Back to Work

Yesterday, the first time in about five weeks, I worked. Yeah!!! I did P.E. (gym). I had five classes. I was the pitcher for kickball for two classes, and the other three I watched them play "Chicken and the Fox". I was tired come the end of the day. There were stairs to get down into and out of the gym at this school. I asked the Lord to let me be on the first floor every day this week. After school, I went to get my injection. My blood counts are good. My white count is up. Thank your for your prayers in this area. I took a nap after a got home.

I didn't work today. I had an interview this afternoon, to be a tutor at one of the elementary schools. It is for 24 hours a week, four days. Should find out next week, the result of the interview.

Saw my brother Sunday after church. When I got there, my parents, grandma, Todd and one of the workers from the group home were there. As usual, Timmy had to wear my coat and my watch. I purposely wore my jingle bell on Sunday, and I put that on my brother. He is doing good.

I went to the mall on Saturday, and did a bit of shopping.

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a Happy Turkey everybody. Think of something you are thankful for. Psalm 100

Low Dose: Injections

I started the low dose of my treatment this morning. I will get the injections 3times a week for the next 48 weeks (11 months). This week, I am getting it in the morning, and starting next week, afternoons, unless I don't sub, or have a doctor's appointment. Fridays, my port will be accessed, so that blood could be drawn to check my blood counts.

When I get my injection, my vitals are taken first, then I am given two Tylenol, then I decide where I want the injection, an arm or my stomach.

I took a short nap this afternoon, and my stomach bothered me a lot. I think part of that was because I was hungry come supper time, I skipped lunch.

My brother was discharged from the hospital this morning and taken over to the nursing home. He will be there, until his right index finger has closed on its own. When his finger has healed, then he will go back to the group home. He is getting his anti-biotics through his feeding tube. I will see him this Friday after getting my treatment.

Onc Visit

This morning, I had a appointment to see my onc. He had blood drawn this morning, because my white blood count was at 1.9 Friday morning. This morning, my white blood count was down to 1.8. I was supposed to start the injections this morning, but I received a reprieve, no injection. Over at OP Oncology, they weren't expecting me for the injections. The pharmacist has to order the interferon, so I will start my injections Wednesday morning. Next week, or the week after, I will get them in the afternoon, instead of in the morning. I will receive injections Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and have blood drawn on Fridays. A needle will be inserted into my port, so blood can be drawn, on Fridays, and removed afterwards.

My onc, said it was okay to go and see my brother at the hospital. I haven't seen him in 2 1/2 months. He was sleeping, so we woke him up. It was so good to see my brother. We gave each other hugs and kisses. I read two books to him. I sang "Jesus Loves Me" to him, and took him for a short walk. The sitter, said after my parents left yesterday, Timmy had tears running down his face. He was quiet today. I know, he was glad to see me, because he has missed me.

My brother is still in the hospital. The people in charge of the group home, don't want him at the group home, as long as his finger is open. It is healing, and is in the process of closing up on its own. They are waiting for some paper from the state to show up. When it does, then he will go to the nursing home. But, because this paper is coming from the state, my mom is hoping it takes a long time for it arrive, so that by that time, his finger will be healed, and he won't go to the nursing home, but back to the group home where he lives.

I didn't go to church again yesterday. My stomach bothered me all weekend. I took a anti-nausea pill Friday night after supper, yesterday morning after breakfast and again last night before bed. I went back to bed yesterday morning about 8:30 and slept til after 1 pm. I hope to go to church Wednesday night, but we will see.

Finished

I finished the high dose of Interferon this morning!!!!!!!!!!!! No more IV treatment!!!!!!!!!!! I will start the injections on Monday.

Good Days

I have had two good days. I did take a nap yesterday and two today, but I've been awake both days. It is good to be awake, not sleeping for hours on end. I was able to work on my Beth Moore Bible study both days. I did take an anti-nausea pill this morning after eating breakfast. Even Timmy had a good day today. He was sleeping naturally this afternoon when Dad went to see him. He wasn't sleeping because of drugs.

My blood counts are good again. I have two more days of the high dose! Yeah!!!
I will see my onc next Monday, and I start the injections that day. I saw my surgeon this morning. The resident felt my thigh and she said it felt warm, and looks red. She told me if the redness increases on my thigh in the next couple of days, then I am to fill the prescription for anti-biotic.

Yesterday, I went to see one of the fitters of my stocking, and she kept it to send it back, to have a silicone strip added to it. She thinks hopefully this will help keep it up, and not fall down. I go back to see the surgeon in a month.

My brother left ICU on Monday. He is getting over pneumonia. He is going to a nursing home in the next couple of days, because his finger is still open, and visiting nurse won't go to the group home to change the bandage 3x a day. I guess it is draining. He is going to be able to get the antibiotics through his feeding tube.

Every time my parents go to see him, he is sleeping. I keep telling them he is protesting, because they won't let me go see him. He would be awake if I was to go and see him. I'm saying that. It would be funny, if it was true.

More on Timmy

The phone rang around 7am this morning, to let my mom know that Timmy didn't have a good night. He is running a fever, and having a hard time breathing. He was put on oxygen. By the time, mom got to the hospital later this morning, Timmy had been moved to ICU, and they didn't tell mom. My baby brother is not doing well at all. Dad went by this afternoon, and Timmy had to be given something make him sleep, so they could take his blood pressure. He was kicking about and not co-operating.

I told the Lord, that if he was going to take my baby home, to please allow me to go and see him and tell him bye in person. I am not ready to give him up. I still need him in my life.

The doctors are not sure what caused Timmy to get a fever and have problems breathing. Please keep him in your prayers.

I took an anti-nausea pill this morning, and it made me sleepy, where I slept off and on from 9:30-3:30. I have one week left of the high dose. I am so looking forward to that. On Monday afternoon, going to the place where I got my stocking to see if they can look at it, and let me know if I put it on correctly or not, and how to keep it from falling down.

Day #14 and Timmy

Today was a good day for me. I did not need to take any anti-nausea medicine. I did take a pain pill this afternoon, because of my headache. I was awake all afternoon, even though I did take a nap late this afternoon. My mom thinks I caught a bug of some sort, that is why I slept all afternoon, and I had a fever Tuesday night. I also did take anti-nausea pills all of those days, too. I have a new one, and this one can make me drowsy.

We picked up my stocking yesterday afternoon. Didn't put it on, until this morning, because of there being less swelling in the morning. The stocking is hard to put on. There is a belt that goes around my waist. It doesn't feel too bad, except for on upper thigh. My thigh hurts, and the stocking doesn't help matters. The stocking doesn't want to stay up on my inner/upper thigh. I am constantly having to pull it back up. I do not have to wear the stocking at night, but for now I will, because of needing help to pull it on. The stocking helps with keeping the swelling down.

I have another update on my precious baby brother. (My mom hates it when I call him baby. he is the youngest of us three kids, so he is the baby.) Timmy has a non-contagious staph infection in his right index finger, and it went into his tendon, but not the bone. That is good news. That is why he has to have six weeks of IV antibiotic. He will receive the antibiotic every eight hours. For now, he is staying in the hospital. Next Wednesday, we have an appointment to go check out a nursing home, to see if we like that place, and to make sure they will have somebody one on one with him 24/7. They said that they are willing to do so. Mom is going to see if Tim can still go to the workshop during the day, since he gets the medicine every 8 hours. His hours at school (workshop) is from 10-4. He can't go back to the group home, because they do not have a nurse who can give Tim his IV. Once this treatment is finished, and the doctor gives his okay, then Timmy will go back to the group home that he lives in. Hopefully, I will be able to go see him in a couple of weeks.

Father, thank you for allowing me to write some good things tonight, not just bad things. Thank you for the good day I had. Thank you that Timmy's infection didn't go into his bone, but stopped at the tendon. Please wrap your arms of comfort around him, and let him know that you are there. You know how much I still need him in my life.

Timmy and Interferon

First, I watn to talk about my brother. If you scroll down my blog, there is a pic on the side of me and my brother. My brother is the baby of the three of us kids, and he means teh world to me. Because of my cancer, I havne't seen him as much as I would. We recieved a few phone calls Monday night about Timmy. The first one around 7pm, was to let my mom know that Timmy had been taken to the hospital and was being admitted to the hospital. When Timmy came home from the workshop (school) in the afternoon, his right index finger was swollen about 4x its normal size. (Timmy sucks his fingers from either hand, and has all of his life. He has a couple of fingers, a little swollen, a littl yellow and gross looking.) Turns out, he has an infection in his right index finger. Timmy had surgery late Monday night, like around midnight.

Mom stopped by the hospital yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon to see him. My heart goes out to him. His arm and hand are wrapped up, and his arm was elevated and hanging from some chain. The surgeon, cut open his finger and went down to his palm, to clean and scrape out the infection, and pour antibiotics through it. His finger is still cut open.

Timmy doesn't keep IVs in, so somebody called the house today, to get permission to put a PICC line or a port into Timmy so they can do a six week treatment of antibiotics through the IV. During this time, Timmy will be in the hospital. That is right, he will stay in the hospital for six weeks. As of now, I am not allowed to go see him. They supposed to tell my mom tomorrow, what type of infection he has. With my immune system being compromised by the Interferon, and with him having an infection, mom doesn't want me to catch anything.

Please keep him in your prayers. My mom did take a bag full of books to the hospital yesterday, so they have something to read to him. He does have a sitter, who is in the room 24/7, so he doesn't get out of bed, try to pull anything out, etc.

I now have 7 days of the high dose left to recieve. I am taking an antibiotic this week, one per day, and recieved more anti-nausea pills. The new anti-nausea pills makes me sleepy. I have been extremely fatigued this week. I sleep most of the afternoon. Twice so far, I've had the shakes. Yesterday morning, I took my temp and it was 100.2 F. I didn't go to Biblestudy last night, I couldn't keep my head up during supper. I couldn't get any more sleep after supper, even though I did try. I ended up running a fever. Like around 7 pm, I took my temp, because I was so warm. My temp was 101.1F. I called the doctor, like I was told to. My onc was paged, and he called me back. He asked me some questions, and I answered no to them. My onc said to take Tylenol, and my fever was due to the Interferon. Two hours later, it was at 99.5 F. This morning, it was at 99.4 F. I had to have blood drawn and send to the lab to check my blood count, and everything was fine, so thye started my treatment after 10:30 am. I am slightly warm now. Now you can see, as to why my mom said I can't go see my brother.

Thank you for your prayers.

Day #11

The nurse didn't start to get me ready for treatment today until a little before 10 am. She waited so long, because she called my onc, and had to talk to him first. I told the nurse, I saw a bit of blood in my urine on Saturday, and that it hurt at different times when I went to the bathroom. My onc told the nurse for me to give a urine sample, to have it tested to see if I might have an infection. Then when I was finished, I was supposed to stop by his office to pick up some more anti-nausea pills, and a prescription. I was given a different type of anti-nausea pills, and five samples of an antibiotic to take, one a day for five days. This is precaution, in case I did come down with an infection.

I received results from my blood work. My white blood count is still low, but it did go from 1.9 to 2.0. The two word one, that begins with a "n" and a "p" went up 10 points from 22 to 32. They also look at my live enzymes, and they seemed high, but still within level to receive my treatment. I still received 49 million units of Interferon.

I will find out tomorrow the results of the urine test, and I will ask for a copy of my blood tests.

I spent most of the afternoon sleeping. First in the car, because mom had some jobs to do, and we didn't get home till almost 3 pm. Then I slept off and on till almost 5:30 pm. I became cold, and needed a second blanket to cover up with. I even started to shake a bit this afternoon.

Yesterday, I bought some Crystal Light Hydration to go packets, with lemon flavoring. I have used two of them today, and I like the taste it gives the water. They are for my bottles of water. But, what really needs them are the glasses of water I drink here at home.

Mom is making soup tonight. I love our homemade soup. I am still tired, probably will go to bed early, or pull one of my dad's tricks and fall asleep while watching tv.

End of Week 2

Today, I finished week 2, which marks the halfway point in receiving the high dose of Interferon. I have been tired all week. I have taken a nap just about every day. My naps are between 30-60 minutes in length only. I was in bed early at the beginning of the week. I still have had headaches, but nothing like last week's. My stomach has been bothering me all week. The nurse told me to go ahead and start taking the anti-nausea pills I have. They can only be taken 1 every 12 hours as needed. At different times, I feel like I could possible throw up. Everyday, I get closer and closer to throwing up.

I had blood drawn this morning. I will find out on Monday, what my blood count levels say. If they dropped anymore, then the amount of Interferon I receive will change for next week. I spend the majority of the afternoons in my dad's recliner resting, before I get onto the computer.

I saw my onc yesterday. I saw the surgeon this morning, after my treatment. He said the hardness I feel is normal, it is scar tissue. It will take up to a year, for it to soften and get smaller. They didn't make me feel stupid about wanting to come in and see them. I will see the surgeon again on the 14th. It has now been a week, since I was measured for my custom made stocking. Should be getting it soon.

I saw 4 people from my past this week, and three back in September. Those are little gifts from God.

I truly believe that the reason my side effects haven't been worse than what they are, are due to all the people across the country who are praying for me. This is God listening to their prayers and answering them. Lord, thank you for listening and answering all of their prayers.