Cancer Survivor Inspiration

Lunch And A Flu Shot For Dessert

Yesterday I had a nice lunch with a couple of old girl friends. I received flowers and a bear from one and my other friend paid for lunch. It was nice to meet with these gals. We had worked together in a previous job so there was no lack of conversation ... lots of news to get caught up on.

Then ... I went for my H1N1 shot. I walk in and am six deep for two nurses. Oh I thought ... I should be outa here in half an hour.... not! One woman had a young boy who didn’t want his shot and after 15 minutes the nurse said something to the effect of.... “Are we giving the shot or not?” The nurse instructed the mother how to hold the boy’s arms and legs and the deed was done.

Then there was the lady who was in wheel chair and on oxygen. She got her H1N1 shot and panicked. She started hyperventilating and screaming that she had intense pain in her back. She said call an ambulance. The two nurses called for a supervisor and all three calmed her down. She eventually left with no side effects.

Can I tell you ... I was ready to make a dash for it as this was turning into a gong show. Finally my number was called. Yahoo. I told the nurse that I thought they all were amazing. It took about 45 minutes to get through three people and then 15 to get through three more.

Anyways, because I had my regular flu shot in my left arm and I have lymphedema in my right arm, I had to get this shot in my thigh. I didn’t even feel it, but I can I tell you ... today I am limping. Ouch it is sore.

Coffee, School And The H1N1 Shot

Yesterday I met with C from the Living with Cancer support group. We’ve been meeting at Second Cup because the coffee shop has a few of these nice soft leather chairs to sit in. The tricky part is making sure no one else is sitting there. So far we’ve only had to wait a few minutes before the chairs become available. C and I had a really nice chat and before we knew it ... two hours had passed and it was time to leave.

Later in the afternoon, I spent time working on my school group project. It is due on December 1 with only a couple more classes after that to bring this course to an end. It really is going quick.

Today I’m off to lunch with a friend and then the H1N1 shot. My oncologist said I should get my shot the Friday before I see her... and today is that day. What are the odds ... Alberta Health Services opened up the shot to my category and age group the only day I can get my injection for this cycle? Love it when a plan comes together.

Swollen Feet

Today I thought I’d talk about my swollen feet. My swelling problem has gone up and done since I started chemo in August of 2008. At one point when I was on full dosage of Taxotere, my ankles were swollen to the point that I had to cut the sides of my socks because the elastic at the ankle was too tight. Then as we decreased the Taxotere dosage, the swelling went down to the point that I thought was almost normal. I started wearing some of my nicer tighter fitting shoes.

About a month ago I notice that my left foot started swelling ... back I go to my looser shoes. Shortly after that I started Xeloda and noticed my right foot started to swell  Feeling a bit frustrated ... last night I jumped on the internet and searched other people’s experiences. Looks like Xeloda can cause swelling of the feet ... darn it ... to the point that I may have to buy bigger shoes. It was also recommended I purchase insoles to help protect the bottoms of my feet. So my short-term plan is to go back to my runners until the swelling gets too much and then I’m going to shop for new shoes.

In the next few days I’m going to go look for some indoor shoes. At one of my oncologist visits the doctor recommended I wear good shoes indoors and outdoors. What she meant by that was that my toes need to be well covered and protected. Why? Because the hand/foot syndrome has given me poor feeling in my feet and there is a tendency for me to whack them into corners of furniture, walls and such. If I’m not careful I could really do some damage to my feet.

Remembrance Day Song

Living with Cancer Support Group

This morning I was at the Living with Cancer support group meeting. This particular group is quite small but has a good representation of a varying cancers and stages of cancer. Personally I find these groups very therapeutic. I feel reenergized and more positive after I attend one of these meetings. We have one more session left and that will be it till next year.

A couple of weeks ago I collected contact information from the group members so that we could make plans to get together outside the formal setting. So last Thursday we met for coffee at a Second Cup. We plan to do the same this week. It’s nice to get together and be able to talk ‘cancer’.

Drew Carey And The Million Dollar Challenge

Drew Carey will give 1 million dollars to LIVESTRONG if he gets 1 million followers on Twitter by December 31st, 2009. And if he doesn’t get a million he will prorate it to however many followers he has by the end of the year.

Cool eh!

Xeloda Side Effects - Cycle One

I sure want to thank everyone who has left comments and sent emails on their experience with Xeloda. I have a bit more confidence taking it now that I have an idea what to watch for when it comes to too much Xeloda.

One of the side effects the oncologist told me to watch for was red swollen hands and feet. She said if my palms become red and swollen to the point I can’t see the creases, I need to call the triage nurse immediately. I’ve already experienced the redness on my hands and feet. I see it first thing in the morning. It’s like I got sunburn on the palms of my hands and bottoms of my feet.

I’ve only got this evening and tomorrows Xeloda to take and then I’ll be done with 14 days of pills. After that I have one week with no pills which will end my first three week cycle.

How Am I Feeling?

Well I’ve been feeling mildly nauseated and a little headachy. My head feels full and sound seems to be amplified. It’s like I’m hypersensitive to stimulus. Unfortunately this makes me easily agitated.

Last week I said my coughing had improved ... well that was short lived because I’ve been coughing a bit more. I think the fluid around my lungs must be getting worse because I’m also experiencing some shortness of breath.

As far as fatigue goes ... it’s not too bad but I have been sleeping like 10 hours a night.

All in all, I feel ‘grumpy’ in the mornings and better in the afternoons.