One backward step….BUT good news as well

I had my CT scan on Thursday. This is nothing new for me as I’ve been having quarterly scans for as long as I can remember. The procedure involves drinking a lot of a barium-based beverage. It’s something to help them see my insides more clearly and they may have actually found something other than barium to use for this, I don’t know and I don’t ask. Anyway, there’s a new procedure at Mt. Auburn which allows me to take the powder home, mix it myself and drink it before I arrive for my scan. This means I don’t have to spend 3 hours drinking the stuff in the hospital lobby. So, I took my powder home with me on Tuesday after my treatment, and mixed the first batch on Wednesday night. Drank that before I went to bed. It acts sort of like a laxative in me, so let’s just assume I did not sleep much on Wednesday night. Oh, and remember I can’t eat or drink anything on Wednesdays because of that awful taste, so my stomach is pretty empty. Can you tell where this is going?

So Thursday I get up, drink the other half of the stuff, go to the hospital, and have the nurses in Oncology access my port, and head down for my scan. Stop in a bathroom along the way to evacuate some of this lovely beverage. Have the scan. Go home, spend much of the afternoon in the bathroom, and try to start re-hydrating myself. Don’t sleep much on Thursday night. Friday morning comes along and I get up and get ready for work – very slowly. I feel quite lousy. Try to drink water, Kool-Aid, you name it. Everything nauseates me. Spend about 2 hours at work staring at my computer screen, head pounding, feeling nauseous, when it hits me that I’ve felt this way before - when I was dehydrated! So, I tell my boss I have to leave, call the oncology ward at the hospital who tell me to come in, and I drive straight there. Spend 2 hours hooked up to a saline drip. I feel 100% better when they are done. Go home and take it easy for the rest of the evening, regaining my strength. Finally sleep through the night.

Moral of this story: I can’t have a CT scan the same week I have an Erbitux treatment. Lesson learned, won’t happen again. And I am feeling great today, so perhaps that extra fluid helped with my energy levels.

Now for the good news. The oncology ward was pretty empty on Friday afternoon, which meant Dr. Lange was able to catch up on stuff, like reading the results from my CT scan the previous day. His comment to me: “Who took your CT scan for you?" This can’t be yours because it’s the scan of a normal person.” WHOO HOO!!!! I read the scan and there are no tumors visible anywhere in my abdomen, chest, neck, or pelvis. Not that I expected anything to show up, but its always nice when the report backs up my gut feelings. As he wandered away, he made two comments. “I guess a little rash is a small price to pay for a clean scan”. I’d like to know his definition of “little”. The rash is no where near as bad as it was after week 3, but its still around. Pops up in different areas, and has yet to leave my back. And my scalp is really irritated lately, with lots of pimples and now scabs from where I’ve scratched. Plus I just bought a very pretty dress with a v-neck that I won’t be wearing unless my neck clears up. He seemed to have forgotten the other side effects I’ve been having – dry, flaking skin, diarrhea, weight loss (just bought size 6 jeans – never thought I’d see that size again!), and general fatigue. This is all stuff we will discuss at my actual appointment with him next Tuesday.

His second comment was to one of the nurses. She reminded him that this Tuesday would be week 8 and that is all I was scheduled for, and what was his plan. “Sign her up for 8 more,” was his response. I asked for a break between sessions. I got a week off. So I will have week 8 this week, then a week off, and then back to 8 more weeks. This may change as I may ask him for something more like 12 weeks on, 8 weeks off, or a more traditional regiment. However, Paula, the nurse said this medicine could be taken continuously and there really is no need for a break, unless I wanted to do something like take a vacation. What a concept! Going away?? I didn’t mention to her, but will bring it up with Dr. Lange, that my job is supposed to involve traveling, for 10-14 days at a time. It’s impossible to do on this schedule, so we may have to reach a compromise so that I can do my work stuff – not that I feel up to international travel yet, but I’d like the option to go if need be.

So, because of my minor setback, I got my good news 4 days ahead of time. I certainly won’t complain. Made for a good weekend. I actually felt up to going out on Saturday night (after spending all day at a cancer conference) and we were able to get dinner AND go to a movie. Yippee!! And today its 69 degrees in Boston, I’m sitting here with my size 6 jeans on, a t-shirt and pair of flip-flops waiting for Pat to come home from the office so we can go absorb some beautiful spring weather, before it drops to 40 degrees for the Sox home opener tomorrow.

Later….