cancer a run for its money.
Love,
Cheryl
Monday, July 31, 2006
A Story
A few of you are already aware of this, but I know the majority are still in the dark. I have a story to share with you and it starts back in December...
I'd first like to say that some elements of this story are sort-a gross. Some of you may like to know them and others not, but I'm including them either way.
Anyways....
Back in December I noticed that my bowel movements were not as they should be (yes, "bowel," as in involving the large intestine and poo). Instead of nice, healthy stools, I was seeing very few stools and quite a bit of blood. So, Mom and I went to the doctors. The doctor examined me a bit and said it was probably constipation. She prescribed me some laxative and I went home embarrased about having to go to the doctors for something as trivial as constipation.
Well, I was taking the laxative and at first it seemed to be working some, but not a whole lot. There was still blood. Eventually I just stopped taking it because it wasn't really doing anything. I proceeded to live the next few months with my irregular bowel movements and bloody stools; afterall, it didn't hurt and didn't seem to be affecting me much in any way.
Now it was about midsummer and I reminded my mother that something still wasn't right with my gut and that we should probably get the problem corrected before I headed off to Iowa State University.
Again we went to the doctors. They ended up referring me to the gastroenterology division where I was examined by a Dr. Loftus, who sent me to have blood drawn, an abdominal X-ray, and collect stool samples (gross, yes, I know). After that was all said and done, Dr. Loftus revealed to me that I had an intestinal colitis and that I was a bit anemic. A colitis is basically an imbalance in the intestine of good and bad bacteria. Nothing too serious. He prescribed me some pills and said to take them four times a day for two weeks. So I did just that. Again, at first they seemed to be doing something, but in the end there was still blood and the stools weren't normal.
I returned to Dr. Loftus for a follow-up appointment. I tell him that something must still be wrong: the medicine didn't work. He said the next step was a colonoscopy and a CT-scan of my lower half. A colonoscopy involves specialized doctors sticking a tube up your bum and examining the inside via a little camera attached to the end of the tube. They also take tissue samples with a minute clamp when need be.
I was awake, yet sedated, for the colonoscopy, so I got to watch what they were doing on the screen. It was weird, but kind-a cool. I remember hearing the doctor during the colonoscopy saying something about an "anomoly." That made me a bit apprehensive when we went to visit Dr. Loftus again.
The news was not good. They had found a tumor. It rings around my large intestine about twelve centimeters up from my rectum. What was more, there are dark spots on my liver. The cancer has probably spread. I still have the colitis and am anemic as well. By the way, the day I learned this was this past Friday, July 28. That was all the details that Dr. Loftus gave me. He referred me to the division of oncology, where they deal with cancer patients to learn more.
So this morning (Monday, July 31) I finally got some concrete details about what's going.
1. Cancer Type: Andocarcinoma
2. Stage: 4
3. Current known locations of cancer: large intestine, liver, and hip
4. Treatment: chemotherapy; possible surgery to remove tumor in intestine
That is what I know so far. Today I had another CT-scan of my upper half to check that it hasn't spread to my lungs and tomorrow I have a bone scan.
I guess we'll see how things go. The doctors have promised me that having a "normal" life is no longer in my future and that my plans for school will probably be altered some.
So that's my story. I hope I didn't gross you out too much, but now you know everything that I know.
I'll be sure to post updates, add useful information, and keep in touch with all of you to answer any questions/comments.
~Cheryl
I'd first like to say that some elements of this story are sort-a gross. Some of you may like to know them and others not, but I'm including them either way.
Anyways....
Back in December I noticed that my bowel movements were not as they should be (yes, "bowel," as in involving the large intestine and poo). Instead of nice, healthy stools, I was seeing very few stools and quite a bit of blood. So, Mom and I went to the doctors. The doctor examined me a bit and said it was probably constipation. She prescribed me some laxative and I went home embarrased about having to go to the doctors for something as trivial as constipation.
Well, I was taking the laxative and at first it seemed to be working some, but not a whole lot. There was still blood. Eventually I just stopped taking it because it wasn't really doing anything. I proceeded to live the next few months with my irregular bowel movements and bloody stools; afterall, it didn't hurt and didn't seem to be affecting me much in any way.
Now it was about midsummer and I reminded my mother that something still wasn't right with my gut and that we should probably get the problem corrected before I headed off to Iowa State University.
Again we went to the doctors. They ended up referring me to the gastroenterology division where I was examined by a Dr. Loftus, who sent me to have blood drawn, an abdominal X-ray, and collect stool samples (gross, yes, I know). After that was all said and done, Dr. Loftus revealed to me that I had an intestinal colitis and that I was a bit anemic. A colitis is basically an imbalance in the intestine of good and bad bacteria. Nothing too serious. He prescribed me some pills and said to take them four times a day for two weeks. So I did just that. Again, at first they seemed to be doing something, but in the end there was still blood and the stools weren't normal.
I returned to Dr. Loftus for a follow-up appointment. I tell him that something must still be wrong: the medicine didn't work. He said the next step was a colonoscopy and a CT-scan of my lower half. A colonoscopy involves specialized doctors sticking a tube up your bum and examining the inside via a little camera attached to the end of the tube. They also take tissue samples with a minute clamp when need be.
I was awake, yet sedated, for the colonoscopy, so I got to watch what they were doing on the screen. It was weird, but kind-a cool. I remember hearing the doctor during the colonoscopy saying something about an "anomoly." That made me a bit apprehensive when we went to visit Dr. Loftus again.
The news was not good. They had found a tumor. It rings around my large intestine about twelve centimeters up from my rectum. What was more, there are dark spots on my liver. The cancer has probably spread. I still have the colitis and am anemic as well. By the way, the day I learned this was this past Friday, July 28. That was all the details that Dr. Loftus gave me. He referred me to the division of oncology, where they deal with cancer patients to learn more.
So this morning (Monday, July 31) I finally got some concrete details about what's going.
1. Cancer Type: Andocarcinoma
2. Stage: 4
3. Current known locations of cancer: large intestine, liver, and hip
4. Treatment: chemotherapy; possible surgery to remove tumor in intestine
That is what I know so far. Today I had another CT-scan of my upper half to check that it hasn't spread to my lungs and tomorrow I have a bone scan.
I guess we'll see how things go. The doctors have promised me that having a "normal" life is no longer in my future and that my plans for school will probably be altered some.
So that's my story. I hope I didn't gross you out too much, but now you know everything that I know.
I'll be sure to post updates, add useful information, and keep in touch with all of you to answer any questions/comments.
~Cheryl
Hello World
Well, I've finally caved in and gotten myself a blog. I don't know how much I'll use it as an online diary verses just using it to keep people informed. So this is it. This is my blog. Hello, World.
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