As many of you know I recently spent 2 weeks at Fair Oaks Hospital, I don't remember ever being that sick in my life. It was getting very hopeless and I have to thank the my husband, family and friends who were there and provided much needed support. Your thoughts and prayers were very powerful. My family set up a meeting sugested by the Life with Cancer, Breast Cancer Navigator. Along with my Oncologist,(Dr.Favret) I had been seeing Gastro Doctors, Infections Disease Doctors, Nutritionist, and a Palliative Care Doctor, it was out of control with too many hands in the situation. My Oncolgoist came in took charge, made some medication changes along with the Palliative Care Doctor(which has to be ask for by the way) I was home 3 days later!!!! It would be very understated to say i have never been so afraid that i was not pulling through this one. On the good side, my appetite is good and i am feeling stronger every day. Its going to take time! When I went in yesterday to see the Oncology Nurse Practitioner, my Oncologist was at the hospital and ask that i wait so i did. Here is the great news, my blood counts were normal!!!! I ask about the energy level, mainly going up and down steps and she explained that after 2 weeks in bed my muscles were very weak and it would take time to gain the muscle tone back and for the weakness to go away But I am so impressed that my Red cells have come back so quickly without help. They usually need a shot and do not replenish as fast and I usually run low normally(thanks Ensure).
The Oncologist and I got to talk about resuming treatment and we will proceed with the schedule in December allowing me more time to heal from this illness. We will go with the 1 every 3 weeks as planned at a lower dose on the first one as to see how that goes. So it will be around the first week of December and not again until the 27. Theory is that the first week is kinda flu like, second fair, third pretty good, so when I start the next round of chemo I should fell pretty good. I ask about lower dose at every week but i am not sure how that effects reoccurring rate and just sounds like not a good plan. They say then you feel bad every week.
I would like to thank all of you for the support the past few weeks and want to recognize Fair Oaks Hospital Nursing/Tech Staff in the Oncology wing for such a professional, loving, kind, understanding and just plain doing an amazing job with a patient that was so ill. As well as all the wonderful ladies in the Life with Cancer group to help my family facilitate things and provide me with much needed support. They were nothing short of amazing.
My Mom's Christmas Cactus, it was pasted on to me after her death many years ago now, needless to say it is very important to me. This i what it looked like when i came home from the hospital. I really think it is a sign of good things to come!!
Happy Thanksgiving, Love to all Carol
PS: Not much hair up there!
