Thursday, December 24, 2015
Merry Merry Christmas...
Friday, December 18, 2015
A little fun update...
All is going pretty well with me. I have my second "Opdivo" treatment coming up on Tuesday and so far, it's been fine, no side effects of any kind. I did see my "Oncologist" this week (as she will be away on vacation for 10 days) and she wanted to see me before she left...she's a gem, for sure! While I was there, I was also invited to attend a wonderful event hosted by the American Cancer Society and a group called "Look Good / Feel Better" ! It was wonderful, I had a nice make-over and we were given a fabulous bag full of Makeup and Skincare products. I was really impressed and love that so many people do care are those of us battling Cancer.
Happily, I have been feeling really good lately, (even since I stopped the darn Radiation), that was the worst for me, I think it was FAR worse then Chemo and it made me sicker and more fatigued. But, that may be because mine was done at a "higher" level, since it was shorter term and most patients...! I hated every minute and hated the drive even more so..thank goodness that's over!!
Oh and if I didn't' tell you yet (I forget sometimes). -- I found I'm going for a new appointment this week, with an eye surgery in my home town and he at one time, my eye doc, and does this surgery all the time, so I am very confident it will go well and in some ways can't wait for it to be done, so I can see better! If you read my last pot, you'll know that the first consult I had, was horrible, so I'm happy I'm local now and with someone I already know and trust!
I am all done with my Christmas Shopping and wrapping and all the gifts that I needed to ship out to "Brian" my son in California are on their way. He also celebrates his 29th Birthday tomorrow and I shipped those goodies off a bit early..hard to believe my first born is almost 30...where does the time go! I love him so much and have always considered him to be the Best Christmas gift ever!!
And speaking of Christmas, I have two new pics of my "Girls" to share. They are all decked out their Christmas dresses, which I love. You can read more about that on my "craft" blog HERE!!
Happily, I have been feeling really good lately, (even since I stopped the darn Radiation), that was the worst for me, I think it was FAR worse then Chemo and it made me sicker and more fatigued. But, that may be because mine was done at a "higher" level, since it was shorter term and most patients...! I hated every minute and hated the drive even more so..thank goodness that's over!!
Oh and if I didn't' tell you yet (I forget sometimes). -- I found I'm going for a new appointment this week, with an eye surgery in my home town and he at one time, my eye doc, and does this surgery all the time, so I am very confident it will go well and in some ways can't wait for it to be done, so I can see better! If you read my last pot, you'll know that the first consult I had, was horrible, so I'm happy I'm local now and with someone I already know and trust!
I am all done with my Christmas Shopping and wrapping and all the gifts that I needed to ship out to "Brian" my son in California are on their way. He also celebrates his 29th Birthday tomorrow and I shipped those goodies off a bit early..hard to believe my first born is almost 30...where does the time go! I love him so much and have always considered him to be the Best Christmas gift ever!!
And speaking of Christmas, I have two new pics of my "Girls" to share. They are all decked out their Christmas dresses, which I love. You can read more about that on my "craft" blog HERE!!
These two precious Pups will also celebrate their Birthday on Sunday, and will be three years old! Feels like yesterday when I first adopted Skye at 14 weeks, and then Zeva the day they both turned 9 months old. Pure JOY!!!
Lastly, I am very excited to have planned my next trip out to San Diego and will be going out for 15 wonderful fun and relaxing days in early February. I rented a great condo in the "Little Italy" are and will be taking Zeva with me, she is also my Service Dog. I have asked all my friends to come out and visit me, but with hectic schedule, kids and so much more, I'm not sure if anyone can come..which really did depress me early in the week. If you follow me on Facebook, I am sure you may have read my post about this. I really felt hurt and was very teary the other day...but NOW, I I'm letting it go! On the upside, I did find out that my "craft friend, Pat, who I met and roomed with at CREATE in October, may come out. She has a son, (also named Brian), who lives in San Diego too, so I thought it might to fun to have her come out and we can both meet the "Brian's"! I don't want to get too excited, but I really do hope she can come, even if only for a short visit. Hubby will be home working, and here to take care of the house and Skye...! He's saving his time off to take me to appointments and such and we hope to go on another trip together later in the year! It's a lot harder for us both to get away, find someone to take care of the dogs and the house too, plus it's much more expensive, not to mention that he does' like to travel as much as I do...he's much more of a home body and I'm perfectly fine with that! I was originally planning to go for a full month, but with the new treatments I can't, so this will be the next best thing. I'm also hoping to go down to Key West with one of my BFF's in the Spring and think that'll be a blast. She is having hip replacement surgery in January and won't be ready to travel by February, but we want to doing something fun together and her Mother-in-Law, owns a Condo there and I've always wanted to see that area! I am VERY excited about this idea and hope we can make it happen! Love you KIM!!
Hoping to continue to feel good..I'm finally back to creating, which I love and had missed so much. You can see more of my recent cards on my Craft Blog too!!
Wishing you ALL a wonderful Christmas and a very happy and Healthy New Year!!! Big hugs to you all and thanks for all the prayers, thoughts and support!
Friday, December 11, 2015
First Treatment with Opdivo!
Hi all,
Just wanted to post a little update. I had my first "Opdivo" Infusion/Treatment on Monday, and so far, so good. I have not had ANY side effects and have feel pretty good. Other than my normal fatigue and some nausea, all seems fine.
I did have a very busy week too, so that's a bonus. I went on a "bus trip" with my Mom and the the local "Senior Group" down to the Wrenthem Outlets, her in MA. We had a fun day, although the weather was very cold and the food there was horrible. I was totally wiped out and not feeling so hot on the way home and did my best to rest and tried to sleep. It's a 2 hour drive and I was very happy when we were back. This trip was on Tuesday, just one day after treatment
Wednesday was a relaxing day....I finished up my Christmas cards, had my nails and and relaxed most of the day.
Thursday was awful --- Not sure if I told you, but I have to now have Cataract surgery on my left eye after developing a cataract, which come to find out is very likely due to taking Steroids. I have an appointment set up (after seeing the Retina Specialist last Friday) with the Surgeon today and they were told to book it, so that I could have all the testing / measurements done in ONE appointment, as it's hard for me to make the drive there, since it's out of town. My appointment as at 10AM, and at 10:30 I was seen my the nurse who totally repeated "everything" I had done last Friday (eye exam, meds review) and so forth...even though the info was only 6 days old. Kind of a waste of time..she then put in the drops to dilate my eyes and sent me over to Diagnostic,s where the "measurement were to be done....after a short wait the tech came out and informed me that I could NOT be measured, since I had worn my contacts (yes, that's all I have right now) and am using trials in the left to try and see)...long story short...we all think she was wrong now and that she must have some how thought I had "hard" contacts (I don't) and many others who wear soft contacts have NOT had this come up? UGH! I was taken back to the waiting area, when I was told I'd see the doc next and be given more options and would have to come back. It's now 11:30 and the place is packed..the nurse came out, called in a patient and I noticed the lady next to me seemed upset, it was not her (me too)..then she told me HER appointment was for 9:30 (yikes)..and the woman next to her then said hers for 9:45...I knew then I was in trouble and knew I could not be there at least another hour...it's exhausting for me. I went to desk, explained my upset with the measuring thing and told them I had to leave, as I could not wait another hour (or longer)...! Needless to say, I am NOT going back there and talked to my local eye doctor today and have already set up and appointment with a new surgery here in my home town. He's excellent and I know him already, so I probably should have gone to him from the get go, but when the Retina Specialists referred me in her group, I thought it would be fine!! WRONG!!
Today, is a nice relaxing day....home with the pups and hope to do some 'wrapping', I love to buy my family and friends lots of fun gifts, but boy is it a ton of work to get them all wrapped! I also need to mail out Brian's gift and his birthday comes first, which is on December 19th, he was my Christmas baby and I always make his birthday a totally separate event...! Sadly many people I know who do have a birthday near or on Christmas seem to have everything lumped together...but not me..I make sure these are two special and distinct events!
I also have some repairmen here today who are doing some patching and painting, to fix the mess that he heating installers made last month, when they installed two of the new units in the wrong places. Thankfully, the company has been excellent and they hired this crew to repair the mess, which includes all the painting too! YA!
My heart goes out to a dear friend, Jini who is a friend I met though a wonderful online group. A really kind and sweet gal. She had to have emergency surgery yesterday for a blood clot that developed near her heart...very scary and more so for her and her family, because her brother died of that condition, very unexpectedly and very young. Thankfully, Jini's surgery is over and she's now the road to happy and healthier days...! Please, keep her in your thoughts and prayers! I am convinced now that the power of Prayer is huge and I know, in my heart it has helped...
Hugs to all....and hope you are all enjoying getting ready for Christmas or whatever holiday your and your family celebrate! Have a great week and as always thanks for all the kindness and caring!
Just wanted to post a little update. I had my first "Opdivo" Infusion/Treatment on Monday, and so far, so good. I have not had ANY side effects and have feel pretty good. Other than my normal fatigue and some nausea, all seems fine.
I did have a very busy week too, so that's a bonus. I went on a "bus trip" with my Mom and the the local "Senior Group" down to the Wrenthem Outlets, her in MA. We had a fun day, although the weather was very cold and the food there was horrible. I was totally wiped out and not feeling so hot on the way home and did my best to rest and tried to sleep. It's a 2 hour drive and I was very happy when we were back. This trip was on Tuesday, just one day after treatment
Wednesday was a relaxing day....I finished up my Christmas cards, had my nails and and relaxed most of the day.
Thursday was awful --- Not sure if I told you, but I have to now have Cataract surgery on my left eye after developing a cataract, which come to find out is very likely due to taking Steroids. I have an appointment set up (after seeing the Retina Specialist last Friday) with the Surgeon today and they were told to book it, so that I could have all the testing / measurements done in ONE appointment, as it's hard for me to make the drive there, since it's out of town. My appointment as at 10AM, and at 10:30 I was seen my the nurse who totally repeated "everything" I had done last Friday (eye exam, meds review) and so forth...even though the info was only 6 days old. Kind of a waste of time..she then put in the drops to dilate my eyes and sent me over to Diagnostic,s where the "measurement were to be done....after a short wait the tech came out and informed me that I could NOT be measured, since I had worn my contacts (yes, that's all I have right now) and am using trials in the left to try and see)...long story short...we all think she was wrong now and that she must have some how thought I had "hard" contacts (I don't) and many others who wear soft contacts have NOT had this come up? UGH! I was taken back to the waiting area, when I was told I'd see the doc next and be given more options and would have to come back. It's now 11:30 and the place is packed..the nurse came out, called in a patient and I noticed the lady next to me seemed upset, it was not her (me too)..then she told me HER appointment was for 9:30 (yikes)..and the woman next to her then said hers for 9:45...I knew then I was in trouble and knew I could not be there at least another hour...it's exhausting for me. I went to desk, explained my upset with the measuring thing and told them I had to leave, as I could not wait another hour (or longer)...! Needless to say, I am NOT going back there and talked to my local eye doctor today and have already set up and appointment with a new surgery here in my home town. He's excellent and I know him already, so I probably should have gone to him from the get go, but when the Retina Specialists referred me in her group, I thought it would be fine!! WRONG!!
Today, is a nice relaxing day....home with the pups and hope to do some 'wrapping', I love to buy my family and friends lots of fun gifts, but boy is it a ton of work to get them all wrapped! I also need to mail out Brian's gift and his birthday comes first, which is on December 19th, he was my Christmas baby and I always make his birthday a totally separate event...! Sadly many people I know who do have a birthday near or on Christmas seem to have everything lumped together...but not me..I make sure these are two special and distinct events!
I also have some repairmen here today who are doing some patching and painting, to fix the mess that he heating installers made last month, when they installed two of the new units in the wrong places. Thankfully, the company has been excellent and they hired this crew to repair the mess, which includes all the painting too! YA!
My heart goes out to a dear friend, Jini who is a friend I met though a wonderful online group. A really kind and sweet gal. She had to have emergency surgery yesterday for a blood clot that developed near her heart...very scary and more so for her and her family, because her brother died of that condition, very unexpectedly and very young. Thankfully, Jini's surgery is over and she's now the road to happy and healthier days...! Please, keep her in your thoughts and prayers! I am convinced now that the power of Prayer is huge and I know, in my heart it has helped...
Hugs to all....and hope you are all enjoying getting ready for Christmas or whatever holiday your and your family celebrate! Have a great week and as always thanks for all the kindness and caring!
Saturday, December 5, 2015
and the battle goes on...
After much thought and after two more Medical opinions, I have decide to try the new treatment specifically on the market for my type of Lung Cancer called "Opdivo". You may have read my earlier post where I asked for your thoughts on this!
I also was referred to a wonderful new website that is a forum type site and I read a TON on posts from people who are battling my same cancer, as well as those who have tried and are still taking this treatment.
I start on Monday, and it will be done at my local Oncology Unit, which is a blessing, since it's close to home. I will have an one hour Infusion every two weeks and for the most part, I should not feel or have any side effects for at least the first few sessions, which is great since that gets me through the Holidays. Once I had decided to try it I did ask to wait until the first of the year, but when I learned this and at the encouragement of my Oncologist, who I do love, I will start now.
I also found out that my vision issues have been caused by a newly developed "cataract" in my left and saw a specialist at Mass Eye and Ear about that yesterday! It was a relief to know it's not a Retina or more serous issues, but still means surgery and that will be schedule when I meet the surgeon at my next appointment this coming Thursday! It will be done in early January and that's great as I still place plan to go out to San Diego for a winter escape in February for 3-4 weeks! YAY!
On the upside, I'm feeling MUCH better ever since I stopped the Radiation and both my PCP and Dr. Sunkara (my primary oncologist) were very happy that I made it through the seven intense "High Dose" treatments.
We had a wonderful time in San Diego for Thanksgiving and it was PURE joy to be with both my boys for the first time in years! Happy Mommy!!
Hoping you are all well and wishing for a wonderful Christmas season for all!
I also was referred to a wonderful new website that is a forum type site and I read a TON on posts from people who are battling my same cancer, as well as those who have tried and are still taking this treatment.
I start on Monday, and it will be done at my local Oncology Unit, which is a blessing, since it's close to home. I will have an one hour Infusion every two weeks and for the most part, I should not feel or have any side effects for at least the first few sessions, which is great since that gets me through the Holidays. Once I had decided to try it I did ask to wait until the first of the year, but when I learned this and at the encouragement of my Oncologist, who I do love, I will start now.
I also found out that my vision issues have been caused by a newly developed "cataract" in my left and saw a specialist at Mass Eye and Ear about that yesterday! It was a relief to know it's not a Retina or more serous issues, but still means surgery and that will be schedule when I meet the surgeon at my next appointment this coming Thursday! It will be done in early January and that's great as I still place plan to go out to San Diego for a winter escape in February for 3-4 weeks! YAY!
On the upside, I'm feeling MUCH better ever since I stopped the Radiation and both my PCP and Dr. Sunkara (my primary oncologist) were very happy that I made it through the seven intense "High Dose" treatments.
We had a wonderful time in San Diego for Thanksgiving and it was PURE joy to be with both my boys for the first time in years! Happy Mommy!!
Hoping you are all well and wishing for a wonderful Christmas season for all!
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