Latest Gry-Eyed update from outside the Trenches

[Guest guest]

" Ups " are easy to share. Them's warm 'n fuzzies. My post-Thanksgiving

report was such a wonderful tale to share. It would have to be pretty

spectacular to beat that week!

Uhhhh... well... it hasn't been anywhere near spectacular here on the

Chemotherapy trail. Lessee: positives: only four more chemo treatments to

go, and the schedule has been quickened so I'll be getting the last four

doses at 15 day intervals, instead of every 21 days. Stuff to consider

about that regimen: it's a different drug (Taxol) and on Jan 5th I'll

start the " dense dose " regimen. In preparation for that, I've gotten my

first white blood cell booster, am scheduled for my next red blood cell

booster on 12/24 (Merry Christmas!) and I'll be getting those at various

times after each chemo treatment. (The Neulasta injection cannot be given

less than 24 hours after the chemo dose. The Aranesp injection comes

later, or before, depending on one's perspective, in between treatments.)

I have been tolerating chemotherapy fairly well. I guess the mild side

effects spoiled me. Oh, sure, I haven't any energy, I sleep tons during

the day and very little at night, and everything tastes pretty " off " for

about 2 weeks after each chemotherapy treatment. Some stuff lets me know

right away it's not on my menu for the time being. But that's mild,

compared to the reactions I experienced after my first treatment.

So, expecting the same " toleration " of side effects, I attended our Area

Office Christmas Party two days after my most recent chemo session. I

ain't stupid; I brought along some chicken bouillon cubes and some Ativan

" just in case. " I wouldn't have minded sipping bouillon, if I'd had to

forego the really nice dinner. Woo hoo! I was able to have a little bit

of everything! (Plus two glasses of white zinfandel.) And an

Ativan..... To be totally honest, I was pretending to feel as good as I

looked. <smirk> I wore my new spiffy wig, had on some makeup to obscure

the half-dead Chemo lady look, and worked in concert with the rest of the

people at our " dispatchers table " to infuse some hi jinks into the party.

We were the rowdiest table but even we couldn't get much more than some

laughter, whoops and whatnot going. Maaaan, it was a (dare I say it:

dull?) party that would have satisfied any member of the clergy. I was

able to beg off after 2 and a half hours because, frankly, it wasn't what I

would have called a Good Day for me, anyway. Kinda pushed it 2 days after

chemo. (But I do have photos!)

Day 3 was worse. For some reason, it was not deemed to be a " mild " side

effect session, after all. The party meal from the night before stayed

down, thank goodness, but I wasn't the least bit hungry. Too

queasy. Bouillon and saltine crackers didn't even stay down. I slept A

LOT. I'm guessing 19 or 20 out of 24 hours, mostly during the time of day

when I routinely contact my closest friends on-line.

The nurse who returned my call from the oncology center advised me to break

out the anti-emetic drugs I'd had to use back in early September, and to

" overlap " a couple of the prescriptions. What was different? Was anything

wrong, I asked? Nooooop; chemo side effects can be different on ANY

session, it's a sort of crap shoot which adjunct medications will work best

for each patient. Those " mild " sessions had made me complacent. ( " Merry

Christmas, " she said, cheerily.) And, she added, it was good practice for

the next four doses of Taxol on the " dense " schedule. Paclitaxel, brand

name Taxol, will be a change from the other three cancer-killer drugs I've

been given thus far: cyclophosphamide, brand name Cytoxan, doxorubicin,

brand name Adriamycin, and fluorouracil, commonly called " 5-FU. "

I guess that's given y'all some research to do, if interest arises. I

won't bore anyone with the list of anti-emetic and other helpful drugs I

take just to be able to keep really bland foods from seeing the light again

without much digestion. <grin> Be careful; reading up on those cancer

medication and their side effects can scare the bejeezus out of ya. (It

does ME!) My favorite research site is <http://www.breastcancer.org> - my

oncologist had attended the recent Breast Cancer seminar/conference in San

, TX, and the site posts information developed at the

conference. (My chemotherapy regimen has been changed as a result of

information gleaned at that event.)

So, this is right-up-to-date treatment I'm getting. It will require more

frequent appointments for treatment, booster injections, blood checks,

yadda yadda yadda. But I'll be done with chemotherapy and ready? to start

radiation therapy approximately four weeks earlier than previously

scheduled. I kinda get a break until Jan 5, 2004 before the dense dose

regimen begins.

Which is good, in my book. 'Cause I feel pretty much like crap. But, hey!

it's only the first week after treatment and it's got to get better from

here on out, right?!?!

I'm not quite done with writing up my Thank You notes, and I started from

the most recent donations (rather than from the first ones) so shame on me

for not getting them all out to y'all who have contributed to the 9-1-1

Cares activation on my behalf. (Except for the one good friend who ordered

me not to waste a stamp, and the folks who donated via credit card so I

still need to get their addresses from PSTC.)

Uhhhhh...... typing is waaay easier than putting pen to paper! And

certainly far more legible.... which is one VERY good reason for making the

transition to a CAD system. See! I made a work-related dispatch reference!

I'm also waiting to hear how the Dispatcher/Pink Ribbon pin creation is

going, as I submitted design stuff several weeks ago. <bouncing a little

with anticipatory glee>

Happy to be here, proud to serve.

Olmstead

Public Safety Dispatch Supervisor

~somewhere on the Central CA coast~

http://www.gryeyes.com

[not presumed to be a statement of my employing agency]