Update before leaving on Vacation

Hello Everyone,

We are leaving in the morning, heading to Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. I wanted to write an update since I saw my oncologist today.

He decided to take me off the study drug for the next 3 weeks and see if that is what might be causing the pain I'm having. If the pain gets better when I'm not taking the drugs, then I probably won't go back on them. If the pain does not get any better, then we can rule out the study drug as the cause.

He is also doing a blood test to check my thyroid, to see if it may be causing the fatigue I'm having, although he says I do not fit the physical profile of most people who's thyroid is causing them fatigue.

He also said I should talk to my primary doctor about possible chronic fatigue syndrome since he doesn't think my fatigue should be this bad, this long after chemo.

Just FYI, I can't remember how much I said about my fatigue before, but it is still really bad. I have tried to resume my photography business, but it's just impossible. There is soooo much I still cannot do and if I try and do it anyway, then I pay for it for days!!!!! I'm not anemic or any other blood test problems. I eat well and I get enough sleep, etc., etc.

I have paid attention to it pretty well for a while and I figure that if I don't over do it I have about 2-3 hours a day that are productive, after that I can't get much done. So I usually work on my flower gardens and water the yard OR I clean the house OR I go to town to run errands or have appointments. Today I left the house at 1pm and didn't get home till 4:30pm. I saw my doctor and made 3 other quick stops to get items needed before we leave tomorrow. These were not strenuous task but by the time I got home I was toast!!!!!! Anyway, the point I was trying to make is the "OR" part. I cannot do more than one semi physical activity a day without paying for it later.

I'm trying to finalize packing for tomorrow and get things in order for my daughter who will be staying here and taking care of the dogs, horses, etc., while we are gone. Thank goodness we have her to be able to do this for us or we would never be able to leave!!!

Please wish me luck in having enough energy to be able to fully enjoy our vacation. I figure if I get too tired I'll send the boys out site seeing and I'll just lay by the pool!!!!!

Ok, one more thing. The doctor finally had a cancer marker blood test done one me. I asked him about this today. He said my levels are a little high, nothing to be concerned with though. And since there is nothing to compare it to, the levels may be very normal for me. He will continue to do these test on a regular basis and then he'll be able to determine if the readings are normal for me. There are lots of other factors that effect peoples cancer markers, besides cancer itself, so I am not going to worry about this at all. The only thing that does bother me and I don't understand . . . . why did he never do this test before and have readings from when I did have cancer to compare it to? Hmmm, I don't know, but then a lot of things don't make sense to me, but there is still so much about it all that I don't know.


Just one more quick note . . . . I'm not complaining, I'm just noting, if that makes any sense :)

I have lost a lot of weight since stopping treatment. At first I wasn't going to put the actual poundage in the post, but what the heck. When I first saw my oncologist last May I weighed more than I ever have, except during pregnance, 149 lbs., during chemo I gained about 8 lbs., (it's normal for women to gain weight during chemo, I think it's due to the steroids in the antinausea drugs, they make you hungry!!!). So by the time I finished chemo I weighed 157 lbs, more than ever in my life!!!!!

I have noticed since chemo stopped that the pounds have slowely been dropping. I did have major dental work done, which did affect my eating habits for a bit, but it has been a while since that happened, so it really can't be blamed for my continued weight loss. Today at the doctors I weighed 129 pounds !!!!! Again, I'm not complaining, what woman ever complains about loosing weight!?!?!?!?!? That is 20 lbs lighter than my pre treatment weight and 28 lbs lighter than my post treatment weight. WOW.

OK, better finish getting ready for our trip now.

Keep Smilin'
Wendy