A Day in the (Cancer) Life In Pictures -- Treatment Day
I left my house at 6:45am. Traffic was as expected, and I arrived with a little time to spare.
My first of four appointments today was with my Cancer Rehab Specialist. It was a follow-up from a few months ago when I saw her about my sore shoulder. It wasn't lymphedema as we had expected, but just my rotator cuff. She gave me an anti-inflammatory, and that did the trick. I'll go back to see her in another six months, just to check in, and in case my neuropathy kicks back in, as I'll be starting up Perjeta again (see my notes below from my oncology appointment).
My next stop was to the Lombardi Cancer Clinic, where I had my usual six week appointment with my oncologist. Everything looks great, save the blood clot in the tubing of my port. I have an appointment on Monday afternoon with my Interventional Radiologist, who will decide if it needs to be replaced. To err on the side of caution, we decided to do an IV for treatment today instead of the port. We also discussed starting back up with Perjeta. I had stopped taking Perjeta in April because my neuropathy got painful. It has calmed down now to a slight tingle, so we're going to start the drug again and see how my body reacts.
Third stop was to the Bles Infusion Center for my regular, every three week infusion. Because we're doing via IV instead of the port this time, we're sticking with just the Herceptin. We'll add Perjeta next time, after my port is either replaced, or gets the go-ahead from the IR. It was tough getting an IV; it always is with me. Two people and four needle sticks later, we're in business. While the meds are dripping into my veins, I eat the lunch that I packed and brought with me.
My last appointment today was with my ENT, as a follow up to my having trouble swallowing. She sprayed decongestant into my nose, then a numbing agent. When my throat was numb, she inserted a tiny camera into my throat via my nose. It's not as uncomfortable as you'd think, or as it would be without the numbing agent. All looks well. She looked back in my records to when the GI doctor did an EDG a while back, to see if anything there was connected. That's one of the reasons I love going to Georgetown for all of my appointments. All of my records are accessible by all of my doctors, so there's no waiting for me to get a copy to bring it in. Anyway, the appointment ended today with the plan for me to wean off of Prilosec, and have a follow-up in six months.
My last stop before going home was back to the Clinic, to snag a cup of caffeine for the ride home, which started and ended with great weather, but the drive down 210 was in a torrential downpour.
Aside from the great scenery on the way home...
...I got quite a bit of waiting room knitting done today.
To give you an idea of how much waiting time there is, I turned on my MapMyWalk app after I left the garage, and had the automatic pause feature on. Here's how much actual walking I did during the day. This is all inside the hospital. Mind you, I left my house at 6:45am, arrived just after 8am, and left just before 4pm, arriving home just before 6pm. That's three hours of driving time, and about eight hours at the hospital. Actual walking time -- about 32 minutes. The rest was spent in waiting rooms and exam rooms. This makes for a very long, tiring day.
My first of four appointments today was with my Cancer Rehab Specialist. It was a follow-up from a few months ago when I saw her about my sore shoulder. It wasn't lymphedema as we had expected, but just my rotator cuff. She gave me an anti-inflammatory, and that did the trick. I'll go back to see her in another six months, just to check in, and in case my neuropathy kicks back in, as I'll be starting up Perjeta again (see my notes below from my oncology appointment).
My next stop was to the Lombardi Cancer Clinic, where I had my usual six week appointment with my oncologist. Everything looks great, save the blood clot in the tubing of my port. I have an appointment on Monday afternoon with my Interventional Radiologist, who will decide if it needs to be replaced. To err on the side of caution, we decided to do an IV for treatment today instead of the port. We also discussed starting back up with Perjeta. I had stopped taking Perjeta in April because my neuropathy got painful. It has calmed down now to a slight tingle, so we're going to start the drug again and see how my body reacts.
Third stop was to the Bles Infusion Center for my regular, every three week infusion. Because we're doing via IV instead of the port this time, we're sticking with just the Herceptin. We'll add Perjeta next time, after my port is either replaced, or gets the go-ahead from the IR. It was tough getting an IV; it always is with me. Two people and four needle sticks later, we're in business. While the meds are dripping into my veins, I eat the lunch that I packed and brought with me.
My last appointment today was with my ENT, as a follow up to my having trouble swallowing. She sprayed decongestant into my nose, then a numbing agent. When my throat was numb, she inserted a tiny camera into my throat via my nose. It's not as uncomfortable as you'd think, or as it would be without the numbing agent. All looks well. She looked back in my records to when the GI doctor did an EDG a while back, to see if anything there was connected. That's one of the reasons I love going to Georgetown for all of my appointments. All of my records are accessible by all of my doctors, so there's no waiting for me to get a copy to bring it in. Anyway, the appointment ended today with the plan for me to wean off of Prilosec, and have a follow-up in six months.
Aside from the great scenery on the way home...
Why do I post about my day like this, you wonder? To give you an idea of what a day in the life is like. To give you an idea of why your loved one is so tired after coming home from medical appointments. Don't be impatient with them, or think that they shouldn't be so tired after a few easy appointments. It's exhausting.
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