Plan C Part Two

From Jan's Sunday Punch blog.

I've had both sides of my liver radiated with microspheres since I posted last. I was in Kenner, LA last week having the left side done after the right side was initially radiated in August. I struggled with the steroids, depression, night sweats, flushing and nausea, but eventually started feeling better when it was time to have the left side done. The doctors had me do a CT scan here in Austin so I could bring it with me. I picked up the results of that CT scan on Friday evening so I could have it when I left on Saturday morning. I read the radiologists report and the damn results of the scan showed the tumor had grown. Crap. (insert photo of me shaking clenched fists). It wasn't a huge amount of growth, but any little bit at this point sucks. And I couldn't talk to anyone about it until Monday at 8 am. Nice.

I did get to speak with a nurse at the NET clinic in Kenner on Monday morning. There are several reasons the test might have shown an increase in the tumor size and after talking to the doctor on Wednesday before the procedure we determined I needed to get through the whole treatment then we could do more extensive tests that are more comprehensive. The doctor initially said I would probably have an easier time with the left side. We talked about side-effects and how the instant the microspheres hit the tumor they start working so the tumor, as it dies off, gives off lots of gunk (hormones) causing the night sweats, flushing, etc. Not much to do about it but stick it out. After the procedure was over he mentioned he needed to speak to my cousins who were waiting for me. The hot doctor had decided at the last minute to give me a larger dose of the radiation. I responded with "so I won't really have an easier time with the left side after all?" and he replied "yeah, not so much" as he waved his surgical mask and rode off into the sunset. I was sedated so everything had this sort of ethereal, bad movie feel to it.

So I'm off again. I'm moody, crabby, sensitive, emotional and sometimes don't particularly care to be around other people. The nurse said it would pass and I'd probably feel better again by Christmas. Sounds great to me. I'm thankful for those patient folks I work with. The ones who are unsure they should step into my office, but do it anyway and usually with a big smile on their face. Thanks for making me feel normal when everything else isn't normal at all.

The radiology team at Ochsner was great and plenty funny. Lots of Cajun accents behind those masks which made it hysterical while I was in the twilight zone. One nurse asked if she could take a photo or two while I was being prepped for the procedure since the senior nurse was leaving in two days and trying to train everyone on how to do the prep for this type of procedure. Since I was already zinging along on sedatives I said, "sure, no problem..." I hope like hell I never see those photos on any social media sites because they were not a good look for me. That's all that needs to be said about that.

Thanks to Julie and Lee Ann for taking the trip with me and babysitting me while I came out of sedation. Thanks Karen for chauffering me to and from Fannett. And a special shout out to cousin Dana who brought butterfly bandages over so we could get the bleeding near my femoral artery to stop. Sounds a lot more dramatic than it really was. She has a cool head. Love love love to you all.

I'll keep you posted on any further developments, but really at this point I'm just a crabby cry-baby who can be seen laughing hysterically at times. This adventure does still slightly resemble a Fanny Flagg novel or maybe just a bad Lifetime Movie made for television.

smak
jan