Back Home Again in Indiana
Last week's treatments showed low numbers, but keeping steady so we went on our road trip. 🚘 Cade and I left on Tuesday morning for Canton to visit the NFL Professional Hall of Fame. It's a pretty neat place for football fans and we had a good time checking out the Colts stuff. We found Peyton who was recently inducted and several others that Cade's a big fan of on different teams. There are no benches or anywhere to sit, but I made it through the whole museum since we were checking stuff out and not walking too quickly.
In the wee hours of the morn on Wednesday, I got up to go to the bathroom and fell down trying to put something in the trash. It was dark and I was trying to squat a little to make sure I was getting it into the can. I got off balance and when I tried to recenter with my toes, I just kept going forward, slow mo style, head first into the toilet. With the neuropathy in my feet, the nurse practitioner said it's not uncommon, but a surprise to me since I've always had pretty good balance. No cuts or even a bruise though, just a headache. 🙂
Wednesday, we drove to Wapakoneta to visit the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. 🚀 One of Cade's friends said it was a pretty cool place so this was his top destination. We enjoyed this place and learned a ton. There's all kinds of gear and rocket parts, keys to different cities in other countries after we landed on the moon, and a rotating theater. I was exhausted by the time we checked into the hotel. Cade played some video games and I took a nap. We went out for dinner and Cade found a really good Mexican restaurant that had quick service and good food. We hung out and watched YouTube videos the rest of the night.
I woke up Thursday morning around 4am with the left side of my face swollen and kind of numb. Three pillows are the hotel were firm so I figured I'd just slept with my cheek pushed up on the pillow. I went to the bathroom and went back to sleep. When I woke back up, it was still swollen and numb so I called the oncologist and left a message. They called back pretty quickly and said they wanted me to go to a local ER and get evaluated. We grabbed some breakfast downstairs and checked out. There were a few local options that looked pretty small town so we decided to drive to Dayton.
They've really got it together at that place and I was pretty impressed with the check-in and the staff. They got me a bed immediately and ordered labs. The phlebotomist they sent was having trouble finding a good vein (which is fairly normal for me) so before she stuck me 14 times trying, I told her I had a port. She said she couldn't access it, but she'd send my nurse back in. She tried to access twice and couldn't get a return so she went a grabbed another nurse and long story short, they got it after four tries. I went for a CT scan and they sent neurology in for some testing. Not a stroke, which I figured since I had no other symptoms and could smile/speak normally, etc., but I understand the abundance of caution. They diagnosed a skin infection and sent me on with a prescription and said to follow up with my local doctors.
They had already scheduled me with the nurse practitioner before my treatment since my oncologist is off campus every other Friday when I called. When I saw her yesterday, she decided the neuropathy has reached a limit that we need to stop the Taxol altogether. She also diagnosed a UTI so an infection on top of another infection. Good grief, I really know how to do it up, don't I? 🙄
Yesterday was treatment number 15, so I have one more round of the others still next Friday, but then I'm done! My appointment with the breast surgeon is Monday so I'll get my surgery scheduled and then I'll have a break for four weeks before I start back up my immunotherapy. Super ready for my scans to see if I achieve PCR.
TODAY'S SILVER LINING: Since the neuropathy is already there and done its damage, I can resume baths and hot tubs! She said just be careful with the water temps since I won't feel great the same now, but that's fantastic news cause I have missed my bath and reading time. 😁