Ruth's musings

I have been dealing with breast cancer for a while, and have been sharing my journey with friends, family, and prayer partners. This blog brings all my updates together in one place, and leaves me free to muse on other parts of my life. Thanks for visiting!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Ruth Update, May 22, 2008

Dear Friends, Relatives, and Prayer Partners,
 
"There has been a partial positive response to chemotherapy treatment with some improvement noted in the inferior right lobe of the liver . . .  Likewise, there has been some improvement in previously noted hypermetabolic foci in the skeleton.  Careful follow-up is suggested.  Previously seen abnormalities in the right nasopharynx and vallecula are not identified in today's exam."
 
In other words, the chemotherapy is making the cancer unhappy.  Which makes me happy.  For now, the plan is to continue with two more rounds of Taxotere and Xeloda together, though with a lower dose of Xeloda and closer observation of my blood counts, and then to continue the Xeloda without the Taxotere for a while.  This should work out okay with our plans for the summer, though we forgot to mention the travel plans to my oncologist today.  I told Paul that I was not expecting bad news, but that he was welcome to come along on the visit.  So, he came along.  Bless his heart.
 
The bad news is the side effects are getting me down.  Last week's crashing of my white blood count was one, and we are dealing with that by lowering the dosage of Xeloda.  My finger- and toenails are another story.  All of them are showing signs of side effects of the Taxotere, and the one toenail is pretty close to coming off.  I have an appointment with a podiatrist for a few days before the Race for the Cure.  Whether I will be able to walk or not will probably be determined then.  I plan to show up, even if I can't walk.  The tea tree oil doesn't seem to be doing much good, though I carry on with it.  Another thing I can try is soaking my nails in straight cider vinegar.  I have only done that once.  I need to get into the habit.  I was surprised that I could soak that one toenail in straight vinegar, and it didn't hurt.  Yesterday, I had to ask Paul to open some zipper-type food storage bags for me, as my fingertips hurt when I tried to do it myself.  I can still crochet.  Yes, I can.  I can also take an evening walk with my husband most nights.  I don't have any blisters on my feet at the moment, and for that I am thankful.
 
Get your mammograms.  Do your self-exams.
 
Love,
 
Ruth
 

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Ruth Update, May 20, 2008

Dear Friends, Relatives, and Prayer Partners,
 
I am doing "remarkably better," to use the words of the oncology nurse who reported my Monday blood counts to me.  Good thing, too, because I was at work at the time she called!  I had the blood drawn on my way in.  One of the things I had to do while my counts were so low was to avoid raw foods, so as soon as I got home Monday, I had a salad.  My cough is also much better.  I stayed home on Sunday as planned, and so did Paul.  He spent the weekend digging up a good portion of the front yard and laying plastic film down next to the foundation in an attempt to keep water out of the basement.  The boys spent part of Sunday morning and afternoon helping him fill in the trench.  Today, we got a new sump pump on the other side of the basement, and Paul cleaned out the rain gutters last week.  He hopes that these tactics will keep the basement drier than it has been, and delay the spending of thousands of dollars for a new drainage system in the basement.
 
Today, I had a "routine" GYN exam.  The doctor who did it had never seen me before, and I am pretty sure she had never opened my record before she shook my hand.  Poor woman hardly knew what hit her.  She handled it well, though.  Being a part of my HMO, she has access to all my records via the computer.  She did ask if I minded if she looked at my last PET scan.  I told her to go ahead. 
 
Speaking of PET scans, I will have another one tomorrow morning, and I should get the results from my oncologist the following afternoon.  I like that much better than waiting around several days after having a scan.  I will encourage the PET scan people to expedite the report, and they are pretty good about that kind of thing.
 
Matt is driving himself to rehearsals now.  We figure that is cheaper than paying for parking at the METRO lots, and then paying rush hour rates on the train.  We skipped the dry run, as I found the route so easy that I was pretty sure he could handle it.  He did it with no problem the first time, and only got a little bit confused for about five minutes on the way home.  He still does not have a job.  I think he is mostly looking at places he would like to work, rather than places that are actually hiring.  I am nagging him.  That's my job.  I am, of course, encouraging him to look at places close to home.  Perhaps we should shift our focus to places close to the theater. It's a thought, anyway.
 
Get your mammograms.  Do your self-exams.
 
Love,
 
Ruth
 

Friday, May 16, 2008

Ruth Update, May 16, 2008

Dear Friends, Relatives, and Prayer Partners,
 
I left work early today, feeling pretty poorly.  After lots of phoning of various doctor's offices, I did finally see an MD this evening at our HMOs after hours care.  She prescribed me some codeine cough syrup and an antibiotic, which I think is what my oncologist wanted.  Anyway, I am going to lay low this weekend, and avoid crowds, by doctor's orders.  That means no church.  Which actually solves a problem.  I felt I needed to go to church at St. Paul's, as we the elders had insisted that the Athanasian Creed be included in the service this Sunday, Trinity Sunday, and I felt I should be there.  For those of you scratching their heads, the Athanasian Creed is one of the three creeds of the Christian Church, and it is so long, it is usually only recited once a year.  Some years we have not done it at St. Paul's, but this year we will.  And I won't be there.  The pastor pointed out that I probably have a copy of it somewhere, and could recite it on my own.  Of course, I do.  The problem is that the church where I work is celebrating it's 25th anniversary on Sunday, and I was supposed to be at the luncheon.  Well, now I don't have to do either.  Doctor's orders.  Dang it.
 
Right now, I can't recite much of anything.  I have laryngitis, and can only whisper or croak.  Funny thing is, my throat doesn't hurt.  It just doesn't work very well.
 
The best thing that happened this week is that I got my new wig.  Thank you again to my anonymous donor.  I had hoped you would be able to see me wear it this Sunday, but I guess you will have to be satisfied with a photo for now.  Please see my blog, and thank you again!
 
Get your mammograms.  Do your self-exams.
 
Ruth
 

New Hair

In spite of not feeling well yesterday, I went to get my new wig.


Hey, we have our priorities.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Good news on the WSC link

The link to the Washington Shakespeare Company is working. You can order tickets there and get directions, which sound kind of convoluted. All I know is I had no trouble getting there just using the ADC map of the area.

Ruth Upate, May 15, 2008

Dear Friends, Relatives, and Prayer Partners,

I am doing this a bit backwards this time, and publishing the update on the blog first. The thing is, my "Prayer Partners" e-mail list only exists on our home computer, which lives in the basement of our house, and we had a lot of rain earlier this week. Paul is working to dry it out, but I am trying to avoid the place. When I get home, I will publish this the regular way.

The thing is, I have been feeling poorly, with a cough that I blame partially on the mold and mildew in the basement. I went to my primary care clinic yesterday, and the physician I saw ordered blood work, a throat culture, and a set of chest x-rays. She also consulted with my oncologist by phone. I was having some other side-effect symptoms that you don't want to know about. I was given an Albuterol inhaler for when the cough is really bad (not that I notice much help), and a nasal spray. I was also told to stop taking my Xeloda for forty-eight hours. There's a good news/bad news scenario. Xeloda is actual chemotherapy, so when I am not taking it, it is not fighting the cancer, but when I am taking it, I can get some pretty scary side effects. One of which is a low white blood cell count. My oncology triage nurse called this morning and told me to lay off the Xeloda until Monday, and get another blood test. My counts are so low that she actually recommended I go home from work. I think I am safer at work than at home with the mold, as long as the preschool children don't come visit me. And I wash my hands a lot. And I don't hug too many people. I am also not supposed to eat any raw foods. Well, dang.

I ask for your prayers that I would be protected from germs during this time, and that my white cell count would bounce back quickly. Also that my chemotherapy would work in spite of having to take some time off of it.

In other news, Matt will definitely need a "day job." His pay for his work in "Red Noses" is actually a "stipend," that may cover his transportation costs getting to and from the theater. The good news is that it is an easy drive, and also Metro-accessible. He has been driving to the Metro the last couple of days, as he has not practiced driving the route, and for this kind of thing, we like to give him a supervised dry run. Yes, yes, he is nineteen years old. Maybe we are being overly cautious, but we are driving in the DC metro area, here, and he needs to drive on two busy interstate highways to get there. Luckily, he will be driving "against" traffic, and will not have to contend with too much rush hour congestion. In spite of the low pay, this is still a great opportunity for him and will look really good on his resume.

Get your mammograms. Do your self-exams.

Love,

Ruth

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Ruth Update, May 13, 2008

Dear Friends, Relatives, and Prayer Partners,
 
I'm doing okay.
 
Now that I have that over with, here is the big news:  my baby is a working actor!  To get his whole story, see my blog and the video I have embedded there:  http://ruthsmusings.blogspot.com  Or you can go to Matt's video directly from this link.
 
Through the Grace of God, which some people might call luck, my son got a role in a professional play here in the DC area.  It is the Washington Shakespeare Company  (that link has not worked all day, but we are pretty sure it is the correct link).   Matt's YouTube video gives you all the dates of the production, the name of the play and all that.  He assures me that the play is hilarious, but when pressed as to whether it is rated PG-13 or R, he hemms and haws.  So, let's say it is R-rated, especially one scene, which Matthew is not in.  So, if you are in the DC area this summer, late June through most of July, please go see my baby.  He has actual lines!  Okay, they were desperate for an actor as they had already started rehearsals.  I guess Woody Allen said that "90% of life is just showing up."  Well, Matt showed up.  He replied to an e-mail and got a phone call from the company in about five minutes.  We were both astounded.  He is talking calmly on his cell phone while gesturing wildly to me that this was the guy he had just e-mailed.  I ran to get paper and pencil for him.  I am trying not to be the stage mother from hell, here, but, boy, am I proud.
 
Of course, I can't just be proud.  I have to point out that actors are supposed to pay dues.  They are supposed to wait tables, flip burgers, and maybe clean up after sick dogs.  But no, not my son.  He gets his very first summer job as an ACTOR, with actual LINES, and an actual NAME (rather than "first assistant spear carrier" or something).  It's hardly fair.  He does plan to get a "day job," too.  I hope he finds one close to home, as we are going to be paying big bucks in Metro fares and gas.
 
I are so proud.  Oh, I mentioned that already.
 
Get your mammograms.  Do your self-exams.
 
Ruth
 
 

My Baby!

There will be an update, but all the pertinent information is in Matt's video:



I are so proud.

Monday, May 05, 2008

Ruth Update, May 5, 2008

Dear Friends, Relatives, and Prayer Partners,
 
I have my next round of chemotherapy tomorrow.  Since this is one of the times when my every three weeks chemotherapy (Taxotere), and my every four weeks bone-strengthening med (Aredia) fall at the same time, I will spending a loooooong time in the chemo clinic.  I plan to pack a lunch.  This is the first time I have had them on the same day, and I hope there will not be some kind of reaction. I saw my oncologist today, and she did not appear to be concerned. 
 
The trouble with the regimen I am on is that both of the chemo drugs, Taxotere and Xeloda, have side effects concerning the feet and hands.  It looks like I will lose one of my toenails.  One out of twenty ain't too bad, I guess, but it is on my "big" toe.  I have been treating it with tea tree oil, along with the other nineteen nails, and it is the only one showing ill effects.  All of my fingernails have "wrinkles" that they did not have before, but the nail beds look pretty healthy.  The bad nail was bad before I started the tea tree oil.  I will see if I can get some under the nail.  My doc seemed to approve of that idea.  Ewwww.  Too much information, probably.
 
The good news is my cancer marker number has gone down!  The blood drawn on May 3rd showed a CA 27-29 value of 311.  The one on April 7th was 374.  I am not precisely sure what the test indicates, other than that the chemotherapy is doing some good.  We want that number to go down.  I would have liked a bigger drop, but am glad we are going in the right direction, anyway!  My doctor was pleased.  All my other blood tests looked good, except that my albumin was a bit low.  I guess I need to eat more eggs!
 
On Saturday, I went to the wig shop and picked out my new head of hair.  Thank you to my anonymous angel.  I will pick it up on Thursday of next week.  I could have gotten it this week, but I probably won't be feeling well on Thursday.  It actually cost a bit less than the gift given to me, and I plan to donate the remainder to the Race for the Cure.  Thank you to all of you who have donated.  I only hope I can do the walk.  I got two t-shirts in the mail today, one pink survivor shirt, and one white "regular" shirt.  Why I got two, I cannot tell you.  I will ask my fellow survivors if this is the usual thing. 
 
Paul and I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival on Sunday.  This is a very big deal in the greater fiber arts community.  Paul was mostly interested in the sheep part.  Part of it is like a county fair that features only sheep, though in multiple breeds.  We really enjoyed the "Parade of Breeds," where an example of each breed represented at the show came into the ring.  Paul estimated forty breeds, and the narrator mentioned that only chickens have more variety than sheep when it comes to livestock.  One of the "examples" was a white ewe with her two black lambs.  Those lambs stole the show, jumping and gamboling about while the remaining breeds came in.  Their handlers finally had to pick them up and hold them to control them.  They seemed to like that just fine, too!  We also enjoyed the sheepdog demonstration.  It is really impressive to watch well-trained border collies work.  It is almost scary, in fact.  And then, when they are "released," they are just playful dogs, who love the children, and jump into the water basin at the end of the demonstration.  It was a sunny day, after all.  I hope the sheep also had some water, the way the dogs were chasing them around.  They were a longwool breed, too, and had not yet been shorn, so they had their full winter coats on, flying in the breeze.  Oh, and there was yarn.  We watched part of the "Sheep-to-Shawl" contest.  We missed the shearing part, but saw which of the teams won, and part of the auction.  Watching the spinning and weaving was what interested me most, of course.  I took some photos, and hope to have them up on my blog sometime soon.
 
Get your mammograms.  Do your self-exams.
 
Love,
 
Ruth