Tuesday, August 26, 2008

rough week, but its getting better....

well.. its been a pretty rough week for trish, but she continues to hang in there.
the first few days after tuesday's infusion were the worst to date, but trish is bouncing back and is beginning to feel better each day.

last tuesday was the day of 8 drugs:

zofran
benadryl
decadron
pepcid
herceptin
cytoxan
5-fu
epirubicin


so its no wonder that she was feeling like crap.


so, if we rewind a bit...

last monday night: i had food poisoning, and was tossing my cookies all night long..

tuesday night: after trish's treatment, that night she making good friends with the porcelain queen and the bathroom floor.

wednesday night: no porcelain here, caden likes to toss his cookies in his bed... twice...

so i believe there is an ancient proverb about a family who pukes together...


wednesday, thursday: not much going on...
trish spent most of her time in bed trying to rid her self of the nausea. she tried keeping herself hydrated the best she could, but there wasn't much of an appetite for a few days. it was really, really rough on her.

friday: back to stanford we went for her second dose of the 5-FU...
between tuesday and friday, trish had lost 7 pounds. she was feeling horrible, but she was determined to walked up the stairs to the infusion center, and she did.

trish got some pre-drugs of decadron, lorazepam and zofran from nurse nenita.
the lorazepam and zofran really helped out with the nausea.

dr. otis came up to visit with trish, and she prescribed a new anti-nausea drug,
emend.
this a set of 3 pills you take over the course of three days, and is a longer lasting anti-nausea medication for chemo based symptoms. it seems to be working really well for trish, so she will continue on this each week she gets the "Big Dose", and next time, we will do it sooner than later... on tuesdays, not fridays.



so we got here at 11:30am on friday and the predrugs and 5-FU was done by 1:30pm, so it wasnt' too long of a day.


saturday: another trip back to stanford...
this time for trish's nuelesta shot. similar to the neupogen shots, but she will get this one once every three weeks. the shot runs ~ $5000 so the insurance company is a little hesitant to send it home with me so i can play doctor with it...
thus the reason we need to come in and have the trained professionals administer it.

we were in and out... about 20 minutes and we were done..
free parking on saturdays, what a bargain...
its also interesting to see how many out of state license plates are in the chemo lot on the weekend.. thats why they call this place a Cancer Center... they know what they are doing, and folks come from hundreds of miles away to reap the benefits we get by driving 5.9 miles... we always feel so fortunate to have such great treatment, facilities, doctors and nurses so close to us.


sunday - monday: trish was feeling better... wasn't in bed all day, but still some fatigue, but less nausea.
the nuelasta has been good to her so far, and she isn't as achy as the nuepogen shots.
the itchiness hasn't been so much of a complaint, but i think its masked by all the other crappiness she is feeling.



so that brings us to today.... trish woke up and looked and felt pretty decent. probably the best in the past week. so i think things are just gonna get better for her. its another 2 weeks until she gets teh "Big Dose" again, so i think she will be able to better enjoy these coming 14 days than she did the previous 7.


back in the ITA (infusion treatment area) at 8:30am this morning.
no blood tests today, as the herceptin is technically a hormone therapy and not a "chemo" drug. this will make the day go quicker.

8:40am: seated again in window seat C5.. trish's weight is back to normal
8:50am: start on the pre-drugs with nurse Lea
9:15am: nurse lea done with the predrugs of benadryl, decadron and pepcid
9:40am: herceptin on the hook, and will be done in 30 minutes

trish is currently sleeping and enjoying the benefits of a direct shot of benadryl into her IV.

we should be out of here around 10:15am... another pretty quick day...

after this, just a quick stop at dr. carlson's office to drop of some long term disability paperwork, and then we will be heading home...



thanks for checking in..




10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Trishy - I have been thinking about you so much over the past week! I had heard from some of the girls that you weren't feeling very well, so I'm so glad you are starting to feel better! Please know I'm always here if you need anything and that you're always in my thoughts and prayers! Love ya! See you at book club tomorrow hopefully! xoxo Moni...P.S. Thanks for the updates Oak!

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Trish...I am sorry you have been a little under the weather. Emend is GREAT...I take that during each chemo and it really helps with the nausea...Ativan too. I was like you before all this and NEVER took anything. But I believe it is better to be on top of the nausea than chasing it. Hopefully this week will be better for you. Glad to hear the family is feeling well too. I was once told that if I felt great after treatment...possibly the "c" cells do too. Listen to your body...you are defeating this :-).

Take care...
Staying strong-
Cindi

Anonymous said...

Hello Trish and Oak. Your blog is a fantastic way for us to keep informed on the progress. It is great to hear all of the positive news and inspiring to hear how well your treatment is progressing. Trish you are amazing! We just wanted to tell you that we are listening, and cheering for every milestone you come through.

Zac and Jaime

mamafish said...

WOW, Trish-this must be so tough. You have amazed me thus far. I am sorry this part of the treatment is so difficult. Hopefully the new med for the nausea will make it better. Big hugs to you!
Hanna

Anonymous said...

Hoi Trisha!
So glad to hear you are feeling a bit better. I was so glad I got to talk to you over the weekend! I really mis you, sis!
Oak, thanks alot for keeping the blog so well updated! It's wonderful I can read everything on Tuesday! I feel a little closer this way!
love Yvonne

Head Baby Wrangler said...

Hey Trish, sorry that this week has been so bad for you. Hopefully this new drug will get things under control for you and you will begin to feel a bit better. You have already proven your strength and determination. With great days and weeks, there are going to be some bad as well. I know you can get through it and you will. Remember we are all here for you and love you!!!

Anonymous said...

Hey sweetie! I am glad you are feeling better. You are one tough cookie! Love, Brie

Bobby Jo said...

You two are an awesome team. Thank you Oak for keeping us up to date on Trisha and the family. We wait for your weekly notes. We want you to know how much we think of you all and love you, too. Can't wait to see you at the wedding. Trisha, you are so amazing! Hang in there girl-you are loved.
Love, Bobby Jo & John

Anonymous said...

Hey Trish and Oak,
Good luck thru this next round. It sounds like it has been pretty rough. Thinking about you both and also wishing "trisha's trailblazers" a great walk!
love,
rochelle