Oncologist Visit & Another Blog Resource
My check up w/Dr. Levey today went OK -- he was behind schedule so I waited about 45 minutes to see him. My energy level's not too bad today -- Kailee went to bed around 9:30 last night & woke about 6 am. My sister-in-law Ellen dropped by at 8am w/her toddler Anndrea to help watch Kailee in the morning so I could sleep in a bit before my appointment. Luckily Mom came back from work to watch Kailee while I went to Kaiser.
My past two blood pressure readings (yesterday & today) have been normal for the 1st time since my diagnosis. Perhaps my stress level is decreasing or something, but I was happy about that. Dr. Levey asked how my neuropathy was doing -- I said it's not painful, just annoying having constant tingling & numbness in my hands & feet, but they don't interfere w/my walking or fine motor skills (e.g. buttoning a shirt, handling small items, etc.). He thinks the sensation will fade away over several months, hopefully with no residual effects, but no guarantee. But with just one more Taxol treatment to go, I thought I could just put up with it & not have to switch medication. I asked about follow-up visits after my last chemo & he said every 3 months he'll be checking up on me. Every 6-8 weeks I should have my port flushed to avoid blood clots -- I should keep it in for the next few years in case I have a recurrence & need more chemo. So this "watchful waiting" period hopefully won't be such a dark cloud over me.
I recently heard about another free website at www.caringbridge.org, it specializes in people going through a health crisis. In the local paper, there was a picture & story about a little girl w/cancer who lives in Kailua-Kona whose family created a blog to update folks about her condition. I read about the website's history & profiles of some families who used it -- they were so touching & some made me cry, especially about the babies or young mothers who didn't survive their diseases. I don't know how many folks actually visit my site, but I appreciate the well-wishes & other positive messages. I'm trying to be more consistent with writing on this site to just get my thoughts down & that later, I can look back on all this and make better sense of this whole cancer experience. Thanks goodness for the internet!
My past two blood pressure readings (yesterday & today) have been normal for the 1st time since my diagnosis. Perhaps my stress level is decreasing or something, but I was happy about that. Dr. Levey asked how my neuropathy was doing -- I said it's not painful, just annoying having constant tingling & numbness in my hands & feet, but they don't interfere w/my walking or fine motor skills (e.g. buttoning a shirt, handling small items, etc.). He thinks the sensation will fade away over several months, hopefully with no residual effects, but no guarantee. But with just one more Taxol treatment to go, I thought I could just put up with it & not have to switch medication. I asked about follow-up visits after my last chemo & he said every 3 months he'll be checking up on me. Every 6-8 weeks I should have my port flushed to avoid blood clots -- I should keep it in for the next few years in case I have a recurrence & need more chemo. So this "watchful waiting" period hopefully won't be such a dark cloud over me.
I recently heard about another free website at www.caringbridge.org, it specializes in people going through a health crisis. In the local paper, there was a picture & story about a little girl w/cancer who lives in Kailua-Kona whose family created a blog to update folks about her condition. I read about the website's history & profiles of some families who used it -- they were so touching & some made me cry, especially about the babies or young mothers who didn't survive their diseases. I don't know how many folks actually visit my site, but I appreciate the well-wishes & other positive messages. I'm trying to be more consistent with writing on this site to just get my thoughts down & that later, I can look back on all this and make better sense of this whole cancer experience. Thanks goodness for the internet!
posted by goforsushi @ 11:16 PM
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