I had my MRI yesterday and the results were pretty good! The scan showed that some of the spots were actually gone! I don't have any more side effects, so I got the okay to go on my family trip to Disneyland! I am so excited for that!
Since I did so well with the radiation, the doctors want to take advantage of that and try another type of chemo when I get back from CA. I'll have another MRI and then get started on that. At least I get another month off!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
MRI is coming!
My MRI is scheduled for this Wednesday, so I just have to get through two more nights and then we'll know how my brain is doing. This is the first scan since I finished radiation, so I'm a little nervous about how things will look. I did get a new pair of shoes and a new hat, so that should help!
I just ask for prayers for Wednesday. It'll be a long day since the MRI starts at 11am and I don't see the first doctor until 2pm.
I don't really have any funny stories to share right now. I saw my grandma today and she knew who I was and asked where my sister was. This is huge since she normally thinks I am my 6'2" 49-year-old male cousin!
I just ask for prayers for Wednesday. It'll be a long day since the MRI starts at 11am and I don't see the first doctor until 2pm.
I don't really have any funny stories to share right now. I saw my grandma today and she knew who I was and asked where my sister was. This is huge since she normally thinks I am my 6'2" 49-year-old male cousin!
Friday, September 2, 2011
The Waiting Game
So I finished radiation last week and now the waiting game begins! I just found out my MRI is scheduled for September 21st and then we'll find out how my brain did with the radiation. It's always nerve-wracking waiting for the results.
To keep myself from going crazy while waiting, I've decided to go back to school and attend Calvary Chapel on-line Bible College. I signed up for one class to start. I can set my own pace and have four months to complete it. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I love being a student! I was so excited when my text books came in the mail and I might have ordered a new cute bag to carry them up and down the stairs! I am a sucker for school supplies too, so I made a run to Target yesterday for a new notebook, pens, and highlighters. It's a little sick, I know, but I can't help myself! :)
I actually feel really good. I just get tired easily and have had to change my schedule so I only do one outing a day. This keeps me from getting exhausted. I had a few big outings this past week. One was when my mom and I were leaving the grocery store and a woman pushing her cart started walking with us randomly. She asked me out of the blue if I want curly hair. What? She started talking about if I'd prefer curly or straight hair (which I said curly), how her mom had cancer and died, and then how she trains dogs for people going through treatment. She ended with saying how her best friend had a brain tumor and she let her Bernese mountain dog sleep on her friend's bed. By the end, we were so confused about what was happening that we couldn't find our car. She was a sweet woman, but really? And now I want a dog! :)
The other outing that was hilarious was when my cousin and I drove through Dairy Queen for a blizzard after our healthy lunch. When we got to the window, the cashier enthusiastically asked us if we were ready for an adventure today. Immediately we both thought that we had won a sweepstakes and were headed for Hawaii or somewhere else tropical. It turns out our "adventure" was the guy who was making our blizzards has won the state Blizzard championship three years in a row and won $5000. Apparently he is the fastest Blizzard maker around! I don't understand why all of these funny things keep happening to us!
To keep myself from going crazy while waiting, I've decided to go back to school and attend Calvary Chapel on-line Bible College. I signed up for one class to start. I can set my own pace and have four months to complete it. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I love being a student! I was so excited when my text books came in the mail and I might have ordered a new cute bag to carry them up and down the stairs! I am a sucker for school supplies too, so I made a run to Target yesterday for a new notebook, pens, and highlighters. It's a little sick, I know, but I can't help myself! :)
I actually feel really good. I just get tired easily and have had to change my schedule so I only do one outing a day. This keeps me from getting exhausted. I had a few big outings this past week. One was when my mom and I were leaving the grocery store and a woman pushing her cart started walking with us randomly. She asked me out of the blue if I want curly hair. What? She started talking about if I'd prefer curly or straight hair (which I said curly), how her mom had cancer and died, and then how she trains dogs for people going through treatment. She ended with saying how her best friend had a brain tumor and she let her Bernese mountain dog sleep on her friend's bed. By the end, we were so confused about what was happening that we couldn't find our car. She was a sweet woman, but really? And now I want a dog! :)
The other outing that was hilarious was when my cousin and I drove through Dairy Queen for a blizzard after our healthy lunch. When we got to the window, the cashier enthusiastically asked us if we were ready for an adventure today. Immediately we both thought that we had won a sweepstakes and were headed for Hawaii or somewhere else tropical. It turns out our "adventure" was the guy who was making our blizzards has won the state Blizzard championship three years in a row and won $5000. Apparently he is the fastest Blizzard maker around! I don't understand why all of these funny things keep happening to us!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
DONE!
I am finished with radiation! I am so excited to be done. I might be tired and bald, but I made it! I get a month off and then I'll go back for a follow-up MRI. I really appreciate all of your support and prayers!
I attached a picture of my wig. I think it might be a little Bieber fever-ish! I'm not quite sure about it yet. I'm going to take it to my hair stylist, so he can help me with it. I also attached a picture of the cupcakes I bought for the cancer center workers. I didn't know that there were "hot fudge sundae" cupcakes! Everyone seemed to like them.
I attached a picture of my wig. I think it might be a little Bieber fever-ish! I'm not quite sure about it yet. I'm going to take it to my hair stylist, so he can help me with it. I also attached a picture of the cupcakes I bought for the cancer center workers. I didn't know that there were "hot fudge sundae" cupcakes! Everyone seemed to like them.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Magnum & a Little Bit of Good News
I have 13 treatments down and 7 more to go! The good news is that my spinal cord MRI came back clear, so the doctor stopped treatment on it! Apparently since I had just finished my last round on the spine in June and he was pretty aggressive this time, he doesn't think more radiation is needed. So now I just go in for my brain, which is nice since it only takes about 5 minutes and I don't have to change into a hospital gown!
The only side effect from radiation that I've gotten so far is hair loss. It started coming out in handfuls this weekend. I decided to shave it off last night, so it wouldn't drag on and get hair everywhere. My mom did the shaving and we were both in tears. I think this is the third time I've had to shave it, but at least now I can go buy new hats! (and new shoes, while I'm at it! :)
Over the past 10 years, I've noticed doctors can be hard to read by their facial expressions. My family and I think that medical school must have modeling classes on what "looks" to use when delivering different types of news, almost like "Magnum" or "Le Tigre" from the movie Zoolander. The "I Have Bad News Look", the "It Could Be Good, but Let's Not Get Too Excited Look", and the "You're Really Not Having Side Effects? Look" (which I get a lot). They all kinda look the same, like in Zoolander, so sometimes I have to ask for clarification or challenge them to an underground walk-off!
The only side effect from radiation that I've gotten so far is hair loss. It started coming out in handfuls this weekend. I decided to shave it off last night, so it wouldn't drag on and get hair everywhere. My mom did the shaving and we were both in tears. I think this is the third time I've had to shave it, but at least now I can go buy new hats! (and new shoes, while I'm at it! :)
Over the past 10 years, I've noticed doctors can be hard to read by their facial expressions. My family and I think that medical school must have modeling classes on what "looks" to use when delivering different types of news, almost like "Magnum" or "Le Tigre" from the movie Zoolander. The "I Have Bad News Look", the "It Could Be Good, but Let's Not Get Too Excited Look", and the "You're Really Not Having Side Effects? Look" (which I get a lot). They all kinda look the same, like in Zoolander, so sometimes I have to ask for clarification or challenge them to an underground walk-off!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Halfway Done!
Tomorrow is Day 10 of radiation out of Day 20! I'm so glad to be halfway there! I met with the doctor on Monday and my spinal cord looks the same on the MRI as it did before, so that's good news. Nothing has changed and my side effects have gotten better. The doctor did say that he didn't expect me to do this well on treatment and that the tumor is responsive to radiation. I have to say that the prayers have really covered me. Thank you for your continual prayers!
More side effects could be coming this week, including hair loss, so we'll see what happens. I attached a photo of my chemo/MRI shoes in action. I didn't realize I had to walk through the hospital floor to get to the outdoor MRI machine, which is a bit of a hike. I probably would have chosen a shoe with no heel!
More side effects could be coming this week, including hair loss, so we'll see what happens. I attached a photo of my chemo/MRI shoes in action. I didn't realize I had to walk through the hospital floor to get to the outdoor MRI machine, which is a bit of a hike. I probably would have chosen a shoe with no heel!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Blue Angels & Vampire Teeth
I have 7 treatments down and 13 more to go! This has been an interesting week for me. It is SeaFair weekend in Seattle, which means that there are hydroplane boat races on Lake Washington and the Blue Angels perform demonstrations. I forgot that they closed one of the floating bridges last Thursday and Friday for Blue Angel practice. Let's just say it took us over two hours to get to the hospital and I was over an hour late for my treatment. Watching the Blue Angels fly over the freeway was cool for the first few times, but when everybody is so distracted and no one is moving, the road rage starts! By the time we arrived, my sister and I were so irritated that we were thinking of just staying in a hotel by the hospital to avoid further traffic. Thankfully, the traffic home wasn't bad and we were able to leave early enough the next day for lunch and a little shopping before radiation.
One interesting thing about going to the hospital so often is watching all of the people. I had to do a double take the other day when I spotted a patient with vampire fangs. Not sure what was going on there, but I avoided making eye contact since he didn't look like Edward Cullen!
On Friday afternoon, I had to report a little side effect, which the doctors didn't think was that big of a deal and probably just a result of treatment. However, just to be careful, I had to go back on Saturday afternoon for a full spine MRI, which takes over an hour. Spending six days a week at the hospital is not my idea of a good time! I'll find out the results tomorrow.
Good news! My vision has consistently been back to normal for the past few days. No more patch for now! Thanks again for all of your prayers and support. It is very encouraging and helps me get through each day.
One interesting thing about going to the hospital so often is watching all of the people. I had to do a double take the other day when I spotted a patient with vampire fangs. Not sure what was going on there, but I avoided making eye contact since he didn't look like Edward Cullen!
On Friday afternoon, I had to report a little side effect, which the doctors didn't think was that big of a deal and probably just a result of treatment. However, just to be careful, I had to go back on Saturday afternoon for a full spine MRI, which takes over an hour. Spending six days a week at the hospital is not my idea of a good time! I'll find out the results tomorrow.
Good news! My vision has consistently been back to normal for the past few days. No more patch for now! Thanks again for all of your prayers and support. It is very encouraging and helps me get through each day.
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