Good afternoon!
Well, it took me a few days to wash all that laundry and I still haven't put away one single thing. Everything was clean and that is what mattered.
We had snow...
...a few times.
The Critter Cafe has been very busy.
As soon as the snow flies the birds know where to come for a meal. ;)
I look forward to seeing the partridges all winter.
****
Well, was another exhausting week...but am eating and drinking again! Gained four pounds! Never thought I'd be so happy to hear I had gained weight--LOL!
Monday
Had an appointment with Dr. McCune, an oncologist I hadn't met yet. Got a Friday hydration infusion set up. As far as the CTScan went my cancer tumors had shrunk a little but they also saw something in my bladder. So he let my surgeon (Dr. Regender) know and left it up to her to decide what to do about it.
Tuesday
I decided to focus on eating the soft, creamy stuff that coats my stomach (like soups and mashed potatoes that worked well in the hospital). For some reason baked fish went down well in the hospital, too. My guts have been super touchy about grease and fat. (Maybe the gallstones?) Leah went to Costco and picked me up some fish to bake and some Keto bread. Later on Dagan picked up a Cashwise order for me with some canned soups and potatoes. Thrilled to be able to eat and keep things down. Still have to be careful what I eat and how much at a time, but I'm able to eat and drink!
Wednesday
Any day I don't have an appointment I am spending it sleeping, eating, resting...just a zombie woman.
I can't remember which day but I heard from Dr. Regender that she does want to take a look inside my bladder. I am not looking forward to this at all. Will be awake for this procedure. Awk! Thursday the 18th.
Thursday
I had a hospital follow-up visit with my regular doctor's. Dr. Kessler was booked up so I saw the nurse practitioner. That's when I found out I had gained 4 lbs! So nice to give her a positive report that things seem to have turned around finally.
Leah and the boys waited in the car for the short dr visit. I wrote letters back to the boys for them to read in the car. Just nice to see them!
Friday
I had labwork and a hydration infusion. The weird thing that happened...well, my legs have been feeling really strange for weeks, actually. Kind of tingly and numb-ish. Why I needed a wheelchair the week before. I thought I was doing okay but when they called my name I couldn't get out of the chair! It was like I had no feeling in my legs and no strength at all. Leah and the nurse had to pull me up.
I couldn't ignore the tingly weirdness anymore. Leah mentioned neuropathy. I googled it and right away several cancer sights came up. Peripheral neuropathy is another side effect people can get from chemo. What next, eh? Now I will have to tell Dr. Kobrossy about that when I see him this Friday.
Anyways, Leah came over after the clinic. She made a trip to Cashwise to stock up on soups and potatoes since they have been working well. (We didn't want to buy up a bunch if I was going to barf them up.) I am temporarily bending the Keto diet. Whatever works.
We also had a leaky trash bag mess that Dagan came over later after the boys went to bed and cleaned that up for me. Would have likely made Leah barf.
Saturday and Sunday
Hungry, sleeping a lot, zombie woman.
That was my week,
Now that we have to see what Dr. Regender finds in my bladder on Thursday...immunotherapy has been postponed for another week. I will go in for labs and possibly hydration this Friday...and a check-in with Kobrossy.
Oh, and I forgot to tell you what another Dr. Regender (my surgeon's father who is a gut doctor) told me in a hospital visit. Made the most sense of anything I have heard. He said all of the issues I was having were a direct result of the chemo. Chemo attacks fast multiplying cells and there are fast multipling cells all up and down the GI tract. My guts had been attacked. So, I am taking probiotics and eating yogurt, too.
BIG NEWS!!
The big exciting news I can finally tell you--
Dagan and Leah are having another baby!!
Leah's due the beginning of June.
They had been kind of leaving it up to fate...but, being as Liam just turned four, had thought it wasn't going to happen. Surprise! I pray all goes well and we're looking forward to an addition to the family. The boys are excited! We're all excited!
On that happy note...till next week...:) :) :)
19 comments:
Get as much rest as you can. It sounds like you have a good team of doctors. Congratulations on the new baby.
Such good news was in this post, Rita. Glad that you have been able to eat some foods without feeling sick, but not so good news about the possible neuropathy. great news about the forthcoming new McFamily addition. Wonder if everyone is hopeing for a little girl this time? Sleeping and resting are good things too and glad you are home and getting to both. :aundry is never fun and I spent time today doing ours. So nice when it's done. Our clothes are folded but not yet put away, so you are not alone, my friend!
This is all good news, Rita. Gaining weight is a good thing after all that time not keeping anything down. I have been sending you healing energy from the Medicine Buddha every morning in my meditation. It is for all living beings, but I mention you by name. Perhaps the Buddha is having an effect. Love you so much, and thank you for the good news. Yay to McFamily! :-)
Great news about a new baby! Hope all goes well for McFamily! Hope the procedure on Thursday is not a big deal...and that you get started on immunotherapy soon. Hope the neuropathy problem just goes away...better be sure to tell the Dr about it. Make a list with all your questions and I am so glad you can keep things down again! :)
Sounds like you are on the road to discovering what is keeping you from eating and keeping food down, which is great news. So happy to read you are going to be a grandmother again, dear. Wonderful news.
I'm so glad to hear you can eat some now. Hopefully that will make a big difference in how you feel. I'll be thinking of you Thursday. I have had some tests on my bladder that included looking in it like that and I remember that I was numb locally so it was not too bad. I hope it will be easy for you as you've had enough to deal with!
Congratulations to Dagan, Leah, you and the boys on the coming new baby! How exciting for all of you! That is wonderful news!
That is wonderful news for Dagan and Leah, and the entire family! That will be something to look forward to for sure. I am glad that you are eating more and keeping things down. I hope that you continue to have lots of good news. See you again soon!
Glimmers of hope, food staying down, and a new baby on the way. Given all that has happened of late, a great week.
Good to hear that you are able to eat and drink again (within reason) and that your doctors appear to be working together to help you. Hope that the immunotherapy may begin as soon as you are back to reasonable strength. News about the new baby had me saying, "Oh, Wow!" out loud with a big smile on my face as I read it. Can only imagine how it lifts your heart. Now I know why Leah might have barfed at the spilled garbage. All the best to each one of you. :)
Good news there at the end and pretty well all of the rest too. If the systoscopy is as easy for women as for men, it won’t be difficult Well that was the case for me anyway.
I'm glad your critter cafe is continuing to provide enjoyment :) Congrats on the weight gain. Hoorah!
That's not being a zombie, that's taking your ease :) A wonderful plan as you are able to give your body and spirit healing energy.
Congrats on the baby news!
Bloody good photos, bloody great news about the new bub that's on its way, what a week medicial and health wise
Oh, my goodness! A third grandchild! That's so exciting. Putting on four pounds is something to celebrate. It's strange to see snow. Carol showed me a text from her granddaughter in Milwaukee. She had taken a screenshot of the forecast. It said 16 degrees with an 80 percent chance of snow. I would not do well with the cold after 12 years in Florida, but I find it gets chillier here each winter. I'm sure it's because of climate change but cool weather also has a stronger effect on me after the heat. Let me know, please, about what happens on Thursday.
Love,
Janie
Much love to you Rita !Always in my thoughts...
Sounds like a mixed week with your health. I'm happy to hear about all the positives...and hope that the challenges - like with your legs - are ones that can be solved soon. Looks like you got a similar snow coverage as we did here. Not much...but certainly a touch of winter. Congratulations on being a grandma again! That is so exciting that Dagan and Leah will have another child...and that the boys will have another little brother or sister to play with.
So exciting about the baby! Probiotics are my best friend. Without them I'd be in a world of trouble. I have found with my GI issues the intermittent fasting works well as it gives my guts time to catch up with new food coming in. Oh... and on Tuesday... yes definitely could be gallstones. Watch that... gall stones are literally what damn near killed me 7 years ago. Shut down all my organs and gave me a mild heart attack.
Rita, I left a comment but somehow I think it got lost so just know how happy I am for you and how glad that some of the mystery of all of this cleared up a little with that doctor’s comment about the gut. How wonderful that both your grandsons are now going to be big brothers. Peace.
Super blog
Thinking of you today! Wondering how you are feeling!
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