Challenging week

To say this week has been a very long week is an understatement. Challenging is more like it. It all started with the continued vomiting, I couldn't even keep water down. It got so bad that I was not only vomiting up the anti nauseant medication I was taking but just looking at a pill I had to take would make me gag. By Wednesday I had no clue how I'd get through the week. I asked my Husband to get me some Glucerna, thinking I could get some liquid nourishment into me. It was a wonderful thought while it lasted. Anything that went in was coming right back out. I couldn't take it. If I sat up or stood up I felt like I was going to throw up, and most often I did. So I was spending 18-20 hr's a day in bed. If I wasn't at an appointment, I was in bed. My stomach was never fully settled but it felt less queasy this way. A problem to that was that my head was started to hurt because of all of the pressure I was putting on it. *sighs* Not to mention I ended up missing radiation sessions due to vomiting.

I was so ready to just pack it in. I was walking to my appointments with my "barf bucket" in hand, I literally looked like the walking dead and I felt even worse. I know the Chemo is kicking my ass, severely. And so I really want to stop that portion of the treatment, but I have been chasing that Dr down to speak to him to have my questions addressed to see if we can work on it or whether I'm just ending it. I saw my Oncologist yesterday for an assessment and he sent me right over to the E.R. I spent 10 hrs there to be told I was severely dehydrated and get several litres of IV pumped into me, including some amazing anti nauseant. I left with a few prescriptions and back to see my Oncologist today. Though I gotta say, having all of that liquid in my body has allowed me to feel a lot better. I feel like I can actually function today for the first time in over a week. AND I actually had real food and it stayed where it's suppose to!

So I show up to my radiation appointment and they asked if I took my Temodal. "No. I'm not taking anymore Chemotherapy until I have a face to face with Dr. Torres". I was told that I needed permission from my Radiation Oncologist that I could have my radiation without having taken my chemo before they'd do it. Ummm are you serious? lol I don't want to take the chemo and you're telling me I need a Dr's note to go ahead with the other portion of the treatment? Whatever. So I went to that clinic earlier today and spoke to my Oncologist and he's cool with it. He knows where I'm sitting with everything, how my experience has been so incredibly horrible, and how I want some solid answers from the other Dr before another ounce of poison goes into my body.

It's the start of a long weekend, so I have 3 nice days to rest at home and just enjoy not being around a medical facility, poked, prodded, or worrying about treatment. And that's exactly what I intend to do.

~Tara

First new combination seems to have worked!

Well, it seems to have at least stayed down. And right now that's a huge victory for me! I took the newest anti nausea medication last night, 1 hr before the chemo pill, and went to bed about 1 hr later. I managed to sleep about 10 hrs before my cat woke me up today and so far *knock wood*, my stomach is feeling ok. I mean it's a bit "meh", but nothing I can't handle. And the best part is I was able to have 2 slices of lightly toasted bread for breakfast and everything has seemingly stayed where I left it. This is very encouraging. I am a bit worried about the next 24 hours or so though. I take my next dose tonight at around 10 pm and then the next dose at around 9am tomorrow morning, I'm not too sure how taking 2 doses so close together will work with my body but I guess I will see. Mon-Sat dosing is pretty even as my radiation appointments allow me at least 24 hrs between chemo pills and I don't have radiation on the weekend so I take my pills later. However, taking my pill later on a Sunday and having to take it early on the Monday means I take them kind of close together those 2 days. I will see how it goes.

~Tara

What a difference a few years can make.

So, I haven't put my thoughts down here for quite a number of years, and that's because everything was going so well. No news is good news, right? Well, I was in observation since my 2010 surgery until my latest MRI results came back in July with news that my tumour was starting to grow again. As things did last time around, they have progressed very fast. I am in radiation therapy and chemotherapy treatment to treat my brain cancer.

Right now, I am staying at the Lodge connected to the cancer centre for my radiation times which are Monday-Friday, and I come home on the weekends. I am currently on the Chemotherapy pill, Temodal, 7 days a week and so it allows me to take it while at the lodge and while at home on the weekends. That chemotherapy pill. That little itty bitty pill. Who knew it could pack the punch it does? I started radiation to the brain on August 20, 2014 and I started (or tried to) chemotherapy on August 21, 2014. It didn't go so well. I took my first dose as per instructions, on an empty stomach 1 hr before radiation. Radiation went fine, and then I had 1/2 a sandwich. Silly me. That set me off on an intense vomiting session of almost 12 hrs straight. At one point I was just bringing up pure chemotherapy. It was burning every inch of the way, up from my stomach, into my throat, out my mouth, etc. I couldn't believe how intense the pain was. I literally cried every time I vomited. I had my husband with me, and we worked really well in tandem. The minute I shot up out of bed, he ran for the kleenex and glass of water at my bedside. I proceeded to vomit and cry and when I'd be done I'd wipe my tears, wipe my face and rinse my mouth. He'd either put his gloves on to dispose of the toxic mess or get someone else to dispose of it. We made a pretty good team.

The next day, I skipped chemotherapy and met with my Oncologist to discuss what happened. I also discovered that my lips were red and raw, and I had chemo burns on my tongue from the drug coming back up. Not fun. My Oncologist gave me a steroid to take, and I now am using a different anti nauseant 1 hr before the pills. My worst fear is my head being bolted to the radiation table (yes it's bolted) and going into a vomiting fit. Where does it go? I'm stuck in a hardened mesh mask and I can't talk or move. It's not a pleasant thought, so I want to get this nausea under control. Tonight was my first chemo dose with that new pill, so here's hoping it works! I'll let you all know if it does, but I really am hoping that it works with my body. I've been told that this chemotherapy drug is well tolerated by most people, so I hope it's just a matter of figuring out what will work best to keep me from vomiting.

~Tara