Greetings Everyone!
The days are passing so swiftly, it's hard to keep up with everything! But happy to be able to type up a good report today!
Anita's pattern now - not unusual for her even before she became ill - is to awake around 5:00 a.m. and to be up by 5:30! And that means dressed and ready for action. And "action" means Tristan the wonder dog! (For those of you who may have missed some earlier postings, Tristan is a four month old wire hair fox terrier that Anita & John brought (to their formerly quiet) home as the newest family member on July 15th.) Apparently, Anita and Tristan have reached an understanding: he doesn't do things on the carpet - or other naughties - and she doesn't have to get tough. Amazing what a quick wave in the air of a plastic fly swatter will do! But Anita has a problem now. She was trying to throw his favorite toy as far as she could in the yard, but managed to pitch it up on the roof! How does one explain this to the dog? We wish her luck!
Other than enjoying Tristan's many antics, she has been quite busy. She has made two trips to her office, has a real estate listing in the works (John is also a licensed agent and is helping her out), and she has been doing some exercises for the past three days. She is determined to firm up her arms and legs. As you all know, after being sedentary for such an extended period, muscles tend to get weak. So she gets up every day and tries to do as much as she can around the house. She has been eating pretty well with lots of fresh fruit and keeping up with her vitamins. She sounds cheerful and very positive.
She is very excited about getting the results of her contrast cat scans which were done last Friday. It is possible that the results will be available tomorrow but it is more likely that she will receive them this coming Friday. The cat scan was done in three parts, starting at her neck and going all the way down to her lower abdominal area and should reveal the extent to which tumors have receded and the existence of any new or increased growth areas. These scans will give a firm indication of whether she is headed toward remission or not.
Tomorrow Anita is scheduled for her fourth chemo-therapy session at 8:45 a.m. Her next (3rd) Rituxan treatment appointment is this coming Friday at 10:45 a.m. In the past week, as previously noted, she has had dizziness and some shortness of breath. In the past two days she has been feeling very tired and has also experienced some other discomfort that as of this morning has gone away. At this point therefore, we cannot assume that she is totally out of the woods, but her progress to date has been phenomenal and I believe totally due to the phenomena that is Anita. She has heard that most people who have received the diagnosis that she has received (Stage 4 Type 1 B-Cell Lymphoma) do not make it and that the difference between those who do and those who don't, aside from individual overall health and genetic differences, is the mental attitude of the person. And as we all know and have seen demonstrated she has an attitude and a life force that can't be beat! So on to remission!!!
Melissa
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Saturday, 11 August 2007
Post #61: Cat Scan Complete
Good afternoon all!
The cat scan was accomplished yesterday, but not without some bureaucratic delays. When Anita and John arrived at the cat scan place, they were greeted by a sign that announced that they were "behind schedule!" Oh, great! Anita had just hastily swallowed 1/2 of the bottle of gunk they told her to drink pre-scan before she and John arrived at 12:45 p.m. to fill out the paperwork in preparation for her 1:15 appointment. Didn't get in until 2:00 p.m.! Mind you, she had had nothing to eat or drink - except the gunk of course - since 9:00 that morning!
Once inside the inner sanctum she was faced with a Romanian technician who was going to plug in the IV drip! Luckily, the woman was wonderfully skilled and the process didn't hurt a bit. In fact, Anita says it's the least painful needle procedure she's had in quite a while. So now finally into the process, Anita had to hold her arms over her head to keep them from bumping into the scanner as she was scanned from neck to abdomen for one hour! The results should be out within 5 days to one week.
Meanwhile, she has talked with her oncologist who assured her that the dizziness she has been experiencing is a normal part of the chemo-therapy. She told him that in this hot weather she feels dizzy when she's outside. He told her to just sit down if she starts feeling dizzy. Anita asked: "what if there's no chair?" to which he replied: "Just grab something!" Sounds like pretty practical advice! She is due for another chemo treatment this coming Wednesday Aug. 15th and her third Rituxan treatment on Friday Aug. 17th. She will call the oncologist's office on Monday to find out the exact time.
Anita actually went down to her office today! Amazing. When I was talking with her on the phone she said she had just finished a Coors Light. Her sheer will power and determination are so inspiring. Anita quote for the day: "I can't let the grass grow under my feet while my feet are still moving! Got to oil the gears again!" Don't we all!
Melissa
The cat scan was accomplished yesterday, but not without some bureaucratic delays. When Anita and John arrived at the cat scan place, they were greeted by a sign that announced that they were "behind schedule!" Oh, great! Anita had just hastily swallowed 1/2 of the bottle of gunk they told her to drink pre-scan before she and John arrived at 12:45 p.m. to fill out the paperwork in preparation for her 1:15 appointment. Didn't get in until 2:00 p.m.! Mind you, she had had nothing to eat or drink - except the gunk of course - since 9:00 that morning!
Once inside the inner sanctum she was faced with a Romanian technician who was going to plug in the IV drip! Luckily, the woman was wonderfully skilled and the process didn't hurt a bit. In fact, Anita says it's the least painful needle procedure she's had in quite a while. So now finally into the process, Anita had to hold her arms over her head to keep them from bumping into the scanner as she was scanned from neck to abdomen for one hour! The results should be out within 5 days to one week.
Meanwhile, she has talked with her oncologist who assured her that the dizziness she has been experiencing is a normal part of the chemo-therapy. She told him that in this hot weather she feels dizzy when she's outside. He told her to just sit down if she starts feeling dizzy. Anita asked: "what if there's no chair?" to which he replied: "Just grab something!" Sounds like pretty practical advice! She is due for another chemo treatment this coming Wednesday Aug. 15th and her third Rituxan treatment on Friday Aug. 17th. She will call the oncologist's office on Monday to find out the exact time.
Anita actually went down to her office today! Amazing. When I was talking with her on the phone she said she had just finished a Coors Light. Her sheer will power and determination are so inspiring. Anita quote for the day: "I can't let the grass grow under my feet while my feet are still moving! Got to oil the gears again!" Don't we all!
Melissa
Friday, 10 August 2007
Post #60: Continued Dizziness But Upbeat
Good Morning Everybody!
Just got off the phone with Mother who is getting ready to go get her "CT Contrast Studies," or in other words, a cat scan of her lungs and abdominal/intestinal area. So she has to fast from 9:00 a.m. this morning onward, only drinking that yummy concoction they gave her that once imbibed allows the cat scan to show something! She gets to drink one full bottle of it (somewhere around a pint of liquid) at 11:15 a.m., a half a bottle at 12:15 p.m., and then the remaining half during the scanning process which is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. this afternoon. Results probably won't be out until next week at the earliest.
She reports that she has continued to have the dizziness, accompanied by some shortness of breath, over the past two days. A day and a half ago, she was doing something at the kitchen sink, turned around to walk away and got so dizzy that she felt her knees were going to buckle. This is the worst episode of this nature that she has experienced. The good news is that her shortness of breath at the time was not as bad as in prior episodes. So yesterday she phoned the oncologist's office to inquire about why she is having these episodes (she was thinking that it could be blood related), but the doctor was out that day. She will try to contact him again today. However, she was able to speak with his assistant who assured her that her blood test results from this past Friday were good.
Anita said that, as of yesterday, she weighed 132 lbs. which means she has lost two of the four pounds she recently gained. She has not weighed herself yet today so I don't know if she has lost more or is holding steady. Ultimately, she hopes to get her weight up to 140. She said that as it stands now, she will have two more Rituxan treatments and three more chemo treatments. So she is halfway through the program!!! That is a wonderful achievement.
On an amusing, if irritating for Anita note, yesterday they had a couple over to play a little bridge. So Anita put Tristan out in the back yard. A point came in the game where she was dummy, so she got up to go check on the dog. Lo and behold, he was covered in mud from his ears to the tip of his chin and all four legs! She doesn't know how he managed to do it! So telling the bridge trio to "wait a minute," off went her white jacket and into the sink went Tristan for a complete scrub down followed by a vigorous toweling-off. Thinking all was safe, she put him back in the grassy part of the yard this time and went back to the game. Bidding (no pun intended) the couple goodbye, after they left Anita went out to check on the little darling having completely forgotten about the sprinklers which had gone off in the interim! Well, he was having a grand time, proudly standing there dripping wet! Vigorous toweling-off Number 2!!! That called for a bourbon - Jack Daniels of course! Which, in a diluted version, she tolerated quite well and reports "tasted wonderful!"
She remains upbeat and positive despite the dizziness and is pacing herself to get through the rest of the treatments. We can all raise a toast to that!
Melissa
Just got off the phone with Mother who is getting ready to go get her "CT Contrast Studies," or in other words, a cat scan of her lungs and abdominal/intestinal area. So she has to fast from 9:00 a.m. this morning onward, only drinking that yummy concoction they gave her that once imbibed allows the cat scan to show something! She gets to drink one full bottle of it (somewhere around a pint of liquid) at 11:15 a.m., a half a bottle at 12:15 p.m., and then the remaining half during the scanning process which is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. this afternoon. Results probably won't be out until next week at the earliest.
She reports that she has continued to have the dizziness, accompanied by some shortness of breath, over the past two days. A day and a half ago, she was doing something at the kitchen sink, turned around to walk away and got so dizzy that she felt her knees were going to buckle. This is the worst episode of this nature that she has experienced. The good news is that her shortness of breath at the time was not as bad as in prior episodes. So yesterday she phoned the oncologist's office to inquire about why she is having these episodes (she was thinking that it could be blood related), but the doctor was out that day. She will try to contact him again today. However, she was able to speak with his assistant who assured her that her blood test results from this past Friday were good.
Anita said that, as of yesterday, she weighed 132 lbs. which means she has lost two of the four pounds she recently gained. She has not weighed herself yet today so I don't know if she has lost more or is holding steady. Ultimately, she hopes to get her weight up to 140. She said that as it stands now, she will have two more Rituxan treatments and three more chemo treatments. So she is halfway through the program!!! That is a wonderful achievement.
On an amusing, if irritating for Anita note, yesterday they had a couple over to play a little bridge. So Anita put Tristan out in the back yard. A point came in the game where she was dummy, so she got up to go check on the dog. Lo and behold, he was covered in mud from his ears to the tip of his chin and all four legs! She doesn't know how he managed to do it! So telling the bridge trio to "wait a minute," off went her white jacket and into the sink went Tristan for a complete scrub down followed by a vigorous toweling-off. Thinking all was safe, she put him back in the grassy part of the yard this time and went back to the game. Bidding (no pun intended) the couple goodbye, after they left Anita went out to check on the little darling having completely forgotten about the sprinklers which had gone off in the interim! Well, he was having a grand time, proudly standing there dripping wet! Vigorous toweling-off Number 2!!! That called for a bourbon - Jack Daniels of course! Which, in a diluted version, she tolerated quite well and reports "tasted wonderful!"
She remains upbeat and positive despite the dizziness and is pacing herself to get through the rest of the treatments. We can all raise a toast to that!
Melissa
Tuesday, 7 August 2007
Post #59: Doing About the Same
Hello Everyone!
Sorry about the two-day layoff here! Sunday Jim and I attended a formal Catholic baptism of a friend's two children with an elaborate reception afterwards and yesterday we attended what is called the Festa Major - or annual town festival - of a small town near us in which the featured main dish is "caracoles" which translates as "snails!" Each person, over 300 attendees, receives a heaping plate full of them and in a special sauce! Oh yum! The locals love them however, including the children! As for me, it is most definitely an acquired taste! For you statistics types: To feed all those people they had to buy 130 kilos of snails!
Finally talked with Anita and John today. Her condition can be best described as "more of the same" at the moment. For the past two days she has been experiencing the same dizziness and shortness of breath as noted in earlier postings, but it is still better than it has been in the past. She also is still feeling those sharp fleeting pains on her left side from time to time. So the past two days and today she has been taking it easy, but she still gets up and gets dressed every day, has playtime with the dog and in general is determined to lead as normal a life as she can.
Her view is that she is not as good as she hoped she would be at this point in that she had very strictly told her body, and in no uncertain terms, that "you are going to do better this week!!!" However, she figures that by next week her body will finally get the message and feel better - just in time for the next chemo session!
She had her weekly blood testing this past Friday and she is scheduled for a cat scan this coming Friday August 10th at 11:30 a.m. They will be checking to see what growth and/or shrinkage has occurred in her tumors.
However, her spirits are high. Today she and John are off to the vet so that Tristan can get a check-up. She is so conscientious about that little guy and so energized by him. He may be a little terror, but he's a blessing in disguise.
Hope you all are having a pleasant summer. We finally got a cooling wave of rain. Very needed and very refreshing!
Melissa
Sorry about the two-day layoff here! Sunday Jim and I attended a formal Catholic baptism of a friend's two children with an elaborate reception afterwards and yesterday we attended what is called the Festa Major - or annual town festival - of a small town near us in which the featured main dish is "caracoles" which translates as "snails!" Each person, over 300 attendees, receives a heaping plate full of them and in a special sauce! Oh yum! The locals love them however, including the children! As for me, it is most definitely an acquired taste! For you statistics types: To feed all those people they had to buy 130 kilos of snails!
Finally talked with Anita and John today. Her condition can be best described as "more of the same" at the moment. For the past two days she has been experiencing the same dizziness and shortness of breath as noted in earlier postings, but it is still better than it has been in the past. She also is still feeling those sharp fleeting pains on her left side from time to time. So the past two days and today she has been taking it easy, but she still gets up and gets dressed every day, has playtime with the dog and in general is determined to lead as normal a life as she can.
Her view is that she is not as good as she hoped she would be at this point in that she had very strictly told her body, and in no uncertain terms, that "you are going to do better this week!!!" However, she figures that by next week her body will finally get the message and feel better - just in time for the next chemo session!
She had her weekly blood testing this past Friday and she is scheduled for a cat scan this coming Friday August 10th at 11:30 a.m. They will be checking to see what growth and/or shrinkage has occurred in her tumors.
However, her spirits are high. Today she and John are off to the vet so that Tristan can get a check-up. She is so conscientious about that little guy and so energized by him. He may be a little terror, but he's a blessing in disguise.
Hope you all are having a pleasant summer. We finally got a cooling wave of rain. Very needed and very refreshing!
Melissa
Saturday, 4 August 2007
Post #58: Improvement!
Greetings all!
Today (Saturday) Anita is feeling much improved over yesterday, particularly comparing how she felt at the same time yesterday! She continues to be tired, have shortness of breath and some dizziness, particularly when bending over, but all in all, each day has seen steady improvement.
She believes that she may have a stubborn little area of growth on her left-side ribcage area under her arm. Periodically, when she moves her left arm in a certain manner, but more frequently when she least expects it, she gets a sharp nerve-like pain - like "OUCH!" But luckily it is a fleeting pain that goes away quickly. She is going to ask the onocologist about this when next they meet.
Friday she had her weekly blood work done. The blood people alternate doing one big test and one smaller one from week-to-week. Yesterday she had the smaller one. Going into the lab building she had to stop and take a rest, but she went to the lab reception desk herself to sign in. In the past, John has usually signed in for her as she did not have the stamina or energy to go do that.
Following the blood test they went out for breakfast. She was really looking forward to a big eggs Benedict feast! Wouldn't you know it? It was awful! The dish had the worst gravy on it with an olive on top of all things! To add insult to injury it came with your choice of hash browns or fruit. Anita opted for the fruit which turned out to be bulk cantalope. Well, needless to say, they won't be back to that restaurant anytime soon!
Meanwhile, John has been out shopping for lots of books, so they're reading up a storm at home. That is, when they have a moment between jumping up to find out what the dog's gotten himself into next! Sometimes their timing has been rotten - like letting the dog out into the yard just as the sprinklers are going off! Tristan loves it of course - lots of mud to play in! But of course that means another bath! Well, he'll get his come-uppance. Tuesday is vet day! Time for a distemper shot and some deworming. He is apparently growing like a weed and developing his adult coloration. Now if his behavior would only catch up with his coloration!
Next Friday August 10th will be three weeks from Anita's last chemo treatment. She announced to me today that: "Next week is going to be my rambunctious week! On Wednesday we're going to take a big ride somewhere - hopefully to San Diego where we can take the dog to the beach!" But if that destination turns out to be a bit too ambitious, then they will probably drive up to Idlewyld (may have spelled that wrong) to a favorite restaurant. In any event, she has stated emphatically that: "Monday, it's [feeling lousy] going to be gone! I'm getting out of this and am going to feel better!"
Now that's the ticket!
Melissa
Today (Saturday) Anita is feeling much improved over yesterday, particularly comparing how she felt at the same time yesterday! She continues to be tired, have shortness of breath and some dizziness, particularly when bending over, but all in all, each day has seen steady improvement.
She believes that she may have a stubborn little area of growth on her left-side ribcage area under her arm. Periodically, when she moves her left arm in a certain manner, but more frequently when she least expects it, she gets a sharp nerve-like pain - like "OUCH!" But luckily it is a fleeting pain that goes away quickly. She is going to ask the onocologist about this when next they meet.
Friday she had her weekly blood work done. The blood people alternate doing one big test and one smaller one from week-to-week. Yesterday she had the smaller one. Going into the lab building she had to stop and take a rest, but she went to the lab reception desk herself to sign in. In the past, John has usually signed in for her as she did not have the stamina or energy to go do that.
Following the blood test they went out for breakfast. She was really looking forward to a big eggs Benedict feast! Wouldn't you know it? It was awful! The dish had the worst gravy on it with an olive on top of all things! To add insult to injury it came with your choice of hash browns or fruit. Anita opted for the fruit which turned out to be bulk cantalope. Well, needless to say, they won't be back to that restaurant anytime soon!
Meanwhile, John has been out shopping for lots of books, so they're reading up a storm at home. That is, when they have a moment between jumping up to find out what the dog's gotten himself into next! Sometimes their timing has been rotten - like letting the dog out into the yard just as the sprinklers are going off! Tristan loves it of course - lots of mud to play in! But of course that means another bath! Well, he'll get his come-uppance. Tuesday is vet day! Time for a distemper shot and some deworming. He is apparently growing like a weed and developing his adult coloration. Now if his behavior would only catch up with his coloration!
Next Friday August 10th will be three weeks from Anita's last chemo treatment. She announced to me today that: "Next week is going to be my rambunctious week! On Wednesday we're going to take a big ride somewhere - hopefully to San Diego where we can take the dog to the beach!" But if that destination turns out to be a bit too ambitious, then they will probably drive up to Idlewyld (may have spelled that wrong) to a favorite restaurant. In any event, she has stated emphatically that: "Monday, it's [feeling lousy] going to be gone! I'm getting out of this and am going to feel better!"
Now that's the ticket!
Melissa
Thursday, 2 August 2007
Post #57: Hangin' in there!
Dear Anita Fans,
Just got off the phone with Anita who is resting in bed at the moment (1:45 p.m. California time). She is still experiencing the shortness of breath, but all in all is doing better post-treatment this time around than she did after the the second round.
Yesterday, although "teetery-legged" as she puts it, she went out to get her nails done and then went to a local Thai restaurant for some soup and a luncheon special. She also was able to have some visitors over as well. Her stamina is amazing.
This morning she woke up bright and early determined to mop the kitchen floor, which she did, cleaned the counters, and went outside with Tristan for their morning toss-and-fetch games on the grass! But - big surprise - that really wore her out! She then managed to watch some news, check her emails and finally went to bed for a well-deserved nap. Her spirit and determination to DO is really inspiring!
She has not yet been scheduled for her follow-up cat scan, so she will be contacting the oncologist regarding when that's going to happen. She is not exactly bubbling over with enthusiasm to call his offices. And given past history, not surprising. Getting through those staff receptionists has always required a major effort in diplomatic relations and guerilla tactics when necessary!
But she is in an upbeat and positive mood which is great. Tomorrow will mark one week since the most recent Rituxan treatment and based on past history she knows that next week she is going to be feeling better! We are all rooting for that! As some dear friends say frequently to her: "You go girl!!"
Melissa
Just got off the phone with Anita who is resting in bed at the moment (1:45 p.m. California time). She is still experiencing the shortness of breath, but all in all is doing better post-treatment this time around than she did after the the second round.
Yesterday, although "teetery-legged" as she puts it, she went out to get her nails done and then went to a local Thai restaurant for some soup and a luncheon special. She also was able to have some visitors over as well. Her stamina is amazing.
This morning she woke up bright and early determined to mop the kitchen floor, which she did, cleaned the counters, and went outside with Tristan for their morning toss-and-fetch games on the grass! But - big surprise - that really wore her out! She then managed to watch some news, check her emails and finally went to bed for a well-deserved nap. Her spirit and determination to DO is really inspiring!
She has not yet been scheduled for her follow-up cat scan, so she will be contacting the oncologist regarding when that's going to happen. She is not exactly bubbling over with enthusiasm to call his offices. And given past history, not surprising. Getting through those staff receptionists has always required a major effort in diplomatic relations and guerilla tactics when necessary!
But she is in an upbeat and positive mood which is great. Tomorrow will mark one week since the most recent Rituxan treatment and based on past history she knows that next week she is going to be feeling better! We are all rooting for that! As some dear friends say frequently to her: "You go girl!!"
Melissa
Wednesday, 1 August 2007
Post #56: Small Setback
Dear All,
Anita had a small setback today (Tues. July 31st) but, as she says, it was to be expected. It is her reaction to the Rituxan. She started feeling tired on Sunday (went to bed very early), Monday she was "dragging" (napped a lot during the day), and Tuesday the shortness of breath, a little arrhythmia and some dizziness returned so she spent most of the day in bed. Quote: "I just don't feel good today!"
However, she realizes that this appears to be her "normal" reaction now to the Rituxan treatment. These side effects kick in about the third day after the administration of the drug. She has done some reading on the internet about the side effects of Rituxan and apparently they can continue until two to three months after the last treatment. Anita has three more treatments to undergo so she is prepared for the long haul.
She has again lost some appetite but was able Tuesday morning to eat her usual breakfast of Total cereal, a glass of OJ and a banana and had some noodle soup for lunch. That was about all she could get down and so she just rested in bed for most of the rest of the day. She had taken a nausea pill Monday night, but none on Tuesday morning and has had no recurrence of nausea. She is just short of breath and exhausted.
But her attitude is very positive. She realizes that she is going to go through these episodes and she takes encouragement from the fact that following each treatment session, she has progressively been getting better and, so far, having less acute reactions to each treatment. May that progress continue!
Melissa
Anita had a small setback today (Tues. July 31st) but, as she says, it was to be expected. It is her reaction to the Rituxan. She started feeling tired on Sunday (went to bed very early), Monday she was "dragging" (napped a lot during the day), and Tuesday the shortness of breath, a little arrhythmia and some dizziness returned so she spent most of the day in bed. Quote: "I just don't feel good today!"
However, she realizes that this appears to be her "normal" reaction now to the Rituxan treatment. These side effects kick in about the third day after the administration of the drug. She has done some reading on the internet about the side effects of Rituxan and apparently they can continue until two to three months after the last treatment. Anita has three more treatments to undergo so she is prepared for the long haul.
She has again lost some appetite but was able Tuesday morning to eat her usual breakfast of Total cereal, a glass of OJ and a banana and had some noodle soup for lunch. That was about all she could get down and so she just rested in bed for most of the rest of the day. She had taken a nausea pill Monday night, but none on Tuesday morning and has had no recurrence of nausea. She is just short of breath and exhausted.
But her attitude is very positive. She realizes that she is going to go through these episodes and she takes encouragement from the fact that following each treatment session, she has progressively been getting better and, so far, having less acute reactions to each treatment. May that progress continue!
Melissa
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