First off, I'm sorry no one blogged after chemo on Thursday. Here's how it went...
Our appointment was at 10 but of course we were there by 9:45. We had to see the PA, Susan, first. This was the first time I'd met her. We talked about my chemo drugs and she asked if I need any anxiety prescriptions. Seems some people get nervous just pulling into the parking lot for chemo. So far, I was fine. She started to examine me and must have forgotten that I had a double mastectomy because she started to man handle me! I jumped like I hadn't jumped in a LONG time! She felt so bad she hugged me when we were walking about of the examination room. :-)
Off to the main waiting room to wait for my name to be called. I think 45 minutes later I walked up to the receptionist and pulled the "I'm new card" just to make sure my name was in the queue. She assured me there was one patient ahead of me. 10 names later, it was my turn!
Jamey and I are following her through the door into the infusion room and it was a little surreal. Chairs lined up in two sections, each chair facing another. My nurse walks me straight to my infusion chair, sits me down and starts the process. She is very nice and is explaining the entire process to me, since it was my first time. She never left me once we sat down and looking back, I am very thankful. She never gave me a chance to get nervous. She asks if I would like her to spray this numbing spray on my port, I said yes... mistake number 1! That stuff hurt! She sprayed it FOREVER I'm surprised I don't have a blister. I'm going all naturale next time!
First we start with saline solution, then she hangs a little bag of anti-nauseau mixed with steroids. After that she injected the Adriamycin AKA the red devil. This took about 5-10 minutes and looked just like Hawaiian Punch. Oh, and makes your pee BRIGHT orange for about 2 days...
Next came the Cytoxin, this was a bag that she hung and it took an hour.
So far I'm feeling "normal" (normal here is defined as NOT having cancer). After she was done, I felt a little dizzy, not bad though.
They inform me that I need to drive all the way back to FW the next day to get a Newlasta shot. This shot will keep my white blood cell count from going too low. After they realized where we live, they set up the injection in the Granbury office.
I also need to have my blood drawn on day 6, 7 or 8 after chemo. They need to check and make sure my white blood cell count doesn't go too low, if it does, I'll need a Nupigen injection. Sound fun yet?
They gave us an order to have my blood drawn here at home so I don't have to drive to FW again. Of course on the Friday's I don't have chemo, I have appointments with the plastic surgeon, so I think we'll just go back to Texas Oncology and let them draw my labs.
Before releasing me on Thursday they took my temperature and I had 100.5, which could indicate an infection. Not for me, the excitement of chemo, the heated blanket, and sneezing for 3 days is what did it for me. They gave my Tylenol and sent us home. Told us if it goes to 101.0, to call back.
The drive home was uneventful. I had my vomit bag ready, but thankfully, didn't need it. When we got home I had a headache but that is normal for me. Thursday night was fine, even had homemade enchiladas (thank you Juanita!)
Friday morning was ok even though I still had the headache. Jamey took Morgan to school and then woke me up because we had to be in Granbury at 10 for that injection. The car ride was bad... I didn't throw up, but at times thought that if I would, I would feel much better! AND we had to sit in contruction traffic for 40 minutes, so we were late! ARGH!
We get to Granbury, they give me my Newlasta injection and then tell me the side effects are flu-like symptoms. GREAT! Off to home, in a different direction we went.
Saturday was bad. My head hurt and I didn't want to move. It hurt to hold my head up. I was taking a combination of Tylenol, prescription strength Motrin and once even took a Darvocet to help with the headache. The only thing I wanted to eat was potato soup, which I had for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Aunt Stacy came to take care of me. Kept me in a dark room with a cold rag on my head, and kept me medicated. Still no vomiting though :-)
Sunday I was better, still had a little headache but no where near Saturday's. Jamey grilled out and the smell didn't bother me, and I even had a few bites!
Today is Monday and I still have the headache, but it's back to work (from home) I go... with a nap later in my future of course!
Hope I filled in all the blanks and didn't leave anything out. It's hard to blog about something that happened last week! Oh, I turned 35! YAY! I will never complain about getting older again because every birthday is a blessing.
Love to all!
Christy
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Saturday August 21, 2010
Yesterday was a very busy day.
We started with the Plastic Surgeon's office to have my stitches removed. I felt certain parts of that, and let me just say, it felt WEIRD! A couple of parts hurt but all in all, she was done before I knew it. I have an appointment to return in 2 weeks which is when they will start filling my expanders. I received my return to work authorization as well. :-) I will work from home for 2 weeks and return to the office at 6 weeks.
Off to Harris Methodist Southwest to have my port procedure. I received conscious sedation which means I remember parts of the procedure. I remember him saying "she's so tiny," I also remember feeling certain parts but just a tugging sensation. Since I was somewhat awake the whole time, recovery didn't take long. Since the procedure didn't start until 12:30, I was STARVING. They gave me a sandwich, chips, fruit, vanilla ice cream, juice, and a diet shasta. I ate and drank all of it. Then off to home to take a nap and eat again! :-)
My neck is sore where he went in to find the vein and of course where the port is, but other than that, I'm good. The port sticks up out of the skin so that's weird. I did not, however, have any nausea! YAY!
This morning we woke up to learn that my Mother in Law is in the hospital with a bowel obstruction. If everyone could pray for her, I'd appreciate it!
My next appointment is my first chemo treatment on August the 26th. So until then. Love to all!
Christy
We started with the Plastic Surgeon's office to have my stitches removed. I felt certain parts of that, and let me just say, it felt WEIRD! A couple of parts hurt but all in all, she was done before I knew it. I have an appointment to return in 2 weeks which is when they will start filling my expanders. I received my return to work authorization as well. :-) I will work from home for 2 weeks and return to the office at 6 weeks.
Off to Harris Methodist Southwest to have my port procedure. I received conscious sedation which means I remember parts of the procedure. I remember him saying "she's so tiny," I also remember feeling certain parts but just a tugging sensation. Since I was somewhat awake the whole time, recovery didn't take long. Since the procedure didn't start until 12:30, I was STARVING. They gave me a sandwich, chips, fruit, vanilla ice cream, juice, and a diet shasta. I ate and drank all of it. Then off to home to take a nap and eat again! :-)
My neck is sore where he went in to find the vein and of course where the port is, but other than that, I'm good. The port sticks up out of the skin so that's weird. I did not, however, have any nausea! YAY!
This morning we woke up to learn that my Mother in Law is in the hospital with a bowel obstruction. If everyone could pray for her, I'd appreciate it!
My next appointment is my first chemo treatment on August the 26th. So until then. Love to all!
Christy
Monday, August 16, 2010
Monday August 16, 2010
Queso... For those of you that want Jamey to blog instead of me, he wouldn't today :(
Sorry folks!
We went to the Oncologist today and he gave us a copy of my pathology report from my tumor.
Stage IIA Grade 3. Invasive mixed Ductal and Lobular. Tumor size 3.5 cm. Several additional microscopic tumors present, largest measuring 0.2 cm.
Tumor demonstrates Lymphatic space invasion and Perineural invasion.
Nothing wrong with the right breast.
Queso (K so) the biggest thing that is disturbing about this report is the Lymphatic and Perineural invasion. While my lymph nodes were negative, the cancer had spread to the lymph spaces in my chest. This means I MIGHT need radiation. A consult with a Radiation Oncologist is in my future. :(
After getting over the shock of that, we discussed my chemo plan. I will be on what he calls ACT. This is Adriamycin, Cytoxan, and Taxol. He would like to do the Adriamycin and Cytoxan together, every 2 weeks for 4 sessions (8 weeks). After that, I will receive the Taxol every week for 12 weeks. So total chemo 20 weeks.
If radiation is needed, it will take place after chemo.
I am scheduled to get my port this Friday at 2:00 pm at THSW (my old stomping grounds). And I am scheduled to receive my first dose of chemo on Thursday August 26 (the day before my birthday).
That is all the information I have for today. Off to enjoy the rain!
Until Friday!
Christy
Sorry folks!
We went to the Oncologist today and he gave us a copy of my pathology report from my tumor.
Stage IIA Grade 3. Invasive mixed Ductal and Lobular. Tumor size 3.5 cm. Several additional microscopic tumors present, largest measuring 0.2 cm.
Tumor demonstrates Lymphatic space invasion and Perineural invasion.
Nothing wrong with the right breast.
Queso (K so) the biggest thing that is disturbing about this report is the Lymphatic and Perineural invasion. While my lymph nodes were negative, the cancer had spread to the lymph spaces in my chest. This means I MIGHT need radiation. A consult with a Radiation Oncologist is in my future. :(
After getting over the shock of that, we discussed my chemo plan. I will be on what he calls ACT. This is Adriamycin, Cytoxan, and Taxol. He would like to do the Adriamycin and Cytoxan together, every 2 weeks for 4 sessions (8 weeks). After that, I will receive the Taxol every week for 12 weeks. So total chemo 20 weeks.
If radiation is needed, it will take place after chemo.
I am scheduled to get my port this Friday at 2:00 pm at THSW (my old stomping grounds). And I am scheduled to receive my first dose of chemo on Thursday August 26 (the day before my birthday).
That is all the information I have for today. Off to enjoy the rain!
Until Friday!
Christy
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday August 13, 2010
Happy Friday the 13th!!!! Bwhahaha
So this morning we went back to the plastic surgeons office. I was all set to get my stitches removed but Dr. Strock wanted to leave them in for another week. Fine with me, they arnen't bothering me. He said better safe than sorry. If he takes them out too early, it might cause problems down the road. He did release me from the ace bandage! HECK YEAH!!!
He also said we are "shaking things up." Oh boy... Instead of babying my arms, I need to be AGGRESSIVE, but still no lifting over 5 pounds. I need to push my limits and get my arms stretched out to my sides (like an airplane) and raise my arms all the way up (this really hurts). BUT! Still no housework for 3 more weeks :-) I'm really loving Dr. Strock now.
So what does my loving husband do after Dr. Strock left the room?... tell me to get dressed by myself! Guess that is my punishment for him having to do the housework for the next 3 weeks. Ok! Fair exchange if you ask me.
Monday we go back to the Oncologist's office to find out our game plan there. On the way home from the doctor today, I got my courtesy reminder call to be there at 8:30 for lab work and then my appointment will be at 9:00. Good thing they called because I didn't know about the lab work, and I don't have to fast :-)
All around good news today!
Happy Anniversary to my sister Jennifer and brother-in-law Alan. Happy 16th!
Love to all,
Christy
So this morning we went back to the plastic surgeons office. I was all set to get my stitches removed but Dr. Strock wanted to leave them in for another week. Fine with me, they arnen't bothering me. He said better safe than sorry. If he takes them out too early, it might cause problems down the road. He did release me from the ace bandage! HECK YEAH!!!
He also said we are "shaking things up." Oh boy... Instead of babying my arms, I need to be AGGRESSIVE, but still no lifting over 5 pounds. I need to push my limits and get my arms stretched out to my sides (like an airplane) and raise my arms all the way up (this really hurts). BUT! Still no housework for 3 more weeks :-) I'm really loving Dr. Strock now.
So what does my loving husband do after Dr. Strock left the room?... tell me to get dressed by myself! Guess that is my punishment for him having to do the housework for the next 3 weeks. Ok! Fair exchange if you ask me.
Monday we go back to the Oncologist's office to find out our game plan there. On the way home from the doctor today, I got my courtesy reminder call to be there at 8:30 for lab work and then my appointment will be at 9:00. Good thing they called because I didn't know about the lab work, and I don't have to fast :-)
All around good news today!
Happy Anniversary to my sister Jennifer and brother-in-law Alan. Happy 16th!
Love to all,
Christy
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Wednesday August 11, 2010
Queso I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack! Sorry if you were looking for Jamey's hysterical writing/blogging, but this is Christy...
The doctor said I can start driving today and since I don't have anywhere to go, I figured I could get back on the laptop. Makes perfect sense to me!
I don't understand how I am capable of driving right now, I'm still really sore on my sides.
Sorry we haven't posted in awhile, not much going on except recovering. Thankfully every day gets easier and easier.
I go to the surgeon this Friday to get my stitches removed. I will find out if my arm restrictions are lifted. I will also find out when/how often to come back and get my expanders filled. According to the books I've read, he will put approximately 50 cc in every 2 to 3 weeks. We will see how different/aggresive Dr. Strock is.
Monday we go to the Oncologist, Dr. Nugent. We will find out my chemo treatment plan and get my port placement scheduled then. Maybe I can get my expanders filled and get chemo on the same days? Would save me a trip :-) but I'll do whatever they tell me.
I still can't sleep on my side :( and this makes my back hurt in the mornings. I feel like the expanders are stretched all the way to my sides, which is why I'm sore there I guess. Sometimes I wonder if Dr. Strock gave me Dolly Pardon size expanders! Jamey jokes that he slipped the doctor a 50 right before surgery! Tee Hee
I'm going out for field trips every so often. They are wiping me out, so I can't do much. Yesterday we went to get Morgan's school supplies. Even though that wore me out, I'm relieved we got it done.
I'm having to wear an Ace bandage type thing around my upper body. I've had it on since last Tuesday and it doesn't come off until this Friday. Since my expanders aren't anchored where they need to be yet, this keeps the expanders from riding up. Needless to say, I will be SO glad to get this off on Friday. It isn't as bad as the drain tubes were, but, still annoying to say the least. The only time I can take it off is in the shower.
Jamey and I are so thankful for all the dinners we have received, along with the flowers and get well cards. I think I have received a card everyday in the mail, along with a medical bill of some sort, but it's the cards I love!
Saved the worse news for last. We found out this week that Jamey's Aunt Linda has been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. It has spread to her colon and it's looking very bad. She is having a Whipple Procedure performed today. I'm not sure what this is exactly but they say the only operations that are worse are a heart or lung transplant. This procedure is scheduled to take 8-10 hours so I'm asking my prayer warriors to add her and her immediate family (husband, son, grandson) to your list!
I, or Jamey, will blog again Friday.
Love to all,
Christy
Pinkston out!
The doctor said I can start driving today and since I don't have anywhere to go, I figured I could get back on the laptop. Makes perfect sense to me!
I don't understand how I am capable of driving right now, I'm still really sore on my sides.
Sorry we haven't posted in awhile, not much going on except recovering. Thankfully every day gets easier and easier.
I go to the surgeon this Friday to get my stitches removed. I will find out if my arm restrictions are lifted. I will also find out when/how often to come back and get my expanders filled. According to the books I've read, he will put approximately 50 cc in every 2 to 3 weeks. We will see how different/aggresive Dr. Strock is.
Monday we go to the Oncologist, Dr. Nugent. We will find out my chemo treatment plan and get my port placement scheduled then. Maybe I can get my expanders filled and get chemo on the same days? Would save me a trip :-) but I'll do whatever they tell me.
I still can't sleep on my side :( and this makes my back hurt in the mornings. I feel like the expanders are stretched all the way to my sides, which is why I'm sore there I guess. Sometimes I wonder if Dr. Strock gave me Dolly Pardon size expanders! Jamey jokes that he slipped the doctor a 50 right before surgery! Tee Hee
I'm going out for field trips every so often. They are wiping me out, so I can't do much. Yesterday we went to get Morgan's school supplies. Even though that wore me out, I'm relieved we got it done.
I'm having to wear an Ace bandage type thing around my upper body. I've had it on since last Tuesday and it doesn't come off until this Friday. Since my expanders aren't anchored where they need to be yet, this keeps the expanders from riding up. Needless to say, I will be SO glad to get this off on Friday. It isn't as bad as the drain tubes were, but, still annoying to say the least. The only time I can take it off is in the shower.
Jamey and I are so thankful for all the dinners we have received, along with the flowers and get well cards. I think I have received a card everyday in the mail, along with a medical bill of some sort, but it's the cards I love!
Saved the worse news for last. We found out this week that Jamey's Aunt Linda has been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. It has spread to her colon and it's looking very bad. She is having a Whipple Procedure performed today. I'm not sure what this is exactly but they say the only operations that are worse are a heart or lung transplant. This procedure is scheduled to take 8-10 hours so I'm asking my prayer warriors to add her and her immediate family (husband, son, grandson) to your list!
I, or Jamey, will blog again Friday.
Love to all,
Christy
Pinkston out!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Friday August 6, 2010
Queso... For those of you that don't know, that's a family joke..
Well, I got Christy up early in the morning, I KNOW she likes that! Wait, wait, wait. Before ya'll start calling me bad names, I got her up early to get her hair done! She felt SO good afterwards. She looked so pretty too.
When we were done at the salon and began to head to FW, we hit a rain shower. That was awesome! We made our way east from The Ville to the "Big City". I know you're gonna find this strange, wait for it..... We were an hour early. SHOCKER!
Since we were early, I took Christy to the "Cancer Boutique" at Harris Fort Worth. Christy was abso-freakin-loutely tired of wearing her camisole and I don't blame her. Christy told me that they had "mastectomy bras" at the Cancer Boutique. Wouldn't you know it, it was closed!
If any of you know Christy, then you know she doesn't take NO for an answer. We started weaving our way through back offices and hallways. Places normal people are not allowed to go. I was like "We're SO gonna get busted"! Well, Christy found her Breast Health Navigator, Dana (Cool title). Christy told her we were looking for a mastectomy bra and that the boutique was closed. Dana was very nice and opened the boutique for Christy. We looked to no avail for a mastectomy bra that fit. Now before the surgery a large or an extra large would have worked well. They had plenty of those. Christy however, needed a medium. There was not one to be found.
Well we struck out at HMFW. Off to Dr. Strock's office. I had a special assignment when we left the hospital. Take this bag of medical supplies to the Dr. appointments along with her drain records. Yeah, I forgot them! So not like me... Christy found out and was so worried that they would not remove her last two drains. I told her, we would get someone to go to the house and fax it to the Dr. Office if we had to. I had several other plans, to include Morgan bringing it on her bicycle, but none of them were needed. The nurse came in and I told her how many CC's were collected from the drains, from memory. Yeah, yeah, scary..
My excellent record keeping, in my head, was sufficient enough for Christy to get her drains out. Praise the LORD and pass the ammunition. Dr. Strock came in and looked a Christy and told her she needed to come back on Friday the 13th to get her stitches out. The last thing Dr. Strock told us was "Enjoy your shower".
So there I was, pedal to the metal, weaving through traffic, trying to get Christy back to Stephenville in 20 min. It's normally an hour and fifteen minutes. Just as I get on I-30, "Can we stop and get some Chick-fil-a". Are you freakin kidding me?!?! It's high noon. Everyone in FW is on their lunch break. With my best smile, I said sure baby, whatever you want to do. Chick-fil-a was a freakin mad house. The drive through line was wrapped around the place a full time and a half. We decided to go inside. This was one of the BEST ideas Christy has had in a while. There was an entire volleyball team, a group of new mommy's on their mommy day out, the U.S. Air Force, and several assorted miscreants. It was hard to even find a table. I thought we were gonna have to stand at the condiment counter to eat. We shoveled our food down and then we were out!
On the road again, moving at break-neck speed to get to the coveted shower. Christy starts complaining her stomach was cramping. Next thing I know, she's asleep. By the time I got 2/3 of the way home, she's crying and doubled over. I'm thinkin crap! EXACTLY! Christy had not been able to go for quite some time. A combination of surgery, morphine and all the other meds she was on, had been plugged up something fierce. I got her to the house and got her inside. She was drifting in and out of conciousness. She say's she was sleeping to ease the pain.
I forced her to drink some Milk of Magnesia. She didn't like me too much at this point. I was thinking this was pay back for the whole Chick-fil-a saga earlier in the day. THE POINT IS, I got her taken care of. The MOM (Milk of Magnesia) kicked in and all was right with the world again! That took it's toll on Christy and she really didn't want to take a shower. This was a good thing because my Aunt Stacy came over and said we should wait 24 hours for the drain holes to close up. That's why I love my Aunt Stacy!
We finished the day on a good note. MOM (Milk of Magnesia) worked it's magic, Christy felt better and the Rangers won.
I'm gonna take Christy to find a camisole, without a shelf I'm told. Then I'm gonna make sure she takes a shower. Saturday SHOULD be a good day. Keep your fingers crossed. Christy is feeling a little better each and every day.
Thank you for the continued thoughts and prayers
Until next time
Pinkston out
Well, I got Christy up early in the morning, I KNOW she likes that! Wait, wait, wait. Before ya'll start calling me bad names, I got her up early to get her hair done! She felt SO good afterwards. She looked so pretty too.
When we were done at the salon and began to head to FW, we hit a rain shower. That was awesome! We made our way east from The Ville to the "Big City". I know you're gonna find this strange, wait for it..... We were an hour early. SHOCKER!
Since we were early, I took Christy to the "Cancer Boutique" at Harris Fort Worth. Christy was abso-freakin-loutely tired of wearing her camisole and I don't blame her. Christy told me that they had "mastectomy bras" at the Cancer Boutique. Wouldn't you know it, it was closed!
If any of you know Christy, then you know she doesn't take NO for an answer. We started weaving our way through back offices and hallways. Places normal people are not allowed to go. I was like "We're SO gonna get busted"! Well, Christy found her Breast Health Navigator, Dana (Cool title). Christy told her we were looking for a mastectomy bra and that the boutique was closed. Dana was very nice and opened the boutique for Christy. We looked to no avail for a mastectomy bra that fit. Now before the surgery a large or an extra large would have worked well. They had plenty of those. Christy however, needed a medium. There was not one to be found.
Well we struck out at HMFW. Off to Dr. Strock's office. I had a special assignment when we left the hospital. Take this bag of medical supplies to the Dr. appointments along with her drain records. Yeah, I forgot them! So not like me... Christy found out and was so worried that they would not remove her last two drains. I told her, we would get someone to go to the house and fax it to the Dr. Office if we had to. I had several other plans, to include Morgan bringing it on her bicycle, but none of them were needed. The nurse came in and I told her how many CC's were collected from the drains, from memory. Yeah, yeah, scary..
My excellent record keeping, in my head, was sufficient enough for Christy to get her drains out. Praise the LORD and pass the ammunition. Dr. Strock came in and looked a Christy and told her she needed to come back on Friday the 13th to get her stitches out. The last thing Dr. Strock told us was "Enjoy your shower".
So there I was, pedal to the metal, weaving through traffic, trying to get Christy back to Stephenville in 20 min. It's normally an hour and fifteen minutes. Just as I get on I-30, "Can we stop and get some Chick-fil-a". Are you freakin kidding me?!?! It's high noon. Everyone in FW is on their lunch break. With my best smile, I said sure baby, whatever you want to do. Chick-fil-a was a freakin mad house. The drive through line was wrapped around the place a full time and a half. We decided to go inside. This was one of the BEST ideas Christy has had in a while. There was an entire volleyball team, a group of new mommy's on their mommy day out, the U.S. Air Force, and several assorted miscreants. It was hard to even find a table. I thought we were gonna have to stand at the condiment counter to eat. We shoveled our food down and then we were out!
On the road again, moving at break-neck speed to get to the coveted shower. Christy starts complaining her stomach was cramping. Next thing I know, she's asleep. By the time I got 2/3 of the way home, she's crying and doubled over. I'm thinkin crap! EXACTLY! Christy had not been able to go for quite some time. A combination of surgery, morphine and all the other meds she was on, had been plugged up something fierce. I got her to the house and got her inside. She was drifting in and out of conciousness. She say's she was sleeping to ease the pain.
I forced her to drink some Milk of Magnesia. She didn't like me too much at this point. I was thinking this was pay back for the whole Chick-fil-a saga earlier in the day. THE POINT IS, I got her taken care of. The MOM (Milk of Magnesia) kicked in and all was right with the world again! That took it's toll on Christy and she really didn't want to take a shower. This was a good thing because my Aunt Stacy came over and said we should wait 24 hours for the drain holes to close up. That's why I love my Aunt Stacy!
We finished the day on a good note. MOM (Milk of Magnesia) worked it's magic, Christy felt better and the Rangers won.
I'm gonna take Christy to find a camisole, without a shelf I'm told. Then I'm gonna make sure she takes a shower. Saturday SHOULD be a good day. Keep your fingers crossed. Christy is feeling a little better each and every day.
Thank you for the continued thoughts and prayers
Until next time
Pinkston out
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday August 3, 2010
Queso...
Today we went to our first post-op appointment with Dr. Strock. Christy had asked me what time I wanted to leave in the morning. I told her I wanted to leave by 8:15. If ya'll know me, I'm one of those "If I'm 15 minutes early I'm late" kind of people. We left the house at 8:15... Sweet!!
Just as we pull out of the drive way, Christy says "Can you take me to the donut shop?".. Are you kidding me?? So much for getting on the road by 8:15. Christy was happy and I guess that's what matters.
We got to the Doctor's office and signed in. We set in the waiting room talking to some old English lady about Christy's new Nook E-Book. Thanks Reese. That was an exciting conversation. I'm hard at hearing as it is and I was having a tough time hearing and understanding this lady. That's not a bad thing sometimes..
Once we got back to the room, the nurse came in. She took all of Christy's bandages off, along with her skin. She has an allergic reaction to the adhesive that causes her to blister. She just developed that. Nedless to say she was a bit tender. The nurse took 2 of her 4 drains out and taped the holes. Instead of more bandages, the nurse put a large elastic band around Christy's chest. It is tight, but not as bad as the bandages were.
I got Christy home and helped her inside. I then began an in-town adventure to find her some adhesive remover. I was able to locate the adhesive, completing my mission. I then attempted to remove all the excess goo that the bandages left behind. I felt bad because the adhesive remove is basically fingernail polish remover. I put it on the cotton ball and began to wipe the sticky off. Sincer her skin was raw, this was burning her. I felt bad! I did get most of the goo off though.
I made up for all of that because I got her a hair appointment. I took her to the salon so that she could get her eyebrows done and her hair washed and styled. She feel's SOOOO much better now! I also got her another appointment for Friday, before we head back to Fort Worth to see the Dr.
Friday when we see the Dr. we get the last 2 drains removed. I will then drive like Mario Andretti to get her back to Stephenville so that she can SHOWER! She is SOO excited about that. We also found out at the Dr's office, that she will not get her expanders filled until 4 weeks post-op. So we will get our frequent flyer miles driving back and forth from Fort Worth. Oh Yeah, I already do that.
Thank you to everyone for the continued thoughts and prayers. Christy is getting better by the day. She is an AMAZING woman and a good patient for me to take care of.
Until next time
Pinkston out.
Today we went to our first post-op appointment with Dr. Strock. Christy had asked me what time I wanted to leave in the morning. I told her I wanted to leave by 8:15. If ya'll know me, I'm one of those "If I'm 15 minutes early I'm late" kind of people. We left the house at 8:15... Sweet!!
Just as we pull out of the drive way, Christy says "Can you take me to the donut shop?".. Are you kidding me?? So much for getting on the road by 8:15. Christy was happy and I guess that's what matters.
We got to the Doctor's office and signed in. We set in the waiting room talking to some old English lady about Christy's new Nook E-Book. Thanks Reese. That was an exciting conversation. I'm hard at hearing as it is and I was having a tough time hearing and understanding this lady. That's not a bad thing sometimes..
Once we got back to the room, the nurse came in. She took all of Christy's bandages off, along with her skin. She has an allergic reaction to the adhesive that causes her to blister. She just developed that. Nedless to say she was a bit tender. The nurse took 2 of her 4 drains out and taped the holes. Instead of more bandages, the nurse put a large elastic band around Christy's chest. It is tight, but not as bad as the bandages were.
I got Christy home and helped her inside. I then began an in-town adventure to find her some adhesive remover. I was able to locate the adhesive, completing my mission. I then attempted to remove all the excess goo that the bandages left behind. I felt bad because the adhesive remove is basically fingernail polish remover. I put it on the cotton ball and began to wipe the sticky off. Sincer her skin was raw, this was burning her. I felt bad! I did get most of the goo off though.
I made up for all of that because I got her a hair appointment. I took her to the salon so that she could get her eyebrows done and her hair washed and styled. She feel's SOOOO much better now! I also got her another appointment for Friday, before we head back to Fort Worth to see the Dr.
Friday when we see the Dr. we get the last 2 drains removed. I will then drive like Mario Andretti to get her back to Stephenville so that she can SHOWER! She is SOO excited about that. We also found out at the Dr's office, that she will not get her expanders filled until 4 weeks post-op. So we will get our frequent flyer miles driving back and forth from Fort Worth. Oh Yeah, I already do that.
Thank you to everyone for the continued thoughts and prayers. Christy is getting better by the day. She is an AMAZING woman and a good patient for me to take care of.
Until next time
Pinkston out.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Sunday August 1, 2010
Queso (O.K. So...),
I'm playing "Catch up". Where did I leave off? Oh yeah, Friday... Nothing much happened friday. Visitors were limited because Christy over did it the day before. So.. here are some facts about the room...
Did you know it was exactly 20 feet from the couch to the door? There were 4 "red plugs" in the room. Those are the plugs that will still work if the power goes out. That happened 3 times during our stay. The bathroom door does not lock. It takes about 5 minutes to unplug everything so Christy can go to the bathroom. That was about every hour.
I did not mention in the blog that we had some drama on Thursday of our stay. So let me recap.
Wednesday (the day of surgery) when we got to our room, the power went out for an hour or so. The red plugs worked. When the power came on and everyone left, we tried to turn the T.V. on. It was fried, along with about 4 other televisions on our floor. This made Christy mad because she wanted to watch the Ranger game. She's the sports fan in this relationship. She made it very clear to the engineering people working on the T.V. that she had to have a T.V. in her room.
They could not get the T.V. working that night so they wheeled in an AV cart with a T.V. on it. This cart was pretty big and they put it at the foot of the bed she was in. We had to move it out of the way to get to the other side of her bed, each and every time.
Thursday morning the PCT (Patient Care Technician) came in to give Christy her sponge bath. Because of the morphine, Christy had a shy bladder. It was taking her a good 10 minutes to pee. The PCT left Christy on the toilet to take care of business. In the meantime, the PCT was trying to change the sheets on the bed for Christy. Christy was to let her (PCT) know when she was finished.
I was reading a book while the PCT was making the bed. The PCT was moving from one side of the bed to the other. While she was squeezing between the foot of the bed and the AV cart, where the TV was, she tripped and fell. OMG! Now, this little lady was in her 70's. It was like the commercial "I've fallen and I cant get up". I moved to assist her. I calmly told her to lay there and not to move, everything is gonna be all right. It knocked the wind out of her and she was really scared. Remember, Christy is still sitting on the toilet!
I pushed the nurse call button and let them know, PCT Down! The other nurses came in to assist the PCT. I went to check on Christy. She heard the whole commotion and told me she was fine. The Charge Nurse later came in and thanked me for helping out. She commented on me being so calm. I guess she didn't realize in all my years of Police work, I have seen far worse.
The PCT was fine and returned later that day. She was sore and felt like she got hit by a train. So that, combined with the 36 visitors we had that day wore Christy out. Friday was a cake walk compared to Thursday. Dr. Strock came in on Friday and changed her dressing. Christy looked at her new boobies for the first time. Dr. Strock told her they looked good, healing nicely. Christy thought they looked wierd with no nipples. The good thing was she didn't almost pass out as she did when she saw the incision from the Lymph Node biopsy.
We stayed Friday night and Saturday we were set to be released. Dr. Bussey came in to check on Christy on Saturday morning. She told Christy that she got the pathology report and confirmed that the cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes. The cancer was larger than first thought. Dr. Bussey said her cancer was classified as stage IIA. Christy was unphased, since it had been removed. Dr. Bussey asked Christy how she felt and if we had any questions. She then completed the discharge paperwork and we were out of the Hospital by 11:45.
Christy was given an muscle relaxer and two pain pills for the ride home. Christy slept part of the way home. She apologized for sleeping. WTH? She felt really good Saturday. I got her home and nestled her into the chair in the living room, while I unloaded the car. My mom and dad brought our daughter to us, she stayed with them while we were in the hospital. They stayed and helped my Aunt Stacy prepare dinner for us. Steak and potatoes, my favorite!
I stayed awake and watched T.V. while Christy slept. I was trying to wait until it was time to give her her muscle relaxer. Once that time arrived, I got her settled into bed. I slept in the bed with her and got the best sleep I have had in a week. I was a little nervous though, I must admit. I didn't want to roll over and try to put my arm around her like I always do. I did real good and stayed on my side of the bed. She woke me up at 7 to go to the bathroom. I took care of her and got back into bed and slept some more! Woohoo!
We are now up and sitting in the living room watching T.V.
Thank you to everyone who came to vistit us and who have signed up to bring us dinner for the next 4 weeks! We are truly greatful to be so loved.
Until next time
Pinkston out.
I'm playing "Catch up". Where did I leave off? Oh yeah, Friday... Nothing much happened friday. Visitors were limited because Christy over did it the day before. So.. here are some facts about the room...
Did you know it was exactly 20 feet from the couch to the door? There were 4 "red plugs" in the room. Those are the plugs that will still work if the power goes out. That happened 3 times during our stay. The bathroom door does not lock. It takes about 5 minutes to unplug everything so Christy can go to the bathroom. That was about every hour.
I did not mention in the blog that we had some drama on Thursday of our stay. So let me recap.
Wednesday (the day of surgery) when we got to our room, the power went out for an hour or so. The red plugs worked. When the power came on and everyone left, we tried to turn the T.V. on. It was fried, along with about 4 other televisions on our floor. This made Christy mad because she wanted to watch the Ranger game. She's the sports fan in this relationship. She made it very clear to the engineering people working on the T.V. that she had to have a T.V. in her room.
They could not get the T.V. working that night so they wheeled in an AV cart with a T.V. on it. This cart was pretty big and they put it at the foot of the bed she was in. We had to move it out of the way to get to the other side of her bed, each and every time.
Thursday morning the PCT (Patient Care Technician) came in to give Christy her sponge bath. Because of the morphine, Christy had a shy bladder. It was taking her a good 10 minutes to pee. The PCT left Christy on the toilet to take care of business. In the meantime, the PCT was trying to change the sheets on the bed for Christy. Christy was to let her (PCT) know when she was finished.
I was reading a book while the PCT was making the bed. The PCT was moving from one side of the bed to the other. While she was squeezing between the foot of the bed and the AV cart, where the TV was, she tripped and fell. OMG! Now, this little lady was in her 70's. It was like the commercial "I've fallen and I cant get up". I moved to assist her. I calmly told her to lay there and not to move, everything is gonna be all right. It knocked the wind out of her and she was really scared. Remember, Christy is still sitting on the toilet!
I pushed the nurse call button and let them know, PCT Down! The other nurses came in to assist the PCT. I went to check on Christy. She heard the whole commotion and told me she was fine. The Charge Nurse later came in and thanked me for helping out. She commented on me being so calm. I guess she didn't realize in all my years of Police work, I have seen far worse.
The PCT was fine and returned later that day. She was sore and felt like she got hit by a train. So that, combined with the 36 visitors we had that day wore Christy out. Friday was a cake walk compared to Thursday. Dr. Strock came in on Friday and changed her dressing. Christy looked at her new boobies for the first time. Dr. Strock told her they looked good, healing nicely. Christy thought they looked wierd with no nipples. The good thing was she didn't almost pass out as she did when she saw the incision from the Lymph Node biopsy.
We stayed Friday night and Saturday we were set to be released. Dr. Bussey came in to check on Christy on Saturday morning. She told Christy that she got the pathology report and confirmed that the cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes. The cancer was larger than first thought. Dr. Bussey said her cancer was classified as stage IIA. Christy was unphased, since it had been removed. Dr. Bussey asked Christy how she felt and if we had any questions. She then completed the discharge paperwork and we were out of the Hospital by 11:45.
Christy was given an muscle relaxer and two pain pills for the ride home. Christy slept part of the way home. She apologized for sleeping. WTH? She felt really good Saturday. I got her home and nestled her into the chair in the living room, while I unloaded the car. My mom and dad brought our daughter to us, she stayed with them while we were in the hospital. They stayed and helped my Aunt Stacy prepare dinner for us. Steak and potatoes, my favorite!
I stayed awake and watched T.V. while Christy slept. I was trying to wait until it was time to give her her muscle relaxer. Once that time arrived, I got her settled into bed. I slept in the bed with her and got the best sleep I have had in a week. I was a little nervous though, I must admit. I didn't want to roll over and try to put my arm around her like I always do. I did real good and stayed on my side of the bed. She woke me up at 7 to go to the bathroom. I took care of her and got back into bed and slept some more! Woohoo!
We are now up and sitting in the living room watching T.V.
Thank you to everyone who came to vistit us and who have signed up to bring us dinner for the next 4 weeks! We are truly greatful to be so loved.
Until next time
Pinkston out.
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