A Catch Up Post

I fell behind on my blogging.  I meant to go through every step and blah blah blah.  Probably bore the hell out of people who might be bothered to find this page someday.  And you know, life happens.  Things that make my cancer look like a bothersome fly and not a life altering issue.  But now I'm home again and can maybe catch back up.

I had my chemo port inserted, and it's finally stopped hurting.  We even got to try it out the other day for blood work.  It hurts way less then the normal try to find a vein and hope you get a good one game I normally get to play.  I always feel bad for the lab techs, because I'm pretty much an impossible stick. 

When I found out they were doing a port instead of the Pic Line I had the last time for treatment, I was a little freaked out, but then I realized one really cool thing.  I was going to get to be like Iron Man.  Yes, that's right boys and girls, I can make the most mundane things fun if I'm given the chance.  I was so serious, that at one point a friend called me and said "You do know you can't have them insert a glow stick in your port right?"  Well, duh!  I was thinking a glow bracelet.  But whatever!  The day of my procedure, I did talk to the two male techs who were prepping me.  Cory and Evan weren't sure if I was serious or not, but it totally cracked them up.  What made it worse (or maybe better) is that Cory was taping down my right breast so that they could insert the port in a more "natural setting"  and you know, my girls are unmanageable on a good day.  So seriously, he went through a roll of medical tape to get that bad girl to stay where she was supposed to.  So he's strapping me down and I am cracking wise about glow sticks.  They were probably a little younger then me, but still maybe late 30's.  Evan couldn't stop laughing, and said that they were both of the age that they grew up in the 70's and 80's and loved comic books, and thought my idea was the best ever.  Of course it was, it was mine!   The ended up looping me out pretty good, and when the procedure was done, they woke me up and Evan tells me "I couldn't get the doctor to agree to a glow stick, so we used an LED light instead.  I hope that's not a problem."  The doctor had no idea why we were all cracking up.  I mean, I was probably laughing harder because of the loopy juice they gave me.  He had to explain my suggestion.  I also said I think that someone should give them a grant to study if that can be done.  I mean seriously, if kids get different colored casts, why can't cancer patients get cool ports?

Other news while I was off doing other things.  The cancer did not spread to the brain.  They were also able to medically verify that I have a brain that it could have spread to.  Bonus on both!  I met another member of my medical team, although I'm pretty sure she worked with me briefly during my last treatment cycle.  My sisters went with me, and got a taste of how awesome Karmanos is.  They also got to meet most of the doctors and nurses that are part of Team Mink (I really need to figure out a better name.  I'm working on it).  So I'm very excited about the fact that we only have to deal with one location and that hopefully it will eventually mean that not only will treatment deal with the existing nodes, it will prevent any spreading.  At least that's what I'm hoping.  Even though my last MRI was made easier then others this time around, I still dislike them.  No girl my size should be shoved into a tube.  Although I really shouldn't be complaining.  My doc wrote it specifically as an open MRI.  So that and a Xanax got me through the procedure.  I figure one more after my first treatment, then every 6 months.  Another something to add to my new normal.


Tomorrow is my lung biopsy, which doesn't sound scary at all!  I understand why it needs to be done.  While my docs are 98% sure that this is melanoma of the lung, if they can safely confirm that, it would be the best thing all around.  That there is a 2% chance it is the other lung cancer (lung cancers?  Are there multiple lung cancers?) is scary.  Although why I think that it's not possible that it could be some other type of lung cancer, I'm not sure.  I have led the majority of my life as a virtual vampire.  I burn, so I don't like to hang out in the sun.  And yet here I am with Melanoma.  I suppose that it could be funny that the non-smoker ends up with a more traditional form of lung cancer.  I guess we shall see.

More to come...  Because this is really the story that just keeps giving.