Patty's epic adventure

  2/28/21 Today is Sunday and I'm at my computer.  Brain is still foggy, but I can do this.  My last post was via me talking into my phone and that was a struggle.  David will say something like "Honey, if you're up to it, you might want to update your blog.  But, only if you're up to it."  He says this very sweetly.  Translation:  'My phone is blowing up.  Let people know how you're doing asap'.  Wednesday was manageable.  Thursday was Hell.  Friday was Hell.  Saturday was manageable.  And now, I see a light at the end of the tunnel.  I read the comments some people left for me and they made me smile.  So, thank you.  It's heartwarming to know that people are following my progress and take the time to send words of encouragement.  The chemo really did a number on my body this time and I'm truly dreading my next treatment.  The Red Devil is living up to it's name.  I have an appointment w...

 Today is Friday and I have no idea of the date. Chemo hit me pretty hard this time. David is taking good care of me. My brain is mush and my body is taking a beating. I am worthless. I will update my blog when I am able.

  2/23/21 Today is Tuesday.  Chemo day 2.  I'm a bit loopy, just like last time.  I just looked at my phone to check the date and it said 3:13.  So, I entered that date on this post.  Yeah, it's not March 13th, it's 3:13 p.m.  Slow, but sure.  I'm slow, but sure.  David took me to chemo today because I drove yesterday for the first time in weeks and I had to really concentrate on what I was doing.  I was pretending I was taking my driving test to get my license the entire time.  I was totally into following all the rules.  That mind game helped me a lot.  My mind still wandered, tho, so he drove today.  Better safe, than sorry, right?  He dropped me off at 9:20 a.m. and went to run errands because they won't let him in with me.  He went home after his errands because I told him I was going to be there longer than anticipated.  It takes him 1/2 hour to get there, so I gave him 35 minutes notice and he sh...

  2/22/21 Today is Monday.  It warmed up to 70 degrees today.  We still have piles of snow in the backyard that are 1-1/2 feet tall.  Lots of shade there and that's were it fell off the roof.  I don't think I mentioned that David used my blow dryer (when we had electricity) to thaw out the pool pump.  It won't work on 'high' and sounds like a jet plane on 'low'.  So much for the hair dryer..... The good news is:  I won't be needing it for awhile.  My hair is falling out tonight.  I'm going to find a beanie to wear tonight to bed and go get my head shaved tomorrow after chemo.  I'll just wear a baseball cap to chemo and take one of my new beanies or something to wear when I'm bald.  They don't fit now.  I have too much hair.  I gotta say, this is hard.  Harder than I thought.  I knew it was coming and I lasted 14 days.  That's longer than my doctor anticipated.  It's still hard.  Poop. I went t...

  2/21/21 I wanted to write tonight mostly just to see the date.  Looks pretty cool, huh?  David and I got our house all cleaned up, laundry done, etc.  I even worked on our taxes.  I tire easily these days, but I'm not a total waste of space.  And, I can raise my left arm almost all the way above my head now!  Woo-hoo!  We need groceries but the stores are still empty.  David made a run yesterday but didn't have much luck.  When they lost power, they threw out all the refrigerated/freezer items.  Gotta wait till they can restock.  Anyway, I'm prepared for another wasted week.  Chores are done. I have an appointment with my ENT guy tomorrow to check my esophagus and my chemo got moved up to the morning, instead of the afternoon, on Tuesday.  I will be there at 9:20 a.m. for several hours.  I have labs prior to getting treatment, so cross your fingers! Most of our snow is gone and the last iceberg in the pool melt...

  2/19/20 Gads, it's Friday.  We just got our cable, internet and phones back on after enduring 'Snowmaggedon' for the past 6 days.  Our power was off more than it was on and cell service was sketchy, to say the least.  We charged our phones whenever the power was on.  Our house was cold!  We have both power and water now and are counting our blessings.  All my doctor appointments were cancelled this week.  They were all closed.  The Walmart where I get my prescriptions filled is still closed - yeah, let that sink in.  We haven't had a newspaper or any mail for the past 6 days - and still don't.  Rain, sleet or snow - my ass. I got better each day after chemo and day 6 was the last 'icky' day.  I was tired and took a nap most days, but the relentless headache finally went away.  I guess the aliens in my head finally went back home - too cold here for them, I reckon.  Now the weather is finally going to warm up, the we...

  2/13/21 My birthday was today.  I'm 65.  Was kind of hoping for a better day than it turned out to be, but it is what it is.  Some days are good, some aren't.  Today aren't.  The aliens have officially taken over the mother board in my brain.  And they're stomping on it.  Can't seem to get rid of this headache and my head feels huge and heavy - like that guy, Jack, the Jack-in-the-Box dude.  I'm not going to go into all my current ailments - just know they're coming out of the woodwork.  This is day 4 after my first chemo.  Tomorrow will be day 5, and supposedly the worst will be over.  Until my next treatment, that is.  It's so nice having Courtney and her family here right now.  They're going to have to stay a tad bit longer than they planned because the roads are too icy to get back home.  We haven't lost power yet, but the worst is yet to come.  I hope it stays on - just don't need that right now....

 2/10 Today is Wednesday and I'm pretty sure I'm obtaining a good understanding of the term 'chemo brain'.  If you told me something this morning, I've forgotten it.  Well, actually, if you told me something 10 minutes ago, I've already forgotten it.  I don't know why I step into another room.  Was I going to get something, or do I just need to pee?  Pee.  That's it.  I've got to pee.  For Heaven's sake, don't let me drive.  Hide my car keys.  Never mind, just leave them in my purse.  I will forget where they're kept anyway. Today isn't as bad as I anticipated, so that's wonderful.  The aliens are still in my head and won't leave their command post, so they're a pain in the butt.  I mean brain.  I already explained about my banana brain troubles.  My right arm was swollen up like the Goodyear blimp last night and I gained 4 lbs. in 12 hours.  Never in my wildest dreams would I think that would be possib...

 2/9/21  Today is Tuesday.  My first chemo day.  I had my chemo bag and was ready to do this.  When I got to the cancer center, I realized I'd left my filled water bottle in the refrigerator.  Well, poop.  Turns out, they had water bottles there, anyway.  Ok, over the first potential hurdle.  When the nurse took a look at my port, she asked me when I'd gotten it.  I said yesterday afternoon.  She left and brought back another nurse, who looked at it.  They both left and brought back a third nurse (obviously the head honcho), and between the 3 of them, they decided to take a picture and call the doctor.  It was swollen and black and blue and they said there was a good chance I'd have to come back next week.  What?!?  Arrggghhh!  (That was inside my head).  I was already extremely nervous and sore and now was fixin' to cry.  They couldn't take a steri-strip off and risk infection.  I couldn't ha...

 2/8/21   Today is Monday.  Garfield Monday, if you ask me.  David took me to the hospital at 10:00 a.m.  I sat in the waiting room for 45 minutes before they even checked me in.  Good Heavens.  They told me to be there at 10:30 a.m. and it turns out my surgery wasn't scheduled until 1:00 p.m.  They needed ALL that time to put in an IV?!?  Turns out, they did.  Sigh.  My surgery still started a little late and it only lasted about 45 minutes or an hour.  They had to keep me in there a tad longer than anticipated because I was bleeding a bit more than desired.  I had to stay in Recovery for 2 hours, instead of 1, also.  Still bleeding.  At least I'm good at something.  Natural talent, I guess.  David picked me up and we were home at 5:00 p.m.  The doctor told me that when the good stuff wore off, I would feel like I got sucker-punched.  I've got quite a bruise, perhaps from them putting pressur...

2/5/21 I went to Physical Therapy this morning for an hour and all they did was evaluate me.  Measured both arms all over to compare, watched me stretch, ask me a bunch of questions, looked at the incisions and where I'm collecting fluid, etc.  I drove a couple of blocks to the Women's store and got some compression stuff to wear to help try and drain the fluid and then went home for an hour.   David drove me to the cancer center for Chemo Class and we were there an hour, also.  It was a one-on-one information meeting.  Questions and answers flowed and we're a lot smarter this evening.  I'm glad he went with me.  They gave me a packet that contained everything we talked about, so I can refer to it all I want.  He told me all about the drugs I would be given and all the side effects.  He gave me lots of hints of stuff to try and some stuff to buy ahead of time.  I'm going to be taking Doxorubicin, Cyclophosphamide and Neulasta, among...

2/4/21 Today is Thursday.  Yesterday would have been Susan's 74th birthday and I thought of her all day.  Keeping track of the days of the week is becoming more difficult.  It's rough being retired.... I am sleeping a lot lately and when I'm not sleeping, I'm sleepy.  No drugs, either.  Not even Tylenol PM.  Not sure what my body is doing now.  Today I woke up in a brain fog.  My head didn't feel like my own.  More like a lead balloon sitting on top of my shoulders.  So, of course, I went to the couch for a nap.  For a couple of hours.....  David is officially tired of being a house-husband.  Asked me to contact our old house cleaning angel and hire her again.  She will come when she is sure she is COVID-free because some in her family were ill.  She hasn't been here in many years, but I'm really looking forward to it.  Tired of looking at dust. I got permission to take David with me to Chemo Class tomorrow....

  2/1/21 It's Monday.  Unique date.  2121.  Today is my first day to be on Medicare.  Whoopee.  New deductible to satisfy.  Again, whoopee.  David and I were feeling kinda crappy yesterday from our COVID shots on Saturday.  Our arms are still sore today, but nothing like yesterday.  One source said we would have our immunity in 10 days, another said 2 weeks, and yet another said 3 weeks.  I love how they can just narrow this down so well.   I now have a seroma.  Yeah, I didn't know what it was either - don't feel bad.  I'm swelling up like a water balloon.  If it continues to grow, they will drain the fluid.  I was just thinking how much I miss having needles stuck in my boob....  Let's hope it goes down on it's own. I have some appointments coming up soon.  Physical Therapy will be calling to schedule visits.  I go in Friday to the cancer center to 'Chemo Class'.  It's 40 minutes lo...