Thursday, July 23, 2009
Army of Women
I finally joined the "Army of Women" today (www.armyofwomen.org). Their goal is to have more than a million women join their group so that they can get information on breast cancer studies and be available for research. I urge all you ladies out there to join.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Half Way
So, I've finished my fourth chemo treatment. There were a few hiccups this time involving low levels in my blood work that is always taken the day before my treatment. But, I had more blood drawn the morning of my chemo treatment and the levels had come up enough for me to go ahead with the chemo.
This was the first treatment where the nurse had to insert the "gripper" (needle with tubes) into my port. I used Emla Cream a few hours before to freeze the area so it wouldn't hurt so much but it still felt like she was jamming a pin into my chest. It didn't actually hurt any more than a regular needle but the nurse has to use a lot of force to press the gripper into the port and that is a little unusual.
I'm not really thrilled about being halfway through my treatments because I know that this means that I will be starting the Taxotere in less than 3 weeks. I've heard horror stories about my taste buds changing so much that food won't be satisfying, the fatigue will be WAY WORSE and my eyebrows and lashes (which I have not lost yet) will finally fall out. I've heard about all these terrible possible side effect but the nurse on Friday said that some patients find the Taxotere easier. We will see.
I will also start taking the Herceptin which I will continue to take for 18 treatments (I've calculated that I will be finished the Herceptin treatments next August). I will be getting another echo cardiogram this week to make sure that my heart is strong enough to handle it.
Thank you to all of you who have fed my family, watched Grace for me and sent me your messages and well wishes. I couldn't get through this with out your support. I love you all.
This was the first treatment where the nurse had to insert the "gripper" (needle with tubes) into my port. I used Emla Cream a few hours before to freeze the area so it wouldn't hurt so much but it still felt like she was jamming a pin into my chest. It didn't actually hurt any more than a regular needle but the nurse has to use a lot of force to press the gripper into the port and that is a little unusual.
I'm not really thrilled about being halfway through my treatments because I know that this means that I will be starting the Taxotere in less than 3 weeks. I've heard horror stories about my taste buds changing so much that food won't be satisfying, the fatigue will be WAY WORSE and my eyebrows and lashes (which I have not lost yet) will finally fall out. I've heard about all these terrible possible side effect but the nurse on Friday said that some patients find the Taxotere easier. We will see.
I will also start taking the Herceptin which I will continue to take for 18 treatments (I've calculated that I will be finished the Herceptin treatments next August). I will be getting another echo cardiogram this week to make sure that my heart is strong enough to handle it.
Thank you to all of you who have fed my family, watched Grace for me and sent me your messages and well wishes. I couldn't get through this with out your support. I love you all.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Financial Burdens
As some of you know, I was denied employment insurance for my illness because of some misunderstandings when I was coming off my parental E.I. I disagreed with the decision and filed an appeal. Today I got a phone call from a Service Canada employee saying that they reconsidered my claim and it was finally APPROVED!!!! Yay! This is a big relief and I big load off my mind. I will have to wait a few more weeks for a payment but at least I know it is coming.
I have been getting an injection in my stomach every 28 days to shut down my ovaries so they won't release eggs during my chemo treatments. This has caused my body to go into temporary menopause with all the exspected side effects. I don't get a period and I get many hot flashes a day. It gets uncomfortable when I am wearing my wig on a warm day. But I'm doing this in hopes of preserving my fertility, so I just think of how this isn't nearly as uncomfortable as the future pregnancy and childbirth that I hope to be able to experience in a few years. By the way, this injection would cost $420 a treatment (x8 treatments = $3360) if it weren't for the Ontario Drug plan. My personal cost: $2 per treatment.
Another expensive drug that I am going to require is Neulasta. I will need to get 1 dose of Neulasta after each of my last 4 chemo treatments. Neulasta helps my bone marrow produce more white blood cells which will then help protect my body from infections. Each dose of Neulasta costs $3000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I need 4. That's a total of $12,000!!!!!!! Thank God Kevin has medical insurance which will cover 80% of the cost. I have been approved for a subsidy that will cover the other 20%.
I've never been more appreciative of our health care system here in Canada. If Kevin and I lived somewhere without universal health care then we would be completely wiped out financially. Things are very difficult still...but not nearly as bad as they could have been.
That's it for now. Just one last big THANK YOU to my wonderful husband who has been fantastic. He has taken on so much responsibility as well as all of the financial burden and I don't tell him enough how much I love him and appreciate everything he does for his family. I love you Kevin!
I have been getting an injection in my stomach every 28 days to shut down my ovaries so they won't release eggs during my chemo treatments. This has caused my body to go into temporary menopause with all the exspected side effects. I don't get a period and I get many hot flashes a day. It gets uncomfortable when I am wearing my wig on a warm day. But I'm doing this in hopes of preserving my fertility, so I just think of how this isn't nearly as uncomfortable as the future pregnancy and childbirth that I hope to be able to experience in a few years. By the way, this injection would cost $420 a treatment (x8 treatments = $3360) if it weren't for the Ontario Drug plan. My personal cost: $2 per treatment.
Another expensive drug that I am going to require is Neulasta. I will need to get 1 dose of Neulasta after each of my last 4 chemo treatments. Neulasta helps my bone marrow produce more white blood cells which will then help protect my body from infections. Each dose of Neulasta costs $3000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I need 4. That's a total of $12,000!!!!!!! Thank God Kevin has medical insurance which will cover 80% of the cost. I have been approved for a subsidy that will cover the other 20%.
I've never been more appreciative of our health care system here in Canada. If Kevin and I lived somewhere without universal health care then we would be completely wiped out financially. Things are very difficult still...but not nearly as bad as they could have been.
That's it for now. Just one last big THANK YOU to my wonderful husband who has been fantastic. He has taken on so much responsibility as well as all of the financial burden and I don't tell him enough how much I love him and appreciate everything he does for his family. I love you Kevin!
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