30 May, 2012

Sorry I've been a little MIA lately.  I honestly haven't had anything too exciting to share.  My days are mostly spent napping and reading under the shade of an umbrella in the backyard.  Some days I feel well and other days I feel sick.

Anyways, let me tell you about the last two weeks.  I went in for chemo two weeks ago and everything went well.  The following Thursday, I went in to get my blood checked, just as I do every Thursday.  Do you ever stand up too fast and feel a bit dizzy and need to sit back down again for a minute?  Well I've felt like that pretty often during my treatment.  On that Thursday, as I sat in the waiting room, I began to feel extremely dizzy.  I had to lie down because I felt like I was going to pass out even when sitting in a chair.  The nurse brought me back to get my blood drawn and to check my vital signs.  My blood pressure was 77/30!  Normally, my blood pressure is about 105/65, so needless to say, this was extremely low!  My nurse gave me a fluids through the IV for an hour to help boost my blood pressure back up to normal.

The next week, I met with my doctor.  She asked me about the blood pressure issue and then asked me about nausea.  I explained that I feel nauseated pretty often and have tried all three of the nausea medications that they had prescribed me, but none of them seemed to work.  She told me that nausea stimulates my vagus nerve, which in turn affects my blood pressure.  So if I am nauseated on a regular basis, my vagus nerve is essentially hyper-stimulated which is why my blood pressure has been so low and I feel dizzy often.  So my doctor prescribed me a new nausea medication in hopes of solving both my nausea problem and my low blood pressure problem.

I had chemotherapy yesterday and everything went well.  I slept through my treatment and then came home and slept for about five more hours.  I haven't felt very well today, but my new nausea medication has helped a little.  But this has been my usual pattern: chemo followed by a few days of feeling sick, then I slowly start feeling better at the same time that I become neutropenic.  I usually am feeling normal just in time for another dose of chemo.

This past week, I was feeling well enough to hang out a few days.  My friend Destry, who did Mission Year in Atlanta with me, was here for the weekend and I was able to spend a few hours with her.  Over the weekend, my parents and I went to the Titanic exhibition at the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park.  Then on Memorial Day, I accompanied my parents and my cousin Caitie to Lake Poway.  They went on a little hike while I enjoyed reading my book in the shade of some beautiful trees.

And here is some good news: If everything goes as planned, I only have one more dose of chemotherapy!  About six weeks after my last treatment, I'll have another PET scan and CT scan to make sure everything has been going well.  So please, please keep me in your prayers!!

xoxo
Lauren


enjoying some reading on Memorial Day
"Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise Your name.  So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on Your name.  For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.  My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me."
- Psalm 63:3-4, 7-8

3 comments:

  1. Love and miss you! Praying for you. You are such a strong woman of the Lord. You challenge and encourage me so much. Think and pray for you all the time.

    Love,
    Tina

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm so glad you're almost done! Definitely praying. I have discovered a new series that I love if you're running out of books to read :)

    ReplyDelete