Update...

Well, I received a phone call from my Oncologist office at the beginning of this week stating that per my Dr. it is NOW OK for me to make payment's for my Chemotherapy treatment! Why the change of heart all of a sudden? Last week was no money then no chemo treatment! Just wondering why?!!

So I still have to pay my 20% co-insurance. I'm hoping that I will get approved for the AHCCCS spend down but my interview isn't until the 20th. Wish me luck! I have also filled out all of the Foundation applications. So I hope to receive some money there to help me pay my bills.

So on Wednesday I resumed my chemotherapy which goes like this... I go into the office and they hook me up to my chemo for a few hours then before I leave they hook me up to a pump that gives me continuous chemotherapy for the next 22 hours until my next office chemo on Thursday. So I'm in the office again for a few hours, then they hook me up on my pump for more continuous treatment for another 22 hours. Then on Friday I have a home health nurse that discontinues my chemotherapy and needle from my port. And that is another lil problem is that my NEW port is leaking! I sure hope that there is nothing wrong with this one! I'll have a heart attach, I swear...LOL I was told by the nurse to keep an eye on it and the swelling because this can be cause for concern.

So now I'm discontinued from my chemotherapy until I go in on this Monday for my injection which is supposed to help me produce more white blood cells since I will be in my Neutropenic state 7-10 days out from beginning of chemo. During this Neutropenic state all a persons labs like drop, making them very open for infections that can make me very ill. After this injection I'm good to go (unless i get sick), until the following Monday where I go back into the office and have my labs drawn that I have to have before I can have my chemo that week. So on Wednesday I go in and see my doctor first and then go back and have my treatment and start the process all over again.

For right now since resuming my chemo on Wednesday I am feeling pretty good. No nausea or vomiting, just a bit fatigued and have Neuropathy in my fingers and throat. (That is where when I touch or drink anything cold, i get a burning, tingling sensation in my fingers..that's why I have to wear gloves to touch anything cold..and when I drink anything cold it feels like my throat is swelling up with burning also.) So during this time I have to drink everything room temp and wear my gloves...lol It kinda is a pain in the butt but what else am I going to do?!

The biggest and long active side effect of the chemo is loosing my hair!! My Oncologist initially told me that I shouldn't loose all my hair with the medications I'm getting, that it should only just thin out. Breast cancer patients loose ALL of their hair by the 15th day of beginning chemo! Unbelievable! But I think my doctor is wrong in my book because ever since my 1 month of chemo that I had before, my hair has been falling out like crazy! I don't have any bald spots (at least not yet), but my hair is thinning quite a bit and if it continues to fall out the way it is over these next 6 months, then I'm going to have a problem and will either have to shave my head and wear a wig or wear a wrap. I'm DEVASTATED over loosing my hair! I recently went and had 6 inches of my hair cut off and layered so that I can start preparing myself for when more of my hair falls out. I know this sounds very superficial and all, and of course I'm going to chose chemo and ALL it's side effects verses not having chemo and keeping my hair. That is a no brain er, but until you are in this same situation..you really don't know how it feels!!

So I guess that's about it for now...thanks for reading....take care! :-)