Ok...no excuses here other than laziness. It has been a REALLY long time since my last post. It's not to say I haven't thought about posting, I'm just always too lazy/tired to do it. So...to catch everyone up, I'll be brief but also sure to make sure I don't leave anything out.
AC Chemo treatments #3 and #4 were pretty uneventful in terms of side effects. I would say the fatigue was definitely there but it also in many ways felt my body was "getting used to" feeling crappy so it was almost a feeling of "normal". We did experience a hiccup though in my treatment unfortunately. Although, in the list of hiccups, this wasn't as bad as it could have been. I had to get my PowerPort replaced.
Not long after AC #2 infusion, I woke up one morning with some minor bleeding from my neck. It looked like my stitches had come loose. After trying everything I could to help it close back up I had to let my nurse Kelly know I was getting concerned. Thankfully I work around a bunch of nurses who were keeping an eye on me during that time (I think it was a little short of 2 weeks) and monitoring my wound but it started to turn red and felt a little sore. I went back to Interventional Radiology and they put me on antibiotics (Keflex) and put surgical glue back on the wound to help it close. This was all precautionary to help make sure the wound didn't become infected. Unfortunately that didn't work and I found myself back in Interventional Radiology a few days later. This time though, the catheter had become exposed and I knew it was a greater risk for infection. I was a mess. I knew there would be set backs but I also secretly hoped I would be the exception to this. At Interventional Radiology, they decided this time since the glue didn't work, they would do the traditional suture and sew me back up.
I've never had stitches before. Never had a broken bone or anything so I was pretty nervous as ridiculous as that may sound. I was fortunate though to have a colleague of mine accompany me. I get gowned up and the PA comes in with his suture kit. I ask him if he's going to numb the area and he said he WASN'T!!! WHAT! Ok, I became even more nervous. His logic made complete sense in that the skin near my neck isn't that thick and would mean 2 additional needle sticks. So, I braced myself and honestly, yes it hurt, but the worst of it was the feeling of the tugging at my neck to make the stitch tight. I wanted to puke. I reminded me of all the times I've hemmed a pair of pants. Basically, the PA was sewing me back together. But it was over before I knew it and I was back at work.
So, you'd think I'd be done right....wrong. I kept my stitch covered with a bandage. This began the onset of my second complication. Apparently I'm allergic to bandaids...but only on certain areas of my skin. I've NEVER been allergic to bandaids. So, keeping my stitch covered was a toss up - run the possible risk of infection or keep it covered and deal with the rash. I chose to deal with the rash. After a couple days of having very raw skin, we noticed the stitch didn't work. The catheter became exposed again. I called Kelly and the PA from Interventional Radiology, everyone agreed it was time replace the port because it was an infection risk. I was so mad and frustrated. I felt like I didn't do everything I could have/should have to make sure everything went smoothly. Needless to say, I was nervous but was scheduled to have the port replaced 3 days later.
The port replacement was scheduled for Thursday, March 14, 2013. I made sure I talked to the team doing the procedure to make sure I knew what we were going to do different so I didn't run into the same problem again 2 months from now. I'm happy to report everything went perfectly smooth. They put a smaller port in called a SlimPort. In some ways, it went too smooth. Apparently I started divulging childhood secrets I've never told anyone (not even my parents). Everyone had a good laugh though.
AC Chemo #4 was the day after the port procedure and it went really well. No problems with accessing the port and we were able to finally check off that part of my treatment. I did feel a little more achy that time but I think it was due to the fact that I had the port put in. After that, it was time for me to shift gears and focus on Taxol. I enjoyed my 2 weeks off and mentally prepared for Taxol.
I started Taxol & Herceptin on 03/29. I will go weekly for 12 weeks. My oncologist said Taxol is supposed to be easier and he was right! I woke up the morning of chemo, cleaned the bathroom, and then hung a few pieces of drywall with my dad who was visiting to help us finish our basement. The chemo treatment turned into an all day thing just because they administered it slowly to make sure I didn't have an allergic reaction. Thankfully, no reaction. We went home, and I felt energized later that night (must have been the steroids). The next morning, I felt surprisingly normal. I even hung more drywall with my dad. Sunday I felt a little achy but nothing too bad and honestly, I don't know if it was the chemo or from being sore from the drywall work. Then that brings us to today...I'm still a little achy and I feel a little feverish. It's the same feeling I would get with AC where i would feel like I'm burning up for a couple hours (but with no fever) and then it would pass.
Overall, I think I can hang in there for another 11 weeks. We're still on track as originally planned, and Spring has finally decided to join us. Maybe next weekend I'll work on a garden or something outdoors. Who knows. Life is starting to feel back to normal though. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll stay that way.
