Sunday, July 27, 2008

Sunday, July 27, 2008

April will be away from the computer for awhile but will be checking in on occasion. Please check back later....Thanks! =) This will be fleshed out fully once I get the chance, but will remain sketchy for a bit. Thank you for your patience!

The day before my appointment with Doctor Lambert, Jeff and I are invited over to dinner at Michael and Susie Brown's place. Their neighbor came in with a surplus catch of fish and donated quite a bit of his very fresh catch to his buds next door. So, Jeff and I get to benefit from this generosity, as well as M and S! Salle Walle, me best bud, was invited but had to decline 'cause she's got to get ready for an out of town trip. Jeff and I got comfy and headed over to their place around 7ish. What a meal! Gourmet to the nines and Jeff and I were told to bring nothing but our appetites! We are so spoiled by Susie's cooking and the fish is delish. Couldn't have better conversation, either. After about 1 hour of chit-chat, Michael finally turns to me and says, "Okay, so give us the skinny, what's going on...full story!" We give them the full run down and Michael is tearing up until I threaten him with a shrimp cocktail. I've told folks that I'll throw things at them if they treat me any different and the shrimp is the closest thing at hand....with cocktail sauce, to boot. Micheal dries up pretty quickly and the conversation turns to how many people they/we know who've battled some kind of physical garbage of one sort or another. Are we getting old? Nah...just have friends who've camped near Three Mile Island. Seriously, the evening was a smash and Jeff and I went back to Momcat's feeling great, though still a little trepedatious about the meeting with the doc. tomorrow. Dinner went a long way to alleviate some of those nerves, though, and we're very grateful again for such great friends. Tally Ho and on toward the first appointment at MD Anderson. I'm so ready!!!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Jeff and I decided to take a sanity day, so after doing my catch-up blog and a few chores, he printed out winery maps and we hit the road. The Texas Hill Country will take your breath away, it's so beautiful. The drive alone will get your shoulders relaxing and is good for the soul. Nestled far into the Northern peninsula that is formed by the Pedernales and Colorado River conjoins is a picturesque winery called Stone House Winery. It rests almost at the tip of the peninsula and has some great views of Lake Travis, but you have to mosey outside to see it. They even have a dock that you can pull your boat up to but noone has utilized it yet. Jeff and I vow to do this once we get a boat.
The tasting room was smaller than most, but still comfy. They have a nice arbor outside with cafe seating. It overlooks the vines, so you know what to do in the fall. We did the regular wine tasting tour and then split a reserve tasting flight. My taste in wine is going more toward the reds these days. I don't like the sweetness that I used to in my earlier days as much and prefer something with a little more complexity than what you can get out of a box! No, not a wine snob at all, but I'm learning to appreciate the differences from one to another and what makes one special vs. what makes it table wine. It's an interesting and relaxing process....You gotta try it! We get our "wine passport" stamped and drive away with a bottle of Chiraz to add to our collection.
Next, we hit a very well hidden 17 acre winery called Spicewood Winery. You hear banjos playing as you go further and further back onto smaller and smaller roads and, just when you think someone might ask you to squeal like a pig, the scenery opens up to reveal row upon row of grapevines....muy bonita! The tasting room has a baby grand and a very oak barrel feel to the decor. The ceiling is done in knotty pine and it's very comfortable inside. So, we sit down while a grad student from UT pours us 1 oz. samples of several wines. He's amusing and we have a grand ole time talking about life on the farm....grape farm, that is. They are harvesting right now and doing the crush early because of the heat. Some of the grapes started exploding last year because of all of the rain but this year, the heat is making raisins out of 'em. It's so interesting to learn more about the process whilst imbibing the product! We are going to make a habit out of this. We have our "wine passport" stamped here, too, and leave with a bottle of their very resonably priced reserve zinfindel.
A word on wine passports: The Texas Hill Country wineries have formed ranks and have come up with a clever way to promote winery tours in Texas. If you visit any one of 24 wineries, you'll get a 'wine passport' that can be stamped when you visit each one. If you visit 12 of them, you get a free poster of Texas Hill Country wines. If you visit all 24 of them, you'll get a free poster that's signed by all of the owners of the Hill Country wineries. Oooooh, ah! Won't that look great in the pub!?!!! Lol....I think it'll be cute to have a collage done of the winery brochures and of the passport, personally, and could care less about the poster, but what a cute idea, no?
Anyway, back home we went, had a nice healthy salad and then lazed in front of the TV, watching "A League of Their Own" again. What a great day....gotta do a repeat soon and get more stamps on de ole passport! =)

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Thursday and Friday, July 24 & 25

Thursday was a slow news day. I felt as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and became more like myself again....What a free feeling! It's funny how the worry can settle in like a parasite. It snuggles deep in. It's still there, though less obvious, as you're distracting yourself with friends or dice or movies. Then, it rears up in the middle of the night and makes you go to your computer to do more research. For the first time in weeks, I did NOT wake in the middle of the night for a 3 hour or more stint, but slept through 'til 6am, Thursday morning. The worry parasite was almost excised by Alice's octreoscan news and I felt light and whole for most of the day. I did aerobics and got a bunch of small things taken care of on Thursday and felt darned good about it.
Friday came with only a couple of sleep interruptions, about 45 minutes long each, at 2:30 am and 5:00 am. I was able to shut my mind off to sleep, thank goodness! However, knowing that my oncology appointment was at 2:30pm, I decided to do a bit of research into the octreoscan as it pertains to my particular type of cancer. What I was seeing on Google was a bunch of conflicting information, but it started to dawn on me that octreoscans only pick up BATCHES of cancer cells that create tumors of a certain size. Goblet Cell Carcinoid cancer is a different breed, very rare, and does a 'salt and pepper' kind of sprinkling throughout one's tissue linings, making it hard to discern. I began to feel doubt creeping back in but resolved to remain positive.
When Jeff and I went to the oncologist, we found out that the octreoscan that I was counting on so much is, in fact, NOT a good indicator of what stage cancer I have. As I stated previously, I misunderstood the nurse when she called. The fact that the cancer didn't show up in the scan doesn't necessarily mean that the oid is gone. We found out that the octreoscan will only pick up tumors that are larger than 0.5cm in size, so the salt and pepper kind of cancer cells that Goblet Cell Carcinoid cancer is made up of wouldn't show up on this scan. However, it IS good news in that it shows that there are no large tumors. Doesn't show whether anything has or has not metastisized, though, so we'll just have to wait to find out more after I get the right hemicolectomy and removal of my ovaries. They'll check the lymph nodes and those organs and will be able to see if anything has grown.
I try to be positive: I have an appointment at MD Anderson on Monday, what's there to whine about, right??? =) I keep telling myself this....
Here is part of a research project that might explain a bit more about octreoscans:
"In-pentetreotide (Octreoscan ® ) which is positive in 80–90% of the
patients with midgut endocrine tumours [19] . It eventually
unmasks the primary and its regional lymph node
metastases and additional tumour manifestations within
lung, skin, breast, brain and other locations. Limitation
of the technique is related to the size of the lesion ( > 0.5 cm)
and the receptor density."
You can read more at: http://www.carcinoid.org/medpro/docs/ConsensusStatementDxNETGItumors2004.pdf
However, DO be careful not to jump to conclusions based upon one very technically written report and ALWAYS rely on what your doctor tells you vs. what you see on Google or Yahoo search engines. I've noticed a million conflicting reports, many of them written from several different decades in our time. My own blog, here, is only meant to tell you what tests to expect, give you a timeline of my journey, and, therefore possibly your own, give you some helpful hints and maybe educate a little based upon what my docs tell me. ONLY your doctor will have the newest and latest information about your particular cancer so make sure that you have good communication set up with your doc or with an updated cancer treatment center resource that your doc might recommend.
After getting this news, I tried and failed to not be upset about it. I could actually FEEL the tension building in my chest and knew that I was due for a good cry. Haven't had one in awhile. After about 1.5 hours from the time we left doc Bala's office, I told Jeff to get ready and then let it fly. Boooooo-hooooo! I am SO disappointed!! Wahhhh! Jeff gives me hugs and about 3 minutes later, I feel better for having gotten it out. Still disappointed but getting better and I'm less full of tension. I DO have that MD Anderson appointment. So, I try to be grateful for that and let the rest goooooooooo.
Jeff suggested we distract ourselves, but I wasn't in the mood for crowds. I wasn't in the mood to sit around the house and watch more travel channel shows, either. What to do? Jeff came up with a great idea. We packed a cooler and some chairs and headed out to the Lago Vista Park. Dabbling our toes in the water, we watched a stellar sunset, doubly beautiful because of the reflections in the glittering waters of Travis. We had a nice talk and I felt the stress melting with the setting sun. There's nothing like nature to bring you back to your senses. After the sun went down completely, we went to our 2 story condo and sat on the rooftop deck, watching the stars and a gorgeous nighttime view of Lake Travis, Pace Bend Park, across the way, with the myriad house lights flickering on the hobbit hills near Lago Vista's golf course in the distance. It was hard to leave but sleep is important, so we head home and I pop in one of the new sleeping pills that doc. Bala prescribed. I'm happy to report that it worked like a charm! Sleep at last, sleep at last!!! Happy, happy me..... =)

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Well, my day started out as usual, but a little earlier than I’d like. Went to bed last night at about 11:30pm, taking 2, count’ em 2, Simply Sleeps to help me sleep all the way through the night for once. Didn’t happen. I awoke at 1:30am in a complete sweat and then got chilled. Don’t know what’s up with that but it does make it hard to go back to sleep, especially when your mind flips 'on' at the drop of a hat. I tossed for about an hour and then got up to research some more and have some chocolate milk. I think the weight that I’m putting on is directly related to my sleeplessness….Chocolate milk, even skim milk, adds on calories! =) Back to sleep at 5:30am to arise for real at 9. I’m going to ask Jeff to knock me over the head with a rubber mallet tonight!! Aprils get weepy and weird when they don’t gets enough sleeps!
Part of the problem is this: A friend of mine in Houston was attacked by 4 dogs 2 days ago and is in the hospital on heavy sedation. I’m so worried for her and am praying like crazy. I just cannot imagine how she feels and want to go down there to visit TODAY, but 2 of my other friends are going to see her this afternoon and will give her hugs and kisses for me. They’ll keep me updated on her progress. I have to stay in Austin for now but I’ll send her flowers and Love from afar. Her name is Tammy D. and she's at Memorial Hermann on Fannin in Houston if you’re keeping up with this daily and would like to add her to your prayer list.
Yoga time, business, catching up on thank you notes in what’s left of the am. So much to catch up with but I’ll get there!
(An aside: The following is what I posted on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I jumped the gun and misunderstood some of the information given to me by Nurse Alice. I'm only allowing the post from Wednesday to remain because I think it illustrates the danger of jumping to conclusions. Don't get your hopes up until you get news directly from the doctor. I think I heard what I wanted to hear but the news sounded fantastic to me when I heard it and I really wanted to believe that I was cancer free.)
I’m doing the bills when a call comes in from Nurse Alice. She tells me to hold onto my hat ‘cause she has the results of my Octreoscans. Good news. Amazing news. An Octreoscan is 85% accurate. My scans show no sign of cancer anymore. It appears as if, when she went in to clip off that suspicious, rubbery section of colon, Doc Basa might’ve removed the last bit of the Oid. Might’ve. We’ll know more on Friday when I get to speak with Doc Bala and then Monday at MD Anderson w/ Doc Lambert. I have to get off the phone with Alice ‘cause I’m starting to choke up, I’m so relieved….
Oh, my GOSH!! Words cannot describe how I feel about this news!! The choir sings “Hallelujah!” and I’m thanking God and all who prayed and crying like crazy, hopping around my rental house kitchen, yelling, "THANK YOU!!!" over and over!! I feel like doing handsprings! Sleep deprivation makes me cry harder, still. (Didn't I tell you sleep deprivation makes me weird and weepy?) Jeff was off at his physical therapy session and I waited until he got back so I could tell him before I started calling folks. He’s at first a bit shell shocked and then the news settles in and we BOTH feel like doing handsprings. But, we’re cautious not to get TOO optimistic ‘cause we haven’t gotten the news from any doctors yet, just a beautiful lady named Alice who couldn’t wait to tell me the good news. I’m only calling my best friend and family about this because the information MAY be inaccurate but I can’t help but rejoice at the thought of this, for SURE, not being a stage III cancer. And now, I’m supposed to go back and finish doing the bills? =) =) =)

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Tuesday, July 22

Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Another 3 hour break in the middle of my sleep cycle! Man, I need a good sleep aid! I awoke at 2:30 and didn’t get back to sleep until about 5:30. Read, blog, play Spider, drink chocolate milk, read some more and finally pass back out. 4-5 hours of sleep per night ain’t gonna cut it so I will ask about sleep medication when I go to see my oncologist this week. Beware! This blog might get weird ‘cause I’m one sleep deprived mama right now and might be on drugs by next week! =)
Off to finish out the Octreoscan this morning. They told me that it would take 2 hours but it only took one. Also, the tech said that the testing no longer goes to 48 hours. So, be careful of what you read on Google and be sure to question everything yourselves!
They took more pics and, afterward, I asked them to make a copy of the films for MD Anderson and to get those over to Dr. Bala, local oncologist, so that I can pick them up later this week. They’re gonna do that and I’ll hand deliver the films to Dr. Lambert.
HANDY TIP: BUY YOGA PANTS AND/OR SOME LIGHT SWEAT PANTS RIGHT NOW IF YOU ARE GOING TO GET LOTS OF TESTING DONE!!! Today, because I am just so darned brilliant, I just had to remove my brassiere and didn’t have to remove ANY of my dignity! =) What a bargain. Make sure that there are no zippers, metal fasteners, bulky pockets, etc. and you should be okay. Then, just make that your test uniform, along with a tee shirt. *Voila!* No need to worry about inadvertently mooning the techs.
Out to lunch with Jeff to have some great Chinese. We are eating out WAY too much these days for some reason and I’m starting to put on a few pounds. Guess I’m getting lazy as a chef, but I’m about to change that. I’m going to try to change my diet to a more nutritious and organic regimen. Fortunately, I usually keep a stock of fresh raw veggies on hand to dip in Lt. Ranch dressing for snacks. So, it won’t be a stretch to do the same with mealtime. However, it might take some doing to get Jeff to convert. We’ll see….shhhh, don’t tell him.
Now, after filling out some of the MD Anderson forms that came in the mail, I’m catching up on blogging and replying to some email messages. You know, one can only do so much tedious work before one has to ‘break’ for something more stimulating. How many times can you fill out what medicines you’re taking, how many per day, what dose and for how long? Past surgeries? List ‘em in detail along with their date. Did they hurt? __ Yes __ No On a scale of 1 to 10, how much? What's your cat's name? Okay, now I’m kidding but, whew!, it can get old doing that over and over and over and over and over again. And, I’m sure there’s more coming.
HANDY TIP: Make a copy of the first set of forms that you have filled out from your first doctor's appointment and keep that in a handy-dandy Oid folder that you will carry around with you from appointment to appointment. This way, you'll have all that information already at hand and will just need to transcribe it all to the new forms. Much easier and more consistant than trying to remember all that garbage again, right. =) Now, aren't you glad you're reading this?

Monday, July 21, 2008

Monday, July 21, 2008

Monday 21
Awake at 2:30am after going to bed at 12:30~! Crap! Now, it’s 5:30 and still no sleep. Jeff said that he couldn’t get to sleep and, at 3am, finally got up and started looking into what songs he wanted to download online from his leftover Christmas Itunes gift from our son. I got up around 3:30 to see if he was okay and found him in his study. We had some chocolate milk and now he’s in there snoring and the sky is getting lighter. I've researched a little, played a game of Spider and am now back to blogging. Yup, it’s nearly 6am….Time to try to sleep again.
After getting a couple more hours of sleep, I’m up at 9am to call Nurse Alice about the Tomato debacle. I leave her a message and hear back from her about 8 minutes later. Yay! Nurse Alice tells that the amounts I had wouldn’t impact the results. She’d even double checked with the lab folks. She is DEFINITELY getting flowers! I’m so happy that I don’t have to be chained near the house for another day, but now I might be late for my Octreoscan, so I shower, put on a little makeup and Jeff helps me slam the cooler with the wee in it into the car so that I can take it for a little ride to Mid-Town, where they will give me the radioactive injection. That only takes 30 minutes, from getting out of the car to getting back into it! (Make sure you validate your parking!)
Here’s the information about that Octreoscan again: http://www.msit.com/qap_oct.html
Then, I’m off to deliver my special cargo. But first, a visit to Costco to get flowers for Nurse Alice. She gets purple irises with yellow baby’s breath type stuff in it for her desk this week. Muy Bonita! Off to HEB for a vase and I’m all set. I take the heavy bottles and flowers up and hand everything off to the kind folks in the lab. Mr. Weightlifter (lab guy) agrees to take the flowers to Alice and verifies for me, again, that the tomatoes will NOT impede progress. *Sigh*
On the way home, I stop by Yama sushi and I spend WAY too much for lunch. Rock and Roll Roll is delish but not on the lunch menu. That's okay; I'm worth it. =) And, I'm celebrating hurdling the wee-wee test.
Back home to drop off the cooler and some shopping items, then back to Mid-Town ARA for the scan, which essentially establishes a baseline for the testing that will be done tomorrow. I didn’t read about this part of the test on Google, so double check this with your docs.
Score! They let you keep your clothes on for this one! You lay down on a long table and they cinch in your arms and tie a rubber band around your feets. Now, you are a human burrito. Just to make sure that the effect is right, they drape a warm, soft white blanket over you and tuck you in. (Taco Bell would be proud.) Here's the process:
They motor the table into a doughnut shaped machine that has an X-Ray type flat imaging board jutting out of it toward you, flat part facing down. It's open so you probably won't get claustrophobic. However, the flat part ends up right above your face. You don’t mind too much because there's a really nice warm towel on you and you’re getting drowsy, you big burrito, you. Don’t freak out when they start to lower the flat part of the imaging board toward your face. They’ll stop it in time and won’t make a pancake out of your head, though my mind DID wander that way. I ended up just closing my eyes and nearly found myself sleeping during several moments during the procedure.
Next, the table will very, very slowly deliver you back out, away from the doughnut and imaging board while the machine takes multiple images of your body, tip to toe. It's quiet, takes about 30 minutes and is painless. They tell me that tomorrow’s pics will take about 2 hours and that, yes, I can wear my yoga pants. They usually make you ‘gown it’ for this but yoga pants have no metal and nothing to obscure the pics in their makeup. I want to buy them flowers, too, but have to draw the line somewhere.
I need to catch up on writing back to my wonderful friends and family but I’m soooo tired! I will have to leave that for later and know that they’ll all understand. I’m feeling very positive about all of this. Time to go veg out for a little bit in front of the TV. This doesn't last for long.
Jeff and I decide to go out for a little while and hit the local Pub in Cedar Park. It’s the only one IN Cedar Park that has a multitude of different snob beers for Jeff to choose from. Jeff and I ask the owner/waitress for six dice so that we can play “Sh*t Dice.” (It’s almost a version of Farkle, but the method of point counting is different.) She brings them over and we proceed to roll the bones. I have AMAZING luck and slam dunk Jeff in record time for the first two games. Makes me wonder if the prayers are responsible, it really does! In all my life of playing this game, I have NEVER so quickly beat the pants off of anyone by rolling consistently huge and high rolls each time. I win the third game by just a little bit. Jeff gets tired of me kicking his tail in dice and we switch to darts. I beat him at that, too, but only by a little. Har-de-harrrr....lol....
Now, please don’t think that I’m being sacrilegious by suggesting that my luck at dice has something to do with all of these beautiful people praying for me. I’m not taking the prayers lightly by any stretch of the imagination. But, you wouldn’t believe the incredi-luck unless you were there. Just blew both Jeff and I away! =)
We head home and my dear husband, Chef-frey, cooks up some delicious chicken breasts in sesame ginger sauce to go into a Oriental Chicken Salad. Delish!!! He’s pretty darn good at cooking and I'm a happy camper.
Interesting aside: Our huge sissy boy kitty, Rum Tum Tugger (Tugger, for short), has taken to being my belly warmer during the last several days. He wasn’t doing it before, but now he’ll jump up onto my belly when I’m reclining to watch TV and will make himself at home on my tummy. Purrrrrrrrr! I’ve heard that cats are good at reading when someone has health issues and have also read that a kitty’s purring on your bod can be very good for your bones/health. Something like that. Anyway, I have a little gray domesticated tiger who’s keeping an eye on me and it feels nice. =)

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Sunday 20
I finally get to sleep in, catching up after a 1.5 hour middle of the night sleep break!!!! Happy day!!! =)
It’s PEE DAY!! This is a fun one. For your 24-hour long urine collection day, you’ll need the following:
1. You.
2. A pee container, plastic and watertight, given to you by your oncologist’s lab peeps. It’s pretty big but not big enough if you drink tons of water, coffee and juices like I do. I won’t share those details, though. You’re welcome.
3. A “Hat.” A hat is a little white plastic wee collector that could make some kid really, really happy. If they so chose, they could put it on their heads upside down at Halloween and go trick or treating as a Cosmic Nun or a Gay Storm Trooper. You won’t find a more creative kid in the neighborhood. This item fits into your toidy, under the seat and nestled onto the rim that you just scrubbed the heck out of. You collect your wee in it and pour THAT into item #2.
4. An ice chest. Unless you want to put item #2 into your fridge. You really don’t want to do that, do you? Didn’t think so. Freeze some water filled soda bottles or milk jugs in your freezer a couple of days beforehand and you won’t even have to buy ice. Just put the container on a rag inside the ice chest and surround it with the filled, frozen bottles of water. Ta-da! Refrigerated wee, just what the doctor ordered!
Why might you be taking this test? http://www.labcorp.com/datasets/labcorp/html/chapter/mono/sc011800.htm
What you might expect when taking this test:http://www.carcinoid.org/pcf/docs/5HIAA.htm
No tomatoes, avocados, pineapples, aspirin, etc.
(These sites might be helpful but your doctor will have full details and instructions for you.)
Last night, as I was preparing to do the testing for today, I re-read the test instructions again, just in case I’m missed something. I had. Tomatoes. Oh, no, I did not see the part about the tomatoes. I had fajita nachos with Janet at lunch on Friday, Pizza w/ tomatoes with friends Friday night and Tex-Mex with my sis and hubby Saturday night! Will the few bits of tomato on my taco and the couple of scoops of hot sauce wreck the test results? I don’t want to wait longer to take the test ‘cause my appointment with my Cedar Park oncologist AND with MD Anderson are coming up and I want to have the results in time for those. HOW-EV-ER. Those results MUST be accurate. I decide to do the wee-thang and call first thing Monday to see if my tomato sins will nullify the test results. I am such a dork at times. What a bad patient.Can’t go far away from home and my hat, so today is filled with mundane chore type stuff like shopping and trying to find more good local (VERY local for today) sushi.
(Will fill in the blanks below some other time….No time right now!)Grocery Shopping and Bad SushiTarget and Home DepotPorkchops for dinnerCan’t find the movie Crazy Sexy Cancer, recommended by Patti Sullivan, a music friend of mine from Houston. Will check with the library tomorrow. More to come.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Saturday 19
In the wee hours, I do more research and catch up on blogging. I end up writing to my friends and family members who don’t know yet about the cancer to ask them for prayers, good vibes and positive mojo. Immediately, I begin to get some extremely encouraging emails in return and just know that this much love is going to go a long way. I’m so blessed with great friends in my life, I just can’t tell you. They are so amazing and I’m feeling so rich.
Jeff went out to lunch with a friend and I called to break the news to my older sister. I called a client of mine to see if he was okay with my co-worker, Bryan C., taking over some of the listing responsiblities if I became incapacitated and couldn't get it done. He offered up his house for Jeff and I to stay in. Wow. I'm just floored. Then, Bryan C. says that he'll take care of my client and he doesn't want any compensation for it. Wow, again, but Bryan is just this way. I feel so lucky to be friends with Bryan and his wife, Marilyn. I just feel surrounded by beautiful people. (Sorry 'bout the gushing, but sometimes, you gotta gush or cry. I prefer gushing.)
After being seriously gushy, I got on the computer and researched some more, did some yoga and then took a nap in preparation for some evening activities. We went out to dinner with my little sister, Stephanie, (Oh, me loves my Tex-Mex~!) and then we all went to the Black Star Co-op beer social, where you can get 3 beer tickets, listen to live music and people watch all you want. We had a great time and are now charter members of the world’s first beer brew-pub cooperative. Jeff and I are part owners….No, really! =) Jeff is such a beer nerd that we couldn’t resist. Plus, I may be able to get more involved in the brew-pub after I get better. I’d like that.
We come home and watch Space Cowboys. Now, on Sunday, I can’t get the song, “Fly me to the Moon” off my mind! It’s the last song in the movie and I get easily addicted to songs. Yes, I AM Frank Sinatra today….

Friday, July 18, 2008

Friday 18
I put a call in to Alice at Dr. Bala’s, asking about the patient advocacy information at MD A that she’d mentioned, test results on the blood work, the MRI and what the markers say, etc., and leave her a voicemail. I call Mandy and ask her if she has any word back on the tests and when we can schedule them. She acts baffled and says, “Well, you have to go to your APPOINTMENT before you get any tests done. They won’t be able to do ANY testing before they see you.” It’s like we never spoke the day before. Fine. I resolve to call the patient advocate at MD A but am afraid that they might not want to take my case as a cancer patient if they think I might raise hell. What to do. I’m more concerned about what Mandy might do with future shyer patients who are not as pro-active and insistent about their care.I hear back from Alice. I have arthritis in L1 and L2, in my lower back lumbar region, pretty severe. (I’ve always had pain in my back due to pinched nerves in my neck. This news sucks. Didn’t know about arthritis at all, but I have bigger fish to fry right now.) Yep, the blood work points to carcinoid tumor alright, she gives me the advocacy information (bless her!) and tells me that someone will be calling me so that we can set up an Octreoscan for early next week. It’s a long scan, but painless. OctreoScan – More information to come. Went to lunch with new friend, Janet. Chili’s for nachos and chit-chat. I’m grateful for the distraction and happy to get to know her better. Nice lady! She tells me about the ‘energy program’ that MD Anderson has in their complex and I’m going to look into that further. I think the power of the mind can do wonders for the body. Austin Radiology calls to set up the Octreoscan right as we meet up, though. Be there on Monday morning for an injection. I will be radioactive! I then will have to take my radioactive bootie out shopping or something and then come back to Austin Radiology 4 hours later for a 30 minute long photography session. Then, the next day, I’m to come back in the morning for more scans that’ll last about 2 hours to see how my body has metabolized the injection substance. After some research I find that the injected substance seeks out tumors and the scans take pics of them, if they’re there. Pretty incredible that we have this kind of technology now. I’m there. More information?: http://www.msit.com/qap_oct.html Jeff gets first day of physical therapy and is a little grouchy and alot in pain. Long recovery for him and it’s frustrating. We go out to eat with some friends at NXNW (Pizza!) and watch Phil Wiseman play some great tunes on their back deck. Then, it’s home to rent and watch a movie. We are wild and crazy these days, Mr. Arm in a Sling and Ms. Sleep Deprived.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Thursday 17
I wait until 3pm to call Mandy. When I get her, I tell her, “Leigh called from MD Anderson yesterday morning and she set my appointment for July __, 2008 at _:__pm with Dr. Laura Lambert. She told me that you would be calling me with more details about what to do from here. So, what do I need to know?” Mandy says, “Well, you don’t have an appointment yet, but don’t worry ‘cause we have you on the waiting list, um-kaaaay?” What? I get immediate cold sweats. “Mandy, listen, I’m telling you that I already HAVE an appointment and….( I repeat the appointment information again.) Now I need to know what to do.” “No, you don’t have an appointment.” “Yes, I do and I’m supposed to be there 2 hours beforehand to fill out the paperwork!” “You do? Okay, let me check…..Well, yes, there you are!” Silence. “Yes, and now I need to know what to do next….do I talk with Dr. Lambert’s office, fill out paperwork, what do I need to do now?” She tells me that I will need to have some tests run and will probably need to come in before my appointment with Dr. Lambert and that she will get back with me very soon to let me know when and what I need to do in order to get these tests. I’m frustrated with her ineptitude, but hey, I have an appointment and nothing is going to ruin that mood. I tell her that’s fine, I’ll wait to hear back from her.
(Vewwy interesting: Here's what I wrote ON Thurs. the 17th, before I took it upon myself to play catch-up to this time from the time I got appendicitis. When I wrote this, I had insomnia and was free-thinking and researching:)
7/17/08
Well, I woke up at 4am and the brain started spinning. *sigh* Who is Dr. Laura Lambert, can I talk to her prior to our appointment, what are my odds, is waiting until late July going to result in the spread of this cancer, what might be some of the complications, and OH, my gosh, am I unprepared for this OR WHAT?? I figured that I’d be better off checking out the net some more after feeling that some of the questions spinning might be alleviated, so up outta bed, tiptoeing so as not to wake the hubby or the cat. The sky is beginning to lighten now, at 6:08, and a walk seems like a good idea. Seems like I might not be able to go for walks for awhile if I end up with PMP, the result of which would be the MOAS, Mother of All Surgeries, otherwise known as "Debulking." Good gosh, but this surgery scares the bugeebers out of me! Like being flayed alive, shake & bake, and then trussed up like a roast. Essentially, when they go in to remove the right portion of your colon and, in my case, the ovaries, they will also strip the linings off of many organs and then run hot chemotherapy into the abdomen, with a doc in there stirring the solution around like a Halloween witch with her kettle. (Okay, doc, no offense! That was meant metaphorically!) Want to learn more about this procedure? Try this link: http://appendix-cancer.com/Cytoreduction%20Surgery.htm. It’s freakin’ SCARY and rocks my confidence.I’m very much praying that I won’t have to have this procedure. However, having a known Stage 2 Goblet Cell Carcenoid Tumor increases the possibility. I’ll know more within 2 weeks, but the waiting is going to kill me in the meantime. My best bet here is to trust that I will be taken care of by the Love around me and to arm myself with knowledge. To live without knowledge is to live with fear, which I believe is the opposite of Love. That’s not going to happen if I can help it. =)I’m still struggling with the decision on whether or not to tell my beautiful music, Realtor and neighborhood friends about my condition. While to do so would alleviate some of my anxiety ‘cause I KNOW that these lovely people would be sending prayers, good vibes and positive mojo my way, I also do not wish to burden anyone, make them uncomfortable or worry them. I know that many people tend to treat the patient differently after finding out, too. I’ve been a weenie in this regard with a neighbor and wanted to call her but was afraid I’d say something inappropriate or stupid to offend her. So, I only went by once with flowers and sent her a “Get Well!” email once or twice. I thought about her a LOT, though, and wish now that I’d just sent a little email note here and there to let her know that I was thinking about her more often than I had. (Luckily, she's a doll and probably never noticed my weirdness.) I lost a high school friend to breast cancer several years ago and went to visit her on her death bed, though. While it was hard, I’m so glad that I went to visit one last time. This was her second battle with breast cancer and this time, it was just too much for her poor little body. When I visited, she was weak, but resigned and ready to go. What a beautiful soul. We just sat and talked and she told me that she wasn’t scared anymore. Then, less than a week later, she was gone. Why Lori, such a beautiful and vibrant spirit? Why so young? I just don't know but she is very much missed.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Wednesday 16Morning MD Anderson call – I’m in before August! Grateful call to Alice to let her know. I’m told by a lady named Leigh over at MD Anderson that Mandy will call me later on today to give me more information on what to do from here. Mandy never calls.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Tuesday 15
I call Dr. Bala’s office and ask Nurse Alice what to do about the incredibly inept Mandy situation. She says that she’ll talk to Doc Bala about HER contacting MD Anderson to help facilitate things. I thank her profusely and then settle in to wait again. I’m going to buy her flowers.
MRI morning fun – Claustrophobic fun. (More to come on this later. I'll fill you in on the procedure.)
Can’t do the 24 Hour Urine Collection (5-HIAA) because of the contrast material injection that they give you in order to do a proper MRI, so we’ll put that off ‘til later.
By the way, I'm playing catch up on all the days that I missed between choosing to fully do the blog and having the time to write in-depth about things. Please know that I'll flesh out these days a bit more later on when I have more time....

Monday, July 14th, 2008

Monday 14
Called Mandy to ask about appointment. I finally get her instead of voicemail. She said “We’re still waiting for your records to come in but we’ll call you when they’re here, k?” You have them, I say. No, we don’t. Yes, you do, go check. She checks, comes back, “We have them. Let me get together with the reviewer and we’ll see when we can get you in.” Can you call me back before 5pm today? She says, “Sure thing.” Bull.
I putter around at mom’s during the am ‘til Jeff comes back from his GP appointment. Lunch with Salle at PF Chang’s, doing paperwork and catching upPick up Jeff to go to his shoulder appointment, HUGE line in waiting room. I'm off to pick up Rx, get Gas, do biz stuff at Century 21. I told Denise, the receptionist at work, about the situation because she just told me about a friend of hers who's Dad has cancer. I spend a little time hugging a few fellow Realtors, catching up with news and joking around while I send off a fax and make copies of a contract and then go back to get Jeff.
At 3pm, there still no word from Mandy, so I call her. Get her again! However, now she tells me that she has just checked and my records are all in, telling me not to expect to get in for an appointment for at least 2 weeks, though, because now they needed to be reviewed. But, no worries ‘cause my kind of cancer was slow growing anyway. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I had told her on day 2 that it was a rare form of cancer reported to be more aggressive than your average appendiceal cancer. I tell her this again. She says, “Oh,really? Let me see if I can find anything sooner.” She signs off and comes back to tell me that they can’t get me in until sometime in August. But, she’ll put me on the waiting list in case someone cancels their appointment. (Or, dies waiting for Mandy to make their appointment.)
I’m just heartbroken and feel like she’s inadvertently postponed my appointment because she didn’t do her job to see if my records were in. I hit rock bottom and cry my eyes out when Jeff gets in the car from his appointment. We go out with Salle for a few beers and talk about other things, thank goodness for the distraction. Then, Jeff and I pack up our stuff and the dog and drive back to Austin.
One ray of sunshine is the verdict on the kitten. On the way back into Austin, we stop by Buck-ees and the cleanest bathrooms in 6 counties again. I ask the cashiers if they have any news on the kitten. The coke machine cleaning lady from before tells me that the kitten is fine, walking around and being fed with an eye dropper by the lady whose hubby works for animal control. Yay and YIPPEE!!!! Coke machine lady tells me that the animal control family is probably going to keep him. DOUBLE yippee!! A ray of sunshine parts the clouds and breaks through my blues for a little while, but doesn't last as long as I'd like it to. I'm still really anxious about the Mandy situation and feel like my best chances are with MD A. Sinking again.....
Deep hole, the biggest that I’ve encountered so far. I consider my options going local and don’t like the idea, but don’t want to wait too long while the Oid gets a better foothold. I start thinking, “I might just die after all.” Not good. This is the attitude that can kill you and it’s the first time I’ve gone negative about the whole thing. After crying for half the night, I vow to do something about it instead of feeling so hopeless.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Background Information, From the Beginning

First and foremost, let me direct you to a couple of websites that may prove to be very helpful to you if you are here to research appendiceal cancers and to research cancer, in general. Then, if you’d like, you can come back to hear about my story…
http://www.caring4cancer.com/ – Scroll down to the bottom and click on “Basics.” Great general information about cancer treatment, diagnosis, what to expect, etc.
http://www.appendix-cancer.com/index.html - More specific information about the various types of appendiceal cancers written and organized by a nurse who had the worst kind possible. What an amazing person to have created this website for others.
http://www.mdanderson.org/ - One of the premier research hospitals and cancer centers in the USA.
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It’s really odd how life can make up your mind for you. My two kiddos are now both out of High School and in college. I’d been thinking for years that, once the kids were out and about, I would take on some solid volunteer work of some sort in order to find more ways to give back to the community and the world. I’ve done some fundraisers and have co-founded and helped to organize a volunteer organization for musicians, but wanted to do something really special for individual folks in need. I’ve found a way to give back, for sure, in writing this blog about appendiceal cancer, specifically about Goblet Cell Carcinoid Tumors. I hope that you will find it informative and perspective giving. I’m not a doctor nor a nurse. I have no experience with this sort of thing. However, by sharing my journey with you, maybe I can help you to know that you’re not alone in your struggle and, quite possibly, can assist you through parts of your journey by sharing my own experiences with you. (For instance, the necessity of being your own advocate.) But, I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll go back a bit so that you have some background about myself, my husband and the whole situation.
Jeff, my husband, works for HP out of the Houston campus. I’m a 45 year old Realtor and professional musician with a BFA degree in Ceramic sculpture. We found out last year that Jeff could telecommute just as well as he could work from the office….better, even. This set the stage for our move to Austin. We bought a lot and waited for our chance. Once we’d had the youngest of our two kids in college for two semesters, my husband and I decided it was time to sell the family home in NW Houston and fulfill our goal of building our dream home on the shores of Lake Travis near Austin. We closed on the home May 24th, moved into a rental home in the NW part of town and started to get settled in with both of us working from home. About two weeks after the move, we drove back to Houston so that Jeff could get shoulder surgery to re-attach some tendons that he’d snapped in his left shoulder due to Aikido and Bamboo Flooring. (He’s doing better now!) Before his surgery, we bought a two man kayak and took it to Inks Lake to break it in with the kids and had a great time. Everything was on schedule and I began to research into which owner/builder organization is best qualified to help us build our new home.
On Friday, June 27th, I started having a few tummy pangs at about 11:00am. I took some Mylanta and waited for it to kick in so that I could do my aerobics. By 11:30, I was asking Jeff if he was feeling okay ‘cause the nausea was turning into pain. Nope, he’s good. In go some Tums. I figured I was coming down with a bug or had food poisoning (again) and went to lie down. From Noon to 2pm, I rolled in agony on our bed, trying in vain to find a position that would allow some alleviation from the extreme pain and nausea I was feeling. I finally went into his office at 2pm and told Jeff it was time to hit the ER at that new hospital that we’d passed on the way to Inks Lake a week or so before.
Funny/weird side story, here. When we’d first passed this hospital on our way to Inks Lake, I thought that it would be a perfect location in which to implement a nice charitable plan that I had to brighten a few patient’s days while they convalesced. I intended to bring a single rose bud to each room to be left with each patient in a tiny vase but was wondering how to go about gaining permission to do this. (A lady had brought a rose bud into my hospital room in Nov. of 2007 when I was suffering from a 6 day hospital stay mystery ailment and it REALLY made my day. She put it in a medicine cup and we placed it on my tray. Unbelievably sweet of her and it made me feel so good to think about people like that populating our planet. Yep, I vowed to be a copycat and do the same.) How to go about finding out more about the hospital, though? Enter acute appendicitis!!! What a helluva way to make your introductions but now I can hunt down nurse Kathleen if I need to know more.
Okay, back to the story. Long story short, they did the CT scan by 6pm and had called in the surgical team to operate on me by 8pm. Acute appendicitis, sayeth the radiologist. And, no, you can’t go home to shower and shave your legs before the surgery. I had to apologize for ruining the surgical team’s Friday evening, collectively, but they were all the most wonderful people, funny and joking around right back and very forgiving. (Most of the team made me wonder when doctors had gotten so YOUNG!! Felt a bit like the first time someone called me “Ma’am.” I couldn’t be getting THAT old, could I?) My surgeon, Dr. Nicole Basa, even gave me her own hair tie so that I’d be comfortable. An aside: This lady is so popular at Cedar Park Regional that I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a “Dr. Basa Fan Club!” there. Imagine an honest, kind-hearted and very intelligent Phoebe Cates with a scalpel and you have Dr. Basa. Right before going into surgery, I smacked my hands together and said, “That’s IT! Phoebe Cates! You look like Phoebe Cates!” Doc Basa got really red and said, “Oh, you’re embarrassing me!” You know, the last thing you want to do is to embarrass your scalpel wielding surgeon right before she cuts into you, so I was quick to jokingly apologize for the embarrassment, letting her know that it was meant as a compliment. The rest of the team, most of them male, agreed with me wholeheartedly, saying, “Oh, yeah!” and making quiet, yet silly woo-hoo noises. (Dr. Basa turns beet red again, poor thing. She’s got her mask on now but she’s not fooling anyone.) Lol….it’s fun to gig your surgeon right before she gigs you… =)
Anyway, all went well and, after a sleepless night, I was able to go home at about 2pm the next day. Laparoscopic procedures rock, they really do. Healing time is fantastic and they let you go home as soon as you’re able to walk up the hallway. I was doing laps around the hospital and helping the nurses repair the coffee machine, I was so ready to go home! It was quite surreal to sit down at my computer at home on Saturday afternoon, though. The only thing that made me sure that the whole thing had actually taken place was my sore belly, pain med dopiness and a little old lady shuffling funny walk. I sent out a warning email to a bunch of my friends about how appendicitis can manifest in different ways and that mine had been a general, all over pain instead of being pinpointed only where the appendix is. I didn’t run a fever, either, which is atypical. Told them to get ye to a hospital if they had ANY of the symptoms that lasted for over 2 hours. (Find these at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/appendicitis/DS00274/DSECTION=symptoms ) So, in the end, it was a 24-hour emergency appendectomy, whatta concept! Surreal experience #1. We set up an appointment for a follow up visit and I set about getting back to being able to exercise again or at least roll out of bed without hurting myself.
A few days later, Dr. Basa’s office called and asked if they could move my July 10th appointment to July 7th saying that Dr. Basa had to go out of town. No problem, I’m only working part time and have loads of flexibility. (I still don’t know if this was a ploy to get me in earlier without telling me about the beast over the phone, but it would make sense. The pathologist found the problem on the 30th of June and I’m sure got it over to Dr. Basa quickly.)
Monday, 7/7/08
Jeff went with me as it was a 4pm appointment on a Monday and he’d finished work early. I’m so glad he did. I felt great and praised Dr. Basa for a job well done. Felt nearly normal and told her about my fan club idea. Dr. Basa joined us in joking around and being goofy about the trippy acute appendicitis experience. I gave her a new package of hair ties in repayment for her loan. Smiles & laughter all around and then she got really serious. I SO wasn’t prepared. Any of you who’ve heard the news will know what I’m talking about when I say that, at first, the words don’t truly impact you. You hear them, but they don’t seem to make sense. You say, “Okay, she/he just told me that I had/have a malignant cancerous tumor in my body.” But, it doesn’t really sink in completely yet, does it? Few emotions hit me right away, just a slight sense of surprise, resignation and vague questions about a plan of attack. It felt like my brain was swimming in someone else’s conflicting emotions and questions, with someone in there asking, “Is this REAL?” Surreal experience #2. Here’s the scoop:
The pathologist report states that I have a very rare cancer, a T3 sized Goblet Cell Carcinoid Tumor that had taken over the appendix and thickened it until it got clogged at the base and threw a tantrum, mimicking acute appendicitis. (I’m glad that it did ‘cause I felt good enough to go home by 6pm and would’ve never known about the cancer but for the operation.) Dr. Basa had cut and stapled at the base but didn’t like the thickened, rubbery texture of the stapled area, so she took more of the right colon portion out and stapled that. Both tissue samples, the appendix and bit o’ colon, had tested positive and Dr. Basa recommended a Right Hemicolectomy which, essentially, removes about 1/3 of your colon so as to capture and remove any other possible cancerous cells. (No colostomy bag, thank goodness!) However, we cannot do this until the appendectomy staple site is healed, about 4 weeks from the 27th. The cancer had spread, also, to the fatty tissue on the exterior of the appendix, making the cancer a Stage II, at least. Further surgical removal of the right colon, ovaries and lymph nodes, plus blood test/urine markers, will reveal whether it goes to a higher stage or not. (For you who are just starting to research, here is an article that explains stages:http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/basics/what-is-a-cancer-stage.htm)
We discussed the necessity of removing the ovaries. This rare cancer, when it does metastasize, usually goes into a woman’s ovaries and/or peritoneum, which is the lining of the abdominal cavity. I asked a question that I pose to all Docs when a major decision needs to be made. I asked her what she would do in my position. (If it’s a male doctor, ask what they would do for their wife, mother or sister. You get a good, honest answer this way.) She said take ‘em out since I’m not going to have any more kiddos. However, she warned me that I will go slammin’ into menopause. Eeek, but if it’s necessary, let’s get ‘em out and put me on heavy drugs and a pacifier. Or, put Jeff on heavy drugs and a pacifier. Some combination of both would work well, I think.
I guess I detached a little for the next 10 hours while absorbing the reality of the situation. Jeff and I were pretty quiet that evening and spent a lot of time researching the beast online. I let my Mom and best friend, Salle, know about it, but really didn’t want to talk about it in depth just yet. Jeff and I were still pretty raw, emotionally. However, I rallied pretty quickly. I put on my imaginary boxing gloves, dipped them in cement and set about educating myself about the disease. The next day was all about business for me. I’m usually pretty optimistic about things and have faith that things will pan out the way that they are supposed to. Let’s go….I want this damned thing out!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
On Monday, Jeff and I had run across the MD Anderson Cancer website and I had done the “Admit Yourself” worksheet on their site. (Don’t do this.) The site said that I could expect to hear from them within 24 hours. (DON’T BELIEVE THIS, they are UBER busy!) I waited until about 11am and couldn’t stand it anymore. So, I looked up and called MD Anderson’s main appointment line, where I was told that it usually takes about 3 business days for someone to get to the online admissions! Save time and call directly or, better yet, HAVE YOUR REFERRING DOCTOR call them for you. (By the way, Dr. Basa did not refer me to MD Anderson but I wanted to get their opinions as this is an extremely rare cancer. Now that I’ve researched more into it, I’m positive that I will want MD Anderson (Dr. Laura Lambert) to take my case and handle my care, in conjunction with my local oncologist, until we get to the chemo stage. Then, we can take it local. More on that later….)
Here’s the scoop at MD Anderson:
In order to even get an appointment over there, they must first have all your records and then, once that’s done, your records go into the “in” box for review. After your records have been reviewed, they can make an appointment, but this takes over a week, at least. I’d been told that I’d have to wait about 10 days for that appointment but felt okay about it because I needed the appendix site to heal before we could go back in for any reason. I was directed to the GI section of the cancer center, assigned to a woman whom I’ll call Mandy. Essentially, I’m at Mandy’s mercy when it comes to getting this appointment, so I listen very carefully and write down all the things that she tells me they need over there. I’m told to get them my records from Dr. Basa’s office, faxed to Mandy, and told to overnight my CT scans and pathology slides to two different addresses. The CT scans are to go directly to Mandy. Okay, I’m fully armed with information and I’m off to Dr. Basa’s and the hospital. Takes me all afternoon to have the records sent and to overnight the CT scans and slides myself via FedEx, (Over $50.00) but I’m pleased that I got it all done by 5pm. While waiting for my records at the hospital, I'm able to speak with a pathologist who worked at MD Anderson for 3 years. She said that it was like a machine and to just do what they said to do to get through the process of Dr. appts. and testing. However, and this is important, she stressed that everything was MY choice, EVERYTHING. Be your own advocate, this is your body and your life. She spent a ton of time with me talking about this particular beast and for that, I'm forever grateful. Lovely lady...angels come in many forms. Doofus that I am, I cannot remember her name but I think I'll always remember her words and smile. If you can swing it, go by the hospital and try to talk with your pathologist. The worst they can do is kick you out. =)
Mandy had said to call her early next week after my records are in so that we can proceed to the next step. Great, will do! Says she'll let me know when she has all the records. Good deal....
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
I don’t want to wait to talk to an oncologist….It’s just driving me nuts to not know what I’m doing. I call Dr. Basa’s office to talk with her and she calls me back herself with referrals to various docs. (Told you she was great!) At this point, I was still thinking that Dr. Basa could do the surgery laparoscopically. I make an appointment with Dr. Bala (No kidding, Basa/Bala…don’t confuse them! The “s” in Basa is for “Surgeon.”), Oncology Specialist, for Friday the 11th at 1:15pm. I’m so thrilled that they fit me in so quickly and I start to relax. I’m feeling blessed. I checked with FedEx and the records arrived this morning at 9am. Everythings’s ready - Mandy has all the records now. I’m waiting for her call.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Still no word from Mandy so I call to leave her a voicemail that she should have all my records by now and could she please call me to let me know what to expect from here. Then, I’m off to spend a whole day with my little sister, Stephanie, exploring the ‘real’ Austin with her. (My mom had called her and told her the deal. Steph’s boss is a sweetie and he told her to take Thursday off to spend with me.) Anyway, we had a great time and she showed me around like a trooper. Nothing from Mandy all day.
Friday, July 11, 2008
I call Mandy and leave another voicemail, letting her know that she now has all the records as of Wednesday at 9am and asking that she give me a buzz to let me know what’s next. I decide not to eat breakfast ‘cause I want Sushi for lunch so I bite the bullet, going hungry, and Jeff and I leave to go see Dr. Bala, Oncologist of Round Rock, Texas. Nice lady and her nurse, Alice, is top notch. If you want great attention skills, these two ladies are tops. However, you will need to know that you may encounter a chemotherapy ward like we did. It was a little weird and a bit heartbreaking because the beds were all lined up, kind of like how you see military hospital setups in movies, but with less space in between the beds. Folks are reclined in the beds with IVs, books and magazines, in this long row, having poison dripped into their bloodstreams, but most of them looking none the worse for wear. I felt like I was intruding as we passed by on our way to the exam room, just skimming a peek here and there. Then, I locked eyes with another younger cancer patient lady who was about the same age as myself. I could read her mind because I was saying the same thing in my own head. “This person has cancer? She’s so young and looks so healthy.” We held each other’s eyes for as long as we could. Once in the room, Alice the nurse answered questions and soothed nerves. Then, Dr. Bala came in and started talking about Stage II cancer, Stage III cancer, what to expect, debulking with a hot chemo wash (OH. MY. GOD.), also known as MOAS (Mother of All Surgeries) and the chance that I’ll have to go through that over at MD Anderson. I may not, though. However, she says, expect to lose the right colon and ovaries, as Dr. Basa had said. Okay, got it, consider it gone. Dr. Bala explains that most scans will need to wait to be done at MD Anderson, though, because they’re picky about their tests and won’t accept scans from outside of their system. Okay, got that, too. Let’s get this show on the road.They take a urine sample and want to do blood work so as to assess where my markers are and she sets up an MRI for me for Tuesday. I’m REALLY happy that my stomach was empty and growling because the blood work must be done fasting in order to be valid. They tell me to come back on Monday to do the blood work. Ha-HA! I AM fasting, sez I! They’re all so shocked that I haven’t eaten yet ‘cause it’s about 3:30 by this time, but it’s true and I’m starving. They do the blood work and I won’t have to postpone the results, hooray for my weird dieting! As my blood is about to be taken, another younger lady is getting hers taken right across from me. Ordinarily, I don’t stare, but this lady and I do the ’lock eyes‘ thing, too, both of us staring at one another like we’re trying to see something inside each other. It’s really quite mentally baffling when you feel so healthy and they look so healthy. Done with blood work, I’m then sent home with a big urine container so that I can collect a whole 24 hours worth for their collection. The lab tech asks me if I want a hat and I tell him, “Is that all I get? What, no parade?” What’s he talking about, a hat? He chuckles and whips out a wide plastic doohickey that you collect da wee-wee in. Oh, right, I remember those from my last hospital visit. It’s far harder to pee in the little 2.5 inch opening of the big jug that they gave me, I’m sure, so I gladly accept the gift of the plastic hat. It’s very fashionable in some part of the world, I’m sure.
Please forgive the visuals. I’m not candy coating any of this. I want to give you the most realistic version of what you might expect when you go through the process yourself. Plastic hats and pee-pee are part of this process! I’m sure that it will get even more gross. Hope we can handle that, right?
The good news is that Jeff and I have finally found the best Sushi in NW Austin, a place called Yama. Oh-my-gosh good and not just because I was famished, either! Get the crunchy roll or the Rock and Roll….Yuuuuummmm!
No word from Mandy at MD Anderson. *sigh* That’s okay, she DID say to give her a call early next week, so I resign myself to be patient.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Jeff and I go to Georgetown to talk with an owner/builder guy about their company and we end up having lunch at Romeo’s and visiting the Georgetown/Williamson County museum. It’s sooo quaint and the town square so cute that I almost forget about the cancer for awhile. Pooped out, we have an evening beer at a local pub and then head home.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Surreal experience #3, coming up. Jeff and I are going in to Houston so that we can: 1. Break the news to our two kids, Andi and Alex, and 2. Take Jeff to his GP for a checkup and to his shoulder guy for an update on Monday. Our idiot dog, KC, is with us for the trip. Midway between Austin and Houston lies Giddings, Texas, a sleepy little town with false saloon fronts to the stores and old, quaint buildings with a town square just off the main highway. (They also play host to a place called Buck-ees, which is a convenience store with the cleanest bathrooms in 6 counties.) Hwy. 290 runs through the center, with two lanes going to Houston and two going toward Austin, a turn lane in between. We’re cruising along when I see a splotch of orange in the middle of the two lanes that lead to Houston, right on the white line. It’s a kitten! I yell, “Holy Crap, that’s a KITTEN in the road! Turn AROUND, Jeff!!!” He does a quick u-bee and, yep, it’s a terrified kitten, all hunkered down, about 8 weeks old. I jump out and stop traffic, grabbing a towel, and scoop up the baby. We took him to a parking lot off the beaten track so that I could examine him for injuries. He had no visible injuries, but wouldn’t stand for me, so I couldn’t tell if his hind legs were hurt or not. He just seemed terrified until I’d wrap him back in the towel. Then, he’d be fine, looking far less freaked out. Well, we used the Garmin GPS system to try to locate an emergency animal clinic but they were all closed on Sunday morning. So, we figured that we’d have to take the baby to the emergency animal clinic in Houston. Gotta stop by Buck-ees, though, ‘cause a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do and, well, their bathrooms ARE very nice.
Now, get this: I’m fixing some coffee at their coffee bar and notice one of the workers cleaning the Coke machines. Who knows, right? So, I ask her about animal clinics and explain the current kitten situation to her. She pointed at her co-worker and said, “You need to talk to HER!” Turns out that the other lady’s husband is the head of the department for animal control in Giddings, TX, and, No, they do NOT euthanize their animals in their shelters. Yes, they will take our baby and fix him up. Yes, I can bring him in and she’ll call her husband. One orange kitten in an orange towel, coming up! We leave the workers cooing over the little fluffball and I’m ecstatic.
In 15 minutes, we saved a kitten from becoming a road Frisbee and found it proper care and loving hearts. We got back on the road and just kinda looked at one another. Did THAT just happen? Seems like we’re having a LOT of those moments these days. I take the kitten adventure as a sign. Read what you want into it, but I think it’s just too coincidental to be accidental. I got a HUGE amount of joy out of saving him and I thank God for putting him in our path. I think we both really needed that. I know I did.
Sunday 13
To be completed later:
Kitten Adventure.
Telling the Kids.
Cleaning up Mom’s Place.
Mexican Food & Movies.
"The Oid" is the Beastie's New Wimpie Nickname