Home and feeling well!!
Written Jul 26, 2011 11:24pm
I spent one week in the hospital, and got home last Friday. My mouth sores are almost all the way gone, and I can finally eat again. This has helped a lot in my recovery! And, I missed eating!! I think that having the nutritional supplement in the hospital was what finally helped me turn a corner and start getting better. I wish we would have done that the first time I was in the hospital.
The last few days I was in the hospital, I felt so emotional. I missed my family so much, and just wanted to be well and home with them. When Branden came to pick me up with the kids, I felt like I hadn’t seen them for so long. The kids were so happy to see me, and Macy just kept looking at me and laughing the whole way home. It was so cute!! When we got home she climbed up in my lap and we played baby games for about an hour straight. (That is a long time for peek-a-boo and other similar games!!)
Lily and Max were quickly taken by Fenja, my niece who has been staying with us and taking care of the kids. She took them to St. George (4 hours away) for the weekend. She went to her parents house, and my sister watched them while she was able to get a little break and work on some of her summer classes. They just got back today, and it was so great to see them again. Although, I must say that our house is much calmer without them here!!
Over the weekend I sometimes felt tired or dizzy, and was often scared that I was getting sick again. Fortunately I was not getting sick. I have felt better each day, and felt really good all day today. I think I am finally done with the hospital for a while.
I had a doctor’s appointment today and found out that my white blood cell count is continuing to go up, and all my other numbers were looking really good, so I am really finally getting better.
We have a new plan for chemo. My doctor seemed to feel like it was very serious that my white blood cell count was so low for so long, and that I got so sick. She kept telling me that she was so glad to see me looking so much better and feeling so much better. She gave me the option of either quitting chemo to avoid these serious side effects, or continuing chemo with a different regimine.
Rather than 4 more rounds of chemo 2 weeks apart, I am now going to do 12 more rounds of chemo every week at a lower dosage. This will make the chemo take a little longer, but should be just as effective as the other treatment, with less side effects. I am anxious to get done with this stuff, but I also don’t want to be scared that I am going to go back into the hospital, or get super sick or something. It would probably be very likely that I could end up hospitalized again if I do the original plan. I feel like I have tried so hard to be mentally tough through all of this, but my body sort of wimped out on me!!
I want to do what is best to treat my cancer, and I don’t want to just opt out of the rest of chemo to make life a little easier on me now. It is kind of funny that I had the option to be done with chemo and I chose to go forward with it, but it is the smartest option long term, and that is what I care about. As much as I want to be done with treatment, I want, and need, to do it right.
I will start chemo next Tuesday. My doctor felt that I would not be quite ready this Friday, so I will start on Tuesday. That will give me the weekend to feel good too. Maybe Branden and I can finally celebrate my birthday!
I am just so happy to be home, and happy that I really do feel better this time. Thank you so much for the prayers and encouraging messages I have received from so many of you while I have been in the hospital. I am so grateful for wonderful friends and family!!!