The Back Bone Is Connected To The Hip Bone

(PART ONE). The following was written on Monday....

At this moment I'm lounging in my hospital bed at City of Hope. It's nothing compared to the room I was given at Kellie's house. She lavishly loved on me. I had fresh flowers, chocolates on my pillow, a swan made from a towel on the bed, and lots of special extras. I have the pool view, the garden view, the city lights view, and I'm told a beautiful mountain view (the rain prevented my view). There are a few items I will have to discuss with management though (ha ha). It's so hard being away from home, but my sweet made for me Bed & Breakfast is a refreshment to my soul. I can tell you her bed is like sleeping on a cloud...nothing like the bed I'm on now (hospital bed).

We were here early. I started off with lab work - 6 vials. Then off to check-in at the Phase Unit. Then off to see my oncologist. As I was waiting the director stopped to see me and updated me on my schedule. I will be on the 28 day cycle. Three weeks on and one week off. Once we get the hang of the schedule I know there will be many opportunities to help.

My doctor was right on time. I was really concerned that the chemo might be cancelled. During the weekend my port became very red. It seemed as if it was infected or my body was rejecting it. I started taking an antibiotic just in case it was an infection. I noticed a piece of plastic stitch on Friday night that was sticking out (which should have been gone by now), and on Saturday morning it was gone and there was a tiny hole in its place. It actually had fluid coming out of it for about an hour. I believe I had a stitch that wanted to get out and festered around the port (just a theory). I was so concerned about having another complication. I had to keep reminding myself that if I wasn't going to have the chemo, than it wasn't meant to be.

My doctor looked at it and looked at the pictures I had taken Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It obviously had gotten better so she said I could go ahead with chemo as planned. She then wanted to go over my PET CT scan. When a doctor grabs your hands to talk to you, you know it's going to be a serious conversation. She confirmed the cancer is growing. The spots I had felt on my left chest were cancer, and the area in the center of my chest is cancer. THAT WASN'T THE BAD NEWS. My cancer has spread to my bones. I have cancer in my neck, my spine, pelvis, femurs, and in my hip. It helps the answers why I kept having pain in my back, might answer the numbness in my right hand, and is probably why my bone marrow wasn't helping and the platelets kept dropping.

It was a shock. The chemo regiment will be the same. Another pill will be added next week to help heal the bones. Of course the side effect is achy bones (too funny). She believes if my body responds to the chemo the cancer will stop spreading. Before she left the doctor gave me some new prescriptions. The order for the chemo meds were faxed in and we had to wait about an hour to pick the medication up and then check in at the Phase Unit.

I had to make some very difficult phone calls. The hospital gets very bad reception and I couldn't walk out side because of the rain. The rain seemed to fit my mood. I kept looking for the sun to come out.

(NOTE - I WAS READY TO POST BLOG AND "POOF" IT WAS GONE. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED. ALL I KNOW IS I HAVE TO RE-WRITE IT. I'M VERY TIRED, SO YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT)

...To be continued.