Saba Beats Cancer

Crazy day!  We actually got in and out of MD Anderson for labs.  We got there this morning and got my labs in right before the lab computer went down. So we got the results quickly and got out of there. All my levels have come back up to normal and I can stop the zarxio for the weekend and just recover. Note that they really went down low this time - talked about the possibility of blood transfusion - but we bounced back nicely! They said it would be two hours to get the labs back up - phew - we actually won one! Yay!  Still a little tired today and the mouth sores are finally healing - so glad we didn't have to spend 6 hours waiting for lab results. Now I am home for the long weekend.  Got my work done early so I get to chill and enjoy home life for a change.  By tomorrow, things should really feel normal. For now - it's time or a nap and reading.

My packing for the hospital gets more involved as we now know what we need to make the best of it as possible. It is pretty odd that they don't have good blankets in a place where people need to stay warm sleeping. And they want you to stay hydrated and give you a 8 ounce styrofoam cup which is useless. I bring a large insulated cup to hold water so I drink more. Also, I luckily had good nurses on day 1 that told me I didn't have to use the useless hospital gown and could wear my own clothes.  Of course I bring my speaker, a small puzzle, two books, sumo band, a good liquid shower soap with moisture, baking soda toothpaste to help with the sores.  And now we bring my own food.  That has been the second big key. As I read more about detoxing the body from the chemo - dry brushing has come up and been advsied by a couple of people.  Anyone have any thoughts?  It's another quick and easy thing to add to the list and a brush costs $10 on Amazon so why not if it ...

Lee and I get a kick out of this.  It happens a lot. People come in the room and look at the empty bed and ask "where's the patient".  When I am sitting on the couch.  It happened when I checked in yesterday.  I got my stuff unpacked and sat on the couch and started reading, set up the computer, got the crosswords out and my water glass (they give you tiny cups that don't work for me) and the nurse came in and looked around and started to look in the bathroom for the patient. It happened on my walk this morning.  Y'all know I have just a bit of an ego and like to know I am tops at the fighting cancer thing.  And I never see anyone else walking the halls with their fuckers.  I just figured they are walking somewhere else. But I went up the elevator with a doc and she said she has worked here close to 20 years and never had a patient take their IV stand and go walk the halls to get a work out in. Not once. I get a lot of "god bless and keep going" in...

No change to the plan. Hoped for a little reprieve but it all comes down to the brain things - Dr. Fowler wants full tilt against that. My blood work was great - no issues, no platelets or blood transfusions needed.  Just full speed ahead. So we are at the half way point and will continue to forward.  I am handling all the treatments great so why slack off I guess.  Sigh. I am basically doing the two chemos at once - so back in for brain chemo tomorrow for the three day cycle until the MTX is out of my system. Here are the current dates as they stand right now - Going in the hospital for brain chemo (MTX) #3 tomorrow through Monday more than likely.  Chemo #4 May 6-11 MTX #4 May 17-20 More scans this week to make sure all on track Chemo #5 May 27-June 1 MTX #5 June 7-10 - LAST ONE Chemo #6 June 17-22  Ring the bell Things could get delayed based on blood work. It may get rougher at 5 and 6 - but we will see.  My blood work was awesom...

Great list - have people asked me about this and want to make sure you know what to look for. MD Anderson put this list of 10 signs you have cancer . I caught mine early - and we acted incredibly fast. Otherwise I am not in remission and I may not make it. It's that bad.  So please don't ignore the symptoms. And stay in shape so you can be ready to fight. I see so much that is horrible here - I am surely the 1% with how fast my body reacted and how we are taking the cancer treatment. I don't want any of you to have to go through any of this. Cancer symptoms Mass/lump : If you see or feel a new lump or mass that’s been there for a few weeks or is growing, get it checked out. Many lumps are not cancer and your doctor may be able to tell you right away. Sometimes,  more  testing  is needed. Maybe an ultrasound, CT scan or MRI. Unexplained weight loss : Most adults do not lose weight without effort, so if you are losing weight without going on a diet or e...

Can you think of anything more fun than that?!?!  The post-spinal blah plus dealing with insurance claims. We have the stuff pretty well organization and Blue Cross is doing an amazing job so actually it really wasn't that bad. They claimed the denied to claims but it turns out that our MDA team already had given them when what they need and they paid all the claims. So we are still good. Pretty scary as one was the initial PET scan and one was a day in the hospital. So not too cheap. So - that was not near as painful as I thought. So I am feeling good on that side.  Took a nausea pill - but that was actually for the spinal so that helped. Just chilling. Doing a little work. Getting organized on the billing and moving things forward.

Well sort - of - my MTX level is 0.07 which is of course below the 0.1 level so I can get out of here. It's all down to the paperwork now.  Just have to wait for them to find a doctor to write a discharge note and then they have to give me my self-care directions. But I am packed and ready to go. Lee is here and we just play the waiting game - which is always kind of funny because they need the beds so bad you think they would have a team of pushers getting us out the door. Looking at the timeline - going sumo definitely helped.  We are out of here a little faster so I will take it. Never going to get the 48 hour turn around it seems but at least we did better on the drugs this time. So a few days off. The good thing is they can look at my blood work on this fine Monday which my docs like. And the blood is looking mighty fine right now. So this starts the big week: MRI is Wednesday - looking at the skull - is it healing?  PET scan -the biggy - Thursday morning...

I cannot say enough about the nurses and the staff here at MD Anderson. They are truly amazing and work so hard to make sure we are getting better and staying comfortable. It is overwhelming at times - but we are working on the nausea, adding different drugs -they make sure we understand everything and what is happening at all times. When I was getting the spinal yesterday, the nurse held my hand - it was such a compassionate moment - means a lot. Going through hell surrounded by angels. Interesting thing yesterday. I am a twitcher when I sleep.  People who have sat next to me have no doubt seen me do a full spaz out after falling asleep on the airplane.  It's funny to watch. Unless you fall asleep in the middle of your spinal and do a little twitch and freak the hell out of everyone in the room.  Important safety tip - don't go fall off a ladder in your sleep in the middle of a spinal. Don't know if it is the situation or the chemicals but I am definitely a lot mor...

So - all systems go for going back in the hospital for Big Round #2 - a big round or R-EPOCH starting tomorrow night.  Had a meeting with Dr. Fowler and team and all is looking good. I handled the chemo well and they don't see any changes.  They are happy that the lymph nodes have shrunk to nothing and that I don't have any pain - they are actually very pleasantly surprised. So 5 more days of chemo. But we are more prepared. Take the damn stool softener right from day 1 and take the anti-nausea starting on day three when it always seems to hit me.  Keep the exercise going and get ready to watch some hoops. While this is going on - there is prep for the potential for STEM cell replacement if it is necessary. Because my cancer cells have mutated with two very bad traits - they are ultra fast growing and ultra hard to kill - the only real way to ensure I am cured and not just in remission temporarily is something called stem cell transplant.  Because I have such an...

Cancer Songs (to the tune of Yesterday) Suddenly, all my hair is falling off of me, With the weight loss I am half of me But I believe in my MD's Odd thing to hit me in the shower but it made me chuckle so what the heck.  So feeling good, had lunch went for my walk to get my 2 miles in drank some more water and feeling good.  Then the doc walked in.  Said that's all good but most the MTX side effects will hit in the next few days and it is a GI impacting drug which means "from you mouth to your anus".  I just don't like a symptom that uses mouth and anus in the same sentence.  But it is what it is.   Then facebook feeds me an ad for a military shirt that says - "Embrace the Suck".  How does facebook know this?  That at this moment in time I just need to embrace the suck.   Of course I bought the shirt on Amazon.  The hair loss has moved to my chest - and that is no small tuft of hair.  So that ...