6/3/16

From Jan:

Okay.  I'm gearing up for my third session of chemo which begins on Monday.  In all honesty I'm not mentally ready to start this 3- week roller coaster again.  Today I have to have chemo in my spinal column, so I'm getting that out of the way, but I had bad dreams all night about it.  Not looking forward to it.

Being in my situation as a widow living alone I've needed a lot of outside help and am so grateful for the friends, family and coworkers who have been willing to help.  My oncologist isn't thrilled that I'm by myself so much, but I think it's working better now that I've had less problems this round.  

I will need extra help this coming week.  My oncologist is going to let me do outpatient chemo instead of being admitted to the hospital.  I'll need rides to and from chemo every day next week.  I'd drive myself, but that doesn't sound particularly smart.  Please call me if you can help me!  801-834-4448.  

People keep asking if I'm on chemo every day.  No, here's how it works:

Week One- one day (4 hours of drip) of Retuxin as an outpatient at Utah Cancer Specialists (UCS), one 2-hour lumbar puncture chemo in my spinal column, and 5 days continuous chemo drip in the hospital.  (Except we are doing the hospital portion as outpatient this time- see above). I usually feel good all week, and am bored with being attached to an IV that allows me no freedom.  

Week Two- Sick Week.  No more chemo, this week consists of days 8-14 at home. The first day I feel pretty good, but it goes downhill after that.  I'm weak, can't keep awake and feel miserable.  This is when caring people text to ask how I'm doing and I can't focus well enough to read their texts, much less answer.  I sleep most of the time during this week.  I love all the well wishes, but am not up for visits or calls or texts.  I have alarms that wake me every 4 hours to take pills, and force myself to eat and drink.  I'm supposed to eat small meals of protein during these breaks and drink Gatoraid or Propel for the electrolytes, or I'll land myself back in the hospital.  I have to ask people to be "on-call" for me each day this week to call me on my four hour breaks to make sure I'm ok.  If you are willing to help me for one of these days, please call me.

Week Three- I feel better each day.  Usually the second day I'm ready to do normal activities and want to go to work.  I wear out quickly and if I don't get a nap I end up going to bed at 7:30pm and sleep 10 hours.  I can run errands but get light headed after a half hour trip shopping and have to go home and lay down to recuperate.  

Then it starts all over again the next week.

Thank you to my KW family for bringing dinner almost every night, and to Devi Day for organizing it.  It's been great, and I love seeing those of you who have come.  

It's hard to ask for so much help, but I'm being told it's good for me to learn to accept loving charity.  So thank you.


Times: Monday I need to arrive at UCS (3900 S 700 E) at 8:10 and be picked up at 5pm
Tuesday arrive 8:10 am, pick up at 3:30pm
Wednesday same as above
Thursday same as above
Friday arrive 9 am, pick up 3:30