Showing posts with label h1n1 vaccine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label h1n1 vaccine. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Good news - no infection! :)
I had a follow-up visit with the ENT (Dr.V) today. They tested my hearing to see if I'm experiencing chemo-induced hearing loss (which would be irreversible!), and thankfully I am NOT - hearing is good. :) Next, doc examined my ears, nose and throat again and found no new signs of infection. He said the lack of new/progressive symptoms, combined with the fact that the decongestant is helping cut down on the whooshing/waves sound I'm hearing points to this being what I had hoped for out of the three possibilities -- chemo thickens mucus and my salivary glands are swollen from the mucus, causing a backup of it into the eustachian tube/canal. As long as we can manage it with decongestants and fluids (staying hydrated should help thin out the mucus), I should be able to avoid it turning into an infection. That's a relief! :)
On another happy note, Cooper finally received his H1N1 vaccine this morning so he'll be protected from that craziness within 2 weeks of receiving it. It's nice to know we both finally have some protection from that hot mess.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tattoos and zzzzz's
OK, not really tattoos, but if I squint really hard to blur my vision then I can imagine the bruises that are popping up all over my body as pretty tattoos. haha. I'm up to four bruises now and thinking I really really wish I could do something, besides pray of course, to boost my platelets so that I can guarantee treatment on Tuesday and stop being decorated with these not-so-pretty tattoos. I'll keep praying and squinting at my bruises to imagine them as something beautiful haha.
Normally today I would be down at UCLA attending my breast cancer support group but my WBC count is still considered very low, making me vulnerable to infection, and one of my friends from group told me that last week a couple new members were present and both mentioned they had sick family members at home so it was good I didn't go last week either. It stinks though because it helps me so much to be there with my sister warriors and I miss them.
Since I didn't go to the support group and is a non-work day for me, I decided it would be a day of sleep. So when the sitter arrived this morning I marched right back upstairs to bed and slept for 4 glorious hours, uninterrupted. Anyway, I can't remember the last time I slept that long (that's sad, and scary) uninterrupted - probably that first time I got a hotel room. Because, even if Cooper didn't wake me, the hot flashes usually will. At least with the hot flashes I can just throw the covers off, turn up the fan, turn over and go right back to sleep. Cooper's wakings involve getting out of bed, going across the hall and figuring out why the heck he's up and upset. I love him so much but night time is brutal for me, especially when Bob is away (which is more often than not).
Now that I'm awake I'm working on finding answers to how I will get Cooper the H1N1 vaccine since he would be high risk if he contracted it (history of 2 cases of pneumonia and asthma symptoms since he was a newborn) and I would be high risk if he passed it to me. The pediatrician doesn't have the vaccine yet and is referring people to county h1n1 vaccine clinics in the meantime --- well --- there's now way we're going near one of those clinics with the #s of kids and parents that would be present - that would be like locking myself in a closet with sick people - not going to happen. So, I'm waiting for the pediatrician to call me back to help me figure out what we're going to do to get him the protection he needs.
Lastly, I'd like to give a special shout out to my friend, Pat, who just completed his treatment and who has been quite brave as he withstood very painful side effects and infections and hospitalizations throughout treatment. Even through his very challenging treatments he took the time to communicate with and encourage and pray for others, including me. He's a beautiful person and I'm so grateful and honored to know him. Please include Pat in your prayers, asking God to heal his wounds quickly so that Pat can resume enjoying home cooked meals in place of a very inconvenient and unpleasant feeding tube that he is still dealing with. God bless you, Pat!
Normally today I would be down at UCLA attending my breast cancer support group but my WBC count is still considered very low, making me vulnerable to infection, and one of my friends from group told me that last week a couple new members were present and both mentioned they had sick family members at home so it was good I didn't go last week either. It stinks though because it helps me so much to be there with my sister warriors and I miss them.
Since I didn't go to the support group and is a non-work day for me, I decided it would be a day of sleep. So when the sitter arrived this morning I marched right back upstairs to bed and slept for 4 glorious hours, uninterrupted. Anyway, I can't remember the last time I slept that long (that's sad, and scary) uninterrupted - probably that first time I got a hotel room. Because, even if Cooper didn't wake me, the hot flashes usually will. At least with the hot flashes I can just throw the covers off, turn up the fan, turn over and go right back to sleep. Cooper's wakings involve getting out of bed, going across the hall and figuring out why the heck he's up and upset. I love him so much but night time is brutal for me, especially when Bob is away (which is more often than not).
Now that I'm awake I'm working on finding answers to how I will get Cooper the H1N1 vaccine since he would be high risk if he contracted it (history of 2 cases of pneumonia and asthma symptoms since he was a newborn) and I would be high risk if he passed it to me. The pediatrician doesn't have the vaccine yet and is referring people to county h1n1 vaccine clinics in the meantime --- well --- there's now way we're going near one of those clinics with the #s of kids and parents that would be present - that would be like locking myself in a closet with sick people - not going to happen. So, I'm waiting for the pediatrician to call me back to help me figure out what we're going to do to get him the protection he needs.
Lastly, I'd like to give a special shout out to my friend, Pat, who just completed his treatment and who has been quite brave as he withstood very painful side effects and infections and hospitalizations throughout treatment. Even through his very challenging treatments he took the time to communicate with and encourage and pray for others, including me. He's a beautiful person and I'm so grateful and honored to know him. Please include Pat in your prayers, asking God to heal his wounds quickly so that Pat can resume enjoying home cooked meals in place of a very inconvenient and unpleasant feeding tube that he is still dealing with. God bless you, Pat!
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