Squirm

Counts were lower than last time, but still higher than they have generally been. Which means dosage of Methotrexate goes up again tomorrow, in addition to the spinal tap and Vincrinstine (given IV). My stomach has been irritated today (they're going to pull blood samples tomorrow to check my liver/pancreas), and I'm exhausted. I took a three hour nap and still feel like crap!!

Spoke too soon!

A couple days of the past week I have had abdominal pain, as if my stomach is really irritated. And today I threw up after breakfast, not really sure why. Other than that, though, I've been doing pretty good! Wednesday is a count check and Thursday is spinal tap and chemo.

Not too bad

This week post-chemo has been better than the previous two times. I have been sore and exhausted, but my nausea has improved a lot for some reason. No complaints there!! Staying inside and laying low to avoid the flu... I think this house arrest may last until the end of harsh chemo in December - but it will be worth it if I can avoid the flu while my immune system is compromised!

Protect Insurance Companies!

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

chemo day

Here's a quick update - today I got three chemo drugs - Vincristine, Methotrexate, and Peg Aspariginase. Not sure if I spelled the last one right. They increase the methotrexate dose each 10 days during this phase until my body becomes 'toxic.' Considering that my counts looked better on Friday than the previous week, we're not toxic yet. I may not have problems with these increasing doses, it all depends on my body. Update later this week - watch that Beyonce video below!

Halo

Beyonce sang my favorite song of hers, Halo, to a little girl named Chelsea with cancer. Here's the video.

Sick?

Yesterday I felt exhausted and had a runny nose all day. After taking an afternoon nap, I felt worse. Today the sniffles are not nearly as bad but I have a bit of a sore throat... I keep pushing the fluids to try and make it all go away. Also, my stomach and arms are bruising more from my shots, which probably means my platelets are dropping. It's a good thing I'm not getting chemo until Monday!

Chemo Sucks

Thursday I got chemo and felt decent afterward. Yesterday I was nauseated and tired. Last night I got the hiccups a few times after dinner and my normal "dry heaves" or waves of random nausea got really bad... After my evening walk they didn't get better so I took a thorazine, which is the strongest anti-nausea drug I have which they also gave me in the hospital to try and stop my hiccups. Needless to say it knocked me out within an hour: my brother had to come turn off my TV, I didn't wake up to pee (which I always do) and I felt exhausted when I woke up after ten hours. This morning I played with my oatmeal and felt pretty crummy. My mom and I went to visit Natalie in the hospital, another leukemia patient with the doctors I have, who turns 15 today. Happy Birthday Natalie! After that, I was really hungry, and my brother and I split a pizza. (No oatmeal, but half a pizza? Welcome to chemo land). I fell asleep for almost three hours this afternoon. I now have a headache and feel really tired still. YUCK!

Chemo party tomorrow!!

Vincristine, Methotrexate, and I have a date tomorrow. I'll tell you all about it later, but I'm guessing they're not my type.

Doing my best to update you on health care reform... and my journey with my own health care.
Quote below is from this article: click here

"Despite deep-seated differences among lawmakers, Obama drew a standing ovation when he recounted stories of Americans whose coverage was denied or delayed by their insurers with catastrophic results.

'That is heartbreaking, it is wrong, and no one should be treated that way in the United States of America.'"

PS - I wrote the White House to tell them my story. I'm sure it got to Obama's desk... ;)

Same old complaints, different day

The rest of the week produced nothing too new to talk about. Most of my complaints are not new... I have tons of school work, which drains the little energy I have. Nausea has a mind of its own, coming and going as it sees fit. It's usually worse in the late morning/afternoon, but that's still just a generalization. I take a nap nearly every day because I get so tired, so easily. I do have one recent development of pain in my middle back. It feels almost like a pinched nerve - which could be alignment problems or a result of the Vincristine (which zaps your nerves and is the drug that makes my fingertips numb). That's about it for now! Next chemo is Thursday.

Quick Upchuck... I Mean Update!

Today I have more energy, less fatigued, no need for a nap, less of a headache... but my nausea is worse and I do not like it!!! My tummy hates chemo! I mean, look at him:

Race for a CURE

Hello everyone,

http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/pfchangs10/landrews

Please take a minute to go to this website that my bestest friend Lydia has designed for her Team in Training. She is raising a ton of money to help fund research and other great things in the area of blood cancers. Any amount of money will help, and it all goes towards the Leukemia and Lympoma Society. We'll be there to support her in January for her marathon as she has continually supported me and my family throughout this journey.

Hit by a bus

The best way to describe the way I feel today is as if I were hit by a bus yesterday. My whole body aches, I've had a headache, I am really weak, and nausea comes and goes. I napped for nearly three hours yesterday, and about four hours today in the afternoon. I had no energy to do any schoolwork. I think the almost month-long break I had between phases gave my body a lot of strength, which was hit pretty hard by everything yesterday. I think my body will get accustomed to being pumped with toxic chemicals every week again. Hopefully I start feeling better and get back to knocking out my schoolwork in the next couple days.