Well, here I am again in familiar territory. Some time Friday morning the extreme pain and uncontrollable vomiting started. I have had a few issues with some nausea after a chemo shot, but not to this degree. I tried to wait it out as long as I could, but it eventually got so bad that Kurt had to call 911 to come get me. I can honestly say that this is one of the worst bouts of this kind of episode that I have had. And I can never tell if it is the pain that drives the nausea and vomiting or the other way around, all I know is it feels like hell and it just takes a while for all of the meds to do their thing. One problem, and there really is no way around it, is the stigma associated with the pain medications. Even if the doctors know me and my history, most seem to be very conservative on how they treat my pain and nausea. I feel like most know I have a higher baseline than most people, but I think they probably get questioned or don’t want to raise any red flags while treating me. This is especially true in the ED. Once I am admitted things seem to fall into place much quicker. The problem is that time in between. From when I call or have Sonja drive me in, I am writhing in pain…literally! It is so bad I feel like I am going to die…it is so bad I am afraid I won’t! So in my unique case, the magic concoction seems to be 25 mg Phenergan, 1 mg Ativan, and 3-4 mg Dilaudid. After a couple of cycles through this, and things begin to settle down, or at least tolerable. How long it lasts is different each time. Maybe it depends on how quick I can get into the hospital. This is where Sonja is so awesome! She knows me and this disease so well now, she can tell when to go in. I was alone this time and tried to ride it out. Mainly because I have had such a good run without being sick. My training has been really good and consistent. Training with Tom Danielson and CINCH Cycling as my coach has been such a positive and productive experience, that I just can’t put into words how awesome his program is! I highly recommend trying it!
So that is it for now. They are bringing my food in, and I am starving! I think I am in a place to hold it down now. Take care all! Talk to you soon! KG
Author: Kelly (Page 3 of 3)
I haven’t posted in a few days and I want to make clear that this is not the intended schedule. I have to admit, this corvid-19, corona virus, Wu Han Virus has just gotten weird. It feels like we are right on the edge of something right out of a horror movie. I’m not scared of this virus, although I probably should be. Between the cancer and the treatments, my immune system is compromised. The chemotherapy drugs attack and destroy cancer cells, but at the same time, there is collateral damage to bone marrow, red blood cells, and white blood cells. When the white blood cells are destroyed, we are more susceptible to infections. I’m not going to stop living my life for this thing, but I have been as cautious as I can be. I think the thing that bothers me most about the corona virus is the way people react. Sonja went to the grocery after work last night and ALL shelves were empty! I mean come on. It is actually terrifying to think about the whole pandemic and mob mentality.
Anyway, on with life. As I said, I plan to update more often about the cycling training and how it relates to my cancer treatments. This last week has been a little difficult. I started the week not feeling too great. It wasn’t like the flu, it is more like pain, nausea, and an overall bad feeling. Sometimes breaking out in cold sweats. I think it is just a combination of cancer, all of the surgeries, and maybe some of the medications. It usually doesn’t keep me down and sometimes I just have to jump on the bike despite the pain. By the time I am done with a 45 – 60 minute ride, I feel better than I did when I got on. After all I have been through, with the treatments, the surgeries, chemo, clinical trial, and radiation… cycling and getting my diet in order have made me feel the best. Don’t get me wrong, the doctors, nurses, drugs, and medicine have kept me alive through all of this, but cycling and diet are what, I feel, improve my quality of life. I once read, “I don’t ride my bike to add years to my life, I ride to add life to my years.” I guess you have to suffer to truly appreciate the good things in life.
Until next time,
KG
202003 Cancer Treatment Update:
Vitals, Labs, Appointment with the Oncologist. Somatuline Depot (Lanreotide) injection. Over discussion about the treatments side effects and rescheduling of the MRI and CT (chest/abdomen/pelvis)
So here is my first update with the new blog site and format. It feels a little strange writing this in a blog. Maybe it’s because there is way more effort into preparing a website than just posting to Facebook, which I will still be updating, by the way. At least until people that want to read my updates get used to seeing them here. And for anyone that does not like change, I am with you. I get it, but this site will probably change frequently for the first month or two, or until I get things organized how I want them. I wanted to have this done before I went live, but some of it I needed to see how things “flowed” when they were live. So just bear with me for a while, and I will get it where I like it. And feel free to comment or email me at kglover@jukemo.com to let me know what you like to see. I will be adding some new sections as time goes on, so, yeah, let me know what you like! We are in this together!
Back to the update! I was supposed to have an MRI done (pain doctor) and my regular CT (chest/abdomen/pelvis), but I was taken off of the schedule because my insurance wanted to know why the doctor ordered another one. This is called a peer-to-peer review. I don’t know much about it, but my guess is that their medical peeps speak with my oncologist to discuss if the procedure is really necessary. It is. So now, I am approved, I can get back on the schedule for my next appt. This is the kind of thing that worries me about situations that become urgent. Can my oncologist get these rushed through if I am in need of a decision, NOW?! I would hope so, but I don’rt really know. So this was a really uneventful appointment. I will just continue on with the Lanreotide injections, which are moderately painful, but seem to be doing what the Abemaciclib was doing, suspending any new growth.
I have experienced some nausea and vomitting as well as extreme fatigue this time around. The nausea comes on fast and without warning. It is more annoying than anything else. The fatigue is a little more involved. Example; last Wednesday, I am having a fairly good day at work. By 3:00 pm the fatigue is creeping up. By 4:00 pm I am wiped out. For anyone going through chemo, radiation, or any clinical trial or similar treatment, stop and evaluate your situation if this kind of fatigue sets in. Don’t hesitate to call someone or find a place to sleep or get some rest before driving. When I got home, I went straight upstairs, took my shoes off and fell asleep…until the next morning! Just take the time to evaluate your situation and make a good decision.
So that is my first update on a blog. Kinda cool, I think. I will be posting sporadically at first. There are other pages on here with different topics and my training updates will have more of a blog appearance…I mean it will be a blog, probably daily. I just have to decide where to put it. The training blog post will be out later today. Everyone take care. Just Keep Moving. 🙂
Well, hello and welcome to JuKeMo.com. If you have followed my Clinical Trial Updates on Facebook, then this will look a little familiar to you. If my posts are new to you, then take a look around. A good place to start is with the archived clinical trial updates, which are all of the posts I made to FaceBook when I decided to be transparent with my clinical trial. The response I got from the people that told me it helped them, was enough for me to start this blog site and I thought it might be kind of cool to parallel my cancer treatments with my cycling training for the three stages of the Tour de France Butch Keahiolalo and I are going to ride in early July! So if you liked my clinical trial posts, you can expect more of the same honest transparency plus the added stress of training for an athletic event. I honestly think the benefits of moderate exercise is better for you than any medication can be…but we will soon find out! Hang on, its going to be interesting!
KG