Eating to Live, Not Living to Eat

 Friday, February 15, 2013

I am planning that the NEXT post will have a picture of me on it. Right now, I don't have anyone to take the picture, my "office", in which resides the computer my photos are on (I'm not going to put them on this laptop) is being occupied by a very special lady. I also have a very special reason for waiting, and you all will just have to wait, too. 

So, the new news in the recovery process, is that Tuesday, we went to Omaha to meet with the swallow therapist to see how things are going. I wrote down some of the things I have eaten and told her about them, too. It's pretty exciting to be able to say I've eaten cake and pie (smooshed up with ice cream) and that I've tried ham and chicken, and meatloaf, and shrimp. Soup is a life saver, because I can get it down when I don't feel like eating. 

Because, sometimes I don't feel like eating. It is boring. Things don't taste bad, they just don't have much taste. I used to LOVE eating; things always tasted so good. I loved eating to the extent that I weighed more pounds than I care to admit before surgery. I started to lose some of that before surgery because it was getting harder to eat. I couldn't breathe through my nose very well. I've lost more learning to eat again, and I'm down to m limit. I set myself a certain amount to eat on my plate and make myself eat it. I drink a glass of milk with revery meal, for the extra calories. Some meals I don't want to face food at all and drink an ensure. But, I'm being careful. I have to eat to have stamina, I have to eat to keep alive. I need some Culver's custard to help with that, too. 

For lunch we had beef and noodles. They were a little drier than some food I've eaten but with drinking milk after every bite, very doable. I felt like I was eating "real" food, food that everybody else was eating, not some I made especially for me. the upside to this, is that I found it ready made in the freezer, so it was easy to heat and eat, since we have company. 

The therapist was very pleased with my progress, I've met all my goals, swallowing, chewing, eating out, and eating in front of other people. She planned I would meet my goals in March, and I was done a month early. I am finished with therapy!! YAY!! In fact, she was so pleased she called the doctor in to show me off. (We hadn't planned to see him that day.) So, we had a little celebration

 all together. And then, Jim and I went out to eat at Valentino's.

I had big ideas last spring to go all through the house and tidy and de-clutter and throw away. Instead I took a trip down Cancer Way. So, I'm slowly working on some things now. The bathroom that was full of medicine and other medical paraphernalia (did you know that word has two "r's" in it, I didn't) is now pared down to only the stuff that is being used now. 

I've started on my bedroom, which has been a dumping ground for stuff for too long. I hung up lying around clothes and sorted our our dresser. Jim helped me clean the bathroom closet, and we took bags of stuff to the good will, that had been there for months. It is starting to fell up again as I sort. I won't wait as long for taking them away as I did before. 

I use my sitting down, resting time to knit and crochet. What fun it is to make things again. 

3 comments:

The J's said...

Shelley, it makes me SO happy to read this!

Wonderful, just wonderful! (and I so appreciated Dorothy's comment on you last (I think?) post!

February 15, 2013 at 10:18 PM

Renee said...

This post brought happy happy smiles. To think of you knitting again is perfectly splendid!

February 17, 2013 at 8:25 PM

Anita said...

Your comment about loving food really hit home with me. Food is such a special thing...I can't imagine what it's like for you now - ot have to eat to live, but notj really getting pleaseure out of your food. 

And - congrats on successfully completely your terapy. That's one mroe steip on the road to leaving cancer behind you! Our friend and co-worker here was diagnosed this winder with cancer and it us (me, at any rate) quite hard. We've had a lot of cancer conversations since then but the one that remember best is someone quoting another breast cancer survivor who said: In retrospect, m cancer was nothing more than a speed bump. I found it hard to comprehend that she could look at it like that...but it was also quite encouraging (thinking of my friend here). I hope that the day comes for you, too, when you'll look back on what amounts to a speed bump! xo

March 5, 2013 at 6:44 AM

I Can't Smell But I Can Hear

 Friday, February 8, 2013

Once in a very great while I struggle with my taste and smell issues, but usually not for very long. Especially now that I am finding things that I think taste good when I eat them. I just don't think about it. I push the "oh, I will never smell that again" out of my mind for the most part, or else, take a little time to smell in my brains and think how I appreciated what I could smell back then. Another good exercise is to remember some others who are struggling with far worse issues than no smelling. 

Actually, I do smell a little bit, but the kind of smelling this is, so the doctors say, is a chemical reation in the brain no a stimulation of the olfactory nerve which makes a true smell. For example, Kleenex has a smell, and so does the inside of my nose once in a while. Ammonia is another "smell", maybe I should say odor, that really isn't a smell at all. It's the chemical reaction thingy again. 

\And I can smell that for sure. 

Anyway, about the hearing bit. I went in this afternoon to have the ENT doctor evaluate my ears and hopefully but tubes in to relieve the pressure from the fluid behind my ear drums. My Omaha doctor recommend this after three months of no improvement and my hearing was getting worse.

In fact, it was so bad these two weeks I couldn't hear Jim when he was sitting next to me at the table speaking in a normal tone of voice. So after a hearing test to make sure the nerves weren't damaged, I have the tubes put in right there in the office. It isn't exactly a pleasant experience either. Although, I've had plenty of worse ones. I am getting a big tired of being poked around on. The ear drum is numbed before they put the tube in, but in order to numb it, well...that part hurts. The 10 seconds or so they took to put the numbing medicine in took a long time, and I wasn't so keen to have it done the second time. 

But, as soon as the fluid was suctioned out and the tube in, I could tell a big difference. It was no longer like listening to people through a fog.

I wondered when I got home now much hearing normal things would bother me. They don't bother me, but it is like..."oh, I hear the refrigerator running", and my skirt swishing, and...did you know toilet paper makes a noise when you handle it?

Well, it does.

It is really nice to hear people when they are talking a room away. I just hope my Eustachian tubes decide to open back up again after awhile, although we were just informed that this a very normal after radiation and they may or may not open up again. Errgh.

I wonder ow many more surprises there are in store.

5 comments:

The J's said...

Lots of things that we take for granted and don't think about surgery/meds etc. affecting those parts either. It does make us realize how much worse some have it tho', and I'm sure to simply appreciate life, too. 

February 8. 2013 at 6:26 PM

Darcie said...

Hope you can hear this...YOU have inspired me by your courage through all you have faced this last while. That has come through so loud and clear to all that have watched you. Hear is to hearing. :-)

February 9, 2013 at 4:01 PM

Renee said...

It's just SO nice to have you up and "running" again. What I mean is...new Blog posts...and FB posts...that are JUST like the Shelley we know and love. YaY!

February 11, 2013 at 10:13 AM

Anita said...

3 cheers for hearing!

(PS-I enjoyed the dream recounts on the last post!)

February 12, 2013 at 8:48 AM

Dorothy said...

I just keep going back and rereading your recent posts; now nice to have your observations once again! Your non-wordsmith SIL can't even being to describe how good it is! However...the long absence of posts helped me understand a phase of cancer treatment that I totally did not even twig to until now...with my apologies to Bon for being so unaware, a few years back, of what can happen after treatment is finished. Since your "Getting Back to Normal" post, I've talked to a number of people who have had treatment, and everyone of them have agreed that there is a whole gamut of feelings that range from a feeling of isolation to depression to paranoia. So...besides just the pleasure we all get from your compelling essays or whatever you call them...you have let some of us in on how it really is, and hopefully we ca be more perceptive in our encounters with other, in the future.

Happy Day after Valentine's Day!

February 15, 2013 at 10:49 AM

A Milestone

 Thursday, February 7, 2013

Today really is a milestone for me. This morning, I presented myself in the surgery center at 6:30 am and was prepped for the first surgery of the day with my surgeon to have my feeding tube and port removed. I am SO happy to have the extra hardware O-U-T! My port never did work well. If is was used again after a few days had passed, it would be plugged up with a fibrous membrane over the little tube in my vein and had to be de-clogged with a $500 medicine. Every time chemo started up again, we would have to wait an extra half hour for the medicine to open up the catheter tube so we could begin. In face, one time, the started me on the IV for a jump start. Because of that, the port was only used for the chemo, all the other blood draws were done by the normal poke in the vein method. You know, I am tired of being poked.

Taking the tube out is really a very simple process. They just pull itj out. They usually just do that in the office. It gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it, so I am very glad that I could have it done at the same time as the port removal. They don't even stitch it up. The hole in the stomach will seal up in less than eight hours and the outside one in about 48. They don't put a stitch in because of infection since the hole has had access to the outside of the body. 

Since the port was clear under the skin, it took a little longer with stitches being used inside. They just put steri-strips on the outside which wear off in time, no stitches needing taken out. 

I am now learning what I can eat, and what I can't, what tastes good and what doesn't. My mouth is still very senstive and anything spicy or acidy hurts. so I am going for bland foods. I try new things to see how they work and I am learning to chew again. Mostly, if a food is bland and wet I can eat it. Thinks like canned pears, cottage cheese, chicken noodle soup, cheesy broccoli soup, potatoes, carrots and canned peas in white sauce. 

Meat doesn't work very well yet. It is all about learning to manage food and my tongue all over again. However, I am making progres in this area in leaps and bounds and I'm working on volume. I did lose some more wight during this process, but I don't want to lose too much. And with food comes strength.

There are some funny things that have happened in this recovery process. I was going ot do a separate post about some dream I had during chemo, but I think I'll just put them here:

Two really funny things from my chemo brain

Saturday afternoon I heard Lynette's voice as I was waling from a nap, eyes still closed, and I thought, "It must be 4:00 Lynette is home from school wow, I've had a two hour nap." When I sat up, the clock said only 3:00. I started to sputter as well as I could with my limited speaking skills, to ask why Lynette was home from school so early. My mom and Lynette looked at me in utter disbelief as they announced, "This is Saturday!"

I went back to my nap.

One night, I poked Jim in my sleep and he woke up and asked it I wanted something I shook my head and we went back to sleep and I poked him again! He asked again if I wanted something and I didn't. I happen a third time and Jim was really awake this time and asked why I kept poking if I didn't need anything. I was awake too, and I think this was what was going on, I was dreaming that Jim was saying, "If you need something, let me know." And I was "letting him know", all in my dream. Since it was all a dream we both went back to sleep and there was no more poking. 

Another really strange thing that happened was when the hair on my arms and legs was starting to grow back in. One day, I noticed bumps all over my arms and legs. Looking closely I saw little round circles just under the skin. It looked like ingrown hairs and I poked at one with a pair of tweezers. Sure enough, here the hairs were growing round and round just under the skin. I pulled some out with the tweezers and otherwise just scratched or rubbed the rest. I think they are eventually working out themselves as time goes on. 

And yes, I know you people would liie to see a picture of me with my hair on, but i won't take the time today. I'd like to have a picture taken before it gets any longer and it curls. At least, it is supposed to and m sister-in-law gave me tips on how to help it when it gets a little longer. It is long enough, (a little over an inch) that it sometimes needs combed down. 

Especially my crown that want to stick up, combing or no combing.

I mentioned in my last cancer post how long it is taking for recovery. My family felt like it was taking too long, and I was despairing of every feeling normal again. Even the doctors said it was taking me longer than they expected. However, it is supposed to take a long time. There are things that we didn't consider, that the effects of chemo and radiation can take a year before they are better. The main things I am dealing with now, is lack of saliva and taste, and fatigue. The lack of taste makes it hard for me to want to eat. The fatigue is the result of radiation to the frontal lobe of my brain and could last up to a year. The taste issue will get better in time and we just have to wait and see about the saliva.

However, this week I have been feeling really good. I've been putting some extra effort into getting things done. I've been splitting a couple of hours between house work and office work int eh morning. AFter which I am really pretty tired so I can sit down and rest before lunch getting that out of the way and resting again before making supper. I'm pretty tired by the time to go to bed, and I'm really not doing a whole lot, but I have to make a start. 

This feeling like a disjointed post, but sometimes life is like that.

February 7, 2023 - The port site was completely under the skin on my upper left chest. To use it, a good sized hooked needle was poked through the skin into whatever was under there to access the catheter tube. I was given some pain killer lotion to rub on, but by the time all the nonsense of opening the tube was finished, it was worn off and the nurses never seemed to care. Probably, I should have said something. I was truly tired of being poked.

About the feeding tube, they told me if it every comes out it would need to be replaced in that eight hour window, or it would close up.

4 comments:

The Chairman's Wife said...

Good news from you! Happy continued recovery!

February 7, 2013 at 9:20 PM

Bonita Sure said...

Wow! Sounds just like my sister-in-law again! So glad you could ditch the extra appendages. And the best part is that you don't NEED them either. 

February 8. 2013 at 10:04 AM

The J's said...

I am so happy to read this! I love having you able to feel like connecting again on blog and FB. It's really been quite the year but I think it sounds like you're doing great. Hopefully a longer/slower recovery time will mean helping you not to over-do it. 

Thankfulness is a wonderful thing.

February 8, 2013 at 4:57 PM

Anita said...

Glad you got the tube and port out. I have an abdominal surgical drain pulled like you described...while I tried not to watch. Thankfully, it was very fast, but it was an odd sensation. It was amazing how fast the hole healed. Our bodies are pretty amazing!

February 12, 2013 at 8:46 AM

Getting Back to Normal

 Tuesday, January 29, 2013

I know it has been a ridiculously long time since I posted. I started blogging about m cancer journey as therapy and later as a possible help to someone else. That part has been niggling at my conscience lately. However, part of cancer recovery is waht happens when trying ot fit back into normal life. It's a strange thing, after focusing entirely on oneself for so long, it is time to think about other people and other things. It is a disconcerting feeling tryinto to find what your place will be in the new life ahead. I can't really remember anymore exactly all I felt, and it is very hard to describe, but I got depressed, frightened of the dark, and discouraged by how long it was taking to get better. 

I didn't want to write these things, so I didn't post. 

However, life goes on, and the depression is past, I can sleep in the dark again, and I only sometimes get discouraged on how long this is going to take to get better.

So, where I left off at the end of October, I spent November working on swallowing water. My mucus was mostly gone and my mouth was dry so I used a little spray bottle to keep my mouth moist and comfortable. Salivary glands are affected by chemotherapy and radiation, and take a while to recover. They keep your mouth wet without you thinking about it. However, we will have to wait several months to know whether mine have been totally destroyed. The amount of radiation they subjected my jaws and throat to, was right at the maximum to permanent destruction. So, I am hoping that there will be some salvaged from the wreck. 

I gave up working on swallowing sometime in there because it was just hurting me too badly. I wasn't feeling that my therapist was helping at all and I just gave up. Like I said before, I was rushing things a bit. Then finally in December, a wonderful thing happened. My throat stopped hurting. I could think about something else besides my throat. I didn't have to try to stop myself swallowing. I began to feel human again, instead of just a sore throat. That month's trip to see the Omaha doctor was a ground breaking one. I was smiling and my mucus had diminished to the point I could like comfortably for the MRI.

Another great thing was getting connected to the swallow therapist there at Methodist who works specifically with head and neck cancer patients. She was hired to work out a plan to help people with swallowing problems after radiation. She was cheerful, encouraging and helpful. She made me believe I would be swallowing and even eating again. 

I started with drinking  mL of ice water, five times in a row, five times a day for two weeks. Then we had another appointment with another modified barium swallow study with proved I should be able to swallow anything to the thickness of pudding. So, I began to eat. Yogurt, applesauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, pureed sweet potatoes and carrots. I was still tube feeding a couple of ensures a day, and looking to get my tube out in February.

The January doctor appointment, which included a visit with the swallow therapist, and a PET/CT scan, involved a clean out of my sinus cavity, (which is an every appt. thing, likely for the rest of my life), and ecstatic session with the therapist who wants me to chew soft foods and gave me permission to schedule the tube removal. 

I had the PET scan that afternoon, and it is the one where you can't eat sugar or carbs for 24 hours before the scan and nothing except water for 6 hours before. a radioactive sugar is injected into a vein and I have to wait quietly for an hour the the stuff to distribute itself over the body. You can't play with a phone or read or do anything with repetitive motions because the sugar will collect there and could mask a problem because the sugar also goes to where the cancer cells are. Then the scan is done. It is similar to an MRI, but there isn't anything directly over your face. It's more open and not to claustrophobic feeling. And thankfully, shorter. 

So, that brings us up to today. My tube is really bother me, my ears (which have been stuffed due to fluid behind my ear drums so I can hard hear) are worse this week, but I have appointments make to fix them. February 7th, I have my tube and port out. The 8th I consult with the ENT to have tubes put in my ears, the 12th I go to see the therapist again, and the 13th I have an eye appointment. And, finally, on the 18th, I see my chemo Dr. again. I have clothes in the dryer, made lunch and kelp the fire going. I have also spent the greater part of the day sitting on the couch. There are parent teacher conferences tonight. So, my life it a mix of busyness and sitting around.

Thanks for sticking by me. 

9 comments:

Brenda said...

You have been in my thoughts SO much!!!! I need to just WRITE a letter! Glad you are doing better, I was afraid it was a tough time for you since there weren't any posts. Shame on me for not writing! Truly sorry, and so happy for you that things are looking up.

January 29, 2013 at 4:14 PM

The Chairman's Wife said...

So great to hear from you again! We hear via your relative, but nicer from you directly! Which you knew how many times you come to mind. You sound like you are making progress. Keep moving forward!! We are rooting for you!

January 29, 2013 at 4:48 PM

farmermarvswife said...

So glad to see a post again...have been wondering how youj are doing...and sending little messages of encouragement...glad it sounds like progress is being made...keep encouraged! A friend, Minnie

January 29, 2013 at 10:38 PM

The J's said...

So glad to hear from you again! Glad there has been some face-to-face visits in-between :)

January 30, 2013 at 11:59 PM

Heidi said...

Good to catch up with you again!

Thinking of you...

January 31, 2013 at 9:56 AM

Darcie said...

So glad for the update. I sometimes retreat when things are hard, too. I think we all have to work our our struggles, emotions and such, the way that works best for us. I hope you continue to see signs of improvement, and remind yourself everyone's recovery is not the same...sometimes it just takes time to heal. Hope you are having sunny days in your corner of the world, to help chase those blue days away. (((hugs)))

January 31, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Renee said...

Ohhh! Enjoyed a post from you again!!

January 31, 2013 at 9:32 PM

Mrs. MacOlsson said..

Lovely to hear from you, and wonderful news on all the progress. Greetings from Sweden.

February 1, 2013 at 2:28 PM

Anita said...

'Recovery process' doesn't even begin to cover it, does it? All the things I simply wouldn't have thought of and can't imagine. Big fat hugs!!!

February 12, 2013 at 8:40 AM

Adjusting

 Saturday, December 8, 2012

It's been a long time since anything ahs been posted here so if anyone is wondering, we are all still among the living. In fact, Mom is doing much better. She has been sleeping less during the day and doing some laundry along with other small chores. Mom even gets up to make me breakfast in the morning, which is quite nice. No one can make pancakes quite like Mom. :) She also has gotten a new swallow therapist who specializes in radiation cases. The therapist is in Omaha, but the experience of the therapist greatly outweighs the drive. Mom's only complaint is that she is finding it a bit hard to adjust back to normal life, which is why she hasn't been blogging. In other news, Lorene got a new job at a nursing home, which she loves and Zane turns four at the end of the month. 

A lot changes in four years.

-Lynette

P.S. Mom's latest MRI came cack clean! :)

December 8, 2022 -- This is the only photo of me without my hair. At the time Zane said I was a

"super-hero" and everyone thought that was a remarkable thing for a 3 1/2 year old to say, but later he said it was because I was bald, and super heroes all are, too, your know with those close fitting hood things that they wear on their head. 

12 comments:

The Chairman's Wife said...

So nice to hear again and wonderful news on the good MRI!! Still think of you all very often!

December 8, 2012 at 9:50 PM

Oleva said...

Sweet of you to post, Lynette. Have been looking and wondering. Great to see the pictures, too. Glad for a "clean" MRI-----wish the healing, recouping etc. would go faster, but glad for hope that can happen. We continue to think of you all with love and care. 

Carl and Oleva

December 8, 2012 at 10:14 PM

John and Sandy Linder said...

Oh so happy for the clean report!

December 8, 2012 at 11:33 PM

Renee said...

Thanks for the update! Love to all of ya!!!

December 9, 2012 at 3:45 PM

MEJ said...

So happy for the updates, and I was so happy to be able to make that quick-stop visit the other day!! Oh yes, and I did forget on my FB post that I got to see Lorene for a minute in Target too! It was a good trip! :)

December 9, 2012 at 8:06 PM

 Anonymous said...

Happy for the update and for the positive report. Keep up keeping on.

December 9, 2012 at 10:05 PM

Darcie said...

Thank you SO much for the update! I have been wondering about our dear friend, too. So happy to hear that the last MRI came back clean...so encouraging, and hopefully a little boost in the recovery department, too. 

(((hugs)))

December 10, 2012 at 10:33 AM

Lanae said...

So good to know, having been thinking about you all! And nice to see a photo, too. :)

December 11, 2012 at 2:11 PM

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the post, I, too have been watching off and on, and as you can tell, I missed it for a few days! Glad to hear to the clean MRI, and wish the best for the whole family while getting back to normal. 

Barb K.

December 12, 2012 at 2:48 PM

Gary said...

I haven't been here for a couple months so did not know how you were doing. Saw your sis-in-law at spl mtg here in WI and she gave me an update. Glad things are looking up, even with some adjustments to life. 

December 18, 9:38 PM

Anita said...

Hooray for clean MRIs!!!!

And hooray for Mom-made pancakes!!! You're officially invited over here to see if they cook up the same way here! Ha!

And kids go from being newborns to 4 year olds in the blink of an eye!

December 19, 2012 at 8:31 AM

Irv and Sheryl said...

Thanks for posting, Lynette! Happy Day for the clean MRI! Good to see you "at a distance" Sun.! 

December 19, 2012 at 9:15 PM

Learning to Swallow

 Wednesday, October 31, 2012

I haven't been in the mood to type blog posts lately. It has been more fun to sleep and read. And I have been trying to office work done, a little every day. I just can't get enthused about writing just now, but I do want to update once in a while, but it may not be very often. 

It's been pretty well accepted that I would have to learn to swallow all over again, and it seemed like now was the time since I was having mucus that I needed to swallow and that wasn't happening either. So, I went to a speech therapist Friday and a dear lady named Edna had me swallow water which I coughed up and she tried thicker liquid which I promptly threw up. I gag so easily. She then gave me various exercises to do which include howling like a coyote, saying "ah" several times. Those two exercises are done which squeezing my hands together, The pressure of the hands somehow gives more "oomph" to the inside, too. I have to say 10 words that start with "g" or "k", blow a party favor, swallow three times with my tongue between my teeth and say, "Please go get me a good magazine." These are for strengthing the tongue and throat muscles. Believe it or not the howling one is the easiest, even though it is pretty funny to be howling around. 

Then on Monday I had a modified Barium swallow where I swallowed various thickness of liquids and watch the x-ray as it goes down. Jim watched too, and they set it up so I could see it and evaluate it. The water wants to get into the windpipe, but it comes back up so quickly to be swallowed so there are no worries there and the applesauce went down nicely, too. It hurts a big, so does the water, but not as bad. In fact, it might be a bit early for all this swallowing since my throat is still sore, but I will try to keep plugging on. I'm starting with a little applesauce and water every day. 

This afternoon I had therapy in the new outpatient physical therapy room at the hospital. The new area is just corridors and rooms and it is hard to find where things are. I didn't remember where ti was, and I'm not sure I could find it again, but mom says she can. She just gave me some more things to say, some swabs to put in the freezer to stimulate my tongue. I hope I'm not jumping the gun too much, since my throat still hurts. I wish it would get healed up. So, Friday, I have an appointment with the radiation dr. and another session with the therapist. So, things are just going to be marching on for awhile. Next week, I go to Omaha on Tues. They want to get an MRI

It's take a lot longer to get all healed up than a body thinks. 

October 31, 2022 -- When I mentioned before that my medications didn't do much for easing the pain in my throat. In fact, I'm not sure it didn't any good at all. If it it did, I hate to think what the pain would have been like without it. Anyway, it was so painful that a couple of weeks after radiation started it was too painful to swallow, which made it too painful to eat and since I wasn't eating I got the PEG tube. So, I quit swallowing altogether and had to learn all over again. 

12 comments:

Renee said...

Oh, Shelley, I just had to chuckle thinking of you letting out a coyote's howl every now and then. I just never thought about you needing to learn to swallow again...My! ~ don't we take out bodies functions SO for granted when all it working properly?! Don't expect too much of your body too soon...it has been through the wringer and it needs lots of lots of time to heal. You are doing amazing and don't blog if you don't feel like it...just do the things that make you happy right now...you DESERVE it. 

October 31, 2012 at 10:56 PM

The J's said...

Yes, I can just imagine you practicing those howls...hehe! Hope the check-ups go well!!

October 31, 2012 at 11:05 PM

Dorothy K said...

Aargh we wish it would too! Get healed up, I mean. Jim mentioned lately that a doctor said your throat looks like a bomb has gone off in it. I think that gives me the most accurate picture of what it's like to get everything back in working order again. Anyway...I'm so glad you don't have to start with pickled herring or something. Applesauce seems like a nice friendly food at this point! March march march...it's called "soldiering on"! And we applaud your efforts. 

Love you, Dodie

November 1, 2012 at 8:48 AM

John and Sandy Linder said...

Healing wishes for you!

November 1, 2012 at 7:04 PM

Darcie said...

I guess I was totally in the dark to realize that you would have to relearn how to swallow, too. Wow, Shelley...what a road. Like the other lady said...all the little things we take for granted, makes me want to be more and more thankful and ALL the little things. 

November 1, 2012 at 8:13 PM

gkey said...

Dear Learning, 

Keep up the good work! you are a strong fighter, and we are all so proud of you! I am glad you referred to sleeping as your recent fun. Both are good for you I am sure. 

Bit by bit you are recovering :-)

November 2, 2012 at 6:22 PM

Anonymous said...

Dear Shelley, 

You are such a trooper! When I read about swallowing the thickened water, my stomach lurched before I even read that you threw it up! Ugh! I'm so glad, though, that you "push on" so faithfully and don't have a "give-up" attitude! I'm sure you DID feel funny howling and I'm sure others around you got a kick out of it too! Keep on keeping on in all ways!

Barb K.

November 3, 2012 at 1:28 PM

John and Sandy Linder said...

Just stopping by with a warm Hello~

November 4, 2012 at 8:28 PM

John and Sandy Linder said...

Dropping to see Hello and hoping your are progressing everyday~

November 18, 2012 at 8:54 PM

Ann-alda said...

We are friends from TN whoj have been following Gramma's blog. We have been worried since there has been no post since Oct. 31. Could someone else give us an update on her? We care. 

\November 25, 2012 at 2:55 PM

Unknown said...

Ditto! Friends from IL and we care, also!!

November 30, 2012 at 8:44 AM

Anonymous said...

Yes, G'ma. Hope all is well with you and yours!! IL friends

December 4, 2012 at 9:24 AM

Feeling Better

 Monday, October 22, 2012

It's been a long time again since updating this blog. But, I've been enjoying myself with a little crocheting, reading (which I haven't done for ages) and napping. And, I've been not enjoying myself with some extra office work that requires phone calling and online bother. Jim has to do some of my phone calling, but I am getting so if I talk slowly and keep my mouth wet, I can talk for awhile. It's still hurts to talk too long. Talking isn't fun yet, though I had a doctor's appointment this morning to see my oncology doctor and had blood taken and a chest x-ray. I was hoping they could take the blood from the port and flush it since it is supposed to be flushing about once a month. But, it didn't work, as usual...I'm ready to have the thing out and forget about it. It has had to have some fancy medicine put in every time to dissolve some web thing that covers the tube and doesn't let the blood come out. So, they did that again and we talked to our doctor about having the port out since it doesn't work.

We asked the same question of our Omaha Doctor last week. and he was of the mind to wait to see if we would want to use it again, but our doctor today said if there was treatment done again it would be totally different and we might not need a port at all. So, he's in favor of having it out after I have my MRI which should be done in a couple of weeks in Omaha.

I was supposed to have the MRI done this time, but I'm still producing plenty of mucus from my sinuses so he wanted to wait. That's a good thing. It is hard to lie flat for that long with mucus in your head. I'm not sure I'll be ready in two weeks either. 

I'm getting better for sure, but it is slow going and sometimes hard to believe it is happening at all. I now I am though because I am getting more strength all the time. It is hard to know what to start thinking about first. Mostly now, it is of work and it is hard to think about all the thigs I sued to do so effortlessly and I need to be starting some of them up. 

I'm not sure what I should start on first. 

October 22, 2022 -- I had the port put in because the chemo medicine would be somewhat irritating to my skin to have a regular IV every time. The problem was, that this web thing would have grown over the little tube that went into my blood vessel and it wouldn't work. So, every time I went in for chemo they would poke me with a big curved needle through my skin into the port, find out it didn't work, put this really expensive medicine into it, wait 45 minutes for it to clear out. While this was going on they would put the regular IV in to get started. Then, after the 45 minutes they would poke me again into my port, and by this time the topical numbing medicine would have worn off and I would be set for the rest of the day. I think I was good for the rest of the session, the next two days, but the next month this same process would be repeated. 

8 comments:

Brenda said...

So glad you are doing better, bit by bit!

October 22, 2012 at 4:07 PM

Anonymous said...

It was so good to hear from you! I guess no news is good news, but I had been wondering...not to make you feel guilty about not writing or anything! I'm thankful that you are feeling better and gaining strength...keep on enjoying yourself. You deserve it!

Sending love from Wisner!

October 22, 2012 at 5:35 PM

Oleva said...

Good to hear from you again, and glad for every "bit of better" and that you are aware of it yourself. 

Think of you every day.

Love, 

C. and O.

October 22, 2012 at 10:07 PM

Anonymous said...

Shelley, you are amazing!! I can hardly imagine you making phone calls at this point, but you've amazed me all the way through this ordeal! Again, I love your attitude and spirit through all this! It was good to see your sis-in-law, Dorothy at a funeral last week---gad a wee visit with her and got her perspective on your situation. You are fortunate to have such caring sisters-in-law, not to mention a wonderful and caring husband---also a host of family and friends! Thanks, again, for keeping us posted and we're hoping that things will keep improving for you. 

Barb K.

October 22, 2012 at 11:49 PM

gkey said...

Dear, dear friend, 

Thinking of you all today @ the Kleeb house.

Words fail in expressing how much we care for all of you!

Please feel hugged by us today.

Love,

From me & mine here. 

October 23, 2012 at 10:03 AM

Dan & Cyndie said...

Just loving that you are sounding more like our Shelley once again. :)

With much love & care from us both.

October 23 2012 at 7:42 PM

The J's said...

So good to hear from you again!

Time, time, time! That was some pretty hefty stuff your body went thru and it will take time to get yourself back to feeling, thinking and doing normally again.

Take care my friend!

October 24, 2012 at 10:30 PM

Anita said...

And I hope the upward motion has continued!!

So many things I wouldn't have thought of - like the MRI with a head full of mucus...sounds horrible. I do hope you'll have significantly less of that by the time you have the MRI...xo

October 27, 2012 at 3:10 PM