Weekend Recap

I've had a pretty busy and exciting weekend, I hardly know where to begin!

Unfortunately allergies or some annoying bug is in the air and I've been dealing with stuffy ears and throat for the past several days. Drinking a lot of fluids seems to help, though I keep forgetting to refrigerate my Gatorade, and that helps with the leg cramps that I get in the nighttime.

Friday I met with Beth from Lungevity, who came in from California to meet with me and a few other Cleveland area folks about putting on a fundraiser event in Cleveland in the late spring of 2015. We brainstormed and came up with some really good ideas. I'm excited to be a part of an event that will undoubtedly be fun, information and help raise funds for lung cancer research.

Saturday we went to the market and I got to test out my new sunscreen some more - it's called Sun Bum (SPF 30) and I wore it around noon, and again in the later afternoon sun (at the beach) and did not burn at all. I'd tried a few other things (Alba Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 30, Alba Hawaiian Sunscreen, SPF 45 and Coppertone Sport, SPF 50) and would burn without fail. So, looks like Sun Bum is the way to go for me!

We bought a sun shelter like this one (in fact it is this one) and brought it with us to the beach and it was fantastic. There was a lot of sand so it took some work to stake the umbrella, but it is amazing so far!

I realize that a lot of this post sounds like I'm a shill for sun care products, but I'm not!

I have scans today, which I think are part of the protocol for the clinical trial I'm in (MRI & CT). They'll also be accessing my port for a blood draw which is super weird (it doesn't hurt me, but the *snap* sound as the needle/thing hooks in is sort of weird and makes me feel a bit inhuman...). I'm pretty tired, but I think that has to do with the humidity and heat. We should have a reprieve from both starting tomorrow, for a day or so anyway.

I'm on the lookout for grocery panniers or other bags that will attach to my bicycle. I don't mind riding of course, but having a bag on my back (especially where the cross-strap hits right on my port) is annoying, especially on uphill treks. I've gotten a few suggestions and am mulling them over now. If anyone has any more ideas, I'm open to suggestion! When we move, we'll be easy biking distance to the grocery store. I don't want to have to drive to the grocery (at all, if we can help it) so they'll be useful then too!

As I briefly touched on in my last post, my hair has fallen out some. It's weird, if nothing else!! A good friend of mine was kind enough to give me a trim so it looks and feels a bit less obvious that I have bald patches. It feels nice! I'm completely okay with losing my hair - I may get some scarves or even a wig at some point (we'll see what happens with future treatments) but it's okay. It's only hair. It will grow back. 

I'm looking at a website that lists all of the cool stuff that goes on in our new neighborhood. There's so much fun stuff nearby, I'm excited! 

Roid Rage

Out of all the medicines I've had to take since I was diagnosed with cancer, I am at my wit's end with one in particular. I feel like a child whining about this, but the steroid I'm on (Dexamethasone) really sucks. There's a laundry list of side effects, the worst (for me) being acid reflux. When I was not on the study drug, I was told I could take Pepcid/Nexium or other things like that. Now that I'm back on the study, drugs like those are a no-go. I have to rely on Tums or some other chewable stuff that doesn't really work. I wake up at least twice a week with reflux so bad I can't get back to bed for at least an hour.

Now, I'm broken out like a leper - and I've plastered myself in calamine all over my shoulders and neck. Yes, this is also evidently a side effect. I hate it. I keep reminding myself that I had horrible headaches before I started this medicine, that in an evening they went away and I slept peacefully - but seriously? There's no end. I looked at one side effect list, and I basically have all of the "minor" side effects. Come on.

In better news, the port area seems to be healing. There's some tenderness, part of me thinks there's a little bit of suture stuck in there, but overall it's not terribly bad. I can feel it "settling" (if that makes any sense) and that's a little surreal.

It's been very hot here. We put the air conditioner in the window and now I don't want to leave the bedroom. That's fair, right?

Oh and if you were wondering, I'm still addicted to avocado. Maybe that's a side effect. Probably. I'll enjoy this sweet romance while it lasts.

A Port in Girl

I just got home a little while ago from my minor surgeries.

To recap, I had a liver biopsy and a port. They could not do them simultaneously, so I went in and had my biopsy first (around 9:00) and recovered in that department until I could be called to the cancer center for my Medi-Port.

The biopsy was mostly uneventful, the worst of the pain being with the local anesthesia. I was kept very comfortable and all of the doctors were very nice. My parents came to visit me, and that was so important. I didn't realize how much I needed them until my mom came into my recovery room.

The port was a little more troubling to me, for some reason. They showed me what the port looked like and it wasn't at all like I'd imagined. It was/is much thicker but smaller. The pain meds were effective and all I really felt was tugging and pressure. Thanks to the anesthesia my blood pressure is kind of low and I'm very weak and woozy. Not sure I'll go in to work tomorrow - but I feel the pressure to go, because I don't want to lose any more leave time.

I love University Hospitals and the Seidman Cancer Center. Their staff members are always caring and so compassionate. I am so glad to be home, though! I took some pain medication and will spend the evening resting/relaxing.