A report on last chemotherapy

 

Just a short post to say I  pulled off yesterday - my last official chemotherapy - in fine order. Met with the oncologist to talk about the future. It is looking much brighter. Like I am ready to feel human again.

Next week I come back to the clinic to start new infusions. These will be once every three weeks and they will not have any chemo drugs in them, only the healthy good stuff to continue attacking any remaining cancer. They have no bad side effects. I continue these infusions until next November. That's when I can hopefully ring my celebratory bell.  I've had my bell rung quite a bit this year. Time to ring theirs!!!!

I discovered my very sore fingernails and toenails should start improving next week after the toxic drugs clean out, and my energy should start returning along with my hair. How wonderful and grateful I am for these new pieces of information. It's the small things that make such a difference. So much I am thankful for these days. I am so blessed that God has been by my side through this whole process.

The oncologist also gave me permission to get an appointment for tooth removal next week. Will set that up today. I have never been so excited to have a tooth extracted! After that is done, I may just do some celebrating!!! I just pray it will not get infected. Since my blood work is better, it will hopefully heal well.

So that is my update. Just keeping you in the loop. Have a marvelous day today and everyday.

Signing off as I enjoy a standup sewing day, The quilting cancer girl

The hardest week

I look ahead, and the finish line for this intense chemotherapy event is on the horizon. You keep cheering me on; God continues to hold my hand. I am so grateful for every bit of support. Thank you for being there...because this past week was the hardest week so far, next to Christmas week. I am enjoying the birds at the feeder though. They give me hope for better days.

If you need a mental image of what I am feeling, ponder the cross country skiing in the Olympics. Each skier came over the hill above the finish line. With their ski poles digging into the snow, they kept on keeping on, one stroke at a time. The end was in sight. 

Huffing and puffing and pushing themselves to finish, each winning skier found a spark deep inside that inspired their 'never give up' determination. And once they crossed the finish line, they collapsed in the snow, having given their sport every bit of energy and muscle they could muster. They wanted a win and drove themselves to finish. What an accomplishment! Each one earned my admiration.

Well, I can see the chemotherapy finish line. My last treatment is tomorrow morning. Ta dah! But the true finish isn't really until maybe two or three weeks later when the drugs slowly begin to dissolve and disappear from my system. Then I will celebrate as I recover 'me' from the gray days of these past six months.

I have been feeling very weak. It is an effort to do almost anything. My breathing is labored. My fingers and toes still hurt. My eyes and nose run continuously; my appetite is so-so. I am totally fatigued. And I'm struggling with that voodoo doll feeling where someone 'out there' is stabbing 'my doll' with pins and making me twitch. Nurses tell me that is a side effect of the Benadryl. And I'm thinking no Olympic skier had to manage all that!

So as I tackle my last infusion tomorrow, pray with me that this coming week is not as difficult as last. And hang in there as I go through the 'withdrawal' to the toxic drugs in my system. It's not over yet. I focus on the daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and crocuses that are peeking through the ground. By the time they are in full bloom, perhaps I will be recovering my spark as well. 

One thing that will definitely help is having my bad tooth removed. Finally, I am on an antibiotic for that, but am told that I still have to wait a few more weeks for an extraction. 

That tooth makes my head hurt constantly. But I'm hopeful. I meet with the oncologist tomorrow morning before my last infusion, and I plan to plead with him that he give his permission for an earlier extraction. It could certainly help me cruise into that finish line...and then I will collapse in winner mode with grace and ease...ready to face the surgery and possible radiation ahead. One step at a time.

Signing out in Olympic style, The quilting cancer girl

The miracle of quilts

This morning I about crawled into the clinic for my infusion. Last week as you may remember I had my last heavy infusion, and it indeed leveled me. When the steroids wore off on Wednesday, I crashed and stayed crashed through Sunday, although I managed to teach Sewing Club, two classes and attend a staff meeting. Good for me! Family and friends reminded me: This will pass.

Tonight I am doing slightly better. I slept after my lighter infusion until almost four. Talked with a dear friend that cheered me. Had a t-shirt delivery and conversation with a client wanting a graduation quilt in May. Pulled soup out of the freezer. Cooked supper, and then walked Claire in a slow walk around the block. Not bad, if I say so myself.

I used my walk time to pray. In light of our world situation, I stayed in the moment, grateful for the freedom to walk our streets and feel safe. Thank you, God. Thank you. I took time to appreciate simple things like sidewalks and trees and quiet skies. I stopped while Claire did her duties and closed my eyes, grateful for the peace we have here. We are so fortunate.

Thought about a Ukraine story I heard this morning on the news. When bombs destroyed a home in the night and the windows were blown out, shards of glass killed all in the family except the mother. She stayed in bed, snuggled under thick quilts and blankets, and she lived. The shards of glass stuck into her quilts, leaving her untouched.. And, with that woman, I say thank you for the miracle of quilts. 

So today was a day of thanks and gratitude. I have a temporary reprieve from the lack of stand up days last week. Sleep has given my body what it needed...rest.  My taste buds are working again. Hallelujah! I learned that amber Listerine mixed with cider vinegar is a good soak for my fingernails. And because of the steroids, I have momentary energy. Best of all, I am beyond grateful that I live in the United States of America where health, safety, human beings, and quilts are a treasured part of our peace. I will enjoy every moment.

Signing off tonight with the hope of sewing tomorrow, The quilting cancer girl

Taxing my sense of humor

Throughout this adventure, I maintained how every week of chemotherapy is different. It is how my recipe of drugs affects my body. It is how my chemo drugs have accumulated in my system, and what reaction I have to that cumulative affect. This week has been one of my most difficult. 

First, I have made it all this way without neuropathy. This week - with only two weeks of chemo to go - I struggle with very sore fingers and toes. Accompanying that soreness, especially in the end of my fingers, I have been extremely tired and weak which means I have been sleeping twelve hours at a time. 

It was my privilege to present at the Aurora Sewing Center Sewing Club on Wednesday. We talked together about foundation paper piecing, and hopefully - in my virtual Batman shirt -  I was able to recruit new enthusiasts for paper piecing. Interesting, however, was how totally exhausted I was after that presentation, Batman shirt or not.  Once home, I crashed like I was vying for a gold medal in the Olympic event of sleeping!

Yesterday I taught two classes from home. Classes went well, but my fingers and toes reminded me how I was confronting a very real nerve challenge. And I was sooooo cold. Having bundled in layers for zero degree weather at my horse barn made no difference as I taught. My core was bone cold. 

My second frustrating side affect...I seem to have lost my taste buds again. They disappeared in December and have been active or not across this entire process. They were better for a while. Now I am back in the doldrums of what I call 'flat food'. It is so weird. Most everything tastes the same. Food just is not fun right now, and you know I love to eat!

And additionally, I continue to manage an aching tooth, one that cannot be pulled until two weeks after my chemo ends per the oncologist's dictate. My gastrointestinal system is less than enjoyable, and yet there is hope: I am growing baby fuzz on my bald head! That is something cheerful and noteworthy!!!

I keep reminding myself that last Monday was the last time I would receive the drug, Taxol. Hip hip hooray! But I do not know how long it will take to clean the Taxol out of my system. And my husband tells me I am crabby! I will confirm that. I am battle weary. I work hard at keeping my sense of humor. 

Thank goodness, I have my quilting, and I can walk the neighborhood. Both help me exercise and keep the neuropathy in check. My prayer about now is that the neuropathy retreats with the ended Taxol. My prayer is that I do not end up with permanent nerve damage. My prayer is that I can nurture that four year old spirit in a Batman shirt...and finish this chemo journey honorably.

Signing off with my chin up, The quilting cancer girl

Getting through Cancer Fog

It's celebration time. I celebrate that I have made it this far. As the sign in the clinic says, "So far you've survived 100 percent of your worst days. That's a 100% survival rate." 

I have just enjoyed the beginning of my sixth twenty one day cycle. My last cycle of weekly chemotherapy. Woot! Woot! It was a 9:00 a.m. heavy infusion; I slept till 5:00 p.m. after getting home at 2 p.m. That helped the Benadryl wear off. I am now feeling pretty good as the steroids kick in. Gotta love those steroids. 

In this post I am sharing half a dozen things that I have learned about getting through the fog of cancer. These few things may help cancer friends that are experiencing a similar journey. They may even encourage you to ask, "what have I learned today"?

1. Give yourself permission to make infusion day all about the infusion. Go through chemo in the morning with an upbeat attitude and sense of humor. Then climb into your recliner when you come home and let yourself sleep. It makes all the difference...and you feel so much better.

2. Build a genuine communication with the nurses who serve you. Because we talk, the nurses tell me what bag of drugs I am getting each time I am plugged in. When I got my Taxol bag today, they said it was the LAST time I would get Taxol. Hallelujah! Great news! 

Taxol is one of the 'bad' drugs, according to the oncologist, that helps 'deliver' the good cancer drugs to target the cancer cells. It also makes me feel pretty punk on occasion and is the reason for many side affects. Was awesome to learn, I am done with Taxol. Sigh. Double sigh.

3. Identify a project ahead of time that you can work on. I love working with my hands and head and heart. To accommodate those needs, I quilt. I also paper piece. So the project I picked to focus on this infusion week is paper pieced. I actually spent an hour after waking up on that project. 

The point: having a project lined up ahead of the infusion means you can make yourself focus afterwards. I use that hands-mind-heart combination to activate my focus and I begin thinking again. Boy oh boyo. What would I do without quilting?

4. Take a walk. I am serious. Even after infusions where I feel 'drunk' and can't easily manage a straight line, I walk through the neighborhood. I happen to have a dog, a scrappy little Yorkshire terrier, and she pulls me along and keeps me centered so I don't fall on my face. Sometimes I can hardly keep up with her. Slow down, Claire! 

Fact is walking helps me get coordinated again. Pick up your feet, Eileen Pick up your feet. I lift up my head and look where I am going. I breathe in the fresh air and clean my lungs. I love the connection with nature...and I pray or I cry. Those walks accomplish so much.

5. Make a plan for when the steroids energize you. Sleeping a normal night might be difficult. For that reason, I have a talk with my hubby preparing him that I may get up very early and not to worry. I take an extra strength Tylenol at bedtime and hope for sleep. 

Usually, I manage to sleep about four hours and then I wake up. It's like my childhood grandpa turns on the lights and says, "C'mon it's time to milk the cows. The milk goes to the dairy by 7:00 a.m. Hurry!"!!!!  Rather than fighting sleep with tossing and turning, I rise ready to milk the cows, except I sew...after devotions. 

6. Pray often, throughout the day, and especially at night. The best part is that a strong relationship with God helps me find the positive thoughts, strength, peace, and love I need to manage this cancer survival business.

Second best...I often fall asleep going through my prayer list. There's family and friends, my sisterhood of quilt ladies, a teenager named Ethan who fights brain lesions from Covid,  a friend whose husband committed suicide recently, and a young Ukrainian couple whose 18 month old was killed yesterday. The list goes on, especially as I watch Ukraine struggle. So sad it is. Anyway, I give my long list to God as I get drowsy, and before you know it I am asleep. Nothing like sweet sleep.

So I take my Tylenol and crawl into my flannel sheets. 

Good night all!   The Quilting Cancer Girl

Helpful mantras

There were three basic messages I communicated to my boys across their growing up years: Fight the good fight; Be a leader for good; and Never give up. I'm not sure my boys would identify those messages today as my priorities, but as a mom, I worked hard to create strength in my children. While giving them wings, I wanted my boys to handle the challenges of their days and make a good life.

Why do I write about this today? It comes to mind as I listen to the news about Ukraine. I do believe the masses of Ukraine had a similar parent. They are strong leaders, all of them, and they believe in their freedom, so will not give up. The leadership and general population are amazing and inspiring, and I pray for them. Their struggle brings tears to my eyes. I wish I had a magic wand. 

At the same time, I see application of these messages to those of us under the cancer influence. We cancer folks are doing our best to fight the good fight against a formidable obstacle to our freedom and more normal life. It takes courage and faith. It takes friends and family to hold our hand. It takes patience to manage each day with the curves that chemo tosses into our path. Over months and years, we continue that fight together.

Being a leader for good in cancer is a commitment to positive thinking and support to each other. I keep hoping my blog reaches others who are part of the cancer journey. I want them to know that I am here offering love and a listening ear. I am with you. Here I offer up an idea that has helped me. Our infusions can be thought of as God's love pouring into our veins. With that as a creative image, an infusion can feel peaceful rather than scary. It keeps us open to miracles happening.

And never give up. Never give up. Never give up. I have that sign in my sewing room so that when I get frustrated with a quilt - and I've unsewed a seam more than once or twice - I won't give up. I know I can solve the piecing problem. I know it will come together alright. 

With my cancer, I believe it will retreat. I do. I believe in my good doctors and nurses. I believe that God works through each of them, and I am certain the medications will do what they are supposed to do. I will never give up. I know it will come out alright. 

So I pass these messages on to you and encourage you to make them a mantra. Fight the good fight. Be a leader for good. Never give up....and keep talking to God. 

Signing out in love, The quilting cancer girl

Priorities change

Benadryl is given as part of the chemotherapy mix every Monday. Apparently, it helps to counteract allergic reactions to some of the other drugs in that mix. Well...and I continue to admit that is a deep subject...I am one of those people who falls asleep after a teaspoon of Benadryl...like after I stepped in a bee's nest. I ceased functioning for hours while I slept off the bee stings and Benadryl. Giving me a bag of Benadryl? That knocks me flat every single week. Phew!

Another challenge are the steroids that are included. When they kick in, I suddenly have energy. They enable me to get things done while feeling for a day like Superwoman. Problem is they also keep me awake at night. And when I miss my night's sleep, that's just not a good thing. 

By Wednesday, I crash. Accomplishing anything major is out of the question, unless it is possibly computer work...like writing on the blog, creating patterns for classes, or putting PowerPoints together. That's where I am today, and to boot, my balance is off - although my husband laughs and jokes that I've always been a bit off balance - and I'm just better sitting. 

To add a little spice...I am still nursing a bad tooth. The molar on my bottom right has been festering since I lost a filling in September. When I was battling low white blood cells, the oncologist said I needed to hang on to that tooth as long as possible. This week when I met with him, he said my chemotherapy will be done by March 20th. Yeah! Triple yeah!!!! And  he added, that I need to manage my tooth till the chemo is finished. Just four more weeks. Egads! 

So I'm juggling the drugs and keeping my tooth at bay. It's not always easy and I think the tooth tires me out as much as the Benadryl, but I'm keeping on keeping on. Just four more weeks, and then I can have the tooth pulled. I am thrilled that the chemo will conclude in four weeks. But more than anything, I am looking forward eagerly to having my tooth pulled. Weird how priorities change. LOL