Today my cousin drove me to my treatment. She brought her laptop and worked remotely while I was in my appointments, and the rest of the time we had plenty to chat about. Really, so funny that the time spent getting chemo for cancer can be spent in such an enjoyable way with good company!
We budgeted for traffic, and still arrived a bit early for my 8:15 port access appointment. The port nurse noticed the irritated skin around my port right away. She expressed frustration because the port should have healed long ago; I shouldn't need to be using dressings with adhesives this far out, and for so long. She said the incision doesn't look infected, so she recommended I stop using the antibiotic ointment, and leave the incision uncovered for a while. I should just be sure to regularly wash it with soap and water.
My appointment with the medical oncologist wasn't until 9:00, so we had a bit of a wait. When the medical assistant took my vitals, she skipped height and oxygen. (Every other time until today, they've always measured height, weight, blood pressure, oxygen, and temperature.) I asked why, and she just said it wasn't necessary to take those measurements every week.
I love when my medical oncologist hugs me hello and goodbye! When she asked about my recent side effects, I told her about the hair loss, and she was careful to validate my feelings. She reassured me that everything I'm feeling is normal; in fact, the timing is in line with the progression of emotions experienced by other patients, too. She asked if I was interested in a wig, and I said no. I was surprised myself that I didn't take longer to hem and haw, or ask for a prescription just in case. I think in an effort to make me feel better about my response, she talked about how wigs are not always the be-all and end-all solution they are sometimes made out to be, because some people find them hot or uncomfortable or itchy, and sometimes they cause a rash on the scalp. She also mentioned the possibility of shaving my head, but I am just not feeling that option, either.
Regarding my port incision, she agreed with the port nurse that there is an unusually high number of port incisions that haven't been healing properly. She said the appropriate people are being informed, and hopefully they will figure out what is going on. I hope they get everything resolved before I get my port removed, so I won't have so much trouble with the incision healing from that surgery! (I won't get my port out for almost another year, so they have time.)
During the physical exam, I mentioned that my belly feels flabbier. I haven't had a flat tummy since having kids, so I'm used to a little belly fat, and it's not that it's getting bigger, it's just flabbier, not as firm. I know weight gain is a side effect of Lupron (because weight gain is a side effect of the menopause that the Lupron causes), so I was surprised when the doctor said the flabbiness was probably from the steroid pre-med. She said it's temporary while taking the Decadron. I hope she's right!
We got to my bay around 9:45, and I started my pre-meds around 10:00.
About 10:30, my social worker came in, and my cousin stepped out. The social worker wanted to follow up on our conversation last week about hair loss. I told her how I found her words last week very helpful. We talked some more about how visible hair loss is as a side effect uniquely associated with cancer patients, and how even efforts to hide the hair loss (like with a wig or hats) are themselves visible, so it's the one side effect that just can't be masked.
She specifically asked how Ken and the kids are doing. I said I think the kids are doing remarkably well, but maybe Ken could use a bit more support. I know he appreciates having work as a way to compartmentalize, but being a caregiver is a huge weight to carry, and also a role that is often overlooked. The infusion nurse was in the bay at this time, having just started my Herceptin, and she suggested I help brainstorm friends he could go out with. Even if they don't talk about feelings, it would be good for him to get a break.
The social worker also asked me about Thanksgiving coming up next week. It'll be my first time seeing many family members since starting chemo. I'm not exactly anxious, but there's uncertainty in how I will feel. Finally, she encouraged me again to attend the in-person support group, perhaps when my weekly chemo ends. The group meets at an inconvenient time for me, but I agreed it might be more doable when I'm not getting treatment quite so often.
I started Taxol around 11:00, and finished up just around 12:00.
When the infusion nurse de-accessed my port, she took a photo of the incision to show her colleague who specializes in port care. (This person calls herself the "Port Authority"!! Hahahaha. I love it.)
My nurse said it looks like the incision won't be closing up tightly, which I assume means a more visible scar. She said when I get my port out, I should tell the surgeon that sutures may work better than Dermabond skin glue to close the incision. But that's a much later conversation.
She also suggested using Aquafor on the irritated skin around my port. She gave me a couple large gauze pads to place over the area, to keep the ointment from getting on my clothes. She figured the pads are large enough that maybe they will stay in place just being tucked under my camisole, without using any adhesives.
Finally, she gave me my blood work. Two values were out of range. Im Gran (Immature Granuloyctes) continues to be a little high, a little higher than last week. And AbsLymp (Absolute Lymphocyte) was a little low, which I saw before in Cycle #6.
All told, this visit was about 4 hours. We did order lunch, but finished and left before it was delivered! We decided to eat at a local restaurant nearby. It was nice spending the time together, even if it was precipitated by chemo!
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