Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Mail order Pharmacy update.

Well hello People,

I told you I would give you a video blog update when I received my chemo. Which was supposed to be by today. (Wednesday) But it didn't come! I called my doctors office yesterday and left a specific message. They called me back today and said I should have heard from the pharmacy by now. Which sort of goes against what they told me on Friday. They had said I was all set up and would have my chemo by Wednesday. At any rate, I heard from the pharmacy today. I got the impression that they had gotten into some trouble. They are over nighting me the chemo and I am supposed to get it tomorrow morning. Once I get it I will film a video to let you know what it looks like and how it makes me feel and stuff like that. This has been seriously frustrating! But as soon as I can I'll share what is happening with the Xeloda.

Thanks for stopping by,

Leslie

Monday, October 14, 2013

Mail order Pharmacy mishaps.

Hello people,

Are you well today? I sure hope you all are doing okay. I would love to hear from you about how life is in your world. Things are crazy in my world. I am expecting to start Xeloda any time now. Last Monday is when I saw the oncologist. I was supposed to receive my mail order prescription of my chemo before the end of last week in order to start it by Friday. When I hadn't gotten it by Friday I called the oncologist and the orders had not be faxed properly to CVS mail order. Not that I am in a huge hurry to start having the effects of chemo again, but I am concerned that I have this tumor growing in my heart. It is growing so fast. Well anyway. after calling them on Friday the oncologist supposedly got everything squared away with the mail order pharmacy. At this point I don't know when the medicine will arrive. I gotta say that it is pretty frustrating to have to rely on other people to take care of stuff like this and have it not work as it is supposed to. I just hope and pray it comes soon. The past few weeks have been a comedy of errors. My Pet scan not being scheduled and me showing up with no appointment. Then having the second PET rescheduled as well as having my doctor appointment scheduled and cancelled. I am starting to wonder if I picked the wrong Oncologist office. Well people that is my little tale of woe! Hahahaha. I will post a video as soon as I have begun this new treatment and know how I am doing with it.

Thanks for stopping by and reading this blog/vlog. I reached 100 people viewing last Saturday. Small number in the grand scheme of things the blogosphere. But it is amazing to me that that many people would come and read this blog. So thank you all so very much.

Leslie

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

My crazy heart and other test results

Hello people,

Are you enjoying the beautiful Fall weather where you are? It is just amazingly beautiful here in Knoxville today. I feel pretty good. I've got information to share with you all about my recent test results. Also what the action plan my oncology team has put together for me to follow. After being on Taxol/Avastin for 2 1/2 years, I have some changes in my treatment happening. I am glad to say goodbye to the side effects that this treatment has been causing me in recent months. I am very hopeful that I won't experience the side effects of the new drug plan or at least not the worst of them. I will start taking this treatment as soon as the mail order pharmacy delivers it to me. I will keep you posted on how I feel as I go through this new treatment. I'm pretty excited to not have to go to the chemo lab to receive treatment. That gives me back a bit of time lost in my life. As you can imagine time is something I highly prize. So, you will find my video update below. I will post again next week to let you know how it all goes!

Lesle

Friday, October 4, 2013

Tn fun and lots of crazy medical tests.

Hello People,

Can you even believe it is already October? Time is just flying by so fast for us. It is the most beautiful Autumn I have experienced in years. Mostly because most of my family is together. But also because it is such a beautiful time of year here in Knoxville, Tn. There is so much I want to share with you. So, I have put together a picture slide show and video update.
Let me know what you think and what sort of things are going on with you.

Leslie

Saturday, September 21, 2013

T.E.E Test.

Okay People,


This is not my normal Tuesday or Wednesday post. But so much is going on in life right now with moving and upacking and establishing myself with the new oncologist. It is all a bit crazy. I wanted to update you before life swept me away with distractions. Here is a quick little video to update you on how things are going. It isn't a whole lot of new info, but it has me a bit stressed out.

I will talk to you again on Wednesday of this week.

Leslie

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Testing, testing, 1,2,3!

Hello People!


Oh my gosh!!!! This has been a crazy busy week for me. What with moving, unpacking, and doctor visits. How has your week been? I'm hoping you are all doing well and are happy. I'm surrounded by boxes. There are only a few things I am allowed to do with all this moving and unpacking. I am not allowed to carry over 10 lbs. So, I only get to carry small, light boxes. I can unpack like a fool! Our current town house has a lot less cabinet and storage space than our previous home. So there is a lot of things that had to go back into their boxes and get put in storage. Right now we are in the process of unboxing some of the larger boxes and deciding what to keep and what to store. My mom drove back from the Colorado portion of this move with Mo. So she has been here for the past 4 days helping move, unbox and arrange! Wow, she is a hard worker. So is Mo. He drove me from my apartment in Texas and unpacked my stuff. Then turned around and went to our house in Colorado, packed and drove back with my mom. Now he is flying back to get all the stuff that wouldn't fit in the moving truck and driving back. All so that our house can be cleared before Oct 5 when it will sell. Whew!!!!! So crazy busy!

While all of this has been going I have gone to my new TN oncologist. I really found her to be a very straight forward Dr. She ordered a lot of tests after talking to me and examining me. She really really listened to me, and took a detailed, exacting history. When she examined me, I told her "I am concerned about all the swelling in my body" I have so much swelling in my feet and hands. That is a side affect of the avastin/taxol. They have been causing me to spill protein in my urine for a while off and on. This may be causing kidney damage. I showed her this picture that seemed to make an impact on her.


This in an image of the impression Sadie left on my very swollen leg after just a few minutes of standing on my leg in the car. Now keep in mind that she is a mini dachshund that only weighs 8 lbs. Not heavy enough for a dent of her paw print to be left in anyone's leg. So I was pretty dang swollen. The oncologist took a look at this and got very concerned. She examined me and felt that my swelling was excessive. She could hear fluid in my lungs and found that to be concerning. She spoke with my daughter Anna and I in a private conference room and explained that she felt the swelling could also be a result of the protein spilling situation. It would cause a build up of fluid around my heart. So she ordered an echo cardiogram, a bone density test (since it has been 3 years since I have had had one) a mammogram, and my Pet scan. I have had all of those tests done, except the Pet scan. I go for that tomorrow morning. The oncologist will speak with me at my next appointment to discuss test results and let me know what course of treatment she recommends based on those results. She did mention possibly discontinuing taxol/avastin and just keeping me on hormone suppression. It is her experience that it is better to treat chemo and hormone suppression separately to better determine which of the treatments are causing your body to go into remission. I am currently taking all three. ( taxol/avastin and femara) Yay! I would love to go off of chemo and only take hormone suppression.

Based on my previous Pet scan, I am in remission. Or as Doc Costa put it, "My cancer is under control" But he wanted to keep me on chemo because previously I went off treatment during a brief remission. Going off chemo caused the cancer to come back a short six weeks later. Honestly I can see both doctors reasoning. I just want to be a cancer patient that feels well enough to function through normal routines, without swollen body parts, excessive fatigue and shortness of breath. I will have that scan tomorrow. As soon as I know the results and my treatment plan, I will let you all know.

Thank you all for reading this super long and excruciatingly detailed post. More video blogs will be coming soon!!!! See ya then.

Leslie

Trodelvy trial failed.