Toxic Tuesdays

So some of you may be wondering, "where exactly does Casey go every single Tuesday?"  Despite the fact that some of my coworkers believe I'm at the lake every Tuesday (thanks to my rosy cheeks... funny little side effect I get every Wednesday), I'm actually spending the majority of my Tuesday in "The Infusion Room."  No, this is not a new club on 6th street, but it's where I go to get my chemotherapy.  It's located in my Dr's office, Texas Oncology on Balcones, and is capable of comfortably holding 36 patients while staffing at least 6 nurses and 2 medical assistants.  Each patient gets his/her own recliner, equipped w/ 2 side tables, a warm blanket and your very own iv pole.  Flat screen tvs are strategically placed for every 2 patients to share... so if you're planning on watching tv, pick your neighbor wisely!  It's often times advantageous to have an early appointment... oh yes, you can pick and choose the recliner you want.  You may not think this is a big deal, but some recliners (especially the ones on the ends or in the corners) are situated by windows and usually have more space around them.  If you plan on having visitors, or if you just don't like being close to other people, these are prime spots!  Speaking of visitors, the rule is only one visitor at a time... Weeeeeeeeeell, one of the nurses made the mistake of telling me it was okay to have more.  So with my mom in town, the Damens and Jason, we've been known to throw our own little parties.  It definitely helps the time fly and hopefully in the future no one gets kicked out... if so, I know I'm not the one that's getting kicked out!  ;)  But back to the infusion room... the most popular place to gather is the little kitchen area.  I'm convinced you can make the best cup of hot chocolate and cup of beef broth in the world.  I can't say beef broth sounds appealing right now or well, really ever, but for whatever reason, on Tuesdays it's pretty tasty!  

I end up spending approx 5 hrs in the infusion room w/ labs (basically drawing blood which keeps track of my blood counts on a weekly basis) and then what seems like the never ending rotation of iv bags!  I'll get a good 'ol dose of benadryl to prevent any allergic reactions, Pepcid to decrease acid in the stomach, an anti nausea steroid and of course the star of the show, my "chemo cocktail" of Herceptin and Taxol.  Did you know that chemotherapy is hazardous waste???  According to my "Safe Management of Chemotherapy in the Home" information packet, "Chemotherapy can remain in your body for up to 48 hrs following treatment.  These drugs are excreted from the body in the urine and the stool.  If you should vomit, the vomitus may also contain traces of chemotherapy."  Now I really, really, really hope no one would be or will be coming into contact w/ any of the three forms of excretions above, but if for whatever reason they do, this informative packet explains that "chemotherapy can be absorbed through the skin so gloves should be worn by anyone handling the medicine, equipment or body fluids."  Crazy, huh?!?  So ya, that's a little fun fact I never thought I'd be sharing about myself!  Yes ladies and gentlemen, I'm toxic!  Don't worry, I won't be breaking out into Brittany Spears, BUT I just had a thought... something that might make the infusion room a little more entertaining... a FLASH MOB DANCE!!!    Oh, I'm doing this!  Someone just has to start dancing right?! Then everyone joins in?!  No planning or rehearsing involved?!  This is going to be awesome!!  ;)

 

The highlight of the infusion room is a cow bell located at the entrance/exit of the room.  When a patient completes their last chemo session they get to ring the bell while nurses throw confetti at them and everyone in the room cheers and sends their congrats and best wishes.  This may sound cheesy, but every time I hear that bell (so far I've heard it 3 times) it makes my day.  I'm looking forward to the day I can ring the hell out of that bell!  :D

So there's a little sneak peak into my Toxic Tuesdays. Until next time... XOXO!

A view from my recliner today...

Holiday Update

Happy Holidays!  Jason and I just got back from a fun filled weekend down in the Valley.  After talking to some family members about a support group I joined, I thought I'd share the experience with the rest of the world...

 

Ever since D Day (yes, that would be my diagnosis day), I knew at some point I would want to look into and possibly join a support group.  It took me about 2 months to finally decide to give it a shot.  I wasn't quite sure what or if I'd get anything out of it, but what the hell, no harm in seeing what's out there, right?!?  Well, I have come across a group called the Pink Ribbon Cowgirls... no, I wasn't just looking for an excuse to wear my cowboy boots (well, okay, maybe).  ;)  So the Pink Ribbon Cowgirls is organized under the Breast Cancer Resource Center and is a social network of younger breast cancer survivors.  So let me tell you, this group makes my heart smile!!  ;)  The young women I've met are amazing... inspirational and just flat out fun!  I'm really looking forward to getting to know them better and of course meeting more of the members!  

And thanks to my sportsman hubby, he found a program called Casting for Recovery.  Here's a little background from womensflyfishing.net...

Casting for Recovery is a nationally recognized not for profit program established in 1996. It provides an opportunity for women whose lives have been profoundly affected by breast cancer to experience physical, emotional, and spiritual healing through retreats in a beautiful natural setting; and learn fly-fishing, a sport for life.  The CFR retreat is a two-day program that incorporates both fly fishing instruction and social support.  Hundreds of breast cancer survivors have participated in the program. Any woman who has experienced breast cancer is eligible to participate in a CFR retreat. She may still be in treatment, or perhaps her battle with breast cancer was decades ago. Each retreat is offered, including lodging and meals, at no cost to the participant. 

How bad ass is this?!?  Great find Jason!!  I just applied for the Central Tx retreat which is being held in April at Joshua Creek Ranch in Bourne.  It looks like they take approx 14 applicants, so my fingers are crossed that I'm accepted.  As many of you know I like to saltwater fish, but this last summer I took my first fly fishing lesson in CO.  I had a blast and I'm looking forward to fly fishing again this summer.  Not only would this be a fun weekend of "social support" and meeting new people, but this would be the perfect opportunity to polish up on my mad fly fishing skills!  Hmmmm, I wonder if there is a program called Swinging for Recovery... I hate to admit that my golf game could use a little help!  ;)

I'll keep you posted on my acceptance to CFR.  Until then, I'm back in chemo on Tuesdays and will hopefully be getting Port #2 after the New Year.  

Happy Holidays!

Good news!!

I met with my oncologist, Dr. Sandbach, to discuss the CT Scan results... Per Sandbach, "the boat has turned around and is headed in the right direction." I'm responding well to the chemo treatments and the lesions on my liver have decreased in size.  Can I get a hellz ya?!?  ;)  So I'll continue my chemo treatments next week and I should have my new port implanted after the holidays.  Meanwhile I'll keep the temporary catheter to make infusions and blood work easier.  Oh, and lets not forget that I'm officially off my iv antibiotics!  I tell ya, so many things to celebrate this weekend!  Let the party begin!!  

Awaiting Good News (No Whammies, No Whammies)

Feeling good after yesterday's chemo session.   I also had a ct scan (the first since the start of chemo) and I'm anxiously awaiting the results!  The results will basically determine how I'm responding to my treatment.  I'll meet w/ my doctor on Friday so I'll be sure to share the good news!  ;)  Oh, and another reason to celebrate on Friday... last day of iv antibiotics!!  Woohoo!!

Back on Track

Well, I'm sorry I went M.I.A. over the last week or two so I have a little explaining to do. First of all, everything went smoothly during last week's chemo session.  I had blood work drawn and my blood count came back looking good.  We were very pleased about that!  It wasn't until Thursday night when the drama began and it all comes back to my Power Port.  To give a little background, when I had my lumpectomy, the surgeon implanted this Port, a small device (about the size of a quarter) in my chest, right about my heart.  The port is connected to a catheter which is basically a small tube which is placed in one of the large central veins that takes blood to my heart.  Nurses are able to access my bloodstream using this instead of sticking my arms every time they see me.  So they're able to draw blood and that's also how I receive my infusions every week during chemo.  It's really an amazing device and up to this point has been pain free.  But of course I couldn't have such an amazing device installed w/out some drama attached... since the day the port was installed, a small scab began to develop.  We gave it time to heal over and saw the surgeon multiple times to make sure everything was okay... the big fear was that there wasn't any skin underneath the scab.  So if the scab came off, the port would be exposed.... Not a good thing!! If the port became infected, the port would have to be removed.  Well, what do you know, the little booger of a scab came off last Thursday night.  My oncologist hooked me up w/ some antibiotics in hopes of clearing up any infection and saving the port.  Well, by Friday night I ended up in the ER (next time I expect to be greeted like Norm... from Cheers... anyone?... no?).  Long story short, I was admitted to Seton to receive antibiotics through an iv (vancomycin for my pharmacist friends).  After seeing my surgeon, they ended up taking the port out on Monday and by Tuesday I was "released" from Seton.  Here's the fun part... I was released with the intention of administering my own iv antibiotics... for 10 days, every 8 hours.  They installed a Power PICC in my upper left arm which is a temporary catheter so at least we won't have to mess w/ needles.  Home Heath Care was at my house by Tuesday afternoon giving us a crash course on administering the antibiotics.  We have since given my mom the crash course (welcome back to Austin mom!) and both Jason and my mom are handling the antibiotics like champs!  

Well, with this minor setback I was unable to receive my chemo treatment this week, but I'm meeting w/ my Oncologist today to hopefully get us back on track... to kickin' cancer's ass!  ;)

Catching you up

To catch you up to speed, here are a few email updates I've sent out over the last couple of weeks...


November 10, 2010
Hey everyone!  Hope all is well!  Just wanted to send a little update...

I finished up my 3rd round of Chemo yesterday and I'm feeling great.  I experienced some minor, not so pleasant, side effects last week, but I hope I'm in the clear this week (fingers crossed).  I've noticed on Wednesdays I feel completely zapped... mentally and physically drained.  Despite that, this morning I woke up and was able to go to work.  Woohooo!  Who knew that would be exciting!  Of course what I enjoyed most was coming home and sleeping all afternoon!  Aaauuuugggghhhhhhhhh, I love naps!!!  The weirdest side effect so far is having a metallic taste in my mouth.  Oh, but don't be alarmed... it hasn't slowed down my eating.  Loss of appetite is one side effect I have not experienced!  AND I have developed a sweet tooth.  Last night Jason told me he threw out the left over Halloween candy and I almost lost it!  Thank goodness he was joking... he has no idea how lucky he is!!  ;)

Other than that, I did something this last weekend that I said I would never do... I joined Facebook!  I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I'm glad I did!  Extremely overwhelming at first, but I'm getting used to it.  

So far, I'm scheduled to have Chemo every Tuesday through the beginning of January.  I can't promise a weekly email (most of you know how big of a procrastinator I am), but I'll try to keep everyone posted on how things are going.  Thanks again for your love and support!  I couldn't do this w/ out you!!

Okay, time to raid the freezer for some ice cream!!  :D

XOXO,

Casey

November 18, 2010

Hello, hello!

Just wanted to keep you posted on how I'm doing... I've checked Chemo session #4 off of my "things to do list!"  I felt extremely sluggish Tues & Wed (feeling like I was in a fog/haze), but woke up this morning feeling good.  Tomorrow I'm looking forward to a "Look Good, Feel Better" group workshop at the American Cancer Society (Thanks Summer for the heads up).  The program "teaches beauty techniques to female cancer patients to help them combat the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment." It includes, "a 12-step skin care and makeup lesson, nail care techniques, and professional advice on how to deal with hair loss using wigs, scarves, hats, hairpieces and other accessories."  Maybe it's just me, but I would have wanted to attend this before being diagnosed w/ cancer.  Throw in a massage and call it a day!!!  Anyway, I have not lost my hair, but "if" that time comes, I'm thinking a head shaving party is in order!  Am I always looking for an excuse to throw a party or what?!?  ;)

Thanks for all the emails, texts, calls, thoughts, prayers... I appreciate it! 

Another week down of kickin' cancer's ass!

XOXO,

Casey

November 23, 2010

Hey everyone!  I'm sitting here at chemo and thought I'd let you know
how my "Look Good, Feel Better" class went last week.  I actually got
a pretty big response wondering how that turned out.  Well, It was
pretty cool and I came home with a huge goodie bag full of makeup
products AND 2 wigs.  All of the products and wigs are donated so it
was all free of charge.  How cool is that?!  Anyway, the instructor, a
stage IV breast cancer survivor herself, was awesome and provided a
lot of useful tips. I'm not going to lie though... When she talked
about losing ALL of her hair, I was okay up until she started talking
about losing her eyebrows and eye lashes... Saaaaaaaaaay
whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?  It never dawned on me that losing my hair meant
ALL of my hair!  As that little nugget of info was marinating, the
record player in my head came to a screeching halt... You mean to say
that I won't have to shave my legs???  I'm sorry, but did I just win
the lottery???  I think I did!  JACKPOT!!!!  And hey, if I lose my
eyelashes I'll have my niece show me how to put fake ones on!!  :D
I tell ya, if I can find a positive side to something in all of this,
I'll try my best!  My Doc keeps telling me that attitude is
everything!  So I'm going to continue to remain positive and in high
spirits... Again, kicking' this cancer's butt like never seen before!
And hey, I'm already looking forward to the next hassle free, razor
free summer!!  ;)


And yes, as soon as I get my wigs out of their boxes and ready to
wear, I'll take a few pictures and forward them on to you.  One is a
bob cut and very similar to my hair cut now and the other is a long
brown one.  Regardless if I lose my hair, they'll be fun to wear!  ;)


I hope all is well!  It's nap time for this girl!


XOXO,
Casey