The Second Four Sessions of Rituxan Therapy

For tha past four Thursday's I have been receiving Rituxan therapy to hopefully prevent my cancer from returning. The sessions have run from four to six hours in length. They have gone fairly well. The Benadryl that they give me prior to the treatments has pretty much knocked me out for 2-3 hours so time goes by relatively quick. To help prevent a fever, chills and body aches they give me two extra strength Tylenol. I have come away from each session feeling weak and tired but I am okay.

My next therapy treatments will not be for another six months. If I start getting sick or start having infections I have to let the chemo nurse know so that she can document them.
I also have to continue to watch for swollen lymph nodes but I am not expecting any problems in that area. I just need to be aware of what is going on with my body.

During the next six months I need to work on getting my plumbing back into working order.
I see Dr. Finne on Monday and the ball will get rolling from there.

I'm okay!

Both Doctors agreed that I am doing well. Will start my Rituxan therapy in September. Will get it every Thursday starting September 8th. Four rounds and then I will wait until June of next year to have another PET scan. Hoping and praying that I do not get sick like I did the last time they gave me Rituxan.
Will see Dr. Finney ( colo-rectal oncologist) September 12th. He will determine if it is safe to reconnect my bowel. Not sure but most likely that will take place in October. Just have to wait to see what happens.

Just wore out or something more?

Lately I have been very tired and sleeping alot. I have also noticed some pains in my abdomen and left arm pit so today I decided to go and get my blood checked. Iwaited att he hospital for the results and when they came back I wasn't too terribly surprised.
I have too much carbon dioxide in my blood and my white counts are low. The thing that kind of surprised me was that they were not this low very often while I was fighting cancer.
By the time I got home this afternoon there was a message from the hospital on te answering machine. Dr. Oken want s to see me tomorrow. I know that there is no cure for the cancer that I have but I pray that it will not come back so soon. There are other things which can cause a low white count and a diuretic is one of them. I am on a diuretic to get rid of extra fluids that build up in me so hopefully that is what the culprit is and I will be put on a different medication. Keep me in your prayers!

My First Anniversary

On Friday the 22nd of July i celebrated my first anniversary. It has been one year since my last chemotherapy treatment and I am still in remission!

Yesterday I took the day off of all work and spent the day with my sisters.
I took them shopping and then we went to the pool and hot tub at Americainn in Litchfield.
After that we went over to the nursing home to visit with Dad.
In the evening Brian, Cecilia and I took Brian's work car down to Chris' shop to have them look at it. By the time I got home last night I was one tired woman but it sure was a good day.
This morning it is back off to the races!
PHysical therapy then into Cecilia's house to help her get her junk/trash out to the transfer station. Next I'll be going over to Beatrice to help her pack up her house in preparation for moving. It's going to be another long one!

Long but good!

Where does time go?

June has come and gone and here we are approaching the middle of July. In my last posting I said that I was scheduled for another PET scan in June. I did in fact get one and it was done from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. There was no sign of cancer anywhere in my body! Remission feels good and I have been keeping very busy. I am putting in anywhere from 50 to 60 hours of work every two weeks at Lutheran Social Services and am able to keep up with my chores around home. That doesn't mean that I don't get tired! In order to make it through my shift at work I have to take a nap before going in. What use to be a 15- 20 minute power nap now takes about an hour or two. Some days are harder than others and I fight to stay awake but in time perhaps that will get better.
My once thin hair has become full again and has required cutting quite frequently. Before I got cancer I was afraid to cut it short because I was afraid of what it might turn out like. I am no longer afraid of what my hair will look like because I know that it grows back. That being said though I have discovered that I like my hair short and so I have chosen to keep it short.

It is soon coming up on my one year anniversary for being in remission. My last chemo treatment was July 22nd of last year. I went to the relay for life event after I finished my shift at 11PM and did a lap around the course. Along the way I found 2 luminaries that were extra special. I am not sure who made them but some one made one for my mother and another for me. That really meant a lot to me.

Brian just came and got me for a bike ride! It has cooled down from what it has been and the humidity is low. So cool and comfortable! Perfect night for a bike ride! We only went about 1 1/2 miles but it was so good to be back on the bike. Last time I did that was about five months into my chemo treatments. Not sure about that. I'd have to go back and look through the blogs!
it felt good anyway!

I've written a book about my ordeal with the cancer but am not sure if I will publish it or not.
As I have thought about it, I have thought that perhaps it would be too negative. Then I have rethought it and thought about a different approach to it so that it isn't so negative and then I rethought that because I thought about whom might read the book and wondered if it would be helpful or harmful to them so now I am not sure again. I guess time wil tell.

A Visit with Dr. Oken

Today I saw Dr. Oken for a follow- up of the PET scan. I was expecting to have him tell me that it was time to start the Rituxin rounds but instead he told me that because I am still in partial to full remission he was going to release me to go play and have fun. I have been placed on a three month schedule to get rechecked so my next appointment will be in June. He feels confident that the Lymphoma will not show its ugly head for another two years but told me that should I start to notice swollen lymph nodes or start getting sick more often that I will need to return right away.
It has been a good day!

Update on Six Month Check-up

The results of my PET scan came back and things are looking real good. The nurse called me with the results and told me that Dr. Oken was elated about how well things looked. So I am still in remission and feeling very well! I am working on regaining all of my strength and also working to drop 20 pounds by spring so that I will be able to resume my outdoor activites.
The warm weather we are currently having has brought on spring fever and the garden seeds are now on the shelves at the store. The one place I have to stay clear of is the local farm store, the baby chicks and geese will soon be in. I cannot look at them and not yearn for a flock to love and care for. I miss my birds!

Alas I have a barn that needs work and so I have to control my desire and fix the barn instead.

Six Month Check-up

It has been six months since my last Chemo treatment and so it is time for a check -up. I went in to see the doctor today and she ordered blood tests, a mammogram, bone density test, and a PET scan. I will see Dr. Oken again sometime next month. For now I am feeling well and am continuing to work on a part time basis. I am now on health care coverage through the State of Minnesota and can continue on this coverage as long as I continue to earn 68.01 per month. I pay 38 dollars a month for my health care coverage.
I found out yesterday though that the company that I buy my ostomy supplies from does not accept MA so I will have to continue to pay for all of my supplies out of pocket. It could be worse though so I'm not going to complain.

Brian's Working Vacation

After the second interview that Brian had with Schweitzer Engineering Labratories they were impressed enough to fly him out to Washington for a hands on interview. He spent the day taking tests, visiting with co- workers, the plant CEO, taking a tour of the facilities and being treated to lunch. Afterwards he visited with HR and received all kinds of information.
He flew out last Monday morning and came home Thursday evening late. When he arrived at the airport I received a phone call from him saying that he had lost the car key so I needed to come and bring a key to him. He appologized all over for this as he knows how tired I get. I do not travel very good at night so I called my sister and asked if she would come with me to the airport to bring him another key to the car. It was good to have her company for the 3 hour trip.

I finally got home around 2AM and in to bed by 2:30 but by then I was too tired and couldn't fall asleep. Fred ( our only cat) got me up around five. He wanted some interactive play time. All is well though.

Brian is home now and he feels good about the interviews. He should know by Friday if he will have a job. If he gets hired, he will leave for work asap and I will stay behind to clear up the loose ends of things. It will be a BIG job. I am both excited and apprehensive about the possibility of relocating. It is all in Heavenly Fathers hands from here and I know that He will do what is best for us.

2nd interview for Dad

Dad had his first interview with the company out in Pullman, Wa. this morning and is already scheduled for the second interview at three this afternoon. He is feeling very confident that he will get one of these positions.

All things done in order

The puzzle pieces are coming together and although we do not have all of them yet we are getting closer to having a finished picture.

Dad contacted Kelly Babakuel about our property and she said that the market is really poor. Meeker and Mcleod counties are way down. A 10 acre farm with a house and a barn recently sold for 102,000. That doesn't leave much hope for our place, however she knows a couple in Hutchinson that are looking for a place with a shop. Guess what we have? Kelly is going to give them our phone number so that they can call us.

A couple from our ward, who have six children recently got hired out in Court te' lain (spelling) Idaho and told us that there are many jobs out that way so dad went on line to take a look. There are jobs and so Dad applied for some. One is in Boise , Idaho and several are in Pullman, Washington. Pullman is seven miles from the Idaho border in South- Eastern , Washington. It is at the intersection of US Route 195 and State 27. We will see what happens.

I went back to work the day after we got home from our wonderful visit out west. Work went well but the next day I was sicker than a dog. I'm feeling better now and will work Thur, Friday, Sat. and Sunday.

I took my sister and two of her cats to the vet for check ups today. She left with only one of them. The other had feline leukemia and had to be put down. More than likely she will lose all the rest of them as feline leukemia is highly contagious.

Tomorrow, Dad will be taking the missionaries to the cities. One of them is being transfered out.
Friday, we are having them over for supper. Dad will have to fix it as I will not get off work until 4. Something else I forgot to tell you about the puzzle pieces- Although there is one family leaving a family from Pocatello, Idaho is moving in to fill in the void. He is a auto body specialist and is excited to help Dad get our big truck fixed up. He will be coming out Sunday after church. Dad might just get the opportunity to fix another meal!

Anyway Dad is by my side and wants to read all your blogs. Looking forward to hearing how everyone is doing!

Melinda- How'd your interview go?

Lots of love to all!