It’s been too long since I’ve last updated…time passes differently now for me since my diagnosis in June. That day seems like a lifetime ago…
There have been a couple ‘issues’ that popped up since my last update. Last Tuesday night I suddenly started having intense pain under my port, after a call in to my oncologist, I iced it, got pain mess on board and reported to her office first thing the next day. Jolynn, the awesome head chemo nurse, accessed my not-so-numb port (ouch!) and found that it was filled with blood clots. Not good. So off to the hospital I went to have imaging inject a contrast solution into the port to insure that the line was clean and that there weren’t any problems with the port itself. They even let me video the procedure which was very cool to watch! Thankfully my port was intact and functioning again; the last thing I need right now is to have a port replacement. Since the clots seem to be increasing in number, the chemo nurses will be injecting larger doses of heparin into my port in the hopes of preventing future clots from forming. If they continue to form, then I’m going to be placed on Coumadin. Can we say walking bruise? LOL My concern, aside from the obvious ones, is what will happen when my port is no longer accessed for the 9+ weeks after chemo has stopped and I begin radiation treatments…that’s something I’ll bring up with my medical oncologist when I meet with her again in January.
The other item that popped up is that I am insulin resistant and have been since childhood. It was always thought that I suffered from low blood sugar but every time the doctors would do the over night fasting test, I would fail but when I would ask why I would get the shakes, sweats, confusion and intense drive to eat to get my blood sugar back up, they would tell me it was probably just in my head. Not one doctor ever performed a glucose tolerance test. Being insulin resistant means that when I eat, the glucose in food doesn’t make it into my tissue. It’s also why I’ve struggled with my weight for most of my life and likely contributed to my having cancer today…see, when I gain weight, it’s in my belly, something commonly found in many breast cancer patients. Be kind to your bodies folks, it’s the only one you get. The plus side to all this…how blessed am I to have an oncologist who treats the whole patient…she’s connecting dots that other doctors didn’t because I’m not just another ‘case’ for her; my survival and quality of life AFTER I leave her care matters to her. I can’t thank Deeanne Gist enough for referring me to such an amazing doctor.
My brief respite from chemo has come to an end and yesterday was the first of 12 more rounds of chemo that I’ll be receiving on a weekly basis. I’ve started juicing again to help my body get the much needed nutrients because the chemo has not only run off with my energy, it’s taken my strength too. Good thing I have a big, strong husband to help because I can’t even twist open a simple bottle of ginger beer LOL
Many thanks go out to those who have and continue to be there for me financially, emotionally and spiritually; your love and support make the dark hours feel a little less dark.