9-28-2022 Update - Oye

This blog post will be a twofer being that there wasn’t an update last week. For the past three weeks, it has been a hell of a nasty rollercoaster for Lauren, both emotionally and physically. 

 

Going into Keck medicine last week to meet with Dr. Vandermolen, it’s the typical doctors visit we have had with him. Dr. Vandermolen proceeds to check Lauren’s vitals, checks her lungs, her legs & arms, and her current and past blood work reports to see if there are any trends he is concerned about.  Sure enough, Dr. Vandermolen was not pleased with Lauren’s blood results to proceed with her chemo treatment.  This will be the third week that Lauren has not had treatment.  Keep in mind, days or weeks that Lauren may not have treatment does not mean she has a free week of being able to do whatever she wants to do, or eat whatever she wants to eat.  Instead of having a chemo treatment on Tuesday, Dr. Vandermolen called for yet another blood transfusion to help bump up Lauren’s red blood cells count and her hemoglobin numbers.  

 

Tuesday would have been like any other chemo infusion day except it was Lauren’s scheduled blood transfusion at Hoag where there are no guests allows outside of the waiting room.  Even then, Hoag discourages guests from sticking around as the waiting room is set up to hold no more than six people.  I dropped Lauren off at around 8:45 in the morning, then went back home to do some chores such as cleaning up the house and doing laundry. The ominous laundry pile that never seems to get smaller in size.  By 3:00 PM, I head to Hoag to pick up Lauren from their infusion center and take her back home. 

 

The fatigue, nausea, and vomiting has been with Lauren for the past 3 weeks with no end in sight.  We had hoped that the pause in treatment would have addressed the sickness Lauren has been feeling, but it has not, not even in the slightest.  Two to three days a day for the past three weeks, Lauren has been vomiting.  Sometimes the vomit is food, sometimes it’s just bile and mucous, and sometimes it’s all the above.  Trying to keep food down for Lauren has been a challenge, trying to keep her energy levels up to be the slightest bit ambulatory has been a huge struggle.  The nurses at Keck suggest that Lauren find a Gastroenterologist (GI) to see if there is anything they can shed some light on with Lauren’s constant upset stomach.

 

Thursday we meet with the GI doctor remotely as it was the only way we were able to get an appointment at the last minute, or else we would have had to wait until late October or November. Without seeing Lauren in person, the GI doctor Indicated that Lauren may have some form of gastritis from the chemo medication, particularly Keytruda.  More medication was prescribed to help with stomach issues, it just didn’t seem to work all that well.

 

Come Saturday the 24^th, Lauren wakes up not feeling well and the vomit begins, but this time, stomach cramps ensue.  I can sense Lauren in pain and we both agree that we should take a trip to the ER to ensure she doesn’t have an intestinal blockage. We wait for Lauren to be admitted and randomly, a medical technician comes out from the restricted access door calling Lauren’s name.  Probably one of the strangest things I have seen medically in a while, there technician proceeds to draw Lauren’s blood in the waiting room.  We eventually get escorted to a room where they start giving Lauren fluids via IV, anti-nausea medication, and a small dose of morphine for the pain.  The ER doctor comes into our room and tells us they want to do an ultrasound to check to see if there is an intestinal blockage.  Great!  Not to long after, the ultrasound technician comes into our room and does a scan of Lauren’s abdomen. We patiently wait for the results.  

 

About an hour after the test, the ER doctor comes into our room to give us the results of the ultrasound.  Good news is that Lauren did not have a blockage, and the only thing they found was that Lauren’s spleen is slightly enlarged which is a side effect of the chemo medicine.

 

Sunday, September 25.

 

Not much going on other than making sure Lauren is kept comfortable despite the continued vomiting and feeling of fatigue.

 

Monday, September 26.

 

We did not meet with the doctor today, but we did proceed to the infusion floor at Keck Medicine.  Protocol at Keck is to draw blood before every infusion session to make sure her numbers are within range to proceed.  I know Lauren hates this entire process, I hate this, everyone who is near and dear to Lauren hates this, and we all see the pain inflicted onto her.   As Lauren and I are taken back to her treatment pod, the nurses always ask the typical questions like “how are you feeling?” Etc. Etc., but this time I think Lauren’s nurse knew that Lauren was not doing well with all the vomiting and fatigue.  The nurses know there is something that is triggering the vomiting, especially week three after the last treatment, but they just don’t know.  The nurses did request an EKG test at Hoag to monitor he heart since there is a correlation in women between heart issues and vomiting when chemotherapy is treating cancer.

 

Another suggestion from the nurses is the H. Pylori (Helicobacter Pylori) test.  The test looks at the bacteria in the digestive system to see if the H. Pylori bacteria is present since it can promote digestive disorders such as gastritis, ulcers, and other issues.  Reading up on the test, most people will never experience symptoms with the H. Pylori bacteria present in their digestive tract, however with Lauren’s weakened immune system, the slightest issue is magnified.

 

Tuesday, September 27

 

Back to Keck today for a hydration infusions and some anti-nausea meds through Lauren’s port.  Still pending the results of Lauren’s EKG test and the H. Pylori test.

 

Wednesday, September 28

 

I will try to get another blog posting up before the end of this week.  Lauren has another hydration infusion today, tomorrow and Friday we meet with the reconstructive surgeon and more.

 

Chris

9-17-2022 Update - Paused again

 9/17/2022 

This past week has been a bit of a whirlwind.  8 of the past 10 days were spent at the doctors office if you include last weeks visits.  These last few rounds of chemo seem to be coming very slowly and from what we are told this is very normal that things are just in a waiting pattern each week depending on how my body is responding.  

 

·      Monday: We went to Dr. Vandermolen for a check up on my blood and he wanted to get a pulse of how I was feeling after the 3 days of IV fluids I had received the days prior.  The blood results came back and Dr. Vandermolen was not happy with my hemoglobin again, along with my white blood count and my platelets, so he put a hold on my infusion for the week.  To help my white blood count, I was given a short acting white blood booster injection to help reduce any chance of infection/sickness.

·      Tuesday: Since my hemoglobin was low from Monday’s visit (7.4 and ideal is 8 in order to resume treatment) I had a 2^nd blood transfusion at Hoag.  Luckily this time it was about a 5 hour process vs the previous 8 hour process.  After the blood transfusion, I was feeling better, had more energy and my heart rate had started to normalize a bit more.  It was nice to have the same nurse I had the last time, Sherry, who was the one who is also triple negative and had just finished treatments in April.  She took great care of me and made sure that everything moved at a much faster pace than the previous appointment. 

·      Wednesday: The day started at 8am with a virtual call with a therapist.  I’ve been getting very anxious (for obvious reasons) and wanted to talk to someone that wasn’t connected to ‘cancer’ since I just want to learn how to manage my emotions and get through these last few rounds.  It was a productive call, we concluded that I’ll start meeting with her for the next 6 months every week, to help me manage all of these feelings I have about treatment and my diagnosis.  You don’t realize you need someone to help you through these things that is outside of your circle until they point out the things you don’t want to accept, like the fact that I don’t know how to personally deal with hardship, which is where I’m at in this journey – I don’t know how to mentally get through the fears and anxiety of what’s to come each week with treatment.  Next up was an appointment with Dr. Guerra, my breast surgeon, who we haven’t seen since April.  The appointment with Dr. Guerra was insightful but overwhelming.

o   She confirmed that I will have a double mastectomy, which we already assumed was going to happen based on my diagnosis, but she solidified that this is the best route to reduce the reoccurrence of cancer forming. 

o   The surgery, assuming my treatments resume in the next week, will take place sometime between November 1 – November 15.  

o   It’s a 4 hour surgery assuming everything goes smoothly and she is hoping since I have chosen to have reconstructive surgery that we can get a plastic surgeon to come in and do their portion at the same time, but that is still TBD.

o   Recovery has gotten a lot better over time and the hardest part will be not lifting my arms and not using my arms to get out of bed, off the couch, etc. 

o   Upon examination of me, she felt no tumor – which is GREAT news and what we knew was happening but nice to hear it again.

·      Thursday: Back to Dr. Vandermolen we went for another check of my blood.  My hemoglobin was much better, close to 10.5, and of course my white blood count had improved since the shot given on Monday, but my platelets still were low.  So treatment was and still is on hold until our next visit on Monday, where hopefully they will have boosted enough on their own to get my treatments back on schedule, but only time will tell.

 

We have a 3 day break from any doctors appointment, which is NICE to say the least.  My side effects this past week have just been some exhaustion where I’ve taken naps throughout the day and gone to bed early, followed by a bit of nausea and vomiting, but not nearly as much as the prior week.  I’ve started to decorate the house for Halloween to keep my find focused on something else and its fun to see cute décor in our home now that we’ve remodeled – I’m excited for the holidays more than ever this year, for various reasons.  All in all, those are the updates for the week – it’s been a lot and exhausting to go to the doctors so many days in a row, Chris and I both can’t wait until there is a possible normal week again of say maybe just 1 doctors visit….none is probably not going to be for a while, we assume.  

 

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend.  We are going to take it easy this weekend and spend time at my parents house tomorrow for dinner.

 

Monday I have my Keytruda (immunotherapy) infusion and another visit with Dr. Vandermolen to see how my platelets are, so we’ll be sure to keep everyone posted soon and, so please keep your fingers crossed my numbers are good for chemo to resume.

 

All my love,

Lauren

9-11-2022 Update

The crummy feeling Lauren has been going through for the past few weeks is still here, even with the previous week Dr. Vandermolen insisted Lauren skipping.  From this point on, the fatigue and the daily vomiting, we think, will be the norm for the next three sessions.  Dr. Vandermolen hinted that the vomiting and the increased fatigue Lauren is experiencing has finally caught up with her.  Damnit.

 

Basically, the meds are compounding after all this time and Lauren’s body is just over it.  It was described as ‘here, hold this one plate, oh but wait, now hold these other 15 plates’, and then see how you manage.  That’s basically what is happening, the meds are just stacking up inside Lauren’s body.  The fatigue comes in waves, Lauren naps throughout the day and her energy to be able to do her reduced workouts has even been harder.  On a good day she’ll be up for putting laundry away, emptying the dishwasher and making our bed.   It’s been lots of Netflix, reading and coloring these days with small walks around our block to get some fresh air.

 

After leaving Keck Medicine last week, Lauren and I were ecstatic to have a week off from treatment thinking we could hopefully have a week with a slight sense of normalcy, eating what we wanted, drinking what we wanted, and getting out and doing a few things a normal human being would be able to do.  Boy were we in for an unpleasant surprise.  All the nasty symptoms Lauren has been experiencing did not subside from her week off chemo.  Her bowels continued to not cooperate despite the lack of chemo medicine that can inhibit the movement of “things”, which is one of Lauren’s biggest gripes since starting treatment.  I can’t say I’ve experienced constipation but seeing Lauren struggle physically and emotionally with it is painful to observe.

 

Lauren’s last post mentioned that vomiting has been a new thing that she just can’t seem to shake.  It’s not that she’s feeling nauseas when she vomits, it’s just her stomach isn’t agreeing with something, we just don’t know.  We have adjusted Lauren’s diet umpteenth times trying to figure out what works, and what doesn’t.  At first, we assumed it was foods that were considered acidic, but even with the basics, chicken broth and white rice, there was no rhyme or reason for the vomiting.  For the entire week, it was a constant worry as to when things were going to come up.

 

The Friday evening before last, the fatigue and the inability to keep food down led me to call the on-call doctor at around 10 PM in the evening.  I spoke to the doctor explaining the symptoms Lauren was experiencing and what the hell can we do to make Lauren more comfortable.  The doctor gave me three choices, 1) He would call in a prescription for nausea, 2) Wait until Monday for a hydration infusion, 3) Head to the nearest ER as the doctor was concerned with a blockage in her bowels.  The following morning, Lauren’s mom took Lauren to the emergency room at Los Alamitos Medical Center.  The ER doctors felt rather confident that there wasn’t a blockage but went ahead and gave Lauren some meds and hydration via IV.

 

Now, to this past week.  Infusion has resumed.  We met with Dr. Vandermolen on Tuesday prior to the infusion treatment.  We explained to him all the issues Lauren had dealt with the week before, and unfortunately, it is all too common for people to have the same symptoms who are on the final few sessions of chemotherapy.  Dr. Vandermolen assured us that this is normal, the additional trips to Keck and/or Hoag for hydration, the additional doctors’ visits – it’s becoming almost a daily part of our schedule.

 

Lauren was able to complete treatment #13 on Tuesday, which leaves us with 3 treatments to go.  As much as it is a relief, it also can’t come fast enough.  Tuesday went like normal but because the tough weeks Lauren has had, Dr. Vandermolen wanted her back Thursday and Friday for hydration and anti-nausea meds via IV.  On top of that after hearing that Lauren was still vomiting, they signed her up for hydration on Sunday as well.  So, 4 trips to the doctors this past week.  The doctor gave Lauren a new medicine to try and help with the nausea, it’s something they give for patients who are bi-polar.  Well, Lauren won’t be taking that again.  She took it Friday night, woke up around 1am to go to the restroom and was pretty sure each leg weighed about 75lbs and was worried she might fall down our stairs.  When she woke up on Saturday morning, she was basically a zombie all day – needless to say, this drug works for people who may be bi-polar and helped with the nausea, but it’s not something Lauren will be taking again, she’d rather vomit than go through those side effects again.

 

On top of that this coming week is probably going to be somewhat the same, but who knows.  Tomorrow, we meet with Dr. Vandermolen for a checkup, Tuesday is infusion #14 and then on Wednesday we meet with Dr. Guerra (the Breast Surgeon) to get Lauren’s surgery set up.  It’s nice to have this appointment finally here as it’s one step closer to being done with chemotherapy.  Who knows if any other visits will be needed this week, but we stay on our toes depending on what Lauren’s blood work shows and what the nurses and doctor want to do about her nausea and vomiting. 

 

We’ll update again soon, but for now, just trying to work through all the side effects.  I am so grateful I took this time off from work because I just can’t imagine being at the office and Lauren calling me because she isn’t feeling well or has just thrown up and no one is there to rub her back or give her fluids after and get her to calm down.  Thanks for all the check-ins, we are getting close but it’s not over yet.

Love,

Chris