It's always somethin'!

after my last post, i had a para on april fools day. well, maybe i was the fool for scheduling on that day because i had the worst reaction to a para i have ever had. when they go in, they go in on my side sort of around the level of my belly button....pretty much where they won't hit any major organs and coincidentally where a majority of the fluid collects. well, the para itself seemed to go as usual until it stopped flowing halfway through the 3rd ltr. the tech(who happened to be the one that i have not had good experiences with in the past) tried to pull the catheter out some to see if that would help. it didn't. i asked him if he wanted me to roll to my side a little cuz that helps sometimes...he said no. i guess he would rather play around with the damn thing than let me try an easy solution first. so, he played....pulled it up some, then a little more, then a little more, then he twisted it one way, then the next.....could it be the bottle? "no, they never lose their pressure". okaaaayyy....so, finally, after playing around with the thing sticking out of my belly for a while, he calls a PA. another PA comes in, one that i have had before and she checks his handiwork. after a brief check she asks if he has tried a new bottle yet. "no, they never lose their pressure." she tells him to try a new bottle and OMG....its freaking magic....it started flowing again. DAMNIT! he was messing around with this thing sticking out of my belly and the whole time it was a freaking bottle failure. ugg. it is the aftermath that was the worst though. i don't know if it is in any way related, but i gotta believe that it is to some degree. i swelled from my chest area all the way down to my hip. i looked like half an easter egg....my bf actually called me humpty dumpty...thanks hun. LOL. april fools and i was the fool this time i guess. the swelling didn't start to go down until saturday and this was done on a wed! as many paras as i have had and this was a first....it's always somethin' isn't it?!

once the swelling went down, the following week went pretty well. i was in week 6 of 25mg sutent and had enough energy to run quite a few errands. got my hair done(gotta cover up the white), passport picture taken and passport stuff gathered and sent off, easter basket shopping for the kids, etc. also had a great easter holiday with family and friends. the calm before the storm....

after easter, i had a triple header. a para appt on monday 13th, 3month CT scan on tues. 14th and dr. doom follow up appt on wed 15th. phew. CT showed that i am holding steady for the most part....the only thing is that there is some thickening of the abdominal wall which dr. doom believes to be causing the fluid buildup and the same thickening has moved up above the diaphragm which is probably what is causing the fluid around my lung. he believes that it has been there for a while which is why he said i am holding steady. dr. doom likes to draw sometimes and it is always fun when he does. it's kind of cute too, so here is an original dr. doom sketch explaining the thickening of the lining, where they go in for the para vs. thora and where the cyst on the kidney is resting. :)

Original Dr. Doom Artwork

he was very happy with the fact that i am holding steady....so was my family. i however, am not satisfied with holding steady....i want more. more progress, more success, more death of cancer cells damnit! everyone tells me that holding steady IS amazing progress for this terrible disease, but i just don't want to accept that. i want to beat it...hold on long enough for that miracle drug. sutent is already a miracle drug in that it shrunk the cancer 60% or so and has now kept it at bay since 09/07. now i need a miracle drug to kill it more...reduce it more...a cure!

but wait....there's more.....
i am going to mexico, Playa Del Carmen to be specific, for my friend squirrel's wedding. my ct showed that i had built up fluid around my lung again since the last thora in jan. dr. doom said that if it wasn't bothering me, i didn't have to have it drained right now, but when he heard that i was going to be flying, he said that i should have it done so i wouldn't risk any discomfort during my flight. soooooo, this morning i had my 2nd thora. thankfully it wasn't nearly as painful as it was the first time. i'm feeling pretty good actually. finally, something worked in my favor again. things working in my favor seem to be few and far between.

aight...well, that's it for now. got another para next week (29th) as well as a checkup with dr. doom to make sure i am good to go for the mexico trip which is may 6th. woohoo. sunscreen and sombreros baby! i'm ready....oh, and a quick little wedding too. :)