The last few days + oncologist visit #3

It seems every time I go in a medical setting someone has to draw blood from me or otherwise stick a needle in me.

I really don't like needles.

But that's my reality now. I try not to think too long about what happens when the two good places in my veins get too much scar tissue.

At least the last couple of blood draws have gone well. Painful, but not involving moving the needle around or having to stick me more than once.

Of course my oncologist visit yesterday started with a blood draw.

But this time when my oncologist came in, she didn't begin with the word "unfortunately."

She asked how I was doing. And told me I looked good!

And I really was feeling a little better after several rough days. This afternoon was a little better as well. I was getting weary of feeling rotten almost all of the time.

Not that I actually feel "good." But it's all relative. Not rotten is so much better than rotten.

(Do you know how GOOD "normal" feels? You may not. And that's a blessing. "Normal" is actually pretty amazing!)

I have low-level nausea a lot of the time. Not enough to need meds but enough to discourage eating much of anything.

And I am tired most of the time. I suppose that has to do with my lowered red blood cell count.

Last week I was worried about having trouble catching my breath with any exertion. An EKG didn't show anything too "off" and my blood oxygen levels were fine. Yesterday I talked with my oncologist about my feeling as if I were gulping to get air after any exertion. She thinks it's the diminished red blood cell count, especially since when I'm still and not moving I don't feel that sensation at all. And my smart watch isn't showing anything's being amiss.

But just to be sure she set me up for a CT scan of my lungs tomorrow. That means four hours of fasting before the scan. And it also means an IV for the contrast. ANOTHER IV. Sigh.

The fasting would be no big deal except that I often feel nauseated after taking Kisqali in the morning and depend on ginger ale to soothe my stomach. I called the oncology office to be sure the fasting included liquids, and the answer was "yes."

I'll try to eat a lot of protein tomorrow before the Kisqali dose. That seems to help. But I too often am not hungry at all in the mornings and have to force myself to eat.

It's weird to be having to do that when so much of my life I was trying to eat less.

That's where cancer and cancer treatments put us cancer patients into weird places. Places opposite of where we're used to being.

That's part of the wearing part of going through cancer (or any other health challenge).

Your life gets shifted. In lots of ways.

Maybe I'll try to list some of those ways sometime in a blog post.

But not this evening.

I'm tired, so I'll conclude with sharing that I've had lots of help since my sister left.

I'd like to give a BIG thank you to all of you have visited or been my driver or have done chores for me or brought food or run errands or done some of the many things I struggle to get done now. I appreciate each one of you!

Many others of you have offered your help. And I'll likely be calling on you one day. Maybe soon. Maybe later.

For now I'm signing off, asking for continuing good vibes and prayers and all of the good mojo you can send my way!

P.S. Enjoy "normal" if you feel "normal."