Posted Feb 12, 2010 Muskrat is Makin a Comeback!

Muskrat is Makin a Comeback!

Posted Feb 12, 2010 5:00pm

So I finished the "regular radiation" on Wednesday, and had my first "boost" yesterday, Thursday. Would have had my second of 8 boosts today except for the fact that our area got buried under an unexpected freakin foot of snow! So the cancer center didn't open today. So now, instead of taking the last boost on Feb 22, it looks like it will now be on the 23rd.

So that makes 2 dates pushed back. This stuff just does NOT want me to finish it seems! But I will. I'm approaching the halfway point of "active treatment", which will be at the end of this month. Or, now, first week of March, thanks to the Herceptin getting delayed a week last time.
Still not sure if I'm going to have to go back to the hospital for the next Herceptin, or what. Guess I won't find out till the day. Doc told me to just show up for my appointment at 9, even though I've been told I must be at the hospital by 8. Doc said to just come to the cancer center & see him first, and if I gotta go to the hospital, he'll send me on and they will take me, that "we do this all the time." Soooooo, let's all hope that the insurance paperwork is going through quickly, cause I believe the stupid insurance deductible will have been met. Just has to LOOK like it in the records. I sooooo don't wanna have to go back to the hospital!

Anyway, so the boosts are just concentrated raditation to one specific spot...my tumor site. It's much quicker too. Skin seems to have held up very well. We'll see how the boost site does by the end.

Here's an interesting thing about radiation. Even though I lay on my back, and radiation is delivered to my front boobie and under arm area, would you believe that the upper quarter of my back is now all nice and tanned? Yep, from my spine all the way across my shoulder blade....so apparently this stuff goes all the way through ya! Wow! Gotta be killin off somethin! Hey, bein alive ain't for sissies! LOL!

My hair is starting to really grow now. Still doin the wig thing at school, and the bandana thing when just out and about, but I can see it shouldn't be too terribly much longer till I can go au naturale! I will not love the look of a butch 'do, but it'll have to do for a 'do. I mean, any hair is better than no hair. Eyebrows are basically back, just need to get a bit more length so they'll lay down. Lashes are about 40% of the length they were, but at least they all seem to be growin back in. And all the other hair is returnin. Yep, my muskrat is makin a comeback! LOL! Not sure I'm ever gonna be able to tolerate shavin under that arm. It's still all ICK feelin!

Anyway, that's about it for now. Enjoyin a nice snow day off. Hubs and I did go outside & throw snowballs at each other for awhile and I dug out my wax myrtle tree...not sure it's gonna make it, but I had to try to save it.

New pics posted are of the fabulous IMRT (I think) raditation machine that has been savin (cookin?) my bacon since January,

Ok, thanks for all those comments. They always do bring smiles! Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Posted Feb 4, 2010 Don't Know Whatcha Got....

Don't Know Whatcha Got....

Posted Feb 4, 2010 12:30pm

 

...till it's gone.

Nose hair.

Just sayin....

;)

Posted Jan 31, 2010 Hurry Up and Wait!

Hurry Up and Wait!

Posted Jan 31, 2010 8:54pm

Obviously, I survived the Herceptin at the hospital. What a crappy week it was leading up to Thursday. First I find out that the hospital requires you to show up by 8am. This hospital is located right off one of the most rush hour traffic congested freeways near downtown. Be there by 8 or risk being turned away is what I was being told. Then as the week wore on, the weather forcast was for heavy, blinding, downpouring rain to begin early in the morning and last all day long. And at the same time, temperatures were forcast to begin droppin (again! ugh!) and there was talk of possible freezing preciptation and icy roads. Oh I just LOVE to be driving around in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic in those conditions! NOT!! My cancer center is only about 15 - 20 minutes from my house. This hospital is a whole bunch farther than that.

Ok, so I have us up SUPER early in the morning (Early in the Morning by the Gap Band has been playing in my head ever since I told hubby "we gotta get up early in the morning"...lol) Anyway...up very early. It was my plan to be on the road by 6:15. Surely we'd avoid the rush hour traffic, or at least be dang close to the hospital by the time things started backing up.

And I was right. We rolled out by 6:15....only light sprinkles....light traffic. Got to the hospital, signed in. Name called after about 15 minutes. Did a bit of paper work. They did not ask me for any money. THIS totally shocked me, as the other hospital, in the same network, ALWAYS asked, even pushed for it. After paper work, we were led to the 7th floor....an entire floor dedicated to oncology. I was basically admitted to the hospital for the day and given my own private room!

So we get in our room by 8am...8:15 a knock at the door "Room Service"....I'm all like ROOM SERVICE??? Yep, brought me some breakfast. Pancakes with butter & syrup, nice crispy bacon, coffee, juice, milk...And it was actually good too! So I'm thinkin...hmmmmm, maybe this is the way to go eh?

But not really...because there is only one pharmacy to serve the entire hospital. So yeah, in the room by 8, port accessed by 9, and then nuthin. Seems like we waited forEVER to get the Herceptin goin! And it takes at least an hour and a half to get it all in, so.....nothing like hurry up and wait...and wait...and wait!

All the while, we're watchin the weather. Looks like we might actually make it back to our side of town before the heavy stuff gets here, right? Well, sort of. So gettin to mid day and "Room Service" is back again with my lunch. Chicken fried steak with gravy, peas and carrots, mashed potatoes, roll, jello with Cool Whip and iced tea. Yeah, hubby and I scarfed that down too.

So the Herceptin finishes and we're rushin to stay ahead of the weather. We were literally running from it. And right about the time we arrived at the cancer center for me to do my daily zappin, the bottom fell out and it poured. But at that point, we didn't even care, cause we were back in our familiar surroundings, not far from home, and my drama-trauma was behind me!

Yes, I hadn't been sleepin very well since I got told I had to start going to the hospital for my Herceptin. So I slept like the dead Thursday night. And I'm scheduled there again for the next one on Feb 18, BUT, I will be right at the end of radiation by then, so that, plus the one Herceptin, I'm hoping will have met my deductible, and I can just do the casual drive to the cancer center.

Oh yeah, yesterday I showed my friend my new hair growth and she tripped out. And I think I have to agree. I have quite a bit more hair than I had when I took that January 9th bird head pic! Eyelashes and eyebrows are rapidly growin back in too! YAY!! =)

Ok, so that's about it for now. Tomorrow starts another week of daily zappin. I believe I'm just past the halfway point in this part, and approaching the halfway point of active treatment. And thanks for all the comments and prayers and stuff. We enjoy reading them and know the thoughts and prayers are workin.

Can you believe February is here already??

Posted Jan 21, 2010 If You've Got the Money Honey....

If You've Got the Money Honey....

Posted Jan 21, 2010 3:35pm

Soooooo, I was supposed to have my Herceptin infusion after Radiation today. But it didn't happen. Got the call at 9am this morning. My appointment was for 10:30. Gonna have to start getting my Herceptin done in the hospital until my ultra high health insurance deductible is met. Needless to say, this didn't go over with me very well. Nope, not well at all. Those of you who know me well might have some idea of the kind of "scene" that followed.

Hubby walks in on me in mid-meltdown on the phone and takes the phone from me and tries to reason with the nice Financial Director lady, to no avail. So I show up to the cancer center for my radiation. And after much bad noise & flailing about....the answer was still no. No can do. No payment plan will be worked out. Leave that to the hospital, which is more financially able to work out payment arrangements. See, Herceptin is very VERY expensive, and my health insurance deductible is very VERY high.

I really think the deductible should already be met, what with me having had 12 radiations to date, but it's a matter of the billing being submitted & the insurance paperwork getting done, so by the time they figure out that the deductible WAS in fact met, I will have already had 1, possibly 2 infusions at the hospital.

This cancer center I've been going to is owned by 3 of the oncologists who work there and they have to pay for these drugs up front. And, it was explained to me, I'm not the only patient requesting that a payment plan be worked out. And if they agreed to work it out for all who ask, they would soon be out of business. So, apparently I'm being unreasonalby upset.

The thing is this: this is serious business. I just don't like the idea of having to trust a total stranger to administer this infusion. I've come to know and put my trust in the chemo nurses at the cancer center. Now I'm gonna have to get it done, at least once, by a total stranger. And maybe this should not freak me out, but it totally freaks me out! Yet, those chemo nurses were all strangers to me in the beginning too. Oh well...this is ME...Miss High Maintenance I guess. They claim I'm not the most High Maintenance patient they've dealth with. Sheesh, I'd hate to meet whoever THAT is, cause I'm pretty dramatic with this stuff! LOL!

Sooooooo, today has not been a very good day. Nothin like being the fodder for the cancer center office staff to chit chat over my drama-queen-ness. And I get to show my face there again tomorrow for the radiation. Thank GOD they don't offer THAT at the hospital!

Anyway, so NEXT Thursday I'll get the dern Herceptin. Eh, whatever! I understand why this is how things have to be, but I don't have to like it.

And I don't.