View from a Cancer Patient

My cancer treatment went okay yesterday. I didn't get as sick as I did the first time that I had this treatment 1 1/2 years ago. My blood pressure did drop but not dangerously low like before. I got the chills and achey but no vomiting. Yay!
I took my camera with me yesterday to the cancer center. I thought I would capture a couple of shots from the cancer patient's point of view.

In the parking lot

The view out the treatment center's window. Nice view, it's a shame you can't see it from the chairs we sit in during infusions.

The view from my chair I sat in all day. Not many people were there at first.

Then more people came in for chemo and the chairs began to fill up as I lay back in the recliner fighting the drowsy haze that I am in.

Looking down at my IV site in my hand.

Then looking up at my IV pole holding the magic drug flowing into my body that will kill many white blood cells that became confused and instead of fighting illness became a cancer. Unfortunately it can not kill all of these cells but enough to buy me more time.

Looking up at my ever faithful husband who is by my side, listening to his tunes on his MP3 player.

Back to Reality

I had a great vacation with my husband and kids!
Thank you to everyone for the comments and emails sent letting me know they are thinking of me. It means so much to me!
We arrived home late last night and tomorrow it is back to reality. The kids go back to school and I go to the cancer center for my first infusion.
I hope to share some images from my trip this week and will update on how things go tomorrow as soon as I am feeling up to it.
Sending much love to all who read this!

follicular non-hodgkins lymphoma update

I had a scan done earlier this month and the day after Christmas I went to see my oncologist. The scan showed the cancer is growing. This was not a huge surprise to me since I have been feeling lymph nodes popping up in my neck and clavical.
I will be starting treatment Jan. 12th, right after we come home from a vacation that we have had planned for nearly a year now. I will be doing 4 more rounds of weekly Rituxan immunotherapy infusions. Since I am in a clinical trial this is the route we will go. I could pull out of the trial and go a different route but I feel pretty confident that this is a good way to go and I am a firm believer that clinical trials are important. However, if I felt there was definitely a better way to go then I would pull out and do that.
Unfortunately, there is no sure fire way to go with this cancer. No matter what you do, it will grow again. The treatments will knock it back only to grow again, as of now, there is no cure. So, this is the road I will continue down until Rituxan stops working at knocking it back for me, then it will be on to much harsher methods of chemo. Radiation and surgery are not an option for me since the cancer is through my whole lymph system.
I am hoping I will get more then 18 months with this round of treatments. So, please think of me and pray for me on the 12th of January. The first infusion is the roughest as I had some scary side effects last time. Hopefully it will go smoother this time.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas

On the twelfth day of Christmas

Do not give to me

Twelve eggs cracking,

Eleven cans for recycling,

Ten ice cubes melting,
Nine papers crumpled,
Eight Care Bears baking,
Seven tater totters,
Six bananas rotting,
Five shoooooe strings,
Four doggy turds,
Three styrofoam heads,
Two tattered gloves,
and a scale so that you can weigh me!

I hope you enjoyed my silly song, 12 days of Christmas of things not to give to Jane. It was a fun little project to do.

I wish all my readers....friends, family, clients...all a wonderful holiday! Be blessed.

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas

On the eleventh day of Christmas

Do not give to me

Eleven cans for recycling,

Ten ice cubes melting,

Nine papers crumpled,

Eight Care Bears baking,

Seven tater totters,

Six bananas rotting,

Five shoooooe strings,

Four doggy turds,

Three styrofoam heads,

Two tattered gloves,

and a scale so that you can weigh me!

On the Tenth Day of Christmas

On the tenth day of Christmas

Do not give to me

Ten ice cubes melting,

Nine papers crumpled,

Eight Care Bears baking,
Seven tater totters,
Six bananas rotting,
Five shoooooe strings,
Four doggy turds,
Three styrofoam heads,
Two tattered gloves,
and a scale so that you can weigh me!

On the Ninth Day of Christmas

On the ninth day of Christmas

Do not give to me

Nine papers crumpled,

Eight Care Bears baking,

Seven tater totters,

Six bananas rotting,

Five shoooooe strings,

Four doggy turds,

Three styrofoam heads,

Two tattered gloves,

and a scale so that you can weigh me!