Hi friends! Last I updated you I was about to go in for the lung catheter placement. As you may have seen from my FB post, in true Michelle fashion I had a completely bizarre reaction where I had stunningly bad pain the night of the placement and ended up in the ER getting pumped full of morphine. Well unfortunately there has not been a cessation of pain (although thankfully it has not been to the degree that it was that night) since the placement. It’s just a consistent pain in my right shoulder area. We met with the lung doc last week and he is completely and utterly stumped on what could be causing the pain. I’ve had more x-rays and he’s consulted with his whole practice and there is just no reason at all for this pain. But since it started with the catheter placement, we decided we needed to now REMOVE the catheter. Aye yi yi.
So on Friday I’ll go in to have it removed (which thankfully he can just do in the office) and hope hope hope that stops the pain. I’m still taking vicodin every day for it, so it’s time to do something. Not that I don’t enjoy being in a pain pill haze every day. If removing the catheter doesn’t stop the pain then we’re back to square one. Removing it also means I’ll have to go into the lung doc to have my lungs drained now instead of having the ability to do it at home. But it does seem like the amount of fluid is diminishing, so I’m hoping the chemo is doing it’s job and knocking that out.
Speaking of chemo, I had my 2nd treatment on Friday. Laura, Kim and Bob kept me fine company and we laughed and whooped it up the full 4 hours. The last 5 days since chemo have been pretty much been exactly as the last treatment, bad nausea all weekend, exhaustion, and just starting to climb out of it today. My AMAZING mom-in-law has been staying with us since Friday to help with Desmond and take care of me during the day. So I’ve been incredibly well cared for. Colleen was home sick today so we got to watch a movie together and read magazines in our sweats. I’m going a bit out of my mind being housebound so I think tomorrow I’ll take a walk around the block. I know…it’s so exciting being a cancer patient!!
I continue to be humbled by the love showered on me. I received two VERY special scarves from many work friends (hello Burberry and Hermes – oh my!!). Kim put together a benefit meditation/yoga evening that so many of my friends attended and raised over $500 for Metavivor (strangers even gave at the yoga studio!!), Lucy continues to send me my daily cards and treats, and so many of you have sent me my comfy scarves and clothes from my Nordstrom wish list (and thanks to Holly R for getting something for Brian too!). I hope you all know that every single card, email, gift, text, kitty video and hug gives me more strength. You all make it so I can wake up and look at my bald head and say “okay, let’s get to fighting” every single day.
And with that, I leave you with said bald head. I can’t believe I’m back here again after growing out my hair for the past 2.5 years, but I sure do have some stunning scarves to cover it with now. 😉 Much love to you all.
