Dem Bones

Today I got the first infusion to counterbalance the osteoporosis caused by Anastrozole. 

There was the option to get a one hour infusion or a quick shot. It shouldn't be surprising to anyone to learn that the costs associated with each option were VASTLY different. And that it took WEEKS of conversations with various people to get them to tell me which one would be cheaper for ME on the bottom line. No one seemed to get why knowing these details would drive my decision. Turns out the shot was going to cost me about $4,000 each time, while the infusion was going to be $1,700ish. 

Infusion it is!

The bonus? I got to spend the day in my favorite infusion center, chatting with my favorite nurses and "favorite pharmacy gal." It was like Old Home Week.

The downside? This infusion SUCKS. And it makes me feel like I'm having chemo all over again.

Now that I know this information, I will schedule this infusion better next time...so that I don't have to go back to work the next day. And so that I don't ruin my weekend.

48 hours from start to finish of feeling crappy and then it's gone. 

Good to know.

Bone Scan Aftermath

While I was training for the Iron Girl, I noticed that my knees really hurt while I was running (or rather, attempting to run). And some runner friends suggested that it was my shoes, or my lack of training, but none of those felt like the real answer. As it turned out, I ended up walking the run portion of the triathlon, and I survived.

But I was having some major pain and couldn't really figure out why.

At the end of August, I went to the next of my "every 4 month" appointments and mentioned this joint pain (and other symptoms) to my oncologist. Who kinda laughed while saying, "well, duh." Because all of the symptoms that I'm sitting in her office complaining about are all listed side effects of Anastrozole, which is the med that I'm taking every day instead of Tamoxifen. 

(For those that haven't heard me tell the story, Tamoxifen was making me insane. Actually, certifiably insane. Wanting to run people over with my car and I'd get away with it insane. I stopped taking it cold turkey after six months and DEMANDED she give me something else. Hence, how I ended up on Anastrozole).

Now, I am so far into this process that I don't actually look up most things online, especially side effects of medicines that I'm supposed to take. Tamoxifen was making me crazy and Anastrozole didn't. Enough said. I could live with almost anything else. But once she had said this I did go home and look up all the side effects. WOW, what a list. And YES, this is pretty much how I feel. Super.

Serious side effects:

• sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;
• sudden severe headache, confusion, problems with vision, speech, or balance;
• a bone fracture;
• swollen glands;
• feeling short of breath;
• nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
• swelling in your hands or feet; or
• severe skin reaction -- fever, sore throat, swelling in your face or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain, followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the face or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling.
• Less serious side effects may include:

Less serious side effects:

• numbness, tingling, cold feeling, or weakness in your hand or wrist;
• problems with your fingers while gripping;
• hot flashes;
• joint pain or stiffness;
• depression, mood changes, sleep problems (insomnia);
• cough, sore throat;
• thinning hair;
• mild nausea, vomiting; or
• back pain, bone pain.

Again, super.

So, the doctor decides that I need a bone scan because of the risk of osteoporosis in patients on Anastrozole. Can I just say, EASIEST scan EVER. Why can't everything be like that?!

And, I just received the results of the scan. Which probably should not have surprised me. Because it's bad. OSTEOPOROSIS...to such a degree that calcium and vitamin D are "not going to make a dent." So now I get to have a twice a year infusion of some drug that will hopefully counteract the bone loss. Yippee, more infusions. 

And I will start these in January because they are, of course, EXPENSIVE. And I'd like to at least get one of them covered by insurance per year. Good times, indeed.

Cancer...the gift that keeps on giving...

What Week Was This?

One of the hardest things about chemo is that you have to get up and get ready every week knowing what you are in for: a long day of BORING, being poked and prodded, and then all the icky side effects that are headed your way in the days to come. Weeks start to blend together and all look alike. 

Today is another chemo day, but I'm not really sure which one this is as I'm sitting in this chair. Blame it on chemo brain, blame it on the fact that I am completely over this whole process. I think this is week 13? Yeah, let's run with that..."Lucky 13" it is!

It's actually not a bad day, all things considered. 

(1) The view from the window is sunny (though with some encouragement from a friend I am going to start figuring out how to be outside in the sun while getting chemo. I think it might involve some kind of superhero battery backpack as the IV set-up requires electrical...or a REALLY long extension cord). 

(2) Keith is on his way back here with my lunch. I really should be a paid Subway endorser because that's all I eat.

(3) I actually LOST THREE POUNDS this week. See several of my previous posts for my issues with that. Now I have proof that it was the steroids. Yeah for week 2 without them!

Now, if only the port would cooperate and give up blood for the labs so we could get this process started, the day would be complete. This is the third week in a row that they've had issues with the port, so I fear what this means for future weeks. But, we'll think about that another time.

And I clearly might have to write a post about how to behave if you are a visitor in the hospital since there is a VERY ANNOYING GUY talking LOUDLY on his cell phone outside my infusion room. I appreciate that he moved away from his friend/family member's "room" when taking his "very important call." However, he moved right outside MY room (which, keep in mind, doesn't have a door) to talk...for a long time...and I have headphones on and can still hear him. I am considering running him over with my IV stand. Bad. Hospital. Etiquette. Monumentally Bad!

Allergic to Tape? Of Course I Am!

Because it has become quite a comedy of errors on chemo days, I thought I would post about my latest adventure.

Friday was my second round of Taxol, which is honestly WAY better than the AC dosing that I was getting. It is SUPPOSED to take about an hour for the infusion, plus 15 minutes or so for pre-meds, plus about 30 minutes for lab work. So, all told, I am only supposed to be there for two hours TOPS. At least, that's what they keep promising. Hasn't ever lived up to that. This past week was the kicker: arrived at 10:30am...left the hospital at 4:15pm. I wish that was a joke.

One of the biggest snafus that day was my allergic reaction to...medical tape? Band aids? The infusion needle stabbed into my port? I'm not sure, but it was immediate and painful and caused MASSIVE delays as I threatened to rip out my port.

Here's what I looked like about 10 hours after the reaction:

You can't really see the port in this picture, but it was so red it appeared to be on FIRE! And here I thought I'd have to save Allicia Keys' "Girl on Fire" for a Music Monday during radiation. Maybe not, because I was truly on fire.

Thanks to several people who have offered suggestions to solve the problem this week. Will let you know what works!