1 year check-up - Good results!

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I had my one-year MRI and a spot mammogram, and results were good! The mammogram said "Probably benign", which they expect after surgery, and there were no changes since 6 months ago. And the MRI showed no issues. So I remain in the status of "No evidence of Disease" and am thrilled. My feet and hands look and feel good again, which is exciting! My fingerprints are back and I'm delighted to be able to open my own jars and bottles! My main remaining symptoms are inability to focus and accomplish complicated tasks, low endurance, low arm strength, and lower breathing ability. They mostly don't bother me much and are all improving. Frank came back from a FIRST Robotics convention and tested positive for Covid a couple days later, and although we'd stayed apart since he got home, I tested positive the next day. We isolated a lot, but didn't have terrible symptoms. Mostly sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, and fever for a couple of days. I'm thankful th...
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Treatment # 8

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My root canal is feeling close to pain-free most days, and I have a lot more energy now, so that's a huge improvement. The dentist is waiting to do the next step when he feels my white blood cell counts are high enough. Monday he's taking a look at my night guard (which I hadn't been using) to see if using that will take pressure off the tooth when I clench or grind. 

This week's chemo went very smoothly except for the IV insertion. It took them 3 tries to get a working IV insertion. The first two went in nicely, but didn't have enough blood to fill the test vials. She tried a small child-size one in my hand first, then moved up to an adult-sized one on the far side of my wrist, then had to hand me off to the next person, who got it with some difficulty in my upper forearm. She said there are three parts to success: finding the vein, being able to fill the vials, and then being able to add saline to it to verify the chemo will be able to go in. She easily did the first two parts, then had to push and pull to get the last part, but made it. If it fails during the chemo infusion, that nurse gets to try 3 times to redo one before they have to quit. One person suggested I look into a port if this continues, but suggested upping my fluid intake more, and keeping it there all week. So I've added smoothies and soups to my food more, and am aiming for 9 cups of water. It's a lot!

The actual infusion was easy. They gave me a benadryl pill this time, and next time will remove all benadryl to see how I do. Frank and I worked on a crossword puzzle until the benadryl made me too tired, then I listened to podcasts.

The day was so nice (in the mid-60's) that we went down early and took a short walk with Jenny and Jon! We also got to see Suzi and Alex when they came up for the day last Friday, so we were happy with visits and hugs this week!

And today I walked in 5" of snow while chatting with Janet. I was panting as much as I was talking, and only made it 1.25 miles in 50 minutes, but I got out there! It was really pretty!

I will make a second post about gifts, as it is long!

Some lovely pictures of Suzi and Alex's visit! I didn't get any of Jenny and Jon this time.

Just showing off my bruises. They are more impressive in person!

I was the only one out so far today - fresh footprints in the snow!





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1 year check-up - Good results!

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Image
I had my one-year MRI and a spot mammogram, and results were good! The mammogram said "Probably benign", which they expect after surgery, and there were no changes since 6 months ago. And the MRI showed no issues. So I remain in the status of "No evidence of Disease" and am thrilled. My feet and hands look and feel good again, which is exciting! My fingerprints are back and I'm delighted to be able to open my own jars and bottles! My main remaining symptoms are inability to focus and accomplish complicated tasks, low endurance, low arm strength, and lower breathing ability. They mostly don't bother me much and are all improving. Frank came back from a FIRST Robotics convention and tested positive for Covid a couple days later, and although we'd stayed apart since he got home, I tested positive the next day. We isolated a lot, but didn't have terrible symptoms. Mostly sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, and fever for a couple of days. I'm thankful th...
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