Friday, December 18, 2015

And Things Do Change Fast.

I did extremely well with the lower dose of Gemzar through the use of Hyperthermia.  Wonderful!

But I had to get a traditional dose of Gemzar just one week later.  Now, hold on.  I am positive that I vomited my toes up.  I am so weak and really pretty depressed after what this session of chemo has done to me.  The protocol is to get the Gemzar once a week for three weeks and then take a week off. At this point, we are not sure if I can take it two weeks on and two weeks off.  Maybe a can take a dose once a month and that at a reduced rate.

Additionally, I have had fluid drained from my abdomen 4 times since I have been here.  It is not that different than the protocol in the U.S.  Except for one old doctor that showed up whose training did not include any kind of numbing medication.  He could have had be bight down on a nail or something.  It took two nurses to hold me down.  We got the job done, but I hope that doctor understood what I thought of him in my southern English vernacular.

I am returning home with a very heathy liver and a very healthy lymph system.  It takes some time to see if the chemo is the right one for this cancer.  However, I remain unable to eat or drink anything.  This is a depressing state of affairs since Christmas is coming up and all of my favorite dishes will be served.

It has been suggested that I puree the food.  But I can not even get water through.  It will sit in my tummy for a short amount of time and then come right back up.

All I want for Christmas is for my cancer to go away!  There are so many around the world that are suffering far worse, but my reality for me is very difficult for me to deal with right now.

Keep Praying.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

I Almost Lost My Marbles!

As you now know, I made it through the renewal of my lymphatic system and my immune system is in fighting shape.  The Extreme Hyperthermia comes with very few side effects.  The Doctors in Germany agreed on the same chemo as the doctors in the U.S.  This is important so that I can go between Germany & the U.S. for treatments without conflict.  We chose a bit of a strong dose of Gemzar that came with some pretty strong Nausea that lasted only one evening.  This is a far cry from the week/s or so of nausea and vomitting that I suffer from the traditional chemo infussions in the U.S.

Chemo and cancer has compromised my production of blood cells.  You know that it wrecked my white blood cell count for a while and that is how I ended up in Germany.  Well, now it is wrecking my red blood cell count.  This causes extreme exaustion and can also become very dangerous.  Transfussions of red blood cells are the best way to combat this in the short run.  I quickly became lethargic and was barely able to walk or sit up on my own.  So, no big deal...right?  Just a few units of blood and I will be back up and running.  NOT QUITE!

Tough little Cheryl had a panic attack that would not go away.  I could rationalize the necesity, safety, etc. of having the infussions, but something simply freaked me out about it.  So after I talked them into sedating me through the procedure and covering the blood with a towel, two units of blood later and I am feeling better.

I can watch open heart surgeries on t.v., I can watch needles go in and out of my veins and I can almost enjoy a root canal, but this...  I prayed for strength, handed it over to God and sent satan to where he belongs and I still needed medication to get me through this.

As you can see, I still desperately need your prayers, even for the little stuff.  Thank you!

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Great Success?

I complete my second round of Extreme Hypothermia here in Germany.  I am sorry to say that it took a week to fix what the doctors in America screwed up between treatments.  They managed to shut down my lymphatic system which caused extreme swelling all over my body.  If you have been reading my blog you will know that extreme pain put me in the hospital.  All though the doctors did what they were trained to do...pump pain killers and antibiotics in me...it put me on death's door.  The American docs discussed that I have from 2 months to 6 months to live and at some point told my family that I had only days left.  They sent me home with nutrition in a bag that I would have to feed myself through a port, every day.

Of course, I had resigned myself to settle down and let God take me.  After one hell of a faith and fight lecture from daughter, we re-booked the flight tickets to Germany that we had cancelled and we made it back to Germany only about 5 days later than originally planned.  After about a day of treatment, I felt much better.  After a few days of treatment the lymphatic drainage treatment started working.  After a few more days I was ready for the big guns, again.  Based on how I felt a week ago (throwing up blood, etc.) I am experiencing a MIRACLE.

The doctors were amazed that I did not even have to have any anethesia.  I stripped my clothes off and hopped up on that machine.  About 13 hours later I feel like a new person.

Prognosis from previous treatment to now....See Next Post!