Power PICC line is in

I am now the proud bearer of a new Power PICC line. The procedure went smoothly once I understood it and the risks vis-a-vis a simple line with the powerful chemo Taxotere.

This is what it looks like.

It can stay in for up to several months, needs weekly flushing, and should last until I am ready for a new port.

The Avastin and Taxotere infusions were also smooth and given that I am bouncing on Decadron, I should have plenty of energy today and tomorrow. We'll see what happens later in the week.

Port Removal Update (Save Your Family)

Last Friday they removed the current (my second!) port-a-cath. The fistula just below it showed signs of a staph infection, so now hopefully the red line on my neck will heal along with any other issues.

Conscious sedation (i.e. Versed and Fentanyl) gives one an odd feeling. I undressed, put on a hospital gown and an extra pair of socks, and a nurse started an IV line in my right arm. They rolled me from the prep area into the interventional radiology surgery area, which featured lots of high tech x-ray etc. equipment and an enormous computer screen for the doc to track his work.

I scooted from the gurney onto the "table" and tilted my head to the left, away from the port site, while Nurse Romeo set up a blue fabric screen with a big hole out the left side, to prevent claustrophobia on my part.

The nurse gave me Fentanyl first (for pain relief) and I almost immediately went into la-la land. Then she gave me the Versed and I was no longer aware of anything.

Versed is funny: you probably can answer questions the staff put to you, but you don't remember what's happening from moment to moment. Rik will have to say if I repeated myself over and over again afterwards, which is the typical side effect.

We went to lunch at Mediterranean Kitchen (oh those farmer's wings!) and then walked back to Swedish for my monthly shot of Faslodex and my every two months' dose of bone-strengthening Aredia.

It ended up a very long day. Rik had to go home to feed the dogs, then came back for me at 5 PM. In the meantime, Dr G walked over to say hi and check in with me before he left for the day.

After we came home, I crashed on the bed for a couple of hours, woke up at 8 PM, had a snack, and took the first dose of Ibrance round 2. I spent the weekend recovering, relaxing in the sunny weather and am ready for today's scans.

On ignoring doctor's advice

I am not going to say doctors are gods or anything, but they did go to school for many years more than I did so I can easily admit that they might know more about medical crap than I, even if their bedside manner really sucks at times.

I also strongly believe that as patients we owe it to ourselves to do our research, listen to our options, and do what we feel will help us best. And if this includes juicing, yoga, fasting, acupuncture, turmeric, coffee cleanses, or whatever, we also owe it to ourselves to listen to the advice of our medical professionals.

It is a real shame that some people die when they choose to ignore medical advice and advancements. New research out of Australia focuses on young cancer patients who are ignoring medical advice to cure their cancer through diet changes and result in unfortunate outcomes. These popular bloggers are not properly trained medical professionals so its not that surprising that these are the results are what they are.

If diet could cure us, we wouldn't need doctors.

We must listen to our doctors advice, and sometimes question it, but heed it for the most part. If we don't listen to our doctors and heed their advice, we can't fully question it and then make our good decisions based on our experience with it.

Why am I so tired?

I am tired. A lot. I need naps. I am sure a doctor will tell me its due to fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis. All I know is I need a nap. I slept almost 12 hours last night and feel that I need a nap later today.

Yes I will talk to my new primary care on Monday but I still will take naps. Its not just that I need naps, I don't have the energy to do a lot of things I want to do, such as see friends.

But I digress. Its been a busy day so far and its not even noon! I'll have to fit in a nap later.

Why do people read my drivel like this? Its awful.

Change

I don't like change. I like my little 'ruts' that keep me doing the same thing over and over again. And I'm usually okay with it.

However, my health requires me to make changes, regularly. I look back on my life in recent years and can recall many things I used to do, for decades, but do not any more because I can't.

For example, if you have read my blog for a while, you may note that I used to go for a daily walk. Every day, rain or shine, I would go out for a walk, usually a fairly substantial walk for an hour. I really enjoyed it. Now the idea of an hour walk has me cringing inside. I can't. Its a combination of all my issues which make it impossible for me to even think about more than a 20 minute walk.

I also used to do more than go for long walks, I would climb mountains, go skiing, ice skate, bike ride, and more. I was an outdoor person. Now I am more of an indoor person. I have watched so many Lifetime movies that I know the plots of some of them by heart. (My husband believes these will rot my brain but I beg to differ on that.) After being out and about for a bit, I need to come home and sit or lie down and relax. Then I turn on the TV or read a book or knit.

As I age*, I am learning to accept change more. Well, okay, sometimes I struggle with change and sometimes I make changes intentionally. Yes I did change my PCP but I think that's enough change for a while.

Unfortunately my health may force more changes that I am not ready to make. Damn.

--------------------------------------------------------------

*I am not that old. I am still 37. And this article which talks about mental sharpness in older people - defined as over 50 - made me feel old!