What's Up With the Doc 8? - or Riding the Rollercoaster

5/1/2008

The rollercoaster that is my life keeps right on rolling. Thursday we left for Texas. I had my stupid AC joint injected on 4/9 because it hurt like a mofo and orthopod said he'd give me as many steroid injections as I want because the cartilage is toast already. I had about a 75% improvement until I carried my suitcase on the right side Thursday morning and OMG! I thought I was going to die right through Sunday afternoon. Friday and Saturday I was taking maximum doses of Ibuprofen, which I'm not supposed to do because it can make my GI tract bleed (which is a very bad thing due to the Avastin part of my chemotherapy) and because it could mask a fever. I cut down to 600 mg three times a day on Sunday, took my last dose at 10 pm Monday night and woke up at 3 am Tuesday with a fever. It broke by early morning and I woke up fine with very little pain in the shoulder and no fever. I didn't take any Ibuprofen. When I got home after taking the kids to school I felt exhausted with a mild headache. I slept until I got up and ate on my way to chemo.

When I got to the oncologist's office (where the Rachel Ray film crew was waiting, BTW), my temperature was 100.3. I went round and round with the oncologist. He wanted to hold off a day or two on the chemo and wait for blood culture results. I argued that my white count was great and I wasn't really immunocompromised right at that minute (Tuesday) so if they started empiric antibiotics that day I should be able to fight off anything that's percolating before the neutropenia hits next week. He reminded me that I would be getting a big dose of steroids with the chemo which will screw up my immune system. In the end he agreed to go ahead with the chemo on Tuesday, start the antibiotics and see me today and maybe give me some Neupogen early. I felt much better by about halfway through chemo and my temp was normal by the time I was done - but that may have been the Decadron.

My fever has stayed gone since Tuesday afternoon and I woke up Wednesday with a rip roaring cold, so I think a respiratory virus accounts for the fever and I'm glad we went ahead with the chemo on Tuesday. Today is day #1 of my usual three days of yuck after chemo. Everything hurts, including sharp, shooting head pains. I'm queasy and still snotty from my cold. But, hey! I'm alive.

For those following the liver function test saga - AST is 43, ALT is 71, Alk Phos is mid 200's. Still getting better but I'm getting annoyed that they're not just normal already.

Follow up scan is scheduled for Tuesday, 5/13. Sloan Kettering visit is 5/27 (after chemo #4 on 5/20/08). More important than that, The Rachel Ray Show is sending a car to pick me up next Tuesday and take me into NYC for the in studio taping. I should have an air date a few days after the taping and I PROMISE I'LL TELL EVERYONE AS SOON AS I KNOW!

Today I'll try to distract myself from the yucks with the following: doctor's visit, lots of laundry, passport picture and mail in renewal application, pick up all scans and slides for various doctor's things upcoming. I work the weekend so I have today off. It's beautiful in Connecticut but NOT WARM so please send warm thoughts our way and, as always, keep your cancer killing thoughts and prayers coming.

Lisa