I apologize for missing some time on my blog but we had a bit of sadness recently with the passing of our old dog, Dallas. Our home has just felt empty. As empty as our hearts. So it just wasn't in me to write the past couple of weeks but a week ago Friday we got a new addition to our home in the form of Pippa, an exuberant 3 month old lab mix puppy. As you can imagine our home has been turned upside down. But it's a good upside down. Life goes on.
When I left the last cancer blog I had passed through the experience of having depression. I have to admit to you at this point the the depression stayed with me for almost a year. Even after all the treatments were done. Some days I would cry and others I would just carry this incredible sad feeling with me - it just varied but it did get better over time.
The treatments just seemed to go on and on. I had started way back in June and now Thanksgiving was approaching. Six Long Months. My body was exhausted. I hated eating since the depression and the metal taste in my mouth had totally sunk my appetite. I also had extreme teeth sensitivity to temperature. If I ate anything even slightly cold I would get shooting pains in my teeth. My weight started slipping a few pound till at one point I was down about 20 pounds. I wasn't a large person to start with but I wasn't skinny either so I was handling it okay.
The final treatment came just the week before Thanksgiving with a CT scan planned the week after Thanksgiving. As I went to my last treatment I found that my body had developed what I thought was a rash. When I arrive at treatment, cheered in the thought that this was my last one, I showed my rash to the nurse. 'Oh, Honey, your done' she said. What, No this is my last treatment. 'You have shingles'. My poor body had given all it could and had developed shingles. The door had shut. I was done. I can't tell you how frustrated I was at that point. As much as I hated getting treatments - This was my LAST ONE. And I wanted it - I want to finish it all. But I was turned away.
My Oncologist sent a Rx for me to treat the shingles and sent me home. Oddly enough within 24 hours my shingles were already drying out and I was well on my way to recovery. For those of you who haven't had shingles I will let you in on a weird symptom of the condition - it only forms on 1/2 of your body - either the right or left. Mine was on the right. It looks like a really bad rash and is from the same family as chicken pox. Also once you have had them - your done, like chicken pox, never to have them again. Odd blessing.
So the next week was my CT Scan (with the banana crap). Once again I was shoved through the donut and came out to wait for the results. Then came the email and lots of crying in my office. Metastasis in my lungs was absolutely and totally gone - only thing left was the tumor under my left arm. Wooohoo, it worked!
The Oncologist decided to continue my Herceptin treatments hoping that that would kill that last tumor. So every three weeks I went back to the chemo lab for an infusion of Herceptin. After three more months there was no change.
Next time - surgery, radiation and my Michael Jackson Glove :) Next Link :) Part 10
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