Older Folks and Vaping Back Porch - Part Seven

[ilporcupine]

Well I thought I'd post a picture of Ginny and her Support dog. She just went into Great Clips and got her free Cancer haircut and they do it so she can donate it to Lock of Love.

That big badage is where she had her Port put in. Her hair was over 2' long. Handn't been cut since right after we got married 30 some years ago.

The port is a mixed blessing. It saves a LOT of poking, stabbing, and breakdown of vessels, but of course requires one pretty invasive cutdown prodedure to install initially.
It will seem like you are always at the Dr., between chemo, exams, shots, and all, if your experience is like ours was.
I have a couple old appointment cards here. One of them, for a three day period:
2/23 - 10:00 Lab work
2/23 - 10:30 Consultation w/Dr.
2/23 - 11:00 Chemo
2/24 - 1:00 Chemo
2/25 - 1:00 Chemo
2/26 - Neulasta injection
Back and forth, Back and forth.
As someone else noted, make sure you take care of yourself, get enough sleep, eat well. You will need your strength too, just to keep up.
Your situation, of course is made more difficult by your personal physical difficulties. I was lucky, in that I could fairly easily move her, and her equipment (wheelchair, etc.) around. (She was only 4'-11' and 100lbs.)
Keep the Faith, and 'illegitium non carborundum'.(dont let the ....ards grind you down).

 

[2legsshrt]

The port is a mixed blessing. It saves a LOT of poking, stabbing, and breakdown of vessels, but of course requires one pretty invasive cutdown prodedure to install initially.
It will seem like you are always at the Dr., between chemo, exams, shots, and all, if your experience is like ours was.
I have a couple old appointment cards here. One of them, for a three day period:
2/23 - 10:00 Lab work
2/23 - 10:30 Consultation w/Dr.
2/23 - 11:00 Chemo
2/24 - 1:00 Chemo
2/25 - 1:00 Chemo
2/26 - Neulasta injection
Back and forth, Back and forth.
As someone else noted, make sure you take care of yourself, get enough sleep, eat well. You will need your strength too, just to keep up.
Your situation, of course is made more difficult by your personal physical difficulties. I was lucky, in that I could fairly easily move her, and her equipment (wheelchair, etc.) around. (She was only 4'-11' and 100lbs.)
Keep the Faith, and 'illegitium non carborundum'.(dont let the ....ards grind you down).

Thanks good advice. I'll ask about the neulasta she is on Medicare so may not be covered.

 

[ilporcupine]

Thanks good advice. I'll ask about the neulasta she is on Medicare so may not be covered.

It may be dependent on the Chemo, too. There are different formulations. K went with the less aggressive chemo, as she was more afraid of the Chemo taking her down, as the cancer. This made for a long cycle of treatment. I think we only had a long (2week or a little more)break every 3 weeks. My memory of this time is getting fuzzy now, as time passes.Who wants to remember all the hard stuff, anyway?

 

[2legsshrt]

Well the copay for neulasta with our plan D is 1409 each shot. So much for Trump getting the big pharma to cut their prices. Almost $7000 for 1 shot.

 

[2legsshrt]

It may be dependent on the Chemo, too. There are different formulations. K went with the less aggressive chemo, as she was more afraid of the Chemo taking her down, as the cancer. This made for a long cycle of treatment. I think we only had a long (2week or a little more)break every 3 weeks. My memory of this time is getting fuzzy now, as time passes.Who wants to remember all the hard stuff, anyway?

Sounds like the same schedule she is getting CL3 for chemo.

 

[ilporcupine]

Well the copay for neulasta with our plan D is 1409 each shot. So much for Trump getting the big pharma to cut their prices. Almost $7000 for 1 shot.

That's what I feared. We were lucky, as they paid for that, but then they wanted to restrict her pain meds to one pill per day, for 30 days. Isn't the American health care system just the best ever?

 

[2legsshrt]

Yep just like someone promised to make the drug companies start selling the drugs at a reasonable rate. Gonna fix that, yeah right.

 

[2legsshrt]

It just breaks my heart to see how good she is feeling right now knowing how much things are going to change. That's pretty crazy they would cut her pain meds to 1 pill a day when you are suffering with Cancer.

 

[Flowersoul]

Well the plans so far are daughter is coming this weekend to clean. Ginny wants to go to Great Clips and get her 2' of hair chopped off and donate it to Locks of Love. She's got a couple other things but we are going to try to get rested up. I signed up for Palliative Care but now might tell them to hold off till we see how it goes. I was freaking out because I was starting to think I wasn't going to be able to do this because my stumps have been killing me barely able to walk. They still hurt some but better. I've lost more weight which is probably the cause. I spoke to my SIL who has had Chemo not 3 days straight but she reassured me that I could do this just treat her like a baby. Feed her when she's hungry what she wants, make sure she drinks plenty of water, if she feels sick get an anti nausea pill in her, pain meds when desired help her move around. Johnny gave me some good ideas so I called the FD and they have lift assist for free if she gets dizzy an falls and I can't get her up they will come right over about 4 min away and get her into whatever she wanted to be, my grand daughter ordered 3 Amazon Dots so I will set up as an intercom system and what ever she want to use it for when she is in the bedroom and I am down here. Now I just have to get another friend over and help move furniture and set up the hospital bed in the living room. Talked to the neighbor and he is going to take care of mowing the front and back. So things are moving along. Tuesday we have a long talk with doc and nurses and first Chemo starts. 3 days of that then 19 days off then again thru Sept so far.

As others have said, it sounds as if things are coming together so that Ginny is as comfortable as possible. Folks are coming together to help and that should take some pressure off of you

It can't be stressed enough that taking care of yourself is vital, for your sake as well as Ginny's. You don't want her worrying about you!

 

[2legsshrt]

As others have said, it sounds as if things are coming together so that Ginny is as comfortable as possible. Folks are coming together to help and that should take some pressure off of you

It can't be stressed enough that taking care of yourself is vital, for your sake as well as Ginny's. You don't want her worrying about you!

I am about to drop right now. I was supposed to take it easy today and so far I took the dog in for grooming, took Ginny in for haircut, set up a vape set up for my daughter, tried to find out a copay on a different med called neuprogen thru the mail order, wrapped a new coil for me, finally drank my mornig protein at 4pm now I am eating lunch still got a ton of stuff to do so we can put the hospital bed up here, have to get hold of a friend that I need to help. Walked out today and drove and forgot my wallet an my vapes, made proteins for tonight. Well theres alway tomorrow to rest or as they say I'll rest when I am dead.

 

[2legsshrt]

Still have to put a screen protector and case on the tablet I got Ginny clean the desk all out so I can get rid of it and make room for the bed. Finish setting it up. Seems to be never ending gotta make up tomorrows meds for both make dinner plus I got up at 0300 again got a little more sleep in my recliner. And the worst hasn't even started. This thing really gave us no warning of what was to come in a couple weeks.

 

[3mg Meniere]

But you are not doing this alone. Let some family help. Take care of yourself.

 

[2legsshrt]

But you are not doing this alone. Let some family help. Take care of yourself.

My daughter leaves tomorrow then it’s just me again. I just have to get er done as Dale would say I just wish I was in better shape. This would be so much easier. I’m used to a lot more help like 3 weeks ago.

 

[2legsshrt]

I can’t imagine what Ginny is going through right now. They really mangled her up trying to find a vein and the port hurts but they won’t have to stick her again hopefully if they did a better job with that then finding a vein

 

[2legsshrt]

Here

 

[Janet H]

 

[Bea-FL]

My daughter leaves tomorrow then it’s just me again. I just have to get er done as Dale would say I just wish I was in better shape. This would be so much easier. I’m used to a lot more help like 3 weeks ago.

Given your physical disabilities and that Ginny's condition will require a lot of care after she starts on chemo, is it possible to get an aide through Medicare or Social Services to come help you take care of her a couple times a week?

 

[3mg Meniere]

Given your physical disabilities and that Ginny's condition will require a lot of care after she starts on chemo, is it possible to get an aide through Medicare or Social Services to come help you take care of her a couple times a week?

Yes. Call the hospital social worker early on Monday. You need someone to help you. Otherwise you will both end up in a nursing home.

 

[ilporcupine]

@2legsshrt
Please don't assume that the Chemo will be devastating, in it's effect. My dear K. had problems to be sure, but not from the chemo, necessarily. She seemed to tolerate the chemo, without much nausea, or other visible effect. Most of the problems she experienced were from the bone involvement, which was in progress before she was ever diagnosed.In fact, Ginny may, after a round or three, start to feel much better, especially in the off periods! Stay positive! We met many folks at the chemo clinic, living fairly normal lives, while receiving chemo.
The chemo will potentially require blood to be given, if she is short of white cells, etc., and monitoring of key minerals, calcium,potassium,etc. You must make sure she stays hydrated, the problems with becoming dehydrated were almost insurmountable. If I could have kept her out of hospital, and given her saline at home, we probably would had more quality time together. At least 64oz. water daily. No joke.
Hospital nursing staffs are notoriously understaffed, and they just haven't the time to give patients the one-on-one that they need. We caregivers have to take up the slack. Camp out there as much as possible, and make sure she gets what she needs. No matter what they are selling, YOU are in the best position to give her what she needs, not the nurse, or anyone else. We got some home nurse visits, and avoided more office visits for blood draws, etc.Hope you can get some help at home, too...
Sorry this was so disorganized, stream-of conciousness, ramble. Hard for me to relive it over again. I lose focus when I dwell on it for long.

 

[ilporcupine]

Just an open note on lung cancer screening, for smokers and ex-smokers.
Chest X-rays are of no use, no evidence of cancer was found on Ks chest xrays prior to it's spreading to other organs.
If we are to avoid all these 'stage 4' diagnoses, MRI will have to get widespread use, and much less expensive, as a general screening tool.
FYI