My Wifey Is Running the BOSTON MARATHON!!

Hey Everyone!
This week has been very exciting.  As mentioned in my last post, one of my best friends got married last Saturday, and it was an AWESOME weekend filled with fun and lots of LOVE!  Between Vincent’s HUGE family, and Alison’s rambunctious/ridiculous group of friends, it was truly an unforgettable night!  I was so honored to be a part of the day that marked the start of a new life for Mr. and Mrs. Coglianese!! Congrats you two!

The Newly-weds!

 Traditional BHS Class of 2004 photo!

In addition to the wedding, I was “thrown back into the real world” when I started my student teaching placement this past Wednesday at Knowlton Elementary School.  I am so happy to report that after only 3 days of being there, I already know I am going to LOVE it!  All of the staff I’ve met thus far have been so friendly and accommodating and the kids are all super adorable as well!  Even though I was, (and still am), a little nervous about starting to do therapy again after a 4 month hiatus, I think I will eventually get back into gear and be able to learn a lot from my supervisor, the teachers and the kids at Knowlton!  Yay!

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Now after that quick update, I’ll get to the real point of today’s post!  About 3 months ago, (around Christmas-time), I was catching up on the phone with my close friend and former college roommate, Meghan.  **Sidenote: Meggo, (as I fondly call her), and I immediately connected when we met on move-in day during our freshmen year at the University of Delaware wayyyy back in 2004. Ha!  When I left home for college, I was extremely nervous about leaving behind my very close group of friends from Bangor, so I was SO THANKFUL when I met Meghan.  From the beginning, I felt like I had known her my entire life.  She and I shared so many likes, dislikes and opinions that it was almost unbelievable that we hadn't met before!  In addition, she ALWAYS listened when I talked about the friends that I missed so dearly from back home, she understood and matched my incessant use of sarcasm AND she laughed at my lame jokes ALL THE TIME!  That's a friend right there, folks!  And even though she moved back to Boston after that glorious year at UD together, we have continued to stay very close over the past few years -- We're even so close that we've been 'married' on Facebook since she created my acount for me in 2005! (Hence, the "wifey" reference in the title of this post.) 

Meggo & I at our favorite place in Newark during the Summer of''05!

Anyway, at one point during that phone conversation Meghan and I were having back in December, Meghan shared that she would be running in the 2011 BOSTON MARATHON in April!  In addition to being incredibly proud of Meghan for taking on such a huge challenge, I was also extremely touched when she shared that she’d be running the marathon in honor of her mom Mary, (who battled AND BEAT breast cancer), and ME!!  

Now, as I’ve mentioned plenty of times in the past, I continue to be in awe of how generous and supportive all of my friends and family have been since being diagnosed with CNS Lymphoma back in December -- I’ve received a countless amount of cards, gifts and prayers, which have all been appreciated more than words!  However, the news that Meggo was going to do this for me was  one of the best and most thoughtful “gifts” that I had received.  There is truly something about being honored by a friend who is willing to go through the blood, sweat and tears of training for a MAJOR athletic event, that really makes me stop and think, “Wow, people are great!”  

So with that being said, I wanted to do what I could to thank Meggo for her awesome gift to me by asking YOU, yes YOU!!! to help Meghan raise the $1000 she has set as her fundraising goal for the Boston Marathon.  More information is provided below about the Vernon Cancer Center that all of her fundraising efforts will go towards.  The following letter is what Meghan sent to her friends and family members, explaining her involvement in the Boston Marathon:

"Dear Friends and Family,

As many of you know, I am currently in training to run my first Boston Marathon on April 18th. I'm so glad the weather is cooperating so well with the fact that I currently have to run outside five days a week! I am running this marathon for both myself and two of the most important women in my life - my superstar mom, Mary, and my college roommate and best friend, Casey.

Because cancer has affected all of us in one way or another, my team and I are running in support of the Vernon Cancer Center at Newton Wellesley Hospital. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in late 2005. She received her cancer treatment under the care of the the doctors, nurses and staff members at Newton Wellesley Hospital and has been cancer free since 2007! My mom is my role model, my daily inspiration, my support system, my friend and on most days, my sanity. I will forever be grateful to the Vernon staff for the phenomenal treatment, resources and care my mom received. She is even considering running the last few miles with me!

My dear friend Casey is currently battling Primary CNS Lymphoma and is about to start her second (and hopefully final!) round of chemotherapy. Casey is one of the nicest, funniest, most caring people I have ever had the chance to meet - she must be if she put up with sharing a tiny room with me my first year away from home! She introduced me to a lot of the things I consider important in my life - a capella music, taking too many pictures, improv comedy and the fact that there is life outside the city of Boston. :) I am hoping that Casey will be officially cancer free when I cross the finish line!

I have a goal of raising $1,000 for this very important cause, but I can only do it with your help. While I know that times are tough, any donation is appreciated. Everytime I think that running is hard or I'm tired or in pain, I remind myself that cancer doesn't take a day off, and neither can I. "Impossible is Nothing." 

Thank you so much in advance for your support - it means so much to me!

Love,

Meghan"

More information on how to donate to the marathon team Meghan is a part of:

On Monday, April 18, 2011, a team from Newton-Wellesley Hospital will once again be running in the Boston Marathon. These athletes are going the distance to raise money for the Vernon Cancer Center and its Integrative Support Services.

Each runner is asked to raise $1,000 with the "Elite" runners raising $3,000 each to support these life-enhancing programs, which make such a difference to our cancer patients and their families. TEAM NWH raised over $25,000 in 2010 Many thanks to all who supported our Boston Marathon Team!!!!!

Supporting the Runners

Online

Use our secure on-line giving site to make a gift with your VISA, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card. https://www.nwh.org/your-community-hospital/ways-to-give/charitable-giving/gift-information/

Be sure to select "2011 Team NWH Boston Marathon Team" in the Gift Designation section. Then, please type in the name of the runner you are supporting in the "In Honor of" box. This way, you can be assured that the runner will receive "credit" for the gift and that the runner will be notified of your gift. [**This is where you would type ‘Meghan McLean’].  If you wish to make an "In honor of/In memory of" gift as well, please include the details in the "Additional information about this tribute gift" box. [**This is where you would type my name if you want to, although it is not necessary. The more important part is above where you type Meghan’s name.]

By Telephone

To charge your Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card over the phone, please call us at 617-243-6243.

By Mail

You may send a check, made payable to "NWH Charitable Foundation" directly to:

Newton-Wellesley Hospital Charitable Foundation

Attn: Boston Marathon Team

2014 Washington Street

Newton, MA 02462

If applicable, please indicate on the check which runner you are supporting. **Again, the runner you are supporting with your donation is Meghan McLean.

Matching Gifts

Your gift may be increased if you work for a company with a matching gift program. Spouse and retiree gifts may also be matched. Please contact your company's human resources or benefits department for details. Your matching gift form may be sent to the address shown above.

All gifts in support of Newton-Wellesley Hospital are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law, and you will receive a tax receipt by mail after your gift has been received.

Thank you for supporting the Vernon Cancer Center at Newton-Wellesley Hospital!

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If you have any further questions about donating, please let me know and I will get back to you as soon as possible!  Please help ME help MEGGO reach her fundraising goal!  And Meggo, thank you so much for this important gift you are giving me and your mom.  Your are truly an inspiration and I can’t wait to travel up to Boston in 2 weeks to witness you crossing that finish line!  I LOVE YOU!

Doctor Appointment 3/24/11 News

Hi All!


I just wanted to quickly write a post about my appointment yesterday since everyone has been asking.  I wish I could go into more detail at this time, but Alison, (one of my very best friends) is getting MARRIED tomorrow and so we are very busy today running around and getting ready for that!  Anyway, yesterday went well.  My doctor confirmed that I will not be having any more treatments at this time and I do not need to see him until mid-June.  At that time I will have another MRI done as well as bloodwork for them to monitor my status.  Regular appointments and MRIs will take place every 3 months from there unless something new/abnormal shows up on an MRI.  So for now I am free to go about my life!   I can resume all of my normal activities whenever I want!  Again, I'll share more later, but just wanted to quickly "stop by" and share the news!  Thank you to everyone for your continued support!  Now off to be a bridesmaid!! WOO HOO!! Congrats Al & Vincent!

Beware: This Post is ALL OVER THE PLACE!!

Greetings to my faithful readers who continue to check this blog on a daily basis, even when I don’t post anything on it for 3 weeks!  Yikes!  There are several reasons I haven’t been updating; mainly because there hasn’t been much to report, BUT I know you’d rather read an actual post about nothing than check back here to find no new posts at all!

Despite my previous statement, there have been several note-worthy things that have happened in the past few weeks:

#1: I had another MRI done on March 4^th showing the same results as the previous one (No cancer cells detected)

#2: I visited doctors at Temple’s Jeanes Hospital in Philadelphia for a second opinion on my treatments as well as to get information about another possible treatment they give to CNS Lymphoma patients there.  Note: I am not a candidate for their bone marrow transplant treatment as this time because there are no cells for them to kill!  Ask me more about this visit the next time you see me in person because it is a long and complicated story to tell.  I didn’t want to post about it on here since I will NOT need this treatment and didn’t want to confuse anyone by writing about it.

#3: I had my 6^th and (hopefully) final chemotherapy treatment at St. Luke’s. Here's a pic of me saying hello from my hospital bed:

After reading the third bullet point above, you may be thinking something along the lines of, “WOW!  She’s done!  Why wouldn’t she post all about her last round of chemo and be excited to be done?!” While I would have liked to have posted about that after coming home from my hospital stay this past Friday, I have never officially gotten the word from my oncologist that I am done with treatment.  He has definitely mentioned it in the past when we planned to do 6 rounds of chemo, but since I like to take things one step at a time, we haven’t actually sat down to discuss what would happen after these 6 rounds were complete.  This has been VERY frustrating for me because I just want to be able to make plans!  But alas, since I haven’t seen or talked to my doctor since March 4^th, we have not come up with a plan of action that I can report to you all.

*And for anyone wondering why I haven’t seen my doctor in so long, it’s because I met with the Temple doctors instead of him the week of the 6^th AND he’s been on vacation – must be nice, huh?

So with that being said, I FINALLY find out what the next step in this journey will be TODAY Thursday, March 24^th.  Hopefully after today I will know if I am actually done with my treatments, what the plan is for monitoring my status and if/when I can return to my “normal” life.  Stay tuned…

In the meantime, I wanted to end this post with a blog entry that I’ve been “sitting on” since the first week of March.  I never posted it because at the time it was written, I was pretty frustrated with the world in general and didn't know if I should post it.  I was depressed about my situation and was mad at everybody even though I had no real reason to be.  Please keep that all in mind while reading the following “angry” post:

Written on 3/5/11, entitled "Complainers": 

“I have to admit, ever since hearing that my chemotherapy treatments have been working, I have had the opposite mentality about my cancer than you would expect.  Rather than being happy about the recent positive outcomes, I think I have reverted back to my more realistic attitude towards life (which can sometimes have a more negative impact on my state of mind and attitude).  While I think I have a legitimate reason to not get myself too excited about a positive thing, (why should I when so many things have gone incredibly “wrong” for me in the past few months), I can’t help but think that I should probably be a little bit more grateful for things.  But alas, as mentioned previously, I have felt more unsettled and “stuck” over the past few weeks than I have throughout this entire experience thus far.  This mostly boils down to the fact that I want to be able to think ahead to the potential life-changing events that are to be taking place in the next few months for me, but I can’t let myself look forward and starting planning for these things because I keep thinking about the “what-ifs”. For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, let me explain further… Basically what I am able to accomplish over the next few months with school, will determine if I will be able to have the life I’ve worked very hard for over the past 5 years. That life goal includes graduating with my Master’s degree in speech-language pathology and moving away from home to start my own independent life.  For this to happen according to plan, I would need to start my 2 internship placements in the next month and finish them by graduation in August, get all my schoolwork done and handed in to ensure that I actually graduate, and to find an enjoyable fellowship placement for post-graduation.

I feel like my hands are tied because I don’t really know what will happen in the next few weeks, and therefore I have been experiencing very little motivation to do anything because I keep asking myself, “Does it all even matter or are my plans going to be dashed in a instant when I find out that my chemo treatments aren’t working afterall?” Another uncertainty is whether or not I may potentially be recommended to start additional different treatments, (radiation or something else) after my 6th week of chemo treatment is complete.  And above all that, my greatest fear is will I start to go forward only to receive the dreaded news in a month or two that my cancer has returned and I need to start a whole new treatment cycle?  Do you see now where my frustrations are coming from?

The original intention of this post, believe it or not, was to talk about and point out all of the “complainers” I’ve been noticing as of late.  I know it’s silly, but what has been bothering me the most are the people who constantly leave negative comments about their lives or “how hard their day has been” in their status updates on Facebook.  And again, I realize that it is silly to take the comments posted on this social media outlet that my generation uses to express themselves too seriously, but it still really makes me mad! (By the way, isn’t it ironic that this post ended up being one big complaint from ME even though I intended to condemn my peers?) Anyway, I can’t finish this post without making the following argument:

If you have your health, don’t complain about your life.  If you are unsatisfied with your job or a relationship, DO SOMETHING about it because frankly, YOU CAN!  You have nothing truly concrete stopping you from making a change and moving forward to something better.  Take it from me: you don’t know how lucky you are to be able to freely move forward.  So, just don’t complain! Or at least don’t complain to me or to any other person diagnosed with an unpredictable disease about the trite matters in life… Ok, I’m finished ranting!  The End.”

Again, as you can tell, I was angry at the world a few weeks ago, which I guess was to be expected at some point.  Luckily, my attitude has been more positive recently.  Check back here soon for news from my doctors appointment today!

“You’re Hilarious Because You’re Not Funny”: Happy Birthday Zach!

I’ve kept this blog now for 4 months and it’s original purpose was to communicate information about my health developments to a large quantity of people in a short amount of time so that I wouldn’t have to repeat myself a million times.  I’d like to think it has upheld those intentions thus far, but as expected, this blog has turned into a place for other things as well.  It has become a place for me to vent my feelings and share my experiences publicly, while still “saving face” by hiding behind a computer screen.  It also has given me a place to share random and fun things that happen in my life.  Over these past 4 months, I  have gotten very little negative feedback from my “readers”, (other than me slacking on the updates).  Frankly, I think that’s the way it should be – It is MY blog afterall, right?!

Although most people don’t give negative comments about my blog, I have heard one repeated complaint from one person over the past four months:

“Why the [expletive] am I never mentioned in your blog!?”

I bet a handful of you could guess who this quote belongs to even before I write it…

If you guessed that the above critic is none other than Zachary E. Nelson, you are exactly correct!  Even though Zach has been in numerous pictures posted on my blog, he has given me grief about his name not being mentioned over multiple occasions.  SO HERE YA GO YOU BIG JERK!  A blog dedicated solely to YOU!

For those of you that don’t know the relationship Zach and I have, he is basically like the brother I never had.  We bicker a lot: I make fun of him with rude comments and he gives it right back; He hip-checks me into random people while “dancing” in large crowds and I punch/knee him in the stomach.  Some people may scowl or disapprove of these behaviors, but hang around the two of us for 5 minutes and you’ll quickly realize that it really is quite normal for us to act this way.  And honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Zach, you are my best friend.  Even though you poke your nose into other people's business, you never listen to me when I talk, you make inappropriate jokes, and you quite honestly annoy the hell out of me on a regular basis, I truly admire who you are as a person.  You’re, (surprisingly) adventurous, selfless, and one of the most loyal people I know -- I can always count on you when others let me down.  I envy how naturally social and friendly you are towards just about everyone you meet, and I CERTAINLY laugh a lot while in your presence, (even though most of the time I’m laughing at you rather than with you!) You are simply awesome and I am a better person because I have you as a friend!

So there it is my friend.  This post is my birthday gift to you!  Not only did you get mentioned on the blog, but you can now use this as blackmail for the rest of our lives whenever I make fun of you or claim to hate you. (Again, to those who don’t know the kind of relationship Zach and I have, this happens A LOT!) 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACH!! 

CHEERS to 25 years!!

P.S.  And Zach, just to make things clear so that you don’t go too egotistical on me after reading this, I still don’t think you’re “cool” despite the nice things I said about you above. K, byeeee!

Anonymous Philanthropist

Hello!

If you've been paying attention to the blog posts, you know that there's a second entry I plan on posting in reference to the Coaches vs. Cancer game back in February.  I'm working on that now.  In the meantime, here's something else I wanted to mention quickly...

About 3 weeks ago, I received a card in the mail, which contained a monetary gift from an unnamed person(s).  (The salmon-colored card was complete with seashell and inspiring quote).  I continue to be taken aback and humbled by how generous people can be and sometimes I can’t help but think to myself, “What have I done to deserve such generosity from people?”  Nonetheless, I wanted to somehow express my appreciation to whomever sent this card to me.  By the lack of return address on the envelope or signature on the card, you obviously didn’t want me to know who you are, but I thank you sincerely.  And if you happened to have lost your mind that day and really did NOT intend to leave out your name from the card, please come forward so that I can more properly and personally thank you :)

And while we’re at it, an extra “thanks” to all the people who continue to send cards, e-mails and gifts my way, reminding me of how lucky I am to have the particular friends and family in my life that I do! Cheers!

This picture is of me last Friday at my favorite place in Newark, DE.  I needed a little time away from Bangor and to see some old friends from home and UD so I decided to "escape" for some "me time" in the First State for about 48 hours!  A little Brew HaHa in my life makes me very happy! :)

Coaches vs. Cancer Game: Part 1

Hi All!

The Coaches vs. Cancer game at Bangor High School that was held on February 8th was a total success! Between raffles, a 3-point shooting contest and $1 for every ticket sold, $900 was raised in total for the “Footprints in the Sand” Relay for Life team!  The fundraising event was held in my honor of me and I was so grateful for all of the people that made it to the game to support the cause!  

Here's a good chunk of my "fan section" that was in attendance:

My dad, uncle, grandfather, Andrew, James and Shaun participated in the 3-point shooting contest, which my dad ended up winning. Don’t be too impressed though – he only needed to make 2 baskets to win J

This is the team at halftime. They ended up winning their game that night and are actually playing in their second round of Districts tonight (Friday the 25^th). Good luck girls!

These are some of my ex-fellow teammates who were at the game (minus Elaine! She was there too and should clearly be photo-shopped into this photo except I don’t know how to do that…)

 Other delicious pics from the night:

THANK YOU again to everyone who was able to attend this awesome event!

Bad Blogger

Ugh, I'm horrible at this thing.  Actually, I'm just horrible at balancing life.  I feel like I have so many things that I've wanted to write about on here, (you guys never even got a follow-up about the Coaches vs. Cancer game!), but I've been totally consumed with trying to get schoolwork done.  I feel guilty doing anything but that in the days I'm not in the hospital.  Therefore, the blog has fell by wayside...


Anyway, I just quickly wanted to stop by and let you know that I haven't forgotten about updating.  Health-wise I'm feeling okay this week.  I do notice that I've been a little bit more tired than other weeks after coming home from the hospital.  This may be because I got a lot more sick after chemo this time around.  Other than that though, no other news to report.  


I'm going to try and get back on here later tonight to fill everyone in on that basketball game!  In the meantime, here is a picture of my pretty friend Jennifer who attended the fundraising event with her trusty pillow :) Love you, Jen!

Good News Update!

Hello All!

I have some good news to report… This past Thursday I met with my oncologist for our regular “off week” meeting.  During that visit, he went over the report written by the radiologists with the results from the MRI I had done on Tuesday the 8^th.  The report indicated that there is what is called “encephalomalacia” (translated literally to mean softening of the brain), left in the area where I had my tumor removed during surgery and where the residual abnormal Lymphoma cells used to be.  A lot of times, encephalomalacia has negative implications for people -- After all, who wants their BRAIN to soften?!  In my case however, this is a good thing because the tissue that is shown to be “softened” are where the once malignant cells were.  These tissue/cells are soft because they are dead!  In other words, the chemotherapy treatments that I have been receiving over the past 6 weeks have been working to kill the Lymphoma cells in my brain!  Good news, right? 

The plan now, is to stick with the original plan of continuing with 3 more weeks of the chemo treatment just to make sure that any cells that are possibly still hanging out and not showing up on the MRI, are killed.  That being said, I will go into the hospital this coming Tuesday for my 4^th round of treatment.  From there I will continue with the normal schedule of an “off week” followed by another week in the hospital for my 5^th round of treatment, followed by an “off week”, followed by my 6^th (and hopefully final), week of treatment in the hospital.  If all goes well according to this schedule, I will be done with all of my treatments on Friday, March 18^th!  After that week, I will have another MRI done to again check on the progress of the chemotherapy.  If it has done its job, there is a possibility that I would then just be monitored regularly for any return of the lymphoma.  (We haven’t gotten that far into the discussion with my doctor just yet – I’m continuing to take things one step at a time…)

So there ya go!  A good news update!  Things definitely appear to be looking up, and I attribute that again to all of the positive energy and support being sent my way by all of you, along with the prayers and well-wishes!  In the midst of good news however, I have to remind myself to continue to take care of myself and not get too far ahead of myself with celebrations.  I am not “in the clear” quite yet, so please still keep me in your thoughts in prayers!  With your help and the help of my awesome doctors, I believe we will be celebrating soon enough!  Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

*Casey

Coaches vs. Cancer Game at BHS on 2/8/11

Attention Friends and Family in the Bangor Area:

Join me *TOMORROW* (Tuesday, February 8^th) during the Bangor Girls Basketball teams’ JV and Varsity games against Northwestern for a Coaches vs Cancer fundraiser in support of the local Relay for Life team, ‘Footprints in the Sand’.  This event is being held in the Bangor High School gymnasium, [directions found here – Enter near the tennis courts], from the start of the JV game at 6:00 pm until the end of the Varsity game (Varsity starts at 7:15 pm).  The following events will take place throughout the night:

• ·      A 3-point shooting contest
• ·      Raffles
• ·      Bake sale
• ·      Donation cards
• ·      Survivor Recognition & more!

In addition, they are encouraging everyone attending the games to WEAR PINK in support of the cause!  Children under the age of 12 that wear pink will get into the game for free!

Donations throughout the night are being collected for the ‘Footprints in the Sand’ RFL team in honor of me!  It is truly an honor to be associated with this type of event in any regards, so the least I can do is get my friends and family there to participate! So, if you are available on Tuesday night, please come out to show your support not only for my former team, but for the Slate Belt ‘Relay for Life’ and the American Cancer Society!  Hope to see you there!!

And as an extra gift for reading, here are a few pics to enjoy from “back in the day” when I played for the BHS girls’ basketball team:

 Posing with our unofficial team mascot before a game

 Announcing the starters

 National Anthem

 The team! 2003-'04 season

 '04 Seniors: Casey, Jess, Elaine

 "2004! 2004! 2-2-2-2-2004!" (Sorry couldn't resist!)

Refer to http://bangorslaters.com/displaypage.asp?DeptPageID=1391111185255 for the official poster announcement for this event!

A Day in the Life...

One of the most frequent questions I get about my treatment is why it takes so long for the whole process to happen.  By now I’m personally used to the fact that if I go into the hospital on a Tuesday for a treatment, I most likely will be getting out sometime on Friday afternoon even though originally it was thought that I might sometimes get discharged sometimes on a Thursday night.  This is because I know by now that things don’t always run smoothly like you’d hope in the hospital.  Don’t get me wrong, I have yet to have a “horrible” experience; nearly every nurse or nurse’s assistant I’ve had have been really great, competent and accommodating. However, between nurses tending to other patients who need immediate care or nurses changing shifts, sometimes medication administration doesn’t happen as quickly as I would like it to.  Remember also, that there are only certain nurses that can administer chemotherapy medication to me, and if a non-chemo certified nurse is assigned to me, that is one more hurdle to get over before my medication can be given. 

I decided that during this visit I would try to log each step of the way including the schedule of when I received medication both orally and intravenously through my PICC line so everyone that’s been asking could more fully understand a) that the process is long and tedious; b) the medications I take and the regime I follow to take them; and c) that I DON’T get bored while I’m in the hospital like you might think. This is because between being waken up to receive each of these medications AND getting my vital signs checked frequently, (I didn’t even try to keep track and write down every time that took place), AND being visited by the cleaning staff, food services people, ministers and my doctors, I mainly just try to get as much sleep in as possible and don’t have much time to get bored.  The attempts to log each step of the way started off easy, but for most of the day on Wednesday and Thursday this week, I was feeling very nauseous, unlike the previous 2 times I was in for treatment.  That being said, the times I got my medications might be a little off, but it isn’t very important to understanding everything else.  Hopefully after reading this post/schedule you’ll have a better understanding of the experience I have in the hospital when I’m in for my treatments! Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 1st

11am- Admitted to the hospital

12pm- PICC line team started the procedure to place my PICC IV

1pm- PICC line team completed placing my IV

1:30pm- Taken for x-ray to confirm PICC placement in chest

2pm- Came back from x-ray

2:30pm- Started the 6 hours of hydration (Sodium bicarbonate) administered through PICC line  

Also, I got anti-nausea meds (Zofran) for 15 minutes and then a flush bag for 15 minutes at this time (both through PICC line)

6pm- Oral anti-seizure medication (Keppra)

8:45pm- “Premeds” (anti-nausea (Zofran) and Dexamethasone steroid) given through PICC line for 15 minutes followed by flush bag for 15 minutes

9:15pm- Start chemotherapy (Methotrexate) through PICC line for 4 hours

Wednesday, February 2nd

1:30am- Finish chemo medication

2:15am- Start 24 hours of hydration with Sodium bicarbonate through PICC line. This hydration continues constantly from this point until the time I leave.  I believe that during this round of treatment I went through 6, 1000 mL bags of these fluids. (If you were wondering, YES you do visit the bathroom A LOT and YES they do keep track of how much you go; So each time the nurse has to be called to dump out your pee! Fun times!)

9am- Keppra, Pepcid, Dexamethasone taken orally

6pm- Keppra taken orally

9:45pm- Zofran through PICC line for 15 mins followed by flush bag for 15 mins

Thursday, February 3rd

12:45am- Blood drawn to determine blood cell count and chemo (Methotrexate) level – This info is needed to determine if you will be able to leave the hospital after the scheduled 6 doses every 6 hours of the antidote to the chemo medications and if a higher dose of the antidote to the chemo (Leucovorin) needs to be given.

1am- 1st antidote (Leucovorin) dosage given through the PICC line in “push” manner.  “Push” means that the drug is injected through a syringe by the nurse over a course of 3-5 minutes instead of hanging in a IV bag.

7am- 2^nd Leucovorin push

9am- Keppra, Pepcid, Dexamethasone, Claritin given orally

10am- Zofran through PICC line for 15 mins followed by flush bag for 15 mins

1pm- Bloodwork to check Methotrexate levels was redone because previous bloodwork was “never received by the lab” i.e. the bloodwork got lost, was dropped by someone during transportation, etc. **I was told that things like this happen frequently and don’t seriously affect my treatment, but they DO affect the schedule of events when it comes to leaving the hospital.  (I was supposed to be done with  treatment this round at 7 am on Friday morning and be discharged by 9, but since they had to wait until the results from this bloodwork were processed by the lab to discharge me, I didn’t end up leaving the hospital until 2pm on Friday).

1:15pm- 3^rd Leucovorin push

6pm- Keppra taken orally

7pm- 4^th Leucovorin push

10pm- Zofran 15 mins/flush bag 15 mins

Friday, February 4th

1am- 5^th Leucovorin push

7am- 6^th and final Leucovorin push

9am- Keppra, Pepcid, Dexamethasone, Claritin given orally

10am- Zofran 15 mins/flush bag 15 mins

12:45pm- Doctor visited and discharged me

1pm- I took a Leucovorin pill orally while still at the hospital.  Normally, I take 6 pills of Leucovorin every 6 hours orally after leaving the hospital, (starting 6 hours after my last IV dose), but since I was still AT the hospital 6 hours after my last IV dose, I had to take it there.

1:15pm- PICC line removed by nurse

2pm- Left the hospital

Sorry if this post was boring -- I just thought it might be helpful to those who wanted a little more detail as far as what my treatment is all about!  If anyone ever has questions about anything I post here, feel free to leave a comment below or e-mail me at cem1414@gmail.com (That way might be easier since you need a gmail e-mail account to leave a comment on these posts).

Anyway, that’s it for now!  I’ll be back sometime later this weekend to talk about the basketball game event that is being held in my honor this coming Tuesday!

xoxo,

*Casey

Hi, Stranger!

Hi All,

I apologize for not updating lately, but there’s not tons of news to report from this end.  Nonetheless, some big “milestones” have been reached over the past 2 weeks that I wanted to share.  Tomorrow will mark 8 weeks since I had my surgery.  As you could probably tell from hanging out with me, talking to me on the phone or even reading my blog posts over the past 8 weeks, I had not been in the clearest of states of mind.  The combination of medication I was on, lack of sleep and irritation to my brain from the actual surgery definitely took a toll on my cognitive state; mainly in the areas of short term memory, mood changes, being able to concentrate for an extended period of time and really just being able to make sense while talking or writing.  (Right now I’m really trying to avoid reading what I wrote in my past blog entries for fear that I have shamed every English/writing/grammar teacher I have ever had.)  Further, over the past 8 weeks, I experienced some troubles with finding the right words I want to use while having conversations and even had trouble using the correct sounds in words while speaking, (two things that are definitely hard to deal with for an aspiring speech-language pathologist).  So, related to all these things, the first milestone I wanted to mention was that in the past week and a half, I’d say that most of the symptoms mentioned above have resolved.  I have felt relatively normal and back to my “old self” again.  I still experience some word-finding issues every once and a while and feel agitated when I try to multi-task, but those things get better everyday as well.  Since I have been feeling more cognitively normal as of late, I’ve been trying my best to do some of the things I would get frustrated with when I attempted to do them before i.e. writing ‘thank-you’ notes and accomplishing the work I need to do to finish my fall semester classes.  Welcome back to normalcy, right?!

The other “milestone” I reached was last week when I saw my neurosurgeon for the last time.  I had an appointment with Dr. Moulding last Wednesday for my 6-month follow-up and I was discharged from his services at that time because my incision has healed and he felt that my symptoms from surgery were resolved or would eventually be where they needed to be with time.  Dr. Moulding will stay on my case for consulting purposes and as a source of opinion and connections to other facilities if I need them in the future, but I will no longer have to see him directly. 

Dr. Belman (oncologist) is officially now my primary doctor.  Last Wednesday I had my “off week” visit with him and he said he felt that things were going well with my treatment and he scheduled me to begin treatment week #3 tomorrow (Tuesday the 1^st).

I had one other doctor’s appointment last Wednesday, (it was quite the fun-filled day at St. Luke’s), and that was with the ophthalmologist.  There I got one more test done.  Results of that test came back normal and so I will not have to see him for another year to monitor the possibility of abnormal cells forming in and around my optic nerve.

So that’s it as far as updates about me goes!  I did want to quickly mention, (and there will be more info on this sometime later in the week), but on Tuesday, February 8^th, the Bangor High School Girls’ basketball team will be holding a Coaches vs. Cancer event during their basketball game against Northwestern.  All donations raised at this event will go to the local Relay for Life team “Footprints in the Sand”. (Relay for Life is of course the major national fundraising event of the American Cancer Society.)  This year the event is being held in honor of ME! Needless to say, I am VERY honored to be honored at this event. J  It would mean a lot to me if my family and friends could try to attend this event on the 8^th and support the cause!  Like I said before, I will be writing another blog post soon dedicated to this event, but for now you can find more information at the following website:

http://bangorslaters.com/displaypage.asp?DeptPageID=1391111185255

Until next time!
xoxo,

*Casey

Some Updates in Preparation for ROUND 2!!

I decided to take some advice from a good friend and seasoned blogger in her own right, (shout out to Gwen and her blog, simple thrift), and try to get a relatively short blog entry posted instead of my usual BOOK! 

**Before I update though, let me just clarify that my posts are usually so long because by the time I have TIME to write them, about 10,000 things needing a thorough explanation have happened regarding my “situation” and so it takes a long time to get through everything.  Plus, remember people; I had BRAIN SURGERY about a month ago so it takes me a little longer to do things than it used to – I’m honestly shocked that any of these blogs entries make sense half of the time when I’m done writing them… 

Anyway, I wanted to update about how I’ve been feeling and about plans for my next round of treatment.  Since I got home from my last treatment on Friday the 7^th, I have progressively felt better and better each passing day.  This came as a surprise because I was told that my blood cell count would “dip” 7-10 days after my chemo treatment was over.  As a result, I kind of expected to feel more tired and possibly even achy and sick beginning this past Wednesday, but it was quite the opposite – last week I met up with a few ESU friends, ran tons of errands all over the place, met friends for lunch, visited Jennifer while her butt is healing from surgery ha!, supported my former high school girls’ basketball team at a game, and even went out to the bar to celebrate one of my best friend’s 25^th birthday on Saturday night!  In short, I’ve truly felt more like myself over the past few days than I probably have since late November BEFORE my surgery!  Hopefully that continues after each subsequent treatment!

Speaking of treatment, I met with my oncologist today so that he could tell me whether or not I could start my second round of treatment tomorrow as scheduled.  Not only did he say that my blood cell levels were good enough to start tomorrow, but he also shared results of my spinal tap: negative!  Meaning as of now, there are no cancerous cells anywhere in my spinal column!  And for those of you following along very closely, I was scheduled to meet with an ophthalmologist at some point to basically check in the last place where cancer could be hiding which was the back of my eyes and optic nerve.  I had that appointment last Wednesday and they found everything to be normal there as well!  Those results and the ones I received today were both very good news.  So to clarify and sum up for anyone who needs it, right now the only place my lymphoma is, is in my brain where originally thought.  This is where my first round of chemotherapy medication went to start to kill those cells, and this is where every round of treatment that’s to follow will also go!

So, that blog entry wasn’t TOO bad, right??  I’m heading for bed now, hoping for an early call from the hospital in the morning so I could start earlier than last time AND that this impending weather actually let’s us get to the hospital if we get that early call!  Until next time!  Goodnight world!