Chemo.5

   I chose to title this post as  Chemo.5  since we are at the half way point in my wife's battle to overcome the cancer that has invaded her life. The treatments she has been receiving, are well underway, with all the expected side effects in place. Since the complete loss of her hair she actually seems to be adjusted to these "side effects. The first treatment seemed to be more of a mental  hurry up and wait program. She spent the majority of her time after the first treatment waiting to see what the effects would be. So far as expected she has had the hair loss, nausea, headaches and a lot of tiredness.

 

   I will say that so far she has yet to become so nauseated that she vomits. This was on of the things my wife has all but refused to accept, she swears she is going to go through the entire therapy and never vomit, and so far she has held on to that thought and has been successful in doing so. Because of this fact we have a running joke going around saying "Ma is a Gangster, not even Cancer can touch her!".

I do hope she can make it through the entire therapy just like she wants to. I think the little goals she set for herself like that tend to help her maintain a hold on what she has to do and what she needs to do in order to overcome this obstacle we call Cancer.

   There are 3 shots she must take after each treatment they are given to her (1) one a day for (3) three days. These Neupogen shots, seem to cause her more suffering than any of the other treatments involved, including the actual lumpectomy. The shots cause her severe bone pain and headaches. she has said that bone pain and nausea almost seems to trade out after the shots, then about  (5) days after the shots, pain gets a little better and the nausea tends to take back over.

Cancer in the Community

Cancer in the Community 

This post is just a simple heads up and thanks to the ones that have really been supportive and informative.

The Lydia Project

Lydia's free services are meant for women currently facing cancer. Receive support for yourself or any woman currently receiving treatment for any type of cancer anywhere in the world by using the buttons to the right to request a tote, prayer, or support.

The Challenges/Situations Lydia Addresses:

Women with cancer
Suffer with depression and feelings of isolation; are afraid to share their fears with family and friends; and seek out tools and other survivors to help them cope with their emotions during this time of crisis.

Caregivers and Loved Ones
Struggle with what to do or say to comfort the woman in their life with cancer; search for tangible signs of comfort and support to give to the cancer patient; and need a safe place to discuss their fears and emotions about their loved one.

Health care Providers
Look for places of referral for cancer patients and families to find emotional and spiritual support; desire to show compassion, empathy and community support to the cancer patient; and value practical tools that complement medical treatment.

Cancer Navigators

You received the diagnosis, and you have begun your journey. Now what...?

Maybe you have done just fine on your own until now...Or maybe you have had wonderful friends or family that have been a wonderful helping hand.

Now, Imagine someone who has been through cancer a dozen times, maybe even a hundred times.

Wouldn’t you want to know what they know? Wouldn’t you want to learn the secrets and shortcuts?

Imagine someone who wants to help you with your financial situation?

Maybe you have no insurance and you need help paying for bills, medicine or even food.

Maybe you are having trouble finding transportation to your treatments, or to the grocery store.

Imagine someone who knows the answers to all the questions you forgot to ask while you were at your appointment.

Wouldn’t it be nice to get those answers with one phone call?

Cancer Navigators is this help...

Harbin Breast Center

Harbin Clinic is a team composed of more than 200 providers and 1,400 employees in 20 locations throughout North West Georgia. But this is only part of the team. Approximately 1,000 other physicians not directly associated with Harbin Clinic from throughout North West Georgia and Alabama regularly refer patients to Harbin Clinic and collaborate on care.

Hospitals, diagnostic centers, insurance plans, and other health care organizations throughout the region coordinate services and work with Harbin cancer doctors. For patients at the Harbin Clinic Cancer Center, this broad team approach to cancer care improves outcomes.

From the development of a shared electronic medical record to the recruitment of world-class doctors, Harbin Clinic continues to provide patient-care leadership in the region.

Closing Doors???

"Sometime we concentrate on closing doors, to the point we don't see others when they open."

Sometime we concentrate on closing doors, to the point we don't see others when they open. I have heard this saying many times throughout my life yet really until rec3ently I had really not understood fully how true this really is. The discovery of my wife's cancer lead to her being able to finally receive some of the other much needed health care she has needed before the discovery. Her insurance only covers certain things and some of her problems were not covered. We have since found many systems of support in place for cancer victims and survivors. Many of these places offer counseling, financial aide, and even transportation to and from the multiple visits that are required to various health care facilities. We only took part in the programs we truly needed as not to over tax the system for others with the same needs. I can only hope others in the system try also to observe this practice in order to keep these entities in place since they do so very much good for the community they serve.

One of the other doors that opened seems to be opened since this discovery is a newly rekindled closeness to her father. Without going into great detail since our marriage my wife's father had for the most part dis-owned her. It had been over 10years since they had spoken face to face. I was very proud to have been present when he did appear at her hospital room door with a smile for her and even a few kind words. I do believe there are more "opening doors" to come and I do believe they will be very important and much needed.

Chemo begins.

First treatment in a series of 4(four) 4,30,2012 
In the visit prior to beginning her chemo therapy, we were introduced to the nurse that would be in charge of my wife's treatment throughout the entire series of treatments. I think that is a very important detail to keep the same person throughout. In all honesty this is one of the first things I have been really pleased to learn about. It seems a lot of the people providing these services really have no idea of any background or personal connection with their patients. That is not the case when your introduced into the Harbin Clinic Infusion Suites. Each case is designated one nurse, In our recent visit we were introduced my wife's case manager, "Sheri". I was very impressed with Sheri, she seems to have a lot more "REAL" experience with the patients than the doctors themselves do. One of the things I noticed most about her in relation to some of the other "professionals" we have met in this journey, is her ability to actually listen and at least try to answer the questions both my wife and myself have. I have in several instances asked questions of several of care givers we have encountered to only be given what I refer to as "pat" answers. I can say without any doubt, out of all of the others thus far involved in my wife's treatment, Sheri has never once given us a"pat" answer.

During this same visit we were told exactly what to expect from each following visit and how to prepare for them. Preparation for each visit is as important as the chemo itself. Each visit requires her to prepare by taking a powerful anti nausea medication twice a day one(1) day before, on the day of, and one(1) day after each treatment. Following each treatment she will receive one(1) shot per day for 3 to 5 days following the chemo, these shots help to increase her white blood count to aid in the healing process.

Each treatment begins with the first IV being another form of nausea medication, it takes around sixty(60) minutes for the first infusion to take place. Once the first infusion is completed then the first infusion of the actual chemo therapy medication can begin, this particular infusion takes only about thirty(30) minutes to complete. During this second infusion the nurse stays with my wife for the first (15) minutes to insure she has no ill reactions to the medication. We had been informed that around 12% of the people receiving this type of chemo therapy will have an adverse reaction that must be addressed immediately, requiring the nurses full attention be on her patient during this time. once this bag of medication is received she receivers the final infusion of the day it is the secondary part of the actual chemo therapy, this again takes around sixty(60) minutes to complete.

Upon our return home from the first treatment my wife seems to be in fair condition she, didn't really become nauseous until about 12 hours after her treatment. Thus far her side effects have been minimal, more so worry and and fear of the unknown has affected her the most.

Silent Survivors

There are a group of cancer survivors out there that go for the most part unrecognized. These survivors are the families and friends of the cancer patient. It is this unrecognized group I hope to offer some support and guidance to.

First I must say I am in no way a licensed professional in any field, let alone a healthcare professional. I am just an ordinary average guy, with a recently diagnosed wife. I never really understood the impact of this monster we call Cancer. It always seemed almost an unreal and impossible occurrence. I have since found that this monster touches many, many lives every day. There are of course the obvious hurdles that one would expect to have to overcome but I have also begum to see many new and unconsidered problems that come to light in each new stage of this journey.


I do hope to help even just one needy soul through this blog, I will say that I am not one to preach and pour religion onto problems. I do however in fact do believe highly in prayer, I do not wish to even begin to tell you which God you should pray to, or how you should do it. I understand we all have ourown personal beliefs, one of mine is to never question or change someones choice of God or belief. I will say try and stay close to whatever it is that you do believe.

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