Re: Daily Check in Sept 18 2015
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 9:36 am
I am so glad the Dr's feel you caught it in time. Take care of yourself.
{{{{{Hugs}}}}}
Penny
{{{{{Hugs}}}}}
Penny
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shopper113 wrote:This could be called "What I did on my summer vacation."
I haven't been around much, and this is part of the reason. The last 6 months has been busy. I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in mid March, had a hysterectomy in April, was off work for 6 weeks (This is why we pay for short term disability insurance).
We caught it relatively early, but not quite early enough to avoid chemo. I had known from the day of diagnosis I'd have at least some radiation treatment. There were no known or visible through testing tumors or spots anywhere after surgery, but based on certain measurements there was a chance that cells were floating through the blood stream, thus the need for chemo--hunt those suckers down and kill them before they find a new home. Since this cancer has no markers that can be detected from blood tests (per my doctor) I viewed it as completely preventative medicine, based on what they were telling me.
So, 3, seven hour chemo infusions spaced at 3 week intervals, a short break for 5 (relatively mild, I think) radiation treatments every other work day, followed by 3 more infusion sessions. Given that one of my nurses has another patient who has had 33 chemo infusions so far, I know I got off relatively easy-- again because we caught it early and because it was preventing a potential spread.
Yesterday was my final chemo session, hopefully forever. I had sailed through previous sessions, though had noticed that there was a cumulative effect and I felt worse, longer, after each progressive session. Thanks to the anti nausea meds (that last for 5 days) they give as part of the infusion i was never really sick after, but feel more like I"m a tad seasick for a few days after (longer the more treatments I had) and have muscle and joint pain... and I have been known to be grumpy about it.
Now, time to rebuild strength and endurance, hopefully get past the carb cravings I've had (I call it cruise eating... the days I feel a tad seasick, I tend to eat to feel better could be why the "chemo and you" book they gave me said women usually gain 10 lbs on chemo!! )
My hair should start growing back in a few weeks, but based on research I've done it will be close to 6 months before I have enough hair to style into a short pixie cut. I have a very nice wig, another that I bought to save wear and tear on the good wig and because it was cooler in the summer and another I bought on ebay (same company as the second one--they are common on ebay because wigs are very hard to return to the mail order places.) Should I be sad that I get more compliments on my hair when I wear the good wig than I ever have for my real hair?
SO, now that I have fulfilled the stereotypical old woman yakking on about her surgery a public service announcement.
Get regular physicals, If you are the age for it, get your colonoscopy and mammograms, etc. If you notice spotting or bleeding, get your cute little self to the doctor immediately. If I had waited, I could have been the woman getting her 34th Chemo treatment (or the one who never had a chance to make it that far)
As it stands, based on stats, I"m in the "~ 90% chance of being alive in 5 years" group which, since that number includes all causes of death including accidents and other issues, sound not much worse than just being 57 years old.