July 30, 2009

Sorry I didn't get around to writing this post sooner, I spent about 9 days in North Haven just to get my mind off of everything and to see all of my friends before they head back to school in a few weeks. So we had an interesting trip to the doctor last time...about two days before it was time to go for chemo my side started hurting very badly like someone had hit me with a baseball bat or something. The pain was exactly the same as what I had been experiencing at the very beginning of things back in March which prompted me to go to the doctor in the first place. So needless to say it was a very anxious two days for me because I had no idea what was going on and couldn't help but fear the worst. It was very difficult to sleep the pain was so bad and the pain killers only put me to sleep for a few hours before they wore off and I immediately awoke. I called the doctor's office to inform them of the pain I was experiencing and they immediately scheduled me for a CT scan first thing in the morning I was supposed to come in. It was a very long two days waiting for that scan...my thoughts ranged from either something was shifting around in a good way or that I had stopped responding to the treatment and things were taking a turn for the worst. I arrived at the hospital Thursday morning not knowing what to expect. The day I was diagnosed had already been the worst day of my life and probably my parents' lives as well, I couldn't bare the thought of another day like that again after things had been looking somewhat promising. I proceeded to do what I had to for the scan and we then had to wait about an hour for the results so we grabbed some breakfast that I wasn't very enthusiastic about eating. When we got into the doctor's office I met with my nurse at first to discuss the side-effects I had experienced from my last treatment and if I needed any of my prescriptions refilled. On her way out she gave me a wink and said not to worry because I was about to receive good news from the doctor regarding my scans. So as it turns out, one of my ribs is broken. My doctor said it looks like an old injury that just hasn't healed...what a relief! I can't help but wonder if this broken rib is what caused me to go to the doctor in the first place, if so, then thank God. Well that was certainly a load off my back to say the least. She then went on to say that nothing has really changed since my last scan, but it had only been a few weeks since my last one. Another piece of good news was that I was going to be taken off of the chemo drug that was causing most of my fatigue and other side effects. The process only took about a half hour a the hospital and I still had the pump to take home with me for the 48 hours. I experienced very minimal side effects and was up and out riding my motorcycle all day Saturday...so all in all things turned out to be pretty good...I just want to thank everyone though in North Haven who I had seen or hung out with over the last week. It really meant a lot to me to see some old faces because I'll admit it does get tough out here in Jersey without seeing some familiar faces too often. It's funny how I wanted to get far away so badly for college, but now I go up to visit and I don't want to leave...somehow hanging out with everyone in a community that has shown me so much overwhelming support makes me forget everything that is going on with me. I'm so thankful for my friends and family and everyone who has sent me their best wishes and prayers because it means the world to me and it's honestly what gets me out of bed every morning. I'll be heading back to the doctor this Thursday and then down to Charlotte next week to visit some friends before they have to start school again. I love you all...LIVESTRONG