Okay, things are going pretty good right now, but I'm wondering if there can be anything that goes smoothly without a hitch or does every aspect of this experience have to have some drama to it?
Monday I returned to the Cancer Treatment Center and had the dressing changed on the picc line. That went fast and easy, except that the area around the picc line was feeling sore. When the nurse removed the old dressing there was some bruising and swelling. She called another nurse over and they decided it was because the old dressing was on so tightly - they called it a pressure dressing (that was put on by the ultrasound tech when the picc line was inserted, I'm sure to keep it from bleeding.) Anyway, they felt it was okay and put another dressing on my arm and I went on my merry way.
As the days went by it didn't start feeling better, but worse. That brings me to today, my 10 days after chemo oncologist visit. The oncologist's nurse, Joan, decided (I don't know what happened to Mary, but wherever she is, she can stay there- Joan is a million times better and nicer and on the ball!) to change the dressing again and replace the plastic tape with clothe. It feels a lot better when I move my arm around! Then the onc gave me an antibiotic because my arm is actually a little red, swollen and warm. If it doesn't get better in a few days or gets worse I have to go back and have an ultrasound to make sure there isn't a clot, of all things.
Besides all that, though, things are going well. I'm feeling pretty good, if tired easily (when I am not these days?) and my blood counts were actually good this time. In fact, this particular cycle I'm doing better than I have after any of the treatments. The onc even joked that we seem to have fixed my kidneys as my creatinine is better than it has been since I started. I secretly suspect that part of it is knowing that the chemo is almost over. With only one treatment left I'm anticipating how I'm going to feel when they stop pumping poison through my body.
Somehow I managed to get the onc to talk about what happens after my next (AND LAST) chemo. He said he planned to discuss that the next time (remember he has his plan of how it all should go, but I haven't had the courtesy of following the plan very well). But he relented and answered my questions today.
My questions involved any further diagnostic tests and such. I mean, how do I know there isn't anything left in my neck? The surgeon couldn't remove that lymph node when he took all the rest. And one of the CT reports mentioned possible mets on the chest wall. (The onc said the radiologist was "wishy-washy" about whether there was anything there or not). Long story short, after radiation he and the radiation onc will get together and discuss it. I'll probably have some CT scans to establish a base line to go by in case I ever start having symptoms of recurrence. Remember, the tests can't pick up everything - only mets big enough to see. Then I'll be on a schedule of seeing the onc every three months for probably the next three years then maybe just every four months for I don't know how long after that, assuming I don't develop any more cancer in the meantime. This will fit right in to my doc filled lifestyle as I already have blood work every three months and visit the nephrologist every six months for my PKD. Some people (they must be sick) like seeing doctors all the time. I don't. I hate it.
The good thing that happened: I went to Dillards and the nice lady there helped me find a bra with pockets and inserts that I can wear to balance out my breast asymmetry. Now if I want to look even, I can.
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