Monday, April 30, 2012


Updates:

My latest scan results were good. The report says, "decreased activity in the liver, consistent with response to treatment", which means that the Avastin and Tamoxifen are continuing to work. Each scan has shown small changes, but they're significant enough to show up on the scan, which feels like a "win" to me.

I admitted to Dr. Kaplan that I was more worried than usual about the results because my cancer marker numbers have been creeping up. Earlier this year they were in the 30's (normal), then the 40's and the most recent test was 50. Darn it! The number isn't reflected in the scan, which is the most important thing. But it does add extra stress, which we don't need.

In other news.....

My port removal wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. The surgical site got infected so the stitches were removed and the area was cleaned and packed. Which hurt. A lot. I didn't think I'd need the prescription the doctor gave me for painkillers, but I sent James to the 24 hour pharmacy that night.

I was referred to a wound clinic because the area wasn't healing well. That was a tough day for me and I felt quite sorry for myself. I didn't want to add another medical appointment to my week, especially one that would likely continue for a few months. It was also discouraging to know that the wound wasn't healing well, probably due to lingering chemo side effects.

The wonderful nurses at Swedish gave me a lot of support (and hugs). I admitted to one that I had a difficult weekend and she said, "It's good that you acknowledged how you felt and got it out. That's why you're here today with a smile on your face". She made a good point that helped me through the rest of the week.

Even though I didn't want to go to the wound clinic, I quickly realized that I was in the right place. The doctor cleaned the area more thoroughly (ouch!), put in a different type of dressing (including medicinal honey) and took a culture to make sure the infection was gone. She wanted me to come in for dressing changes 3x/week but James learned how to do them, so I only go to the clinic once a week (thank you, James!). After 5 weeks, the area looks and feels better.

Initially the doctor was concerned that some calcifications above the wound would interfere with healing. They're a rare reaction to the trauma of the initial surgery and they've been there since I had the port placed 2 years ago. She sent a sample to the lab and it came back benign (rather than a medical name I can't remember), but just last week she said that one area is healing slowly and if that doesn't change, the calcifications may need to be surgically removed. The procedure is "involved", which sounds like a fancy word for "painful with a significant recovery time". I'm really hoping I get a break on this one!

The good news is that Dr. Kaplan isn't in a rush to have a new port put in. Avastin is a bio-therapy, not a chemo-therapy, so my veins can tolerate it for a while. That means a little more work for the nurses (my good veins can be hard to find), but I'm hoping to have some time without a wound and without a port.

As always, thank you for the continued love, prayers and support. Even though I'm doing better, we never forget how blessed we are to have such wonderful people in our life.
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