Patty's epic adventure

  9/29/21 This is Wednesday. It’s been almost a week since I posted. I’ve been getting some texts and phone calls asking how I am, so I should post. I’m healing up nicely. I still use the creams for my burns and I’m still tired. I saw an orthopedic surgeon today about my elbow. It’s been hurting since surgery January 6. No one can seem to figure out what’s wrong. All the x-rays are normal, so next I’m going to have an MRI. I went to town today to get new glasses with the prescription that I got from MD Anderson. Apparently, it’s for a different Patricia. Yes, they gave me someone else’s prescription, so she probably has mine. I got a phone call today from Houston from the place I got my compression garments. The last thing was on back order and they mailed it to the RV park in Houston, after I gave them my home address. I got a certified letter in the mail today from the hospital up here. It said they made an error, apparently, and sent all my medical records to somewhere else. The...

  9/24/21 Today is Friday. I went to my oncologist this morning and promptly flunked my blood work test. At least my white blood count is not in the extreme danger zone any longer. I’ve still got a ways to go, but I will begin to heal pretty soon. I got all my questions answered, and she took me off one medicine. That was the good news. Bad news is: she put me on two more medicines. One of them is an estrogen blocker, and I knew she was going to put me on that one. I will be on it for the next 10 years. My body is not going to like it very much, either. However, the side effects are a lot better than getting cancer again. I have to go see an orthopedic surgeon about the pain in my elbow, that no one can figure out what it is. I got the OK to travel, as long as I am careful. My cough is destined to last another several months as my esophagus heals. I thought I would be better by now, but I was way off the target.  I don’t have to go see her again until late December, unless som...

  9/22/21 Today is Wednesday. David took me to the hospital this morning. We left the house at 7:15 AM and my quick in and out surgery, turned into something a bit more lengthy. they told me over the phone when they were setting this thing up that it would only take an hour. Boy, were they wrong. I was there for five hours. There was no problem removing the port, however. I was told wrong over the phone. They had a bit of trouble getting me to sleep. They underestimated my ability to stay awake under the influence of drugs. They had to give me more pina coladas three times. The nurses would say something and I would say, what? My head was turned to the left and I was covered with a drape, so I could see nothing. I didn’t know if they were talking to me or to themselves. Every time I would say “what?”, they would say “are you still awake!?!” Uh, Yep! Then, they would hit me with more juice in my IV.  I spent the entire afternoon asleep in my bed at home. I didn’t get very much ...

  9/21/21 Today is Tuesday. I didn’t get out of bed till 10:30 this morning. I was awake for about an hour, then I decided I needed a nap. The doorbell rang at 1 o’clock and woke me up. It was the lady tech-support person for my new pressure suit. Boy, was it every nice to see her! She taught me how to use my new suit and I felt a lot better after my first session. I’m going to like this thing. It’s huge, though. Not going to be great to travel with, but it is what it is. I got my paperwork ready for my appointment in the morning. I have to be at the main hospital at 7:45 AM to have my port removed. They need a list of all my current medication. So, I had to make a new one. I am currently on 23 different medications. It’s freaking unbelievable. As my throat heals, though, I’ll be able to take some of those off the list. As my burns heal, I’ll be able to get rid of a few more. It will be nice to have this port out. It has turned sideways and it hurts whenever I get near it. You can ...

  9/20/21 Boy, I really got my dates mixed up the last few days. I am quite sure today is the 20th, though. It’s Monday. I’m sure of that, also. The representative for my pressure  suit called me this morning and she will be out here tomorrow afternoon to fit me. My suit arrived yesterday. I stayed awake a good part of the day yesterday, but went to bed at 8 PM last night. I didn’t wake up until 8 AM this morning. One of my friends came over to help me with my medicine yesterday. It was a little overwhelming, but she was an enormous help. I have so much medicine to keep track of, and when I brought it all into the house from the RV, it simply covered the entire kitchen table. I needed a system to keep track of all of it, and to get it off the kitchen table so we can eat. When my esophagus finally heals, I won’t need near so much medicine. I can hardly wait till that day rolls around.  I have no energy any longer. I get so tired. My joints ache and my knees buckle at the m...

  9/18/21 This is Sunday.  I’m in a much better mood today.  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I have slept 31 out of the last 36 hours. Yes, I was only awake for 5 hours yesterday and that’s because David woke me up to eat. I had weird dreams about my sister, Phyllis, and was talking to her all day. Then I remembered that yesterday was her wedding anniversary. She got married 55 years ago.  Maybe that’s what was happening.  Who knows? I still miss her terribly and she’s been gone 6-1/2 years. My nails are healing up pretty well, but one big toenail hasn’t come back yet.  I’m afraid I still might lose it. It’s ugly. My hair follicles are healing, too, but I still need to put the salve on twice a day. I coat my throat 4 times a day, too. It will sure be nice when that finally heals. I truly don’t know how I drove home last Thursday. I couldn’t drive around the block now. That was a small miracle.  Well, crap, I just fell asleep writing t...

  9/18/21 Today is Saturday. I didn’t write yesterday, probably because it was so uneventful. I woke up at 11 AM and was back in bed before 1 o’clock. I pretty much slept the day away. So far, today has started out approximately the same as yesterday. I woke up at 10:30 AM and I’m currently in my recliner using my arm pressure machine. I’m so sleepy, I’m about to fall asleep again. It seems like all I do is sleep, take my medicine, put the burn cream on, repeat. I get my port out on Wednesday and I see my oncologist in Tyler on Friday. She is going to put me on more medicine. I will be on an estrogen blocker for the next 10 years, if I make it that long. It’s going to weaken my bones and I have osteopenia already. The radiation is weakening my bones, also. This does not bode well.  I do not want to end  up looking like one of those little old ladies who’s all bent over, or worse yet, stuck in a wheelchair. I have to have another bone density test as soon as they can book ...