I'm late, I'm very, very late,...and sorry I haven't updated for so long.

I have been reminded by a few of you that I have not updated for sometime. After tax season ended, I just decompressed and seemed to fall apart. I didn't feel like doing anything. So I am sorry I haven't kept you all up-to-date.

So, in the early morning of may 20th, I again visited emerg. My oxygen was fine but I was again in Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). The doctor suggested doubling my water pills for 3 days then returning to normal dosage. Since then, I have been feeling OK (no need for midnight visits to emerg).

We are up to 29 days at the cottage so far this year. last weekend Rick and Mary Anne came up with us. It was great weekend. We got the dock in (no one ended up in the lake this time) and the summer patio furniture on the deck. My chrome rims are on the truck (sweet) and summer is truly here.

On the health front, I had good news and bad this week. Last week (Monday) was my annual Mammogram. On Tuesday received a call asking me to come in for more pictures of my right breast and an ultrasound too. It was booked for yesterday. Good news, it appears that there was a piece of tissue that folded over. When they redid they mammogram, they compressed the breast more (translated: crushed the bejezzup out of it) and it's gone. They also could not see any trace of it on the ultrasound, so Yeah, good news.

I had another MugaScan last week also. It was on Tuesday. I saw the cardiologist on Monday of this week, and I also had another Echo cardiogram. My heart function is down again, and he has increased one of my medications. Let's see if this makes any difference.

For me, this news was devastating. The CHF has taken the wind out of my sails. It has affected me way more than the cancer itself. Having to take a rest after climbing the stairs, being wiped out by the hike to the x-ray department, and needed to rest for half a day to recover from that hike. I think of returning to Italy, and I know that those walks up into villages, like Cortona and San Gimignano, will be impossible right now. And that knowledge makes this CHF even worse than the physical symptoms.

We are heading up to the cottage today and I hope to relax but also get some lake time in, and get some little cleaning jobs done, a little at a time.

~Inez

Another Emerg Visit

On Thursday, April 23, I spend another fun filled evening in Emergency. I woke at 1:30 am unable to catch my breath again. I got Greg to drive me to the hospital and he stayed with me for an hour or so. They monitored me overnight, but did not put me on oxygen. They took blood and did a chest x-ray at 5:30 am. I finally saw the doctor at 6 am and he put me on water pills (iv injection first). He had the internist see me and I was finally out of there at 10 am. I went into work about 12 that day.

The End of Chemo

Today's post is bitter sweet. Following my muga scan earlier this week, I saw my oncologist for blood work before the resumption of my Heceptin on Friday. My MUGA results are not good - a decrease actually- and the oncologist actually just wanted to remove my port and simply cancel the rest of the treatments. I convinced him to leave it until after I talk to the cardiologist but, after seeing him, I am doubtful that the treatments will restart.

I was pretty upset, but after reading more on Herception, maybe it is not that bad. I just feel so betrayed by my body - I don't really have any say as it hinges on my heart improving.

~Inez

hair and more hair

First may I say that I almost have a full head of hair. Unfortunately, I also have a chin full.

Since early February, I have been noticing increased hair growth, notably on top of my head. Office staff who worked every couple of days or so always comment on how much more hair I have since the last time they were in. It is getting to the point where there are some many different lengths, I am going to have to get it trimmed. I think I look like a Chia Pet.

Yesterday, Mandy decided that my chin was in need of some tweezering. I let her pluck one hair and that hurt. I guess I will have to bite the bullet and let her do the rest. I am luck though, that my eyelashes and brows are coming in normal, so far I have escaped the alien hair thing happening.

Well that's all for now , but shout outs to John and Julie for the lovely flowers and my office staff for the flowers to celebrate the end of my radiation.

~Inez

Free Mammographies

I received this today, and not for the first time. It’s legit according to Snopes (http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/charity/mammogram.asp) so please take a second and give it a click, every day if possible.


The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on ‘donating a mammogram’ for free (pink window in the middle). This doesn’t cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammograms in exchange for advertising.
Here’s the web site! You can only click once a day so please pass it along to people you know…

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/

~Inez

Radiation is done, but it's effects aren't

I finished my radiation on Monday (March 22nd). It was a great feeling, signing in for my treatment and not seeing any upcoming appointments.

I had to see the nurse, as my burns have opened up and are wet and weepy. She was very upset with me for putting a dressing on my neck. Because it is located in the crease of my neck, and every time I move my head, it seems to weep more, I felt covering it was the best thing for work. Anyway, now I leave it open and hope for the best. I try to wear wide necked tops, which leaves it fully uncovered and exposed. As bad as my neck wound is, the ones under my breast are the worst. As you can imagine, there is a lot of chaffing. About the only relief I can get is to line my bra with with patches of flannel diapers. The nurse and even the radiation techs all said that it was going to get worse before it gets better, and that I should take some time off of work. I might just have to do that. I will decide this coming week, depending on how things progress.

My breathing is better, and I find I have more stamina than even 2 weeks ago. I am scheduled to see the cardiologist in 2 weeks, and then the oncologist, so hopefully my heart function has recovered and my treatments can continue.

Well, I guess that is all for now. A special thank you goes out to Linda and her sister Ellie, for the information on diet and wound care/healing. I will try to eat right. And to all my staff in Bowmanville, Thank you for the flowers and the cupcakes. You all mean a lot to me.

~Inez

Herceptin is a wondeful cancer drug

...but it is not without its side-effects.

My herceptin treatments are being delayed for 9 to 10 weeks, because of Herceptin-induced Congestive Heart Failure. It took 2 over night visits to Emerg and a Muga scan results showing a decrease in function of more than 50% to get me to a cardiologist to diagnose this.

Both Emerg visits came after an hour of laying in bed gasping for air. First visit resulted in a puffer and being sent home to followup with family doctor. Second visit was more thorough, detected fluid in lungs, and treated with antibiotics but no mention of heart trouble.

It took the poor MUGA results for the oncologist to request an emergency referral to the cardiologist. He, the cardiologist, feels we can reverse these results and then continue the Herceptin with constant monitoring in 6 to 7 weeks.

This is the scariest time in my course of treatment. My mother died of heart failure, and she was only 53. She beat breast cancer, back in the mid sixties. Now I battling them both at the same time.

On the radiation front, I only have 6 treatments left. They have been going pretty good. It is a constant battle to get out of the office on time to make it to the hospital, and some day I end up going back to the office after my treatments.

Work is work this year. I have great office staff and everyone is pitching in. They make it easy for me to deal with my treatments and not worry too much about the office.

I will try to post more often.

~Inez

Hospitals, Nurses and Radiation

Famous last works, 6 days after my last Emerg visit, 1 am again, and back we go. This time a different doctor listens to my chest, says he isn't happy with the sound and sends me for chest xrays. He says I have a lung infection, prescribes antibiotics and sends me home. Seven days later, (the length of the script) takes us to Monday and I am still having trouble breathing. On top, my latest Muga scan (whatever the hell that is) shows decreased heart function, caused by the chemo, so they have delayed my treatments of herceptin by at least a week or two, while we wait to repeat the test.

And when I went for blood last week, they screwed up accessing my port again, and Nurse Cratchett put in an appearance. Even though both Mandy (DD) and I told her we did not mind waiting for someone who could actually do it properly, she took a stab at it, fucked up too and before she could try again, I left to make my oncology appointment where I found out about the mugu results.

While waiting for the Oncologist, Mandy set off in search of the Team leader for chemo to register a complaint about Cratchett. She said her Dad and I were to nice to say much, but she was not going to let me be assaulted by Cratchett. I love my baby. Any way, when we went back down, Cratchet was no where to be seen, and all my favourites were there. I even got a leg massage from one of the nurses while the other one ran my port.

And yesterday was my first radiation treatment. It is no worse that the muga scan, and a lot shorter. Just laying in an awkward position for about 5 minutes. The real problem though is going to be the appointment times. I was told later day would not be a problem, but Wednesdays have to be in the morning to see the radiation oncologist. And on days when I have chemo (when my herceptin restarts) I will end up going to work, to the hospital and pack to work. I really wanted to make them late enough to just go home.

And speaking about my lung infection, I finished the antibiotics yesterday and still fin my breathing laboured. I am using my puffer every 4 hours, so now I guess I have to fit an appointment with my GP in with everything else.
I guess that is enough whining for now.

~Inez

Visit to Emerg (or the ER for my American Friends)

So I started back to work on the 2nd and things have been going pretty good. I find that I am I little more tired, but considering I haven't working since May, that is understandable. As I have experienced with some of the treatments, I have found myself out of breath after walking in from the parking lot, especially if I am carrying my work bag, computer case and purse.

On Tuesday night, I joined the girls for coffee. On our way out, I told Karen if I wasn't feeling well, I wanted her to drop me of at Emerg on our way Home. (why spoil coffee!) I was feeling pretty good and we went straight home. I went to bed. I woke about 1:00am unable to catch my breath. My chest felt wet? and heavy. I propped my self up with pillows and tried to go back to sleep. Well, that didn't work and after about 10 minutes of gasping and hacking, I got dressed and had Greg drive me to the hospital. They put me in a wheel chair and wheeled me into acute care right away. They said my chest sounded clear, did blood work and gave me a puffer. They sent me home, and I was back in my own bed by 5am. I don't use the puffer every 4 hours as indicated, maybe 2 or 3 times a day, as needed.

I am feeling pretty good, and I think as I start getting more exercise, running around the office, I will start feeling better.

I have a great staff and they are looking out for me. They are constantly after me, not letting me carry supplies, putting things up for me and generally looking after me. I don't think I could over do it, even if I wanted to.

~Inez

Life Goes On

I better write this now or I may never get around to it.

Tuesday, January 27th was my radiation planning session, and the day that I got my first tattoos ever. Of course, they were courtesy of the radiation department, and are simply 4 small dots, used to line me up it the machine. I start my treatments on the 17th of February.

Tomorrow is my first full day back to work. My office opens tomorrow. For those how don't know, I work for H & R Block in Canada. I manage the office during the tax season (February to April 30th her in Canada). Our office is newly renovated and I am looking forward to the tax season. It will probably be a challenge as I move through my radiation treatments, but I will take it one day at a time.

~Inez

Wohoo - Last Chemo Treatment

Friday, January 23rd was my last chemo session. I am now going to be receiving infusions of herceptin every 3 weeks, but only need to see the doctor once every 3rd session.

My blood numbers for any who is interested are:

LKC (white) Jan. 23 -6.7 Dec. 30 - 6.6 Dec 5 - 6.8 Nov 13 - 4.8 Oct. 23 -5.7 October 2-6.0 Sept 11-5.5

ERC (red) Jan. 23 -4.13 Dec. 30 -4.09 Dec 5 -4.04 Nov 13 - 3.92 Oct. 23-4.44 October 2-4.51 Sept 11-4.60

HB (hemoglobin) Jan. 23 -113 Dec. 30 - 113 Dec 5 - 113 Nov 13 - 110 Oct. 23-123 October 2-123 Sept 11-128

PLT (platelets)Jan. 23 -300 Dec. 30 - 292 Dec 5 - 333 Nov 13 -326 Oct. 23-320 October 2-259 Sept 11-272

Neut# Jan. 23 -5.0 Dec. 30 -5.0 Dec 5 - x Nov 13 -x Oct. 23-3.9 October 2-4.4 Sept 11-3.6


Imagine my surprise when the door at chemo opened and Nurse Crackett stood there, calling my name. She was pleasant and very informative. I was amazed - of course, she did not get the chance to fill me fun of holes as my port had been accessed the day before. Anyway, she was just covering another nurse's break, and I did not see a lot of her.

Tomorrow, the 27th (Tuesday)is my radiation planning session.

~Inez

Cold!!!...and SNOW

It has been so cold for the past week, daily highs of -17C. And now it is snowing. It started last night around supper time and it is still snowing. It looks like it is about 6' deep and forecast is for snow for the rest of today and tomorrow, and Wednesday.

Is it ever going to stop?

~Inez

Mandy is Cancer Free

Just a quick update, but Mandy saw her surgeon today, and he informed us that all of her lymph nodes were negative, there was no cancer in them, so she is clear. He said her chances of recurrence were 1 to 3%. She will require increased scanning and followup for the next couple of years, but we are so relieved.

As to my genetic followup, I do not have any abnormalities in the BRAC 1 or 2 genes, I will require some more close screening, because of the familiar cluster, but this is good news and I am so relieved. Now I do not have decide if I want to have double mastectomy because it is not even on the table at this point. Yeah!

~Inez

cleaning up

Literally, and figuratively...John came over and helped us fell the remains of the fallen trees and get them out of the driveway. Thanks for your help John.

While the boys were working, I fell coming out of the old shed and cut my knee on the ice, about an inch slit. In addition, I have a huge bruise.

New Year's Eve was early to bed, as the power went out at 5:30 and did not come back on until after 1:30 am, and it was too cold to get the generator started. We need to find an electric start or 12 volt heat system to warm it up.

Yesterday seems to be my joint pain day, although it is still rough this morning. I also experienced nausea yesterday and today, but no vomiting - yeah!

Ed (at the cottage) is doing better, and should be home by Sunday.

I will post pictures tomorrow hopefully, as dial up is no fun with jpeg files.

~Inez