Sunday, 4-28-2013:
A few days ago I began having mouth blisters. Since then I have gradually begun to have very sensitive skin on my face and hands. It feels like a sunburn. This has happened before. The spots I have experienced in the past are back on my face. My lips and tongue feel as if they have been constantly exposed to hot sauce. I know this is all temporary and will go away soon. I will just have to deal with it.
Glenda
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Video of my haircut..........
This was taken on March, 23, 2013. Wayne gave me the buzzcut and my sister Wanda assisted.
TKO of little bird.......
This is my second post today, Thursday, April 25, 2013:
We have a large bay window in our living room. I heard something hit the window and caught a glimpse of a bird that had crashed into it. It is a regular occurrence and if anyone has any suggestions on how to prevent it, let me know. Anyway, I looked out onto the porch and saw a bird thrashing about. I went out onto the porch and the bird was obviously dazed. I picked it up, brought it into the house and got my camera and began a video.......
See below for the rest of the story after the video,
We have a large bay window in our living room. I heard something hit the window and caught a glimpse of a bird that had crashed into it. It is a regular occurrence and if anyone has any suggestions on how to prevent it, let me know. Anyway, I looked out onto the porch and saw a bird thrashing about. I went out onto the porch and the bird was obviously dazed. I picked it up, brought it into the house and got my camera and began a video.......
See below for the rest of the story after the video,
I was calling this little bird 'she' but it turns out it is a he and it is a Common Yellowthroat Warbler. The males have the black mask. It took this little bird about 5 minutes to fully revive. I checked it's wings and legs for breaks and they appeared to be o.k. Shortly after I quit videoing I went to move him to a safer place than the brick ledge so he would not get eaten by predators. I picked him up then sat him back down and off he went into the trees. I think he will be alright. Yaaaay!
My tongue has been slashed by razor blades........
Thursday, April 25, 2013:
I had planned to go back to work today because I thought I was ready. Well, sleeplessness has overtaken me again for two nights in a row as well as intestinal distress. I was not able to get to sleep until after 4 a.m. but I got up at 8:30 a.m. in hopes that I will be able to sleep tonight. My tongue feels as if I have been licking razor blades! My lips are on fire as though I have been sucking on a rag full of crushed habanero peppers. Holy cow, what next?! I tried to eat around 11 a.m. and could not find anything that had any taste. I was able to drink a coke but it was still strange tasting. It tasted better than the water I have been trying to drink large amounts of. Around noon I decided to try some steamed cabbage. Up to this point I have been less sensitive to salt. On the foods I have been able to eat I have to put extra salt to make it eatable. So, I salted the cabbage and took a bite. It was super, super salty!! Yech!!! It was lukewarm because my mouth has become sensitive to heat. I managed to get most of it down and then my normal thing to do after eating is to floss and brush my teeth then use regular mouthwash and if I am having trouble with my mouth I use the special mouthwash that has been prescribed. Before I started the flossing I stuck out my tongue and looked in the mirror. My tongue was full of blisters and was all wrinkly looking. Wow! I had heard about the blisters but it was my first time to experience them. I am posting a photo below but I am not sure if you will be able to see the tiny little blisters all over my tongue.
I had planned to go back to work today because I thought I was ready. Well, sleeplessness has overtaken me again for two nights in a row as well as intestinal distress. I was not able to get to sleep until after 4 a.m. but I got up at 8:30 a.m. in hopes that I will be able to sleep tonight. My tongue feels as if I have been licking razor blades! My lips are on fire as though I have been sucking on a rag full of crushed habanero peppers. Holy cow, what next?! I tried to eat around 11 a.m. and could not find anything that had any taste. I was able to drink a coke but it was still strange tasting. It tasted better than the water I have been trying to drink large amounts of. Around noon I decided to try some steamed cabbage. Up to this point I have been less sensitive to salt. On the foods I have been able to eat I have to put extra salt to make it eatable. So, I salted the cabbage and took a bite. It was super, super salty!! Yech!!! It was lukewarm because my mouth has become sensitive to heat. I managed to get most of it down and then my normal thing to do after eating is to floss and brush my teeth then use regular mouthwash and if I am having trouble with my mouth I use the special mouthwash that has been prescribed. Before I started the flossing I stuck out my tongue and looked in the mirror. My tongue was full of blisters and was all wrinkly looking. Wow! I had heard about the blisters but it was my first time to experience them. I am posting a photo below but I am not sure if you will be able to see the tiny little blisters all over my tongue.
Well enough for now. I am going to make another post now about a little bird I met today......
Hahahaha.
Glenda
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Update on my current situation......
Tuesday, April 23, 2013:
I just wanted to give an update as to how I am doing. The day of my treatment, Wednesday went well until about 5:30 pm or so. I began to feel really, really tired and sleepy. This time around I slept more than usual for the first few days. I have experienced what I refer to as the staggers. I will be standing up and will be still and all of a sudden I will just lose my balance and have to grab hold of something to keep from falling down. I have also experienced several near blackout episodes. One happened while I was brushing my teeth. Everything started spinning and going black. I managed to sit on the toilet seat and get my head between my knees and things settled down. Another time I was standing at the sink in the kitchen. I felt the dizziness begin and quickly sat down before I fell down. I had this happen a lot of times this go 'round. I had a bad experience with stomach cramps that were so bad I soaked my shirt with sweat from the pain. It exhausted me. I have had a backache (ribs) and I take Tylenol to get over that. It is not intense just a soreness that is uncomfortable. I haven't had the headaches, swollen and bleeding gums, bleeding nose, weepy eyes or mouth sores this time around. It is like a totally new experience with each chemo treatment. Overall I am very blessed that I haven't experienced anything worse and it can get worse. I have friends going through this who are having a pretty bad time of it. I am very, very tired and have no energy but I am able to get some things done around the house even though I have to stop and rest often to enable me to finish my little projects.
Thanks to all of my friends who have taken the time to call, text, send cards and gifts. You lift me up and I love you for that! I hope to be back to work as soon as I can be sure I won't crash and burn while there. Hahahaha.
I managed to get outside and take some photos of the blooms on my Kwanzan Cherry Tree. It was loaded with blooms! What a beautiful tree it has become.
I just wanted to give an update as to how I am doing. The day of my treatment, Wednesday went well until about 5:30 pm or so. I began to feel really, really tired and sleepy. This time around I slept more than usual for the first few days. I have experienced what I refer to as the staggers. I will be standing up and will be still and all of a sudden I will just lose my balance and have to grab hold of something to keep from falling down. I have also experienced several near blackout episodes. One happened while I was brushing my teeth. Everything started spinning and going black. I managed to sit on the toilet seat and get my head between my knees and things settled down. Another time I was standing at the sink in the kitchen. I felt the dizziness begin and quickly sat down before I fell down. I had this happen a lot of times this go 'round. I had a bad experience with stomach cramps that were so bad I soaked my shirt with sweat from the pain. It exhausted me. I have had a backache (ribs) and I take Tylenol to get over that. It is not intense just a soreness that is uncomfortable. I haven't had the headaches, swollen and bleeding gums, bleeding nose, weepy eyes or mouth sores this time around. It is like a totally new experience with each chemo treatment. Overall I am very blessed that I haven't experienced anything worse and it can get worse. I have friends going through this who are having a pretty bad time of it. I am very, very tired and have no energy but I am able to get some things done around the house even though I have to stop and rest often to enable me to finish my little projects.
Thanks to all of my friends who have taken the time to call, text, send cards and gifts. You lift me up and I love you for that! I hope to be back to work as soon as I can be sure I won't crash and burn while there. Hahahaha.
I managed to get outside and take some photos of the blooms on my Kwanzan Cherry Tree. It was loaded with blooms! What a beautiful tree it has become.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
This post is about my wonderful friends at work......
Thursday, April 18, 2013:
This is my second post today. See my previous one for an update on my chemo. This is a happy post!!
Two weeks ago when I returned to work my wonderful friends at work surprised me with a whole bunch of wonderful gifts and a whole lot of love. I am so thankful to have so many caring friends that I get to share so much time with at work. Thank you all so very, very much. I can't tell you how surprised I was and how moved I was by your generosity and caring. Here are some photos I took of all the gifts.
This is my second post today. See my previous one for an update on my chemo. This is a happy post!!
Two weeks ago when I returned to work my wonderful friends at work surprised me with a whole bunch of wonderful gifts and a whole lot of love. I am so thankful to have so many caring friends that I get to share so much time with at work. Thank you all so very, very much. I can't tell you how surprised I was and how moved I was by your generosity and caring. Here are some photos I took of all the gifts.
There is a story to this one.....Debbie Brinson's husband and I worked together at Daniels Construction at GE.
When she told him about my breast cancer he sent back word to me that he knew I was one tough ol' heifer and I would
pull through this. Debbie found this little cow and had the sign made for me. It gave me a really good laugh!
This is a small pillow to take to chemo to rest my head.
This is a very nice bag that they hid all my gifts in and I love this bag. I was the envy at chemo, let me tell you!
This is the rest of the gifts which include a water bottle, a beautiful scarf with pink ribbons, two tubes of lip gloss, a tough ol heifer cow, a Living With Cancer Cookbook, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Word Find, gift cards to Walmart and ITunes and a save the ta tas sticker.
Another photo of my new bag, my cow and pink ribbon scarf.
When I got home Tuesday afternoon these were on my porch. They were from my friend and neighbor, Yuki Scott.
Thank you so much, Yuki! They are beautiful. She said she wanted to send me her power and her strength (which I need very much). Sweet.
Today is the day after the 3rd of my 6th scheduled chemo treatment.......
Thursday, April 18, 2013:
I had a chemo treatment yesterday and normally I don't feel bad until about the 3rd day. I wasn't so lucky this time. My treatment was over by 2:30 pm and by about 5:30 pm I was feeling pretty bad and really sleepy. I went to bed early (8 pm) and at 1:30 a.m. I was wide awake. (The steroid I had to take the night before!) I finally got up at 3:30 a.m. waiting for 9:30 when I had to go back to the doctor to get my Neulasta shot to boost my white blood cell count. I got my shot and then had to run some errands even though I did not feel like it at all. After that I came home and cooked dinner and now I am chilling. My ribs around my back are aching and I took Tylenol that usually helps relieve the ache. My headache is back, too. I am not sure what is to come. Hopefully this is the worst of it. Now I am halfway through treatments. Wooohoooo only 3 more to go. I will leave this post now and make another one that is happier.
Hugs to all,
Glenda
I had a chemo treatment yesterday and normally I don't feel bad until about the 3rd day. I wasn't so lucky this time. My treatment was over by 2:30 pm and by about 5:30 pm I was feeling pretty bad and really sleepy. I went to bed early (8 pm) and at 1:30 a.m. I was wide awake. (The steroid I had to take the night before!) I finally got up at 3:30 a.m. waiting for 9:30 when I had to go back to the doctor to get my Neulasta shot to boost my white blood cell count. I got my shot and then had to run some errands even though I did not feel like it at all. After that I came home and cooked dinner and now I am chilling. My ribs around my back are aching and I took Tylenol that usually helps relieve the ache. My headache is back, too. I am not sure what is to come. Hopefully this is the worst of it. Now I am halfway through treatments. Wooohoooo only 3 more to go. I will leave this post now and make another one that is happier.
Hugs to all,
Glenda
Friday, April 12, 2013
I am no longer 'Spot'!
April 12, 2013, Friday,
I have had a very good week and felt really good. Yaaaay! My friends at worked showed me a lot of love on Wednesday and surprised me with a bag full of wonderful gifts. I will be posting photos of it all on Sunday. They are a wonderful group of people and I am thankful and blessed to be working with them.
I am no longer 'Spot'.....all of my spots have disappeared as quickly as they came. About the only thing I am now experiencing is an occasional pain shooting through my head and my eyes are really red and tearing up. I put it off to all the pollen in the air but that does not seem to be the case. I have never had allergies before but my friend Colleen thinks the chemo has affected my sinuses and I think she is right. With everything else, this should pass.
I won't be able to post again until Sunday night so until then stay safe and have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs,
Glenda
I have had a very good week and felt really good. Yaaaay! My friends at worked showed me a lot of love on Wednesday and surprised me with a bag full of wonderful gifts. I will be posting photos of it all on Sunday. They are a wonderful group of people and I am thankful and blessed to be working with them.
I am no longer 'Spot'.....all of my spots have disappeared as quickly as they came. About the only thing I am now experiencing is an occasional pain shooting through my head and my eyes are really red and tearing up. I put it off to all the pollen in the air but that does not seem to be the case. I have never had allergies before but my friend Colleen thinks the chemo has affected my sinuses and I think she is right. With everything else, this should pass.
I won't be able to post again until Sunday night so until then stay safe and have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs,
Glenda
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Just call me Spot!
April 9, 2013, Tuesday:
Hi all,
I just wanted you to know that if I don't post for a while, please don't be concerned. I am usually somewhere that I do not have internet. My portacath wound is healing up and the infection is gone so all is well again. I feel like my old self now and have since last Thursday. My next treatment is on the 17th and I will be 1/2 way through my treatments. My skin is getting kind of weird. I have a lot of spots on my face that were not there before. It's kind of like the measles. Makeup hides them somewhat. My fingernails are looking strange, too. The nail bed looks purple and I am starting to get a darker stripe on them. I have been told that you will be able to see each chemo treatment in the nail by a ridge that forms after each treatment. I'll let you know how that goes.
I went back to work today and was happy to see my co-workers. It was a good day. I stopped on the way home to visit my good friend Brenda. It was a fun time visiting with her and she gave me some beautiful flowers. Thank you, Brenda!
Hi all,
I just wanted you to know that if I don't post for a while, please don't be concerned. I am usually somewhere that I do not have internet. My portacath wound is healing up and the infection is gone so all is well again. I feel like my old self now and have since last Thursday. My next treatment is on the 17th and I will be 1/2 way through my treatments. My skin is getting kind of weird. I have a lot of spots on my face that were not there before. It's kind of like the measles. Makeup hides them somewhat. My fingernails are looking strange, too. The nail bed looks purple and I am starting to get a darker stripe on them. I have been told that you will be able to see each chemo treatment in the nail by a ridge that forms after each treatment. I'll let you know how that goes.
I went back to work today and was happy to see my co-workers. It was a good day. I stopped on the way home to visit my good friend Brenda. It was a fun time visiting with her and she gave me some beautiful flowers. Thank you, Brenda!
Pretty flowers from Brenda
After I got home I took time to visit a neighbor and friend that just found out about my breast cancer. She was very concerned and very supportive. She recently lost her husband and has been through a lot this past year yet she was encouraging me and lifting my spirits. Thank you, Yuki.
Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
it's about learning how to dance in the rain.
- Vivian Greene
it's about learning how to dance in the rain.
- Vivian Greene
Later,
Glenda
Sunday, April 7, 2013
It's been a long week.....
April 7, 2013, Sunday:
It has now been 11 days since my chemo.
This past Friday I went in to give blood for my glucose fasting test and they stuck me and took the blood. I had a concern about the wound where my portacath was installed. It was swollen and red and oozing body fluids. It appeared to be infected. They had a nurse look at it then she pulled in a Dr. other than mine (she was working in Leland on Friday), to take a look at it. He was concerned and asked if I was neutropenia. Hunh? He was wondering if my white blood cell count was down. He ordered a blood test to check for that and set up an appointment with Dr. Bebb who installed the portacath. I went straight to Dr. Bebb;s office and was seen by a P.A. because Dr. Bebb was not in the office. The P.A., Laura was very concerned and thought they might need to take the portacath out. After some discussion we decided to have me take an antibiotic for 10 days. She drew a big circle around the wound and told me that if it got red out to the line I was to call the office immediately. That night it seemed to get a little worse but by morning the heat had gone out of it and appeared much better. Tomorrow I will go back for them to take another look at it but I think it is o.k.
Even though the side effects were not as bad as the first time, it took me about 1 week to begin feeling better. I am experiencing insomnia, bleeding gums when I brush my teeth (although it has stopped for now) and nose bleed when I blow my nose. Nothing drastic. Just a little blood on the tissue.
Wayne and I went down to Myrtle Beach for a few days and on Saturday we walked 2 miles on the beach and today we walked 4 miles doing 15 minute miles. I was not breathing hard the least bit!! To go from breathlessness from picking up a laundry basket to walking that kind of distance with no problem is nothing short of a miracle! It was a beautiful 2 days at the beach.
Thank you Jesus!
It has now been 11 days since my chemo.
This past Friday I went in to give blood for my glucose fasting test and they stuck me and took the blood. I had a concern about the wound where my portacath was installed. It was swollen and red and oozing body fluids. It appeared to be infected. They had a nurse look at it then she pulled in a Dr. other than mine (she was working in Leland on Friday), to take a look at it. He was concerned and asked if I was neutropenia. Hunh? He was wondering if my white blood cell count was down. He ordered a blood test to check for that and set up an appointment with Dr. Bebb who installed the portacath. I went straight to Dr. Bebb;s office and was seen by a P.A. because Dr. Bebb was not in the office. The P.A., Laura was very concerned and thought they might need to take the portacath out. After some discussion we decided to have me take an antibiotic for 10 days. She drew a big circle around the wound and told me that if it got red out to the line I was to call the office immediately. That night it seemed to get a little worse but by morning the heat had gone out of it and appeared much better. Tomorrow I will go back for them to take another look at it but I think it is o.k.
Even though the side effects were not as bad as the first time, it took me about 1 week to begin feeling better. I am experiencing insomnia, bleeding gums when I brush my teeth (although it has stopped for now) and nose bleed when I blow my nose. Nothing drastic. Just a little blood on the tissue.
Wayne and I went down to Myrtle Beach for a few days and on Saturday we walked 2 miles on the beach and today we walked 4 miles doing 15 minute miles. I was not breathing hard the least bit!! To go from breathlessness from picking up a laundry basket to walking that kind of distance with no problem is nothing short of a miracle! It was a beautiful 2 days at the beach.
Thank you Jesus!
Monday, April 1, 2013
I hope everyone had a nice Easter Holiday.
April 1, 2013:
First a shout-out to my friends Patti and Aseeyah who are hiking the Appalachian Trail this week!! I hope the weather is wonderful and you are having the time of your life. Wish I could be there with you.
Hi Everyone. I hope you all had a nice Easter Holiday. Even though I was feeling pretty puny, Wayne and I spent some time with my Mom, Dad, sisters Wanda and Brenda, brother Randy and his girlfriend Gail. We also got to see our niece Aubrey and her fiancé, Jorge'. I have to admit I was very happy to get home. I had my 2nd chemo treatment on Wednesday, March 27. I did so-so Wednesday. I found that I was very sleepy and it carried over into Thursday. My energy levels have gotten less and less with each passing day with Saturday being the worse. Wayne and I went up to see our son, Sandy in New Bern for the Holiday and I felt absolutely terrible. I could find no joy in happy thoughts or anything. The sun finally came out and my thoughts were 'so what?'! I wasn't a grump but I just felt so bad and so weak I could not respond to much of anything. Just getting in and out of the van was a struggle, energy wise. Usually if music is playing on the radio I will be singing along. Not this time. Sunday I was somewhat better and found interest in things like I normally would but still no energy. Today, I tried to do a few things around the house and it was if my ever-ready battery had run down. Just walking from one end of the house to the other took all my strength. I would get to where I was going and have to sit or lay down and rest. Then I would continue on with what I was trying to get done. I only accomplished half of what I wanted but half is better than nothing, right?? Haha. I had one bout with nausea that came about very quickly 'after' taking an anti nausea pill. Go figure. It only lasted a few seconds and did not return. I have not had much of problem with my gastrointestinal tract this go round and for that I am soooo thankful! No belching, bloating, a little acid reflux the first day or so, and no stomach pain.
Cleaning up my bathroom was one of the tasks I was able to get done and I came up with some more positive things that are a result of having chemo (if there is anything positive about chemo other than it kills the cancer): no hair in the sink, drains or on the floor to clean up, no need for shampoo, hair product or a hair dryer, I only need one towel to dry off with since I have no hair, I don't have to shave my legs (not sure about underarms yet)! I still have hair on my arms (somewhat) and I still have stubble popping out on my head which is annoying when I move my head around on my pillow. Last night was the first good night of sleep I have been able to get since my last treatment and I am grateful for that. Smells have been less of a problem but still a little bothersome. I have not had a constant headache but I am experiencing shooting pains on the right side of my head. My heart rate has gradually increased and pounds harder than normal but nowhere near as bad as the first go round. Food tastes so-so and I do get hungry. I go for a fasting blood glucose test on Friday because my sugar was high when they checked my blood (non-fasting). The Dr. thinks it is the steroids and they could cause me to become diabetic during this process. I hope not.
I want to thank my friends for their beautiful and thoughtful cards and for all the prayers. I miss you all and yayyyyy, only 4 more treatments to go!
Sending you hugs,
Glenda
First a shout-out to my friends Patti and Aseeyah who are hiking the Appalachian Trail this week!! I hope the weather is wonderful and you are having the time of your life. Wish I could be there with you.
Flowers from our friend Blue who came by for a visit Friday.
Thanks, Blue!
Hi Everyone. I hope you all had a nice Easter Holiday. Even though I was feeling pretty puny, Wayne and I spent some time with my Mom, Dad, sisters Wanda and Brenda, brother Randy and his girlfriend Gail. We also got to see our niece Aubrey and her fiancé, Jorge'. I have to admit I was very happy to get home. I had my 2nd chemo treatment on Wednesday, March 27. I did so-so Wednesday. I found that I was very sleepy and it carried over into Thursday. My energy levels have gotten less and less with each passing day with Saturday being the worse. Wayne and I went up to see our son, Sandy in New Bern for the Holiday and I felt absolutely terrible. I could find no joy in happy thoughts or anything. The sun finally came out and my thoughts were 'so what?'! I wasn't a grump but I just felt so bad and so weak I could not respond to much of anything. Just getting in and out of the van was a struggle, energy wise. Usually if music is playing on the radio I will be singing along. Not this time. Sunday I was somewhat better and found interest in things like I normally would but still no energy. Today, I tried to do a few things around the house and it was if my ever-ready battery had run down. Just walking from one end of the house to the other took all my strength. I would get to where I was going and have to sit or lay down and rest. Then I would continue on with what I was trying to get done. I only accomplished half of what I wanted but half is better than nothing, right?? Haha. I had one bout with nausea that came about very quickly 'after' taking an anti nausea pill. Go figure. It only lasted a few seconds and did not return. I have not had much of problem with my gastrointestinal tract this go round and for that I am soooo thankful! No belching, bloating, a little acid reflux the first day or so, and no stomach pain.
Cleaning up my bathroom was one of the tasks I was able to get done and I came up with some more positive things that are a result of having chemo (if there is anything positive about chemo other than it kills the cancer): no hair in the sink, drains or on the floor to clean up, no need for shampoo, hair product or a hair dryer, I only need one towel to dry off with since I have no hair, I don't have to shave my legs (not sure about underarms yet)! I still have hair on my arms (somewhat) and I still have stubble popping out on my head which is annoying when I move my head around on my pillow. Last night was the first good night of sleep I have been able to get since my last treatment and I am grateful for that. Smells have been less of a problem but still a little bothersome. I have not had a constant headache but I am experiencing shooting pains on the right side of my head. My heart rate has gradually increased and pounds harder than normal but nowhere near as bad as the first go round. Food tastes so-so and I do get hungry. I go for a fasting blood glucose test on Friday because my sugar was high when they checked my blood (non-fasting). The Dr. thinks it is the steroids and they could cause me to become diabetic during this process. I hope not.
I want to thank my friends for their beautiful and thoughtful cards and for all the prayers. I miss you all and yayyyyy, only 4 more treatments to go!
Sending you hugs,
Glenda
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