Bad blogger - that's what I am! I was determined to post at least once before the end of the summer - can't get much closer than August 31st...
Hard to believe 3 months have passed since I last wrote. It's been a rough few months healthwise but am definitely feeling better the last 2-3 weeks. Without going into a lot of detail I had the nephrostomy tube removed - the pain wasn't worth the gain. Too many procedures, too many trips to the health unit, too many bladder infections, too many yeast infections, too many weeks on antibiotics and one great big old skin infection from too many bandages which I'm still trying to get rid of. At the end of the day, the diagnosis is still the same - unable to determine wether or not there is cancer in the ureter as it is so compressed they are unable to pass anything thru it, which also means that a stent can't be inserted to alleviate the kidney condition. My right kidney is likely not functioning well regardless and so will eventually atrophy and do nothing... my left kidney is just fine so that's not a huge worry and my oncologist will keep an eye on the kidney condition. Other assorted and miscellaneous conditions and symptons related to the above have come and mostly gone so I don't see any need to bore you with those details.
So now September approaches.. which is gearing up to be a pretty busy medical month - seems all my new best friends have an MD of some sort after their name. I have another bone scan coming up - I've been having some light pain in my lower back and left flank - close enough to the tumours on my 'iliac' to warrant another test. 1/4'ly CT scan also coming up in a couple of weeks. Then my monthly treatment and my monthly visit with my oncologist to see if I get to stay on this 'chemo light' or move on to something more effective. Tumour markers have been slowly rising the last couple of months and while not sky-rocketing, still a source of concern. After much thought and trepidation I've made the decision to have a port-a-cath (port) inserted. I simply have very few cooperative veins left and given that I get way too many needles between blood work, procedures and IV's and the nurses run the other way when they see me coming it seems a logical step to take. The procedure involves day surgury so I'm waiting to hear on that - would be nice to have that done before I have to have the bone scan, CT scan and my Sept treatment - no bruising, no anxiety - that would be a nice change! As always my major and ongoing grievance is fatigue - worn out, worn down and depleted!
It's a full time job this cancer thing - but I'm still in pretty good shape for the shape I'm in!!
Stay well my friends.
This is one crazy disease, isn't it? We take a step forward and then we fall back a couple. And we just keep plugging away! I laughed when I read that your best friends all have MD behind their names. I was thinking very similar thoughts lately. I have weekly chemo, plus lab, CT and all of the other stuff, so I actually see more of the people at the cancer centre than I do my own family!
ReplyDeleteHang in there Marlene! And good luck with the port insertion. There is nothing to it, and it will make your life so much easier!