A New Journey - Radiation

These past 2 weeks havc been horrible.  The shots to boost my white blood count knocked my socks off.  I have hardly been eating because of the weird tastes.  For example, Tom's Coca Cola tasted like orange and raisens tasted like pickles.  Today is the first day things have tasted "True".  Yesterday I had a heart scan (MUGGA) done and a consultation with the radiologist.  Next Thursday I will go and they will make a cast mold of me laying with my arm over my head.  That way everytime I have radiation I will be laying in the EXACT position.  They also will tatoo the area they are going to radiate.  I will have to go every day (minus weekends) for 33 days.  I can expect a pretty good sunburn by the end of the treatments.  But, they have lotions I can use to ease the pain.  All our arrangements are made with Hope Lodge and we will be moving in there on June 27th.  My hair hasn't started to come back yet, but I suspect that will take a while.  And what I can see of it, it is white!!!!  Yikes ....  Thank you for continued prayers and support.

CHEMO DONE!!!!!!!!!

It was touch and go ..... again.  Thursday I had to go get the filter for the bloodclots taken out of my stomach.  They go through a vein to take it out.  The procedure took about an hour and I had to be put out.  Don't remember a thing and everything went well.  Friday I went in for the chemo and everything was out of whack.  Temperature of 100.4, high pulse rate (made me go get an EKG which was okay), low blood pressure ... then they redo the vitals and the temp was 98.5, pulse still high and blood pressure high.  Well, the dr. still okayed the chemo, but the nurse was leary of doing it because my white blood count was 1.8 (very low).  I had a total meltdown and said if they sent me home without the treatment I would not come back.  And I meant it.  She went and talked to the dr. who said I could have the chemo, but I would have to take one shot a day for 4 days to boost the white blood count.  So, tonight at bedtime I start the shots.  It is nice to know that now I can start moving the other direction.  Maybe taste coming back, fingers and toes not so painfully tingly, hair growing back and appetite too.  There are a lot of pluses to look forward to.  They changed my radiation to begin June 27th instead of June 20th, but that's okay with me.  In between I will have a consultation with the radiologist, a MUGGA (heart) scan, a bone density test and go in for my herceptin treatmeat which I will continue to have for 9 months.  The journey isn't over yet, but it's moving along.  Thank you for your support and prayers as always.  Knowing I have your support keeps me going.  CHEMO OVER!!!!!!!!!!  Yeah Me!!!!