Second Week of Treatment

Here we go! Now, moving in to my second week of treatment.  So far the many side effects have been bearable, nothing too concerning.  I clearly have a bit of the forgetfulness, which they gently call "Chemo Brain", I call it temporary Alzheimer's, basically the loss of short term memory. I think that it is due to chemicals in your body as well as all the overwhelming things on your mind.  I just wish right now that I wouldn't keep forgetting to get those sleeping pills, 'cause is 2 am and I am wide awake!

This week I am reminded of a co-worker, her name was Debbie and she started on the project with us in 2006, her office was right next to mine.  She was a quiet hard working woman contracted from Northrop Grumman.  As office mates do, we would often chat about our personal day to day stuff, we were office friends.  One day a couple of years ago, we heard the news that she had cancer, which was as always shocking news.  Busy with work and delivery deadlines, we went on with our duties, always with Debbie on our minds.  Time passed by and we would get updates from Debbie, we would hear that she was doing OK and being treated at John Hopkins Hospital, I believe it was!  After a couple of months Debbie came by the office, I saw her briefly in the copier room, she had lost a lot of weight and had very little hair, it was heartbreaking.  Little did I know at that time, that it was the last time I was to see Debbie.  I have thought of her often since then and wished there was more I could have done to support her in her time of need.  I also did not know, until I spoke with one of my co-workers this week, that Debbie died of Cervical Cancer.


I am not sure what stage Debbie was in, but it certainly made things real and very scary.

It is difficult to put everything I am going through in to words sometimes, I think I get through it by being a little in denial.  It is to heavy to think about it all.  So, prayers, positive thinking and lots of self pampering is helping a bit.


Tomorrow is my second round of Chemo, and although is not so bad, the side effects are dreaded.  Hopefully it would be similar to this week's effects, numbness, tired, cold like symptoms.... oh yeah and insomnia.  May be the Chemo Brain is so you do not remember it all!!

Here it comes!

Well, as most of you already know this is my first week of treatment, as well as my first week back to work!!

Work has been great!! What better day to start work than on the JSI Thanksgiving Pot Luck, we had so much amazing food with all my amazing co-workers and friends.  I have to give a shout out to Gladys (from Peru) I have to say your flan was the highlight of the long line of fabulous desserts.  It was so nice to see all of my co-workers, I think the last time I got so many hugs was when I left Costa Rica in 1984.  The difference was, this were welcome back glad to see you in good health hugs, they truly made me
feel special.  Thank you!! to all my amazing co-workers, it is truly unbelievable to work such a large group of truly nice and caring people.  JSI is a great company to work for and I do not wanna sound like I am trying to hard, but to have the support of your company, your Director, the Human Resource managers is a new concept to me.  To have leaders that are sensitive to the struggles we are going through as a family, is actually an answer to my prayers.  I prayed for years to have a job where I would be appreciated for what I do.  I prayed for a boss that understands that I am committed to my responsibilities and getting the job done, however is understanding that sometimes family and your health does have to be a priority.  Those prayers did come through, it took some time, but they did.

This past couple of weeks we have enjoyed so many visits from friends, co-workers and neighbors.  All of them coming to see me!  How great is that, all of them coming to give more hugs and to give me encouragement, it was very nice.  I have to tell you that none of the came empty handed.  You expect things from family, you know is "their obligation" to be there for you and they all do it with love, but, to get that from your friends, it just makes them an extension of the family.  I just cannot get over it, it is amazing that people are so kind.  Children love the assortment of foods that I never expose them to, they are so appreciative to! they pray for peoples kindness towards our family, be it with food or prayers or both, we appreciate it so much.

Now about the dreaded treatments.  I have been very stressed with the anticipation of it all, not so much of undergoing the treatments, because they are not so bad, is the side effects I am dreading.  Well although they tell you the symptoms do not come on so early, I can feel them sneaking in.  Apart from Chemo medication, I have about 5 or 6 other medications that I take to help with symptoms.  Well regardless.  Is the first week and although symptoms are light, you do feel a bit of the burning from the radiation; migraines, fatigue, nausea and numbness throughout the body from the Chemo running through the body.  Little things, that do scare me because I know they will worsen as we move forward.  I know is a necessary evil, I know they will only be temporary, I know I will be fine and that I will be able to handle them.  Still, not fun to think what is ahead, so I keep taking one day at a time. 

 

While in Transition!

Hello everyone!!!

So, thankfully I am now recovered from the Hysterectomy, recuperating from that surgery was not the easiest thing, but I am back on my feet and dancing La Macarena!!

So, my friend and neighbor Linda which has been so amazing with us recommended that I start a web page for friends to support us during this time.  So I followed advised and started a web page on this site called "Lots of helping hands", this website helps people organize support.  I have to tell you all that I am overwhelmed with the response and the amount of support from everyone.  So many people have come to visit me and they bring along so much delicious food, so much in fact that we where forced to freeze some of it, we will save for those days that I will be feeling down from the upcoming treatment.

Jan says "Mom, people really do care for you".  He is right!  It is incredible the amount of love from everyone, it is overwhelming to know that so many people have taken the time to actually prepare food for my family and bring it to my door step, I am amazed of the kindness and love from everyone!!!

I am also very thankful to all the many people are praying for my health.  I have gotten so many messages of love filled with well wishes.  The messages that make me really happy are the ones where friends tell me that because of my experience and my blog, they are encouraging friends and family to have their annual checks. 

Anyway!  My Radiation was delayed a week to ensure that I was completely recovered from my surgery.  So, fumigation "as I call it" starts Sunday and I go back to work Monday.  It will be busy, but I think it will make time go by faster.  They say that I might be weak, sleepy and nauseous!  I really do not care, bring it on! 

So, Sunday to Friday I will have daily radiation, which is really something like an X-ray machine, the rays are just a lot stronger and can burn your skin and affect the way things function in the area of radiation.  I will be taking lots of blood test to ensure that my blood count is good enough to get Chemo.  Chemo is once a week, mostly on Tuesdays. This treatment is a large IV bag that is filled with a series of medications that will travel through my body for about 3 hours, fumigating the cancer as it travels through my veins.  This is what causes people to be sick and tired.


Funny fact that I discovered going through this!!  The Cancer is actually not what makes you feel sick, not at my stage at least.  Is the surgeries, the pain medications and the harsh treatments that make you feel bad!!  People that have seen me this week, are surprised that I am back to normal.  For me that is good news, I have worked so hard at getting stronger to ensure that this next stage is not so hard on me.


The Good News!  My last day of Radiation and Chemo is supposed to be December 23rd!! Right on time for me to be Cancer Free for Christmas! My favorite time of year!!


Again, thank you everybody for all the good wishes and prayers!!  
Every time I go to the Doctors they give me better and better news.  I believe that is all due to all the love and prayers from family and friends.

Besitos!!!  Nita

Busy with Dr Appointments

So, Nona has gone home!  She was here for the last three weeks and truly got me back on my feet. Thank you Nona! 

These next couple of weeks which I am still off from work with Doctors orders to take it easy 

to fully recuperate from the surgery, because I cannot start treatment until I am fully healed. 

I also have many Doctors appointments this next 2 weeks yesterday I went to a PET/CT scan

which is a Nuclear Medicine Imaging where they inject you with a Radioactive Material  which 

goes through your veins and concentrates in areas where there might be cancerous cells.  The

Radioactive material creates a cluster and highlights the area to ensure that when we do the

Radiation that the Doctors concentrate on the right areas.  We are hoping that it is only in the

area of the cervix, but this will let us know if it has spread through the lymph nodes through 

anywhere else, to ensure we get rid of ALL existing cancer cells in my body.

So, Thursday I am going to talk to the Radiologist (Dr. Hetelekitis) to define if Cancer is gone,

if it is only in the cervix area or if it is spreading through other parts of my body.  Pretty scary!!

However, I am encouraged and confident it will be good timing and that we will be radiating

my pelvis to ensure it doesn't spread and to fumigate this cancer out of my body.

I also have Doctor's appointments which will prepare me for my daily Radiation Therapy and 

the Chemo Therapy, getting boys flu shots and my flu shots, health check for them and I to make

sure that there are no germs and colds in the house while I am under Therapy, because my blood cell count will be so low it won't be able to fight to many things at the time and I want my

blood cells to concentrate on fighting my cancer cells.

I start my Therapies on the 14th of November, as long as I am fully recovered from my Hysterectomy Surgery, otherwise it will be delayed a couple of weeks.  The Therapy will be 

6 to 8 weeks, depending on the results of yesterday's CT Scan.  If it is not spread and it is

localized, it will be a lighter local treatment.  If it spread it will be a more wide spread aggressive

treatment.

Funny thing, I did not know that when you are injected with this radiation solution you cannot 

get close to kids or pregnant women, because you are so full of radio active material that you

can cause cancer on them.  CRAZY!!! So, I had to keep my distance from people for 6 hours 

and I will need to carry a note when I fly because when I pass the scan at the airport I will trigger 

machines that flag for radioactive material.

So, I start treatment on the 14th, which means that this social bug will be back at work but will

have to stay AWAY from everyone!!!  Reason as I said, my immune system will be very weak 

and I will have a high risk of getting sick.  So, it is so sad that this is happening during my 

favorite time of the year Christmas, when we socialize the most!  Please know that I love you all

and that I wish I could share lots of happy moments to come in the next couple of months.  

However, a moment of happiness with friends, might mean sleepless nights of misery for me

and worried moments for the family!  So please, do not take it personal, I am just caring for 

myself so that I can hopefully start the new year Cancer Free!!!!  and then I will be back to 

hugging and loving everyone!!!!!!!!!   ;0)

So for now, I will continue on this roller coaster, although I am taking only ONE day at a time

so that I am not over whelmed with the situation, I am hopeful for localized cancer cells or 

none left in my body to get a light treatment and be able to enjoy a bit of the next couple of 

months.  I am told treatments make you tired, I can loose my hair, a tube with a tip will 

be inserted in my body so that I will not have to be pocked and bruised on veins, I might

have nausea and I will be highly susceptible to catching colds, the flu and such.....!!!??

So, we shall wait and see, and this again is why I can only think 1 day at a time!!!

Talk to you soon!!!  and thank you all for your love and support!!!

Living with Purpose!

By the way if you read the last post, I was still on heavy medication!!

So, now I understand where I went wrong!  They say everything happens for a 
reason and I realize that it is very true.  Sometimes us women want it all, we want to be married, we want to be mothers, we dream of doing the household stuff (cooking, baking, having family dinners).  We also want to be dream of being accomplished women. Silly me went back to school full time, while working full time for the last 6 years.


Although it all can be done, things do fall between the cracks, because we are not meant to be doing it all.  In my case, yes I did it all, but neglected to take care of myself, so now here I am paying the consequences for being so busy!

My surgery was hard, it had me in bed for about 4 weeks, I know some of you were really concerned about me!  

Thank you very much for being so caring!  For me, I am not going to say that it was the best time, 'cause I was in a lot of pain, but I was in great hands and being properly pampered.  For the first time in a long time, I got to lay in bed, relax and sleep all day.  Nona (JC's mom) cooked wonderful meals, plus all the great meals all the friends and neighbors brought too.  Carol took care of the boys, took them to the bus, helped them with school work, prepared their lunches and got them ready for bed.  We now have a cleaning crew come in once a week, so my house is so clean.  

Nothing left for me to do but Sleep and Relax!!!!!  What more could I ask for!


Nona is leaving Sunday, so I will get my snooze on until my shift starts!


In two weeks we start Radiation Treatment (daily) and Chemo Therapy (1 a week), this will be ongoing until January!!!   It might sound weird, but I am so happy and blessed that I can do this, after it is all over, it will be over and I will be done and I will be checked for the next 5 years to make sure it never comes back. 

For now, until I start the next stage, I am up and back to my normal self.  My boys and the family that surround me, make me very happy and give me strength to push forward.


To all my women friends and men with women in their lives (be it girlfriend, sister, mother, wife or daughters), if I have learned anything from this, is that this is all soooo preventable!  

It is crazy, that women are so busy trying to conquer their lives that we forget about ourselves.


Girls and boys from 9 to 26 years old can get vaccinated to avoid HPV.  Girls
CAN get the vaccine and avoid getting the virus.  Boys transmit the virus, so if they get vaccinated they CANNOT transmit the decease.


For women past 26, get a good Gyno, not a bad one like I had.  All you have to
do is get your annual check up.  Half an hour of annoying, bothersome pain, will save you from:

• Scary Cancer news
• Painful surgery
• Sleepless nights with so much pain that you cry yourself to sleep
• 1 month in bed taking pain pills
• Family so stressed they go to sleep crying
• Pap Smears for the next 5 years every 3 months
• Radiation and Chemo
• Loosing your hair
• Worrying for the rest of your life if it cancer will come back 
• Will I see my grand kids

Take the time to love yourself and make sure you are healthy and if you are 
a man, encourage the one you love to take time to care for themselves.


I do not want to see any one of you going through this...let's hope God 
gave me this so that I could ensure that I told my friends to avoid going
through this.


Love and talk to you soon!! Wish me luck on my next journey! Besitos!!!