I'm Ready for Them to Go Back to School Now

The boys were both off from school Monday and Tuesday due to fever or not having been over fever for 24 hours. Spiff could have perhaps gone back for Tuesday afternoon, but he was blowing his nose so frequently (and loudly) that I kept him home.

Today, Wednesday, school was canceled due to a winter storm. The boys were both well, however. How could I tell? They were bickering, getting entirely too silly, and generally creating a ruckus whenever they were near each other. Yeah, they felt better. [rolling my eyes]

If I were homeschooling them, we would have just continued our lessons. But I didn't want to cobble something together for today when they felt better. So, we played too many Wii games and just generally frittered the day away. Spiff said at bedtime that he was glad he was going to school tomorrow. Me too, buddy. Me too.

Here's my update:

I'm a week past my last chemo. It takes longer and longer to recover after each successive round of chemo, so I'm still not out of the woods after this last round. My toes and legs hurt so much in bed last night that I had to take percocet again. I'd like to be done with it, but at least I don't have to take it during the day anymore.

I'm still tired, but not like I was after the A/C chemo. I can exercise 10 minutes without wanting to take a nap afterwards.

I meet with the radiologist on Tuesday, Feb. 3 to go over the game plan once again. I expect I'll get my tattoos and start radiation the next week. Unfortunately, the boys have the week off from school during the 3rd week of Feb, so I will have to figure out childcare for that time. It's always something! 8-P

Two Sick Boys (and a partridge in a pear tree?)

Both boys are home sick from school today. Entropy Boy's fever was 101.2 this morning. It dropped down to 100 after some Tylenol, so I gave him some Advil two hours into the Tylenol dose. Spiff had a fever yesterday, but is down to 99.1 without medication today. Other than body aches, a stuffy nose, and a fever, they seem to be ok. I seem to not have picked it up so far, but other than the fever, how would I know? [grin]

We are having yet another quiet day at home today. I guess that is good thing.

Pajama Day

Today was Pajama Day.

Spiff didn't get to go to the birthday party because he woke up sick. Every time he sneezed he sort of coughed in the middle of it and you could tell it was painful. I gave him some tea and let him play games and watch movies all day. He also took a nice hot bath mid-day, but changed right back into his pajamas.

Entropy Boy was healthy, but loves to hang around in pajamas all day anyway. He watched Scooby Doo on Netflix and played a Hot Wheels game. He also did a "science experiment" attempting to re-create the way asteroids hit the moon. He dropped metal marbles into a pan of flour and then lifted them out with a magnet. He had a great time, made a mess, and then cleaned the mess up himself with the dust buster. I think he also looked at some of the flour under our microscope. We had the stereo microscope out because he was looking at his teeth with it. The Tooth Fairy doesn't come to our house; the microscope comes out instead. Weird homeschoolers!

I spent the day in my pajamas as well. I tried to take a nap, but couldn't because I had only taken Advil for the pain. I finally took percocet in the late afternoon when I knew that Joe would be coming home soon. Joe can tell when I have taken it and when I haven't. When I have only taken Advil, I walk like a crabbed old man.

So I made it through today. It was nice to have the boys home because they were a distraction. They are in bed now, and Joe is gone to meet up with some of the guys from church. I'm going to stream another Netflix movie and call it a day.

Ouch.

Two days post chemo. One day post Neulasta shot.

Ouch.

On the bright side, the boys are off from school tomorrow for a teachers' workshop. Spiff has a birthday party to attend, but other than that it will be a quiet day.

I'm just counting down the days until the pain is over.

Two Nights, Two Teeth

Entropy Boy lost his very first tooth last night. He lost a lower front tooth. My baby is growing up!

Tonight he came down with the next lower front tooth in his hand. Two nights, two teeth!

I wonder what he is going to do with his time now? He has been obsessively wiggling these teeth for ages!

Want to know how many miles I drove to medical appointments last year?

We're tallying it up for tax purposes.

So far the count is 1,265.4 miles. Whew!

Oh Happy Day!

Today was the LAST CHEMO TREATMENT!!! Yes, I'm shouting. Can't you here me from where you are sitting? I'm thinking Cara should be able to hear me all the way over in the Middle East!

Joe and I dropped the boys off at school (they were on a 90-minute delay due to snow) and then drove to the oncologist's office. Since we had some time to kill before the appointment, we drove over to Krispy Kreme (the only one in CT!) and picked up a dozen donuts for the nurses and staff. They were all very happy to see us when we walked in.

They drew my blood and did my counts while waiting for the doctor to arrive. All the doctors were running late due to the snow and school delays. My counts were right on the borderline, so Nurse Cheryl told me to beg the doctor to give me my last dose today instead of waiting a week. Joe told her that we had another box of donuts in the car--we could try bribing Dr. L with those. [grin]

When Dr. L got in and saw me, she agreed that I could have my last dose today and a shot of Neulasta tomorrow. I will see the radiologist to touch base with her, and start radiation about two weeks after today.

After radiation, I will come back to see Dr. L and she will start me on five years of Tamoxifen. After that is done, I will be on another drug for five years. My greatest risk for getting cancer again would be in the next year or two. My scans all looked great, however, so she doesn't see any spots that worry her.

It is hard to believe that this part is done. Joe kept asking me what I wanted to do to celebrate (besides take a nap) but I didn't want to make any plans until I actually had the IV hooked up. I was worried that my counts would be too low or something else would delay it. We picked up McDonald's on the way home, so that was our celebration dinner. [grin]

Oh, I forgot to tell you the best parts: My new BFF, the nurse-practitioner Virginia, took out my PICC line right after my treatment. Hooray! And when I went back to the treatment room, Joe was there with the boys, and each boy was holding a balloon for me. The nurses all cheered and said goodbye as we all walked out.

Joe and Spiff are at the library to pick up movies for a family movie night. Entropy Boy is playing Hot Wheels Road Race on the Wii. Hank is chasing after the ribbons hanging from the balloons. (Don't worry, I'll cut the ribbons off before I go to bed tonight so the eater-of-indigestible-things cat doesn't eat them.)

This is the song that keeps running through my mind right now:

Oh happy day (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
Washed my sins away (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day)

He taught me how (oh, He taught me how)
To wash (to wash, to wash)
Fight and pray (to fight and pray)
Fight and pray
And he taught me how to live rejoicing
yes, He did (and live rejoicing)
Oh yeah, every, every day (every, every day)
(oh yeah) Every day!

Oh happy day (oh happy day)
Oh happy day, yeah (oh happy day)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When my Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed [hits high note] (when Jesus washed)
My sins away (oh happy day)
I'm talking about that happy day (oh happy day)

B-B-Brr! It's C-C-Cold!

The boys and I woke up to 2 degrees outside. Inside, it is 63F in the kitchen. The thermostat is set to 68F, but the furnace is having a hard time keeping the main level of the house at that temp. Upstairs is warmer because, of course, the heat rises to go up there. Plus, we had warm-heat vaporizers running in bedrooms last night to help with our colds.

I'm cuddled up on the couch with a blanket (and seriously considering going to get another one) and drinking a cup of coffee. Hank is curled up in a ball, yet again. I can tell how cold he is by how tightly he curls up.

An update on my grandmother: the Lord released her from her pain last night and took her home. Please keep my mom and her siblings in your prayers. They are expecting the funeral to be on Monday, with internment in the spring (the ground is very frozen up in northern MN). Hopefully I will be able to go to the internment service then.

My internet keeps going in and out. I don't think things in CT are built for this kind of cold! We are below average temperatures for our "planting zone" right now.

Hot Baths and PICC Lines Don't Mix

Hot baths and PICC lines don't mix.

I'm just sayin'. :-/

The on-call nurse was pretty nice about it though. She was in and out to change my now-wet dressing very quickly--she even left her car running outside.

I think I'll stick to showers. . .

I'm Tired

I'm tired. That's nothing new, right? Except I didn't do anything all day. I literally sat on the couch and ate bon bons. Well, they were Hershey's kisses, but same difference. I did get off the couch at 3:30 pm to make chicken and homemade noodles, but that really shouldn't exhaust me, should it? Bah.

I went for my CBC (complete blood count) yesterday, and my numbers were high enough that I didn't need a Neupogen shot. I think my numbers were ok because I have a cold and that is stimulating my bone marrow enough, thank you very much. On the bright side, I don't have to go back until Tuesday, when they'll do the counts again to see if I'm good to go for my last chemo. I'd do a happy dance, but I'm too tired. Yawn.

They changed my dressing on my PICC line at the appointment yesterday, which means an IV nurse didn't need to come to our house today to do it. I have to flush the line yet today, and then I'm done with it until tomorrow. I did manage to wrap the PICC line area with Saran Wrap and tape all by myself yesterday so that I could shower. Go me!

A Shower is a Wonderful Thing

One drawback of the PICC line is that it is hard to shower. It can't get wet, so I've been sticking with sponge baths for the most part. Tonight though, Joe wrapped my upper arm in Saran Wrap and taped it down so that I could take a nice, hot shower. It felt sooooo good. Afterwards I flushed the PICC line again, like I do every day. So far it hasn't given me any trouble.

I still ache from the Taxol. I took Percocet this morning, and then waited until after the boys were in bed to take it again. I'm glad I can stretch it out (it only lasts 4 hours), but by the end of the day I'm trying really hard not to whimper. It's harder to distract myself from the pain at the end of the day.

As I'm typing this, Joe is doing yoga with the Wii Fit. He does the yoga regularly to stretch out his back. He says it really helps him sleep at night and get going in the morning. I'm watching him do all the stretching with envy. I don't want to pull at where they sewed me up after my port removal, nor do I want to loosen the dressing on the PICC line. Plus, I'm a little unsteady on my feet with the pain and the numbness in my toes. The last thing I need to do is attempt the Palm Tree pose and go down like the loggers are coming through. Soon though. Soon! I want to be able to stretch as well as Joe and the cat do.

On a much sadder front, my grandmother has been moved to palliative care. The doctors are just trying to make her comfortable at this point. She has been in and out of the hospital since her gall bladder surgery and has never really bounced back. She has pneumonia and her blood pressure is all over the place. She has not been eating for a while now. She was born with only one kidney, and that one is down to functioning at 12%.

The family has gathered; the pastors have met with her. I'm 1800 miles away and still on post-chemo medication for pain. I'm not sure my oncologist would even let me anywhere near an airport with the way my immune system is at the moment.

I feel so bad for my mom. She's the oldest surviving child, but my grandmother has always been the great matriarch. It has to be really hard for my mom right now, and I think it would help her for me to be there. [Sigh] This is the first thing in a long time that cancer has *stopped* me from doing.

Three Days Post-Taxol: Today is Pain Day

Ugh. I slept well, but as soon as I got up I knew today was going to be pain day. I got the boys off to school easily because I laid out their clothes, backpacks, and snacks last night before they went to bed. As soon as I got home I took a Percocet. It will wear off before I have to pick the boys up again, so I will be safe to drive them. Meanwhile, the Percocet helps me be able to do things like walk up and down stairs without wanting to sit down and cry. Not that I'm going to be walking much of anywhere. I'm going to take a nap until noon. Once I have the boys home again at 3 pm, I'm going to take another Percocet and spend the rest of the afternoon/evening on the couch.

On the bright side, tomorrow should be a better day.

Joe Finds a Billing Error # 1

So far, we've had very few problems with the bills and insurance. The doctor's offices know how to submit proper bills and Connecticare has been paying them promptly. That doesn't mean that mistakes don't happen, so it's important to review everything before you pay it. Here's one problem I recently uncovered.

Two weeks ago, the radiologist's office sent us a $279 bill for a July visit. This surprised me: why would I receive a bill 5 months after the service was rendered? I know Connecticare paid the bill--I reviewed it last year, around the time I did my first financial post.

Moreover, I couldn't understand the charges on the bill itself: the debits and credits netted out to zero, yet the bill showed a balance due. Where did the charges come from?

Connecticare's website provides a complete claim history, so I compared the bill I'd received to their transaction history. Tracing the history, it looks like Connecticare paid the claim and later denied it (perhaps on an audit review?); it was then resubmitted and paid by Connecticare. Somewhere in the process, the radiologist's office generated our bill for a "phantom" balance of portions of the charges.

I called radiologist's billing office and the clerk quickly reviewed the bill, told me it was an error and not to pay it. I'm glad I called! Had I paid the bill, I would have had a credit-balance with the radiologist until they eventually reconciled their books and refunded my money. Right now, I need the use of that $279a lot more than the radiologist does.

Always, always, review your bills and make sure you understand them before you pay!

PICC Line is IN, Plus Chemo Today

Joe and I dropped the boys off at school 5 minutes early this morning and headed up to St. Raphael's radiology dept. to get my PICC line inserted. The only delay was that they had an extra "s" in my last name and needed to change it on all my paperwork. Everyone sticks an extra "s" in our last name!

The PICC line went in smoothly and easily. It hurts a bit because it is in the underside fleshy part of my upper arm. There are stitches to hold it in place and it is all bandaged up. I'll be taking Percocet tonight because between the PICC line and the port removal wound, it is going to be hard to sleep. I've had a difficult time sleeping already because of the port removal wound, but at least I was down to Tylenol for the pain.

So far, I liked the port better than the PICC line. I'm going to have to wear button-down or zippered clothes to get my sleeves over the tubing; there goes half my wardrobe.

We drove directly to the oncologist's office and the chemo room after the PICC line placement. Joe got me settled and then went to the deli to get me a muffin for breakfast. I knitted a bit, then dozed for a bit, and then it was time for lunch. Joe went out for that too--McDonalds! I dozed a bit again. Those chairs are really uncomfortable some days. They recline, but you have to put backwards pressure on them to keep them in the reclining position. So if you really fall asleep and relax your legs, your back comes flying forward. Can't you just imagine me launching off my chair one day?


Today's chemo was the second to the last one. After the next one (or maybe before?) I have to meet with my radiologist at Yale as well as my plastic surgeon. I'll also get the PICC line removed after the last chemo.

I'm seeing the light at the end of the chemo tunnel. But I'm as tired as a runner near the end of a marathon.

No Chemo Today, But the Port is GONE!!!

Well, the oncologist wasn't happy with the tegaderm idea. She canceled chemo for today (which helped the nurses--they were running short on Taxol today) and got me into a different surgeon at my surgeon's practice. I saw Dr. Z at around 1 pm today and she took the port out in the office. She said once they are exposed to air they should really come out. Oh, and the whole scar splitting thing is actually not that common. Just another way in which I am special. [grin]

I thought that the port would just pop out when Dr. Z finished opening the scar, but it was held in there well by scar tissue. She really had to work to remove all the scar tissue in order to get it out. It is good to excel at something, but growing scar tissue wasn't really on my list of things I wanted to be good at.

Since I'm so sensitive to tape adhesives, she stitched the wound together and then put on surgical "superglue." It goes on clear and then dries purple--just the opposite of Elmer's Glue Stick. The boys are fascinated and repulsed by the result. They've each asked to see it several times.

I'm taking some of the Percoset I already have for the pain and using ice for the swelling. I'm still on the Keflex and so will continue that in case there is any low grade infection going on.

On Tuesday I'll go to St. Raphael's radiology dept to have a PICC line installed. Then I'll go to the oncologist's office to have a chemo treatment. That bumps my final treatment back about 5 days. I'm too drugged right now to be more than mildly disappointed by the delay.

Spiff's funny comment for the day: "One good thing about chemo--you don't leave any hair in the bathtub!"