Home today

 So I’m headed home today. Not sure I’m ready but I’m going.  I have some stuff to assemble and some volunteers to do it and I plan on cooking Thanksgiving dinner later this week.  Lots of gardening to do too.stay tuned. I’m so ready to be home! 

Total confusion

 Two weeks ago I got the news that my tumors had grown 30%.  I was in the hospital so it was easy to ad in a CT guided biopsy of the tumor near the left kidney.   

Whoops.  

The biopsy shows no cancer in the cells taken.   It is possible it’s good news (tumor fragmenting and dying) or it could be something else.  We will rescan in two months. In the mean time I m not letting myself think it’s gone.   Please no overtly positive comments.  I think my oncologist is as confused as I am.   

Back to nausea

Yesterday and today I got sick (nauseous and vomiting) during PT.  It was quickly over but limited our work from standing to just sitting up.  Then I was visited by the social worker ans head of PT telling me mmy discharge date was firm for Friday since I wasn’t making progress.  The week at the hospital really set me back.  After we talked about my issues with backsliding (edema makiNg legs heavy in addition to the hospital) they extended that two weeks.  But that will be the drop dead date. I can leave earlier but not later.  I’m going to try takNg zofran (a whopping 4 mg) before PT tomorrow.  At the hospital I got 40 mg but here only 4 mg.  It still seems to take the edge off.  

PT is beating my ass

 Belinda - maybe 5 feet tall and ultra petite - has been exhausting me with PT.  We are working on standing and holding it. I still get anxious, maybe it’s the altitude.  Lol.  She’s great, quite the cheer leader.  I still/again need a lot of assistance with standing but we are working on that.  

Boring beats exciting I think this is mostly due to the swelling. So I sit here with my legs wrapped and elevated and hope that the edema goes down.

 Still lots of swelling in the legs so they are hard to pick up and move. That makes PT difficult.Otherwise same old same old especially over the weekends when not much happens here.  That beats the excitement of last week.

I have not yet recovered from the hospital stay as far as mobility.  I think this is mostly due to the swelling. So I sit here with my legs wrapped and elevated and hope that the edema goes down.

Welp never again

 I had my first and last nebulizer treatment with albuterol last night. Five minutes after it was done I had most of the bad side effects. 

First came the discomfort in my chest and then dinner reappeared. The level of anxiety was huge. My heart rate jumped and  I was vomiting and hmy hand trembly   Heart rate nearly 140 when my normal is 90-110. 

I had the option to go to the hospital ofc.  The nurse consulted the doctor constantly - this at midnight - and we brought the heart rate down with meds.  The nurse stayed with me until symptoms eased. I am liking the 100 heart rate this morning. 

More drugs

 Slight shallowness of breath so I will get some meds including allergy for that. 

Lots of swelling in my legs making it hard to list my legs AGAIN so Lasix to try to reduce it. 

Thanks to all who have reached out to me!

Rehab again

 Let’s see.  Sick to my stomach again but made it to rehab on Bryan Rd south of 83.  Flu going around. 

http://maps.apple.com/?q=Mission+Nursing+and+Rehabilitation+Center&ll=26.19425392150879%2c-98.31153106689453&sll=26.19425392150879%2c-98.31153106689453&ppois=26.19425392150879_-98.31153106689453_Mission+Nursing+and+Rehabilitation+Center

Part 2

After a couple years of Stability my cancer exploded more than 30% since the last scan in early July. I am still hospitalized (4 months and a week?) so they did a biopsy to test for potential success for immunotherapy.  Mixed feelings as I have been wanting the test. 

Low blood sugar when I have to fast for tests (no shocker there).  

Hope to be back in rehab soon

Love to

You

All 

Biopsy #3

 They squeezed me in for biopsy number three today. I hate waiting. Next they will do testing on the biopsy samples to see if I have the potential for immunotherapy to give good results. I have been wanting the immunotherapy testing so that’s a positive thing.

Shit shat ist geshotten

 I used to conjugate Crap in German like this. 

I learned today that there was significant growth on my tumor. I haven’t even gotten out of the hospital yet. Working on scheduling a CT guided biopsy to look for other treatment options (immunotherapy). Stay tuned. I’m licking my wounds.  

Lawdy lawdy

They still can’t get blood. the blood from this morning was taken down stream from the hydration drip and was therefore They think showing high anemia when I’m not showing any symptoms. 

Results of the endoscopy were good   

A doctor finally came to talk to me about the CT results - some fluid collection in various places- any why procedures were scheduled for today.  rather than have a needle aspirate liquid an equally good option is waiting guess what I chose.

Horribly bad day

 After much trepidation I agreed to undergo a endoscopy.  They think they found the source of the bleeding and fixed it. We will see if it worked or not. First time under general anesthesia (propofol) and hopefully the last   Still can’t moon walk even with one glove  

They are still failing on blood draws.. Not sure why they send the B team first. I have bruises on bruises and still have 3 IVs. 

Slept like a log all afternoon.  Not sure it made up for last night yet.  No idea when I shift back to Mission rehab.  

Yikes they ate back for another blood draw. 

Back to the hospital

 Let’s see

Uti

Maybe lung Cloudiness /pneumonia 

Anemic / transfusion

More including blood where it isn’t supposed to be

Fifteen minutes sleep last night  

CT at 3 am 

Another CT at 43o

GI Doc has me on NPO (nothing by mouth) but I don’t know why  

Again

 So I spent Friday pm and the weekend throwing up.  Chest x Ray Friday and another today - Drs can’t share. Stool sample sent off and UTI back or never gone.  Blood work done. First phlebotomist failed five times.  She is not welcome back. Second got it first time. I’m feeling low and don’t expect to get home this Friday.  Yuck. . 

Monday blues

 Really good PT session where I was at 80-90 for power to stand.  That was the highlight.  Lunch came at 1 pm (usually 1130) and was a hot dog which I ate. One ketchup packet and zero salt for the fries was limiting.  Half an hour later the hot dog reappeared. It was prob ELG the most meat id eaten in weeks. 

Even keel

 Early last week they missed my 4 AM thyroid med.  I felt better.  So I declined the Med the next few days and lo and behold woke up clearer headed on Saturday.  I was able to eat and avoided nausea. Now to talk to the Dr about what to do for the thyroid.  New labs tomorrow. 

Long silence

 Sorry for the long silence. I haven’t had much to say beyond whether I had nausea or not each day. Today’s a good day so far no nausea we will PT up hoping I would tolerate it better and I did.

Blood sugars been pretty constant even though I’m having difficulty eating. I try to eat something each meal or stretch a meal into two meals but it’s a struggle.

Great to see Sheryl Barker today especially bearing gifts of watermelon and Diet Coke and grapes. I hate to say there’s a good thing there’s a hurricane for entertainment but it beats the daytime television. More soon I hope.

Mission Rehab initial thoughts

 Mission Rehab wins hands down on food s far. Seeing a calendar with two weeks of meals and being able to choose among options is great. It’s also good to not receive food that will be wasted. Today was cold cereal breakfast because they had almond milk(!), jambalaya for lunch, and pulled chicken BBQ for dinner  

The true test of any facility is how they handle issues. There’s always going to be issues but how do they respond. Five stars to Mission rehab on this. 

Both facilities have every other day shower assistance. 

The window faces brush instead of parking lot but we will see how the bird list goes. 

Staff at both places in nursing CNA housekeeping and PT are great!!! 

Arbor View to Mission Rehab

 Ok I’m at Mission Rehab now much closer to home.  Cost for room and board is half that of Arbor Ville. Of course I asked for A single room for the cost of half a double. And they bit which is fantastic. I’m hoping for better food which certainly was the case tonight I had a nice salad and some non-cream tomato soup and fresh fruit which wonderful mix of watermelon and melons and pineapple and stuff room is huge since it’s really half a double the TV has shrunk to maybe the size of a computer monitor and the number of channels is 10 or so.I don’t care I’m not here for the TV. I have to meet the rest of the staff tomorrow since they got me in here after seven tonight. I was supposed to come yesterday but that’s a whole other saga