The girls, Kim, and I went on a road trip up to Rochester yesterday. Apart from a nice time, it was also to help with a good cause. Thankfully it was not for a doctor's appointment. If I had not mentioned it before, during my initial radiation treatment at Mayo Clinic I had been a resident at Hope Lodge. The American Cancer Society sponsors Hope Lodge, which provides free lodging for adult cancer patients who must travel to receive treatment. Besides having a Hope Lodge in Rochester, they are also run in Kansas City, as well as other locations close to treatment centers. They provide a comfortable, relaxing environment that helps to relieve stress while providing emotional support during treatment. They are run free of charge to the patient, and as such require donations and grants to operate. I have always wondered why there is no Hope Lodge in Iowa City, and recently became aware of plans to build a facility close to the hospital. My family and I were asked to be part of a brochure to help promote the Lodge, and I agreed. As of yet there are no solid plans for construction because they are still in the finance and planning stages and still require donations.
Can you tell where this is heading? This is NOT a request for money. It is, however, a hope that anyone interested would contact the ACS and find out more about the Hope Lodge in Iowa City and to help out in anyway possible, as I feel that Hope Lodge is one of the most beneficial programs available to the cancer patient.
Oh, yeah. The road trip was wonderful and everyone had a great time.
An interesting thing happened on Monday afternoon. I developed double vision, the right side of my face started to go numb, and the tip of my tongue was tingling. A first I thought I was having a stroke, but thankfully the symptoms did not progress any further than they did. Then I thought it was a seizure, but that would mean that I had a new brain tumor. Fortunately, I was wrong on both counts (well, mostly). Turns out that is was a seizure, but that it was originating from the scar tissue left over from the first tumors and treatments. It is affecting the cranial nerves that control everything from the neck up, and the seizure was in the nerves specific for those areas (sorry, I have forgotten my anatomy, can't tell you which ones exactly). The dilantin level was a little low, so the dose was increased.
Day 8 of chemo was not too bad, except for the fatigue and a little nausea. I did not get enough sleep the night before, so most of the administration was spent sleeping. Thanks to Sharron for the ride to the appointment. Because of the seizure I am back to begging for rides until I know how the increase in medication is affecting me, and to see whether I will be having any more events soon.
I just had a very enjoyable weekend with the girls and the parents. I do not know if the new chemo regimen is working yet, but the side effects are a shadow of what I have experienced in the past. I had a chemo round on Tuesday, and thankfully did not have any nausea. There was a little fatigue, but with the warm weather and swimming pools I seem to have had more energy and stamina. I have had two throat infections in the last 2 weeks, probably due to a lowered immune system, but antibiotics have helped to bring everything back under control. Having the little girls around also helps out lots, as well as wonderful parents who always help out when they can to give me a rest when needed. I go in for another treatment next Tuesday, and then I will find out if any of this is helping or not. Hope, hope, hope...
