They came this morning to start giving me the filigrastam ( booster) shot again to help speed up my stem cells to promote a new immune system. They also took 3 vials of blood and the first two times he missed my veins because I think they rolled. I asked him if he could use a butterfly and he said yes.  One prick and we had it done!  I bet he remembers that next time.

We went to the clinic and had to start wearing our masks.  I haven’t gotten the ones that I ordered out yet but I will before I go Wednesday. The ones they gave us hold the hot air in and comes out and fogs my glasses up.  Everyone knows I’m full of hot air!  It was a miserable 1 hour trip.

I got the results of my blood work and the numbers were rattled off so fast that I don’t remember them.  BP was 113/73. Bottom line I am not in the neutropenic stage yet.  We are in the apartment until Wednesday when we do this all over again.

Going to close and rest for awhile.  Chriss’ mom is coming to bring me some bottles of vanilla for the girls since theirs got confiscated!  Them there smugglers, you gotta watch ’em!!

We got out Neutropenic meals for the next 7 days.  I guess I’ll see how they taste!

Unfortunately it’s all in bags that you put boiling water on unless the good stuff is hidden on the bottom!  As one of the other girls in the Group said, it’s definitely no KFC bucket!  This is my meals for the next 7 days.

Got to take a shower today and it felt so good.  There really is a good reason for Glad Press and Seal! It kept the bandage pretty dry.  Tomorrow I go to the clinic and the bandage gets removed and it should be even easier to take a shower then.  I had showed Chriss online the picture of the bedside toilet seat I wished I had instead of the rolling one and guess what there was one downstairs by the storage unit, brand new, and we grabbed it and it doesn’t take as much room in the shower!

That’s all that has happened today so I will post tomorrow after I meet with the doctors.

See you soon!

Happy Stemmies Birthday to me!  The day I have been waiting and working for has arrived!!  It is now a wait and see game.  My isolation days will start around Monday but I will have blood drawn often to see how my counts are and when I will be in and out of neutropenia.

This was the simple procedure the next one taking the picc line out was the worst!  We all had stitches and of course the doc said they didn’t hurt pulling them out but they always do!  Can’t help it I’m a wuss!! He then took the picc line out.  It isn’t a clear picture but this is the foreign object I had in my body for 4 days.

Now I know why it hurt when I moved my arm, it looked liked it was 8 inches long. The doctor is holding pressure trying to stop the bleeding.  Can’t spell his name or pronounce it but all the girls that have had the procedure call him Dr Hottie. We had went to Walmart while Marty and Paula were here and bought me a water bottle to drink out of while laying back and it had a built in ice tube to freeze and straw. I told Chriss to be sure and not forget it Thursday and guess what? Yep He forgot it but you know how nice I am and just let it go, NOT!!!  I  gave him a hard time when he sit that rinkydink bottle down and the doc didn’t forget it.  He had to see this bottle when we got in there.   He is very nice and friendly.

Betsy, Lynn, me, Uta, and Jamie Group 1 in front of Clinic.

This is a picture of the doorman at the clinic and while waiting I noticed you didn’t get in unless you could show proof to get in. They were very helpful getting us out of the van and in to our chairs if need be.

The following picture is of the Group, our caregivers, and our driver (who seemed to be always late!).

I think I will close this post for tonight and get some rest.  I’ll proof before I hit post!

Good night all, home in two weeks!!!!

Today started off on a late note with our driver being late so we didn’t get started with our chemo until 9:30 am.  I think he is comfortable with our group cause it’s been about every day!  But at least today all we had was 4 hours of chemo and was home by 3pm. This has been my most miserable day after getting here.

My readings at 10:50 were bp 125/62 temp was 36.8C. At 1:50 bp was 149/79 in left arm (side with port) & 137/74 in right arm temp was 36.3C

Once home Chriss fixed us a BAT and it was delicious!  This was instead of a BLT! It was a bacon, avocado, and ‘mater sandwich. I think Chriss liked it to cause he went to store and bought more for lunch tomorrow, which suits me! That’s as close to my regular food that I have had besides ice cream but I’m not complaining there.

We decided that I needed a lax for constipation but that wasn’t smart on a nauseous stomach already.  Between p’s & s’s, I’ve spent most the afternoon in the bathroom hanging my head!  Enough of that onto brighter things…..

Tomorrow I get my stemmies back! WOOHOO! Until tomorrow, goodnight my friends!  Love each and everyone of you!

Well the day is here to harvest my stem cells.  Got to the clinic around 10:30am and got hooked up to the machines and at 11:30 my readings were 100/70bp and 36.8C , pulse ox of 94.  Was done by 1:30pm

The blood with the cells go out and just the blood returns. Chriss took me to a restaurant and we had the special. He said it was the way Mexicans eat.  We had a soup, then a plate of rice, then a plate of chicken with cheese & bell peppers(too bad you weren’t here to eat them Mom cause yes I picked them off)

We got back to the clinic about 3:30 pm and Dr Ruiz came in and gave us our readings and we all had enough seem cells harvested!  They called me the queen cause I had the most of 538 million. I told them it was probably the weight but anyway we don’t have to do it again!

The end result

It was dark and I should have reset my lighting but then the doc holding it you don’t ask for a do over!

We have started our next to last chemo and at 4:10 bp was 120/70 temp was 36.5C

It’s 8:00pm and we are still hooked up!  Should have packed a bag and spent the night!  Have to be back at 9 in the morning.  Last day of chemo, YIPPIE!!!

8:15pm vitals bp 120/80 which started out on left arm 162/90 went to right arm 153/72 she used a different machine and it looked much better temp 36.7C

We have made it to the apartment at 9:50 and I am keyed up and with all the water you have to drink, I’ll be up all night!

Good night everyone and until mañana!

This is a day late and a dollar short but I didn’t feel like posting last night.  We went to Hospital Puebla to have the picc line put in! I was the first to a room and close to the last to go into the surgery room!

I thought I had a pic of the hospital outside but here is the view from my room!

This is the biggest rooms I’ve seen. It had  a bed, a couch, a chair, and two closets with a huge shower and handicap bathroom (sorta)!

My readings for the day were: 9:30 am bp 120/80 temp 36.6C and pulse ox 93 but by the time I got in the room to wait for surgery I think I read 140/80 and I know the wait had nothing to do with it!!

We got to the apartment around 4pm and I was very tired so that’s why I posted today.  I had Chriss a little scared & worried cause he was ready to take me to the hospital because I was hurting on both shoulders!  I wanted the line in my right side since I use my left most, they tried on the right but my clavacal (collar bone) was hiding the veins!  Got it in the left anyway! That just puts more pressure on Chriss on getting me up!  Two more days!!

Got my booster shot at 7:30pm bp was 124/60   36.9C

This is it for this post and I will work on today’s!

Another day just like the day before but with a lot of lower back pain.  I think maybe I’ve sat in this chair to long!  Things will change tomorrow cause it is going to get hectic.  They will put my picc line in tomorrow at Hospital Puebla and I have to be there at 8am.  I will try to post at some point that night.

Don’t know what I have done to my phone but Mom and Dad haven’t been able to call me, it goes straight to voice mail and it costs me a $1.00/minute to call them and/or check my voicemail.  Screwed either way but I can call them and if I have too, I will pay the cost. Got to have my daily parent fix! We are going to try Skyping tomorrow and see if that works. We shall see!

My readings for today were a little high and am hoping it is because of the back pain!

7:30 am blood pressure 145/80 temp 36.5C

8:00 pm blood pressure 158/78 temp 36.4C

Closing for tonight and wish me luck and keep me in your prayers because the next 3 days will be tough!

Another day has come and almost gone!  I bragged too soon about nausea, but then it could be Chriss’ cooking. Not really, that’s a joke.  I think I need to avoid the spicy food tho.  I know some of the patients have gone sightseeing today but I have decided to stay in and keep my strength for the treatment and recouping.  Also, I don’t want Chriss to have to push me around.

The nurse was here this morning at 8:30am and my readings were blood pressure  126/73 and temp  36.6C.

They were back again at 7:30pm and my readings were blood pressure 129/71 and temp  36.3C.

I can tell I was given steroids in the chemo cause I ballooned up more than what I was. Oh well, got to lose some weight when I get back!

All looking good so far. Watching TV as long as I can understand it.

Good night!

Today started bright and early at 7:40am getting on the bus to travel to the clinic. (Mom you will be happy to know I have been eating a slice of toast every morning!) Hooked up to the last chemo drip and now back at apartment resting.

Tomorrow starts the filgrastim (mobilizer) shot to make me produce more stem cells than normal.  The nurse will be here every 12 hours, oh boy!

I don’t have to have the i.v. left in the arm, I got it out today. I can rest better with it out but still have to drink lots of water so many trips to bathroom speaking of which gotta go!(Shadow that reference is for you I miss my little fur baby!!) I’m back!!

Shadow hasn’t missed me according to Mom and Dad but I sure have him!  He got loose not too soon after getting to their house slipped right thru Dad’s legs. My baby might be growing up cause he didn’t run away! Dad let him out again the next day and he stayed in the yard. He was sure unhappy the next day cause Dad worked at my house and he didn’t get to get out of his pen.

One of the girls in the group, Jamie,  is having a birthday tomorrow and we plan on meeting by the pool to help her celebrate!

Miss everyone back home!

This is the original Dr. Ruiz that founded the clinic in 1950. He is 92 years of age and comes to the clinic daily.

Ignore the fingers, he moved way too fast for me to get a good picture. We all said we wished we could move that fast!!

Until later my friends.