I'm looking forward to 2009! This year has been such a roller coaster ride that I have spent most of it trying to catch my breath! There have been such moments of excitement and happiness mixed with moments of shock and deep sadness that it cannot be known as an all around good or bad year. Just crazy!
It looks like my right eyebrow is starting to go on the outer edge. I signed up for the Look Good, Feel Better program by the American Cancer Society. It's lead by a cosmetologist that will help put on makeup and wigs. I heard that sometimes since the women are usually older, the young ones will get extra attention from the older ladies. So I'm bracing myself for that, but the good news is that you get a lot of free makeup from some nice companies that donate.
Mom is finally feeling better from the stomach virus and the back pain that followed. She was able to eat the jap chae she made for Christmas. I made some spinach dip with chestnuts for the countdown tonight. We're having Paula Dean's spiral cut ham with a crunchy honey crust tomorrow. One of my co-workers mentioned that pork and saurkraut were good luck for the new year. I don't know about the good luck, but pork and saurkraut sounded good to me so Mom made some yesterday. I may as well eat while I have the appetite! Next Wed. is chemo round #5.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Nose hair
The weather was warm enough yesterday that Sam and I were able to walk around the lake. We also met up with Dennis for lunch. He was heading back down to NC after spending Christmas was his mom in Harrisburg. Have fun in Miami, Dennis!
It turns out that Mom got whatever William had. Sam and I are OK though, no sharing food, towels, etc. I had some sniffles and slight headache last night, but I'm definitely a lot better off than Mom and William have been.
I think that I now have more hair on top of my nose than inside. The chemo made my internal nose hairs fall out, making my nose drip unexpectedly sometimes. The other day when there was a warm breeze, I was able to feel the wind with my nose! It seems that skipping taxotere that one time allowed my facial hair to grow back. The unfortunate part is that most likely my ovaries are not making estrogen now so some of the hair that grew back is let's say a bit darker than before. Good news--the hair should fall out again; Bad news--I'll probably need to remove them again after chemo.
It turns out that Mom got whatever William had. Sam and I are OK though, no sharing food, towels, etc. I had some sniffles and slight headache last night, but I'm definitely a lot better off than Mom and William have been.
I think that I now have more hair on top of my nose than inside. The chemo made my internal nose hairs fall out, making my nose drip unexpectedly sometimes. The other day when there was a warm breeze, I was able to feel the wind with my nose! It seems that skipping taxotere that one time allowed my facial hair to grow back. The unfortunate part is that most likely my ovaries are not making estrogen now so some of the hair that grew back is let's say a bit darker than before. Good news--the hair should fall out again; Bad news--I'll probably need to remove them again after chemo.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Merry Christmas!
I know I'm a bit behind. I did celebrate Christmas with my family. My appetite returned so that I could enjoy Christmas dinner, which was jap chae and galbee. Mom did the cooking this year. I just helped with the veggie cutting. Sam ate a pile of galbee, but poor William was sick with the stomach virus this year. He practically didn't eat for 2 days! He started to eat solid food yesterday so he's starting to recover. I think that William had a tougher time with his bug (he had a fever, too) than I did with my chemo.
Last Sat, which is usually my worst chemo day, I was able to mail out Christmas cards and wander around the mall. Monday I actually went into work and worked on my review. I took an inbuprofen though from the back ache caused by the Neulasta. There was some heart burn, but no new symptoms occurred.
Yesterday, I decided that if I get a $500-$600 scholarship to go to a young breast cancer survivors conference in Dallas that I'll go. It's at the end of Feb, by which time I would have just completed all my chemo. Anyone know someone in Dallas?
Last Sat, which is usually my worst chemo day, I was able to mail out Christmas cards and wander around the mall. Monday I actually went into work and worked on my review. I took an inbuprofen though from the back ache caused by the Neulasta. There was some heart burn, but no new symptoms occurred.
Yesterday, I decided that if I get a $500-$600 scholarship to go to a young breast cancer survivors conference in Dallas that I'll go. It's at the end of Feb, by which time I would have just completed all my chemo. Anyone know someone in Dallas?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
SCAR project
This project uses photography to tell the story of breast cancer survivors. Many have gone through mastectomies and some have decided on recontruction. You can see their scars, but, of course, each are much more than that. I know 2 people who have participated, and the photos of them turned out gorgeous. You can see Steph, who also started chemo in Oct with me. http://picasaweb.google.com/bionerdsteph/SCARProject#
A more general site for the project:
http://www.davidjayphotography.com/TheSCARProject20/
Overall, I think the photos look great! I would have thought about participating, but they are looking more for those under 30 since the spots over 30 were already filled. I say you get more rambuctious as you get older!! I also don't have much of a scar since I had 2 lumpectomies, and my great breast surgeon used the same incision for the second one. The scars are healing so nicely that they are already past the shiny stage, just kinda red.
A more general site for the project:
http://www.davidjayphotography.com/TheSCARProject20/
Overall, I think the photos look great! I would have thought about participating, but they are looking more for those under 30 since the spots over 30 were already filled. I say you get more rambuctious as you get older!! I also don't have much of a scar since I had 2 lumpectomies, and my great breast surgeon used the same incision for the second one. The scars are healing so nicely that they are already past the shiny stage, just kinda red.
Chemo #4--lowered carbo dose
This is an excerpt from my communications with my chemo buddies. It gives an idea where they are at.
Hi Ladies,
I'm being infused with carboplatin as I type. The dose was lowered this time around. It was more than 800 mg before, but now I'm getting 711 mg. Liver enzymes still OK. I'll get my Neulasta tomorrow. (The main concern is to keep my chemo on schedule much more so than the amount I get so hopefully the next few times I'll have my chemo on time.)
Isa--I guess your suspicions were correct. I hope the antibiotics work quickly! Good luck downing the mega pills! (She got strep from her son!)
Kat-- Are you paying for the neulasta mostly out-of-pocket? I hope not! I think I was quoted that it's a $3,400 shot!Glad to hear that your body body is now accepting the morphine. Looks like the autohypnosis worked. :P Were you suppose to have the exchange on Fri in the middle of chemo? I wasn't sure.About the pic, Bob looked like she passed out while reading a book. It could have been something boring, like on dogs. :D (Bob's her cat)
Karen--what's phlebitis? It is funny that the docs want our platelets to do different things. (Karen is pregnant, and her docs want her to not to clot, whereas mine are worrying I won't clot.)
Heather--It's good that you have your plan laid out. You know that you've made the best decisions that you could. Good luck on your taxotere. Are you taking oral steroids today? (Heather recently found out that she is BRCA2 positive. She will be having an oophrectomy, removal of her ovaries, so that the estrogen produced from them will not feed her breast cancer.)
Kyung
Hi Ladies,
I'm being infused with carboplatin as I type. The dose was lowered this time around. It was more than 800 mg before, but now I'm getting 711 mg. Liver enzymes still OK. I'll get my Neulasta tomorrow. (The main concern is to keep my chemo on schedule much more so than the amount I get so hopefully the next few times I'll have my chemo on time.)
Isa--I guess your suspicions were correct. I hope the antibiotics work quickly! Good luck downing the mega pills! (She got strep from her son!)
Kat-- Are you paying for the neulasta mostly out-of-pocket? I hope not! I think I was quoted that it's a $3,400 shot!Glad to hear that your body body is now accepting the morphine. Looks like the autohypnosis worked. :P Were you suppose to have the exchange on Fri in the middle of chemo? I wasn't sure.About the pic, Bob looked like she passed out while reading a book. It could have been something boring, like on dogs. :D (Bob's her cat)
Karen--what's phlebitis? It is funny that the docs want our platelets to do different things. (Karen is pregnant, and her docs want her to not to clot, whereas mine are worrying I won't clot.)
Heather--It's good that you have your plan laid out. You know that you've made the best decisions that you could. Good luck on your taxotere. Are you taking oral steroids today? (Heather recently found out that she is BRCA2 positive. She will be having an oophrectomy, removal of her ovaries, so that the estrogen produced from them will not feed her breast cancer.)
Kyung
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Go platelets! and Ting
I just got back that my platelets are at 185,000. That means I'm all ready to go for chemo! Who knew I would be happy about getting chemo.
Today I met up with one of my Wellesley friends who works at Hopkins. Some of you may know her, Ting Bao. She and I were biochem majors and were a part of the Glee Club (singing). It turns out that she works in breast cancer in the medical oncology dept. What a small world! In fact, my med onc's office is right across her desk. She can see him come and go all the time.
Ting graduated a year later than I did. It seems that during their reunions they get to see Hillary Clinton. One of these years I may just end up crashing their reunion! She told me other people do. =>
It was good to hear about Hui Men and Qian Zhou, who both happen to be in MD. I had completely lost contact with Hui, and last time I heard Qian was in TX. Ting is looking for a faculty position, and her husband is already a faculty member at Hopkins. She got married in 2003. It turns out that most of our close Wellesley friends don't have children. We have to wonder if there was something about Wellesley that had us decide to have children later.
Anyway, it turned out to be a great 2-hour lunch. I actually found her through the Linked In website. It's been 10 years since I last saw her.
Today I met up with one of my Wellesley friends who works at Hopkins. Some of you may know her, Ting Bao. She and I were biochem majors and were a part of the Glee Club (singing). It turns out that she works in breast cancer in the medical oncology dept. What a small world! In fact, my med onc's office is right across her desk. She can see him come and go all the time.
Ting graduated a year later than I did. It seems that during their reunions they get to see Hillary Clinton. One of these years I may just end up crashing their reunion! She told me other people do. =>
It was good to hear about Hui Men and Qian Zhou, who both happen to be in MD. I had completely lost contact with Hui, and last time I heard Qian was in TX. Ting is looking for a faculty position, and her husband is already a faculty member at Hopkins. She got married in 2003. It turns out that most of our close Wellesley friends don't have children. We have to wonder if there was something about Wellesley that had us decide to have children later.
Anyway, it turned out to be a great 2-hour lunch. I actually found her through the Linked In website. It's been 10 years since I last saw her.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tumor markers
Although my medical oncologist hasn't mentioned looking at tumor markers, some of my chemo buddies are having theirs monitored, in particular CA15-3. The interpretation of the numbers hasn't been completely decided upon it seems, but it wasn't even mentioned to me by my doc. I'll have to remember to ask.
Second echo
I had my second echo today to monitor my heart function as I'm going through Herceptin and chemo. It was a lot shorter than the first time around. The tech said he didn't see anything off, but I should receive the official report later. It's always entertaining to hear the sounds your heart makes as it's pumping blood, just like a washing machine.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Info on low platelet counts
Thrombocytopenia (Low platelet counts)
Signs and symptoms:
Easy or excessive bruising
Superficial bleeding into the skin that appears as a rash of pinpoint-sized reddish-purple spots (petechiae), usually on the lower legs
Prolonged bleeding from cuts
Spontaneous bleeding from your gums or nose
Blood in urine or stools
Unusually heavy menstrual flows
Profuse bleeding during surgery
FYI: My counts weren't low enough for me to have these symptoms.
Normally, you have anywhere from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of circulating blood. Because each platelet lives only about 10 days, your platelet supply is continually renewed by production of new platelets from your bone marrow.
Mild thrombocytopenia typically has no long-lasting effects. The biggest risk of severe thrombocytopenia is bleeding into the brain or digestive tract, which although rare, can be life-threatening.
If chemotherapy is found to be the cause of your low platelet counts, you may have to stop treatment temporarily while you recover. Thrombocytopenia can be treated with a transfusion of platelets, usually done in a hospital. Your doctor may also use injections of thrombopoietic growth factors, such as Neumega (oprelvekin) to stimulate platelet production.
http://breastcancer.about.com/od/lifeduringtreatment/p/thrombocyto.htm
When the count is below 20,000, bleeding in the digestive tract or brain may occur even when there is no injury.
http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_ha/sec3/ch49/ch49c.html
Aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and antihistamines may interfere with how platelets function, although the platelet count remains normal.
Good list of drugs that cause thrombocytopenia, but not chemo drugs. I already know mine's due to carboplatin.
If the platelet count is below 20,000, people are usually treated in a hospital or advised to stay in bed to avoid injury. They are usually given a transfusion of platelets. If the platelet count is 20,000 to 30,000 and excessive bleeding occurs, platelets are usually transfused.
http://askville.amazon.com/low-platelet-count/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=4071914
Neumega® (oprevelkin) is the blood cell growth factor that is approved for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia. Oprevelkin is generally well tolerated by patients, with minimal side effects. The most common side effect observed with oprevelkin is fluid retention or edema. This symptom persists while oprevelkin is being used and is reversible within a few days of discontinuation of oprevelkin. Sometimes diuretics (or water reducing pills) are used to reduce fluid retention.
http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/effects/common/low-platelet-count-thrombocytopenia.htm
Vancomycin, the antibiotic that I was taking the hospital, not only can cause Red Man Syndrome, but also in some cases thrombocytopenia by augmenting antibody production.
"We found a close correlation between exposure to vancomycin, development of a vancomycin-dependent antibody, and the onset of severe thrombocytopenia accompanied by serious bleeding in most cases," Says Dr. Aster. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/64435.php
Signs and symptoms:
Easy or excessive bruising
Superficial bleeding into the skin that appears as a rash of pinpoint-sized reddish-purple spots (petechiae), usually on the lower legs
Prolonged bleeding from cuts
Spontaneous bleeding from your gums or nose
Blood in urine or stools
Unusually heavy menstrual flows
Profuse bleeding during surgery
FYI: My counts weren't low enough for me to have these symptoms.
Normally, you have anywhere from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of circulating blood. Because each platelet lives only about 10 days, your platelet supply is continually renewed by production of new platelets from your bone marrow.
Mild thrombocytopenia typically has no long-lasting effects. The biggest risk of severe thrombocytopenia is bleeding into the brain or digestive tract, which although rare, can be life-threatening.
If chemotherapy is found to be the cause of your low platelet counts, you may have to stop treatment temporarily while you recover. Thrombocytopenia can be treated with a transfusion of platelets, usually done in a hospital. Your doctor may also use injections of thrombopoietic growth factors, such as Neumega (oprelvekin) to stimulate platelet production.
http://breastcancer.about.com/od/lifeduringtreatment/p/thrombocyto.htm
When the count is below 20,000, bleeding in the digestive tract or brain may occur even when there is no injury.
http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_ha/sec3/ch49/ch49c.html
Aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and antihistamines may interfere with how platelets function, although the platelet count remains normal.
Good list of drugs that cause thrombocytopenia, but not chemo drugs. I already know mine's due to carboplatin.
If the platelet count is below 20,000, people are usually treated in a hospital or advised to stay in bed to avoid injury. They are usually given a transfusion of platelets. If the platelet count is 20,000 to 30,000 and excessive bleeding occurs, platelets are usually transfused.
http://askville.amazon.com/low-platelet-count/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=4071914
Neumega® (oprevelkin) is the blood cell growth factor that is approved for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia. Oprevelkin is generally well tolerated by patients, with minimal side effects. The most common side effect observed with oprevelkin is fluid retention or edema. This symptom persists while oprevelkin is being used and is reversible within a few days of discontinuation of oprevelkin. Sometimes diuretics (or water reducing pills) are used to reduce fluid retention.
http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/effects/common/low-platelet-count-thrombocytopenia.htm
Vancomycin, the antibiotic that I was taking the hospital, not only can cause Red Man Syndrome, but also in some cases thrombocytopenia by augmenting antibody production.
"We found a close correlation between exposure to vancomycin, development of a vancomycin-dependent antibody, and the onset of severe thrombocytopenia accompanied by serious bleeding in most cases," Says Dr. Aster. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/64435.php
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Steroid frenzy
I forgot to add that I took my dexamethasone yesterday, and I was only able to sleep for three hours, from 12:30 am to 3:30. I couldn't sleep. The steroid really keeps me awake. It may have been helpful in college. Just kidding! I think that it can make you constipated anyway, although I've been OK. I'm sure you wanted to know. :)
Well, No Chemo, after all the traffic
I met with Carol Riley the nurse practitioner today, after being in the car for about 2 hours to get to Hopkins. A little rain causes much havoc in Baltimore. It turns out that my platelets are low (62,000 vs 100,000 for normal) so I can't receive carboplatin. I've been receiving the full dose of carbo, which can knock down the platelets, so I may end up receving a lower dose next time. The good news is that my liver enzymes are normal again. Instead of receiving chemo one at a time, Carol thought it best to try to move everything for next week. It's less poking for me so I'm fine with that. I'll definitely have to get the herceptin next week though since it lasts in the body for 3 weeks usually, and it is really the reason that I want to go through all this. Mom, Sam, and I will be hanging out at the mall it seems, getting our Christmas shopping done!
Monday, December 8, 2008
A gift from Sam
Sam and I have been battling colds this past weekend. I've been holed up in the apt so I figure Sam's the one who brought the cold home. We both have sniffling/stuffy noses and coughing, but his eyes are watering and mine are dry as a bone. I also had a headache come and go over the weekend, but Sam's voice sounds worse than mine. The nice thing about the weekend was that it snowed on Sat., nice little flakes as we went to Costco.
Chemo #4 is coming up on Wed. Hopefully, the cold won't change when I get the chemo.
Chemo #4 is coming up on Wed. Hopefully, the cold won't change when I get the chemo.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Happy Birthday or Whatever
I'm currently reading Happy Birthday or Whatever by Annie Choi. I ran across it in the library yesterday as I was talking to Sam on the phone. Interestingly, Annie is my age (32), born about a month later than I was, and a Korean-American. I think it's great that she has a book out, actually a memoir. As I met with my high school friends last Sat., I realized that I don't remember much of high school. Big chunks of my life are already forgotten. If I were to write a memoir, I don't think that I could go into such detail or write it up so amusingly.
It turns out that her mother had breast cancer while she was in college. Her mother was diagnosed when she felt very tired, and the doctors found a tennis ball-size lump. She had a mastectomy and was undergoing chemo before her daughter even found out that she had breast cancer. I would feel abandoned if that happened to me, but, of course, her parents didn't want to distract her from her studies, a very typical Korean response. It was the same when my mom had to have surgery while I was in college. She told me to stay where I was.
It seems Annie's mother is still in remission, but I haven't gotten to the end of the book yet. Also, I think that she stopped writing when she was 28 or something, but in any case, she would have survived the 5-year mark for being cancer-free. Although cancer can come back after 5 years, most cancer, if they were to reoccur would happen in the first 2-3 years.
My head's overheating from my wig. Happy 32 to Janet! (yesterday, actually the day before then because of the time difference)
It turns out that her mother had breast cancer while she was in college. Her mother was diagnosed when she felt very tired, and the doctors found a tennis ball-size lump. She had a mastectomy and was undergoing chemo before her daughter even found out that she had breast cancer. I would feel abandoned if that happened to me, but, of course, her parents didn't want to distract her from her studies, a very typical Korean response. It was the same when my mom had to have surgery while I was in college. She told me to stay where I was.
It seems Annie's mother is still in remission, but I haven't gotten to the end of the book yet. Also, I think that she stopped writing when she was 28 or something, but in any case, she would have survived the 5-year mark for being cancer-free. Although cancer can come back after 5 years, most cancer, if they were to reoccur would happen in the first 2-3 years.
My head's overheating from my wig. Happy 32 to Janet! (yesterday, actually the day before then because of the time difference)
Monday, December 1, 2008
Heavenly Hats and Nails
I received 5 hats from Heavenly Hats. My head is rather large so only 3 fit, but that's 3 more hats than I had before! Nice!
I've noticed that there's a brown ring around the white moons of my nails. My nails are strong as ever, but some people do have their nails "fall off" durin chemo. I'm actually not sure what that would look like because they say that a new nail comes in before the falling off. I guess I'll have to take a pic to show you if that's the case.
I was on antibiotics last week for a mild infection. I'm feeling super now.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm liking my turkey sandwiches!
Who else watched the House marathon during Thanksgiving?
I've noticed that there's a brown ring around the white moons of my nails. My nails are strong as ever, but some people do have their nails "fall off" durin chemo. I'm actually not sure what that would look like because they say that a new nail comes in before the falling off. I guess I'll have to take a pic to show you if that's the case.
I was on antibiotics last week for a mild infection. I'm feeling super now.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm liking my turkey sandwiches!
Who else watched the House marathon during Thanksgiving?
More pics
Far Left: Me wearing the newsboy hat that I got with Jeannie. Sam and I had walked around the lake earlier.
Chemo #3 pic. Since I only had carboplatin and herceptin, it was pretty quick.
I have the portable DVD player that William got us. Who wants to see Mozart and the Whaaaale? =>
Wig #3
On Sat, I met with my high school friends at Carrabas. From the left is Jean, Katie, Beth, and Jean's hubby, Rick. Dennis was passing through from visiting his family in Pittsburgh and joined us! I'm wearing the new wig that Linda got me on Friday.
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