AnnieM's Stuff

I overdid it yesterday...was ABSOLUTELY ILL by the time I shut off the lights last night...at 9:36!!! As soon as I closed my eyes I started to feel better...it's weird how that happens lately.

I got up at 10am...YES...stayed in bed over 12 hours! Got up...took a shower, got dressed and went down to have breakfast. Checked my email and then it was time to hit the road to UConn Med Ctr. to have lunch with the gang. I felt tired as I was putting on my shoes and thought, "Uh-oh...am I going to be able to do this?"

When I got out of the car in Farmington I felt exhausted. Went in, got lunch and drank a Pepsi Max and almost immediately felt better. Pepsi Max has ginseng in it...so there's my answer!

Sandy picked up ginseng capsules for me at the grocery store today. I'll start taking them tonight.

It was great seeing Jen, Dan, Toni and Anna. We had a nice, long lunch, during which I dominated the conversation, of course. Then it was time to head home. I did stop at the gift shop on my way out and bought a UConn Women's Basketball hat and a pink Breast Cancer UConn shirt ($2 from each shirt goes to Kay Yow Breast Cancer Fund). I figured I'd wear it when I go to the game on the 22nd.

I get home and find out the shirt is an XL!!! I thought it said MEDIUM....the writing on the label is so small...I showed it to Sandy and asked her what she thought it said...she couldn't even see the writing! So, I'll have to drive all the way back someday, soon...and exchange it. BUMMER!

I wore the hat on the way home. I probably look like a guy, but I look better in a baseball cap now with no hair than I did when I had hair! Maybe I'll keep the no hair look for awhile. Yuk Yuk.

Tomorrow I have chemo...well...I HOPE I have chemo (that sounds odd, doesn't it?)....but, they called tonight and once again, my blood count was "a little low." So, I have to go in early and have the blood work done again...and then wait for the results and then if it's all right wait while they make up the chemo and send it over...so it will be sit and wait, sit and wait. It's all right, I'm used to it now. As I say..."may that be the worst that happens!"

I'm sure I'll be getting chemo tomorrow. It will just take a bit longer, that's all. Tomorrow will be my fourth session...which means I'll be "over the hump" and will have just two sessions of the "big chemo" left.

I should explain: the big chemo is the cocktail I'm getting now of carboplatin, taxol and MAYBE (I think I am getting it) Avastin...the clinical trial drug. After six sessions of this cocktail...the computer whirls again and spits out the decision about whether or not I get Avastin every three weeks for the next 12 months (which would take me to about April of 2010). I will either get the Avastin or a placebo. Believe me, at this point, I wouldn't mind at all if I have to travel all the way to Providence and back once every three weeks to get a placebo!

Hold on....Jeez...I just watched that footage of Sullenberger putting the plane down in the Hudson again, complete with the recording of the communications between the plane and the control tower....thrilling stuff.

Anyway, I don't know for sure that I'm getting the third drug Avastin. I don't know if I will get it after the other drugs are finished. It's all a big secret.

I do know that I still have some fluids in my abdomen (ascites---cancer fluid) and probably still have that "frosting" of cancer that they couldn't remove in the surgery. The CT scan I had last time showed the fluid...and they just imagine that the frosting is still there. The remainder of the chemo treatments will go after that stuff.

I have to think of what warriors I'm going to send to fight these things...maybe I'll see what the results are of the last CA 125 test before I decide. If it's still low, I'll send the Mohegans in again, to diplomatically usher the bad guys out. I don't want to be violent if I don't have to.

For now, I will look forward to the shepherd's pie Jean is making for dinner tomorrow night.

Enough on this....time to kick back and relax.

Nighty night!