It’s difficult to explain the nausea.  I had never felt so bad as during this period of time.  I could barely lift my head off the pillow most days without wanting to throw up.  I can remember going to Radiation one day & the Nurse says to me Lisa, come here.  I go into a patient room & she says, how do you feel?  I said TERRIBLE.  I could tell by what she was saying that I LOOKED BAD too.  She took my vitals & had me wait there til my appt time.  She came back in & said I want you to take this for nausea & by the time you come out of your radiation treatment you will feel better.  I was thinking … yeah, right.  I went in for my appt & after it was all said & done, she was correct.  I could tell a difference.  She had given me a ZOFRAN pill for nausea.  Kind of like the cadillac of nausea meds in my time.  I was given a prescription for these & was warned, they are expensive.  The thing I liked best is they work for 10 – 12 hours.  Great for a person who is not a pill popper!

Yesterday several things happened but the worst was that I FELL.  I was attempting to come up the steps to my condo.  I started on my BAD LEG (which is DUMB).  None the less, I ended up on the cement at the bottom of the steps with a very distraught friend standing over me.  I have a nice “goony” on my left arm/elbow as if I slid into second base.  Otherwise, I am fine.  Bottom line is my leg would not pick up my foot to go up the steps.  This is the reason for the cane & my instability.  Other than MY PRIDE, I am fine.  Actually, I am quite grateful for my solid frame for protection in this situation.  I am sure I will look different when you see me as I have lost 25 pounds.  If my hair falls out by next week, I will truly look different.  I hope I am PRETTY, BALD & my head is not too FAT, if it comes to that!

While trying to learn the ropes of dealing with nausea, I started radiation treatments on February 8th.  I was fortunate to have the Johns Hopkins crew from Green Spring taking care of me.  Under the care of Dr. Deb Frassica, this unit ran like a well oiled machine!  They were caring, attentive & helped me understand what was about to happen.  I got to see pictures of my tumor & the amount of space it occupied … no wonder I was in pain!  It took me longer to get to the appts, change clothes, get into the mold, than the actual treatments themselves.  I was in for 11 treatments for this first phase.

Radiation itself was not hard.  My problem was being so nauseous from taking chemo & having to ride to the appts, laying on the table & riding back home on a daily basis.  My senses were on HIGH ALERT during this time.  I could smell things from far away & even if bottles/ jars were closed.  The smell of lotions, coffee, body odor, anything would set me off … it was really rough.

I was sent home from the hospital with three different nausea meds.  For someone who rarely pops a pill, this was quite overwhelming.  Some were to be taken every 4 – 6 hours, others were to be taken at night vs morning, etc … it was too much for me to handle.  Because I felt so good the day I came home from the hospital, I forgot to continue taking the nausea meds.  It was just not on my radar, after all we were excited for the Steelers victory!

When I awoke the day after chemo, I felt SO SICK.  Oh my gosh!  Trying to determine was I just nervous or was this nausea … the big question of the day.  It’s hard to put into words how bad you really feel.  And to top it all off, we had to drive back into Hopkins for my Neulasta shot!  I was so angry & complained to Oneida I should have just paid the D*&^ copay & be done with it.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have an option … I had to endure the 25 miles back to Hopkins & getting to the clinic.  I was not HAPPY … but I did survive it.  I just wanted a day to be home & I did get one.

As I lay in the hospital taking chemo, a stranger appears at my door & introduces herself as my Social/Case Worker, Amy.  I didn’t know I had or needed a case worker.  She said that she had good news & bad news, which did I want first?  I said it doesn’t matter, just give it to me.  She explains, post chemo I will be getting a Neulasta shot to help restore my white blood cells.  The bad news was if I took it while INPATIENT, my Copay would be $745.00.  The good news was if I waited til the day after I was discharged & come back to the clinic, it would be FREE.  Considering how I was feeling at that time & doing the math, it was a no brainer … I would come back the next day!  I felt really good when I left the hospital, just a little tired was all.

I was discharged on Sunday, February 5th in time to get home & watch the SuperBowl pre-game & the Steelers VICTORY that evening!  It was a good day …