Family and Friends Update on My Latest Adventure!!!

Notes - Today is Sunday 22 December and I can watch our church service streaming online so can see Ross sing - what a blessing as I'm not quite ready to hit the road and have not yet been driving.

A choir person gave Ross a gift bag of a beautiful "prayer shawl" made by someone in our church.  My BFF Donna dropped off an awesome quiche made by Jeffie along with homemade cookies and we had a nice visit.

Got the Christmas gifts under the tree and ready for Christmas eve with son Chris and family - plan is church, pizza and gifts; Christmas Day is a day of rest for us as I have to get up the day after Christmas by about 4:30am for the early appointment as seen below in what I send to family and friends!

I am apparently doing "normal" considering what I had done but I sure get tired and sometimes I say silent swear words😆

Saturday 21 December - Good afternoon!  First I sent this to myself as it’s my “calendar schedule” too.

I am getting a little better (little less pain and swelling) every day but it’s slow as molasses!!!!!  We did make it to Costco yesterday and believe it or not got in and out in 45 minutes which is about my max!!!  

Got a few phone calls and appointments!!!  

First chemo Thurs 26 December at Masonic Cancer Center usual place. Next 5 chemos will be 21 days apart so if all stays on schedule looks like Jan 16, Feb 6, Feb 27, March 19, April 9

January 24 appointment 11:15 am with H. Heewon Lee, GC for genetic counseling and to check on BRCA gene – kind of doubt I will have.

•             Arrive 5:45am MHealth Surgery and Procedure Center  

 7:00am IV port (single lumen chest port placement) placed in chest (side to be determined) and will be under anesthesia for a bit – procedure approximately one hour.;  

•             8:30am – lab draw 2nd floor

•             9am – 2nd floor - Chemo infusion starts with anti-nausea stuff and then the chemo drugs are Carboplatin and Taxol.  Bring beverage, food, laptop and book as it will take 4 ½ to 5 hours (6 hours total).

•              After chemo infusions are done the plan is to keep the IV port in for about a year “just in case” and it will have to be flushed every 4-6 weeks.

What to expect:

•             Chemo will cause hair loss starting about 2 weeks after the first infusion; My friends are helping me pick wigs online😊😊😊 – should know more next week but I’ll need a sleep cap and beanies I guess!!!

•             Chemo will make you tired and this accumulates starting after the 2nd and 3rd infusions.  Hope the nausea can be controlled.

•             Wigs/headbands - Friends are helping me choose!!!

So I send this to myself first as I had at least 8 sticky notes with all this information and probably more than you all need to know but it makes me feel better.

Love, DJ the Warrior!!!!

Dee Jones