October - 2001
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October 9th
Took a little time to get updated again but here I am. Mom is doing wonderful. She is so much a different person than she was last year. Although I had to place her last year because of the cancer, she was still acting the same then but now she is much more animated, conversational and aware. She gets up most days with out trouble by noon and sleeps through the night. She eats well, walks with her walker, aided and pretty much knows the season. She likes Jean very much and they get along great.I am doing o.k. with my chemo. I go tomorrow for my fourth round this time. I did develop blood clots in the vein they used last week but can't go on a blood thinner right now, so I am just doing heat packs, elevation and antibiotics for now. I sure hope it doesn't interfere with my chemo tomorrow.....
October 21st
Well, I finally found out what was wrong with my arm. I went to the Dermatology Clinic at OSHU, they told me right away what it was, a severe toxic reaction to the taxotere causing a chemical burn. My other arm is beginning to do it too. All I can do at this point is lather it up with plain old vaseline, the thick stuff, and wait for it to heal. This should have been done in the first place but, my oncologist didn't know what was happening!! Imagine that. The infusion nurses said it was a burn but they don't have MD behind their names so no one listens to them. Seems to me that the ones who have the most experience giving the drugs as opposed to the one ordering them would have a little bit better knowledge of what happens. If I could have seen my regular doctor he would of known right away but, he left for another position. OHSU said my 'poor little veins are just too tired from 2 1/2 years of chemicals going through them and I will have to get a port.' I so didn't want to get one of those, I don't want a constant reminder but now I have no choice. My hair is beginning to fall out again too. Poor mom, she is worried about me because she can see what my arm looks like and noticed my hair coming out. She said I should change medication since that crap is doing this... LOL. God love her, she doesn't know I have the cancer back, I didn't tell her this time. She, however, is doing great. She is still using her walker, feeding herself and trying to make sense of every day things. I am taking her to a podiatrist for her big toe nails, they are just too thick for me to deal with.
