Sickness in the House

Ultrasound, Fourth of July, New Chemo Drugs

Ultrasound

Friday, July 1st

The ultrasound went great!  They were running behind, so I was starting to get frustrated.  Only because I was going to take my mom some lunch afterwards.  I didn't want her to have to wait too long for her KFC.  The doctor who read the results was very happy with what she saw.  The big tumor has shrunk to 2.5cm.  Since it started at 5cm, we are on the right track.  We are halfway through treatment and it has shrunk in half.  I will post the medical jargon at the end.

I left there and grabbed lunch for me and mom and headed south.  Had a great lunch and visit with her and dad. She is getting in-patient rehab in the same place my grandma is living.  So, I was able to go down the hall and visit her, as well.  It was an all around good day!

Holiday Weekend

Friday, July 1st through Monday, July 4th

We had a great gathering of the Roth family on Sunday at the farm.  The great conversation and wonderful food were great but, Robert blew it out of the water with his fireworks display.  

On Monday, I was able to meet up with my friend Brie while she was in town.  It had been years since we saw each other!  We wanted to get our nails done and then go for coffee or something, but apparently every nail salon was closed for the holiday.  We drove around a bit and then decided to stop at Fitz's Root Beer for some food and a root beer float.  We sat for hours and just caught up on family life.


On the way home, I got a message from my husband with this picture:



Yep!  He melted the bottom of my R2D2 Instant Pot!  He says he is innocent and R2D2 did it to himself.  What do you all think?


Chemo Day

Friday, July 8th

This new round of chemo medications is very different.  On of the medications has to be administered via a syringe over 15 minutes, so it is a great time to get to know your nurses!  Another big difference is the new accessory I get to wear for 24 hours after I leave.

I had them put it on my right arm.  It was a big mistake when you normally fall asleep on your right side.  I really didn't think that one through.  You also don't realize how close you get to door frames untill you have something sticking out!  It dispursed it's medicine the next day and Robert took it off like the good nurse he is.

The weekend wen't well.  Nothing exciting to report, but the next week was a little more challenging.  The doctor even told us to expect more side effects, especially nausea and fatigue.  He thought the first week would be the worst, but then I would get two good weeks before I had to start again.  He was right one the money.  This was the first time I really felt like I needed to keep the Zofran very close.  As long as I sat still, I was okay.  If I tried to do anything for more than a few minutes, it would trigger the nausea.  The next two weeks were just fine.

Chemo Day

Friday, July 29th

Second verse...same as the first!  Here is a peek of the 15 minute syringe.  I don't think I said earlier, but the color is very disturbing.  It's like they are injecting red Kool-aid into my system.  The drug itself is nicknamed the "Red Devil," so that doesn't help!



The weekend continued with celebrations for Melissa's 21st birthday.  I hope she had a great time with all of us old folks.

The next two weeks were pretty much radio silence for me.  On Sunday, Robert started getting sick.  I only knew how bad it was because he stayed home from work on Monday and Tuesday.  Anyone that knows him, knows that is bad!  He did take a "C" test so we could at least know if we were dealing with that.
On Wednesday, August 3rd, I started getting sick.  It started with a sore throat over night, but I thought it was short lived.  The sore throat was, but I got increasingly worse.  It really just seemed like a bad cold, so I messaged the doctor and just contined with normal cold remedies through the weekend.  By Monday, the cough was bad and I was fairly certain it was bronchitis.  I called my PCP to see if they could see me.  After instructions to take a "C" test and message my doctor, I waited patiently for her to message me back.  I didn't hear from her until late on Monday with instructions to call first thing in the morning.  Started the same routine for day two. "C" test was negative again, but this time they responded faster and scheduled me for later that morning.  She wasn't too concerned, but let me know we would do a chest x-ray if it got any worse.  She prescibed an inhaler and that helped with the big coughing fits.
I missed the whole week of work, there was just no way I could do anything.  From bed to couch was my routine.  Our anniversary was the following Friday and I just didn't feel well enough to even go out for dinner.  Anyone who knows me, knows it is bad when I miss a good date night.  I was starting to feel a little better, but the cough still sounded horrible, so I didn't want to put people in a panic mode thinking I was giving them the "C."

Monday, August 16th 

A sneaky visitor on our deck:

Wednesday, August 17th

Met with the oncologist.  Pretty much the same as last time.  He is still happy with everything.  He was a little worried about the cough still hanging around and prescribed me a Z-Pack.  I knew that would help clear it up and it did.  Not as fast as in the past, but by the weekend I was much better.  The cough is going to hang around for a bit, but at least I don't feel bad.

Chemo Day

Friday, August 19th

Second to last chemo day!  I was a little worried it might get pushed of thanks to the cough, but all was good and we had a pretty unevenful day.  As we were walking out, I took a picture of the bell you ring when you are done with chemo.  I will happily ring it three weeks from now!


The following week was the start of a new semester.  I run one of our regional learning centers, so I really felt the need to be at work.  I didn't do nine hour days, but I did make it in for a good portion of each day.

A few things to note:

  • This blog was all over the place.  When you don't update for over a month, you tend to forget what happened in your life.  I know I missed things!
  • If you want to see the medical jargon from the ultrasound.  It will be posted below.
  • At the point of writing this, I only have one more chemo treatment.
  • I am excited to ring the bell even though we are not finished.
  • I meet with the surgeon tomorrow and can't wait to get a better idea of a timeline to completion. (Surgery and then radiation.)
  • It is really hard to make plans with anyone when you don't know what to expect.


Medical Jargon Alert:

IMPRESSION:
1. Biopsy-proven malignant mass in the right breast at the 2:00
position, 4 cm from nipple has decreased in size, compatible with
treatment response. This is no longer palpable per patient.
2. Decreased size of adenopathy, with single node containing biopsy
clip now borderline enlarged.
3. Other benign masses at the 9:00 and 8:00 position are stable or
decreased in size.
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Continued oncologic and surgical follow-up for biopsy-proven right
breast malignancy.
OVERALL FINAL ASSESSMENT: BI-RADS CATEGORY 6 - Known biopsy proven
malignancy, appropriate action should be taken

Thank you all for joining me on this ride!  I appreciate you all!
Ricki

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