I was hoping this morning to finally be cleared to drink liquids, but I was only approved for 1/2 ounce/hour. My mom brought in my favorite watermelon ices and put them in the hospital freezer. This morning we went to get one and someone had taken them all. I haven't had anything to eat or drink since last Wednesday! I'm getting very frustrated as the days in the hospital become longer. Time for a jail break.
On the positive side, I had physical therapy today and walked a few laps around the hospital floor. Tomorrow they will remove my epidural, which is working so well, and I will have to adjust to new pain medications. For those not familiar with an epidural, it is a needle placed in one's spine that delivers medication to control pain during child birth and abdominal surgeries. And yes, they will take this out while I am awake! A pleasant image, right?
Unlike breast cancer, or leukemia, not many people have heard of adrenocortical carcinoma. It is very rare and there are not many experts. The only two I know of are one that focuses on children in Boston and another that focuses on adults in Michigan. We'd like to travel to the University of Michigan to get a second opinion on my next treatment. However, I probably won't be released from the hospital until next week, and I won't feel well enough to fly to Michigan right away. This causes a dilemma - I need to start treatment as soon as possible so the cancer doesn't grow right back. In fact, I've been wondering about that third (suprise) tumor they found during surgery on Friday. Was it hidden by the other tumors on the scans, or did it grow within the two weeks since my last scan. If so, it's growing quickly.
I have been very agitated. I know this is partly because of my circumstances, but also largely because of the change in my body's chemistries and hormones. Because I have adrenal cancer, my adrenal glands are no longer working and they produce steroids that control my hormones and adrenalin. So the doctors are giving me steroids to keep my body balanced. On top of that, my tumors were producing a ton of steroids and now that they are gone everything needs to be rebalanced. This affects my moods and patience. Mom bought me a funny magnet that sums this all up: "if you mess with the kitty, you'll get the claws!"
I miss you all! Meow.
Love you, you're a good writer. Meow xoxox
ReplyDeleteHAMMAR TIME.
ReplyDeleteI love you, get better please =/
Leah, You are an amazing writer. and amazingly strong to be able to update us all, so eloquently so soon after your surgery. big hugs to you. please let me know if you need anything, i'll fb you my cell, i work a few blocks from chb.
ReplyDeleteLeah my girl, you DEFINITELY need a jail break!!! But just think of this time that you DO need to be in the hospital as your last chance to be SUPER lazy with a great excuse chica. I am back on chemo next week again, so we'll be going through some trenches together on this one! If you EVER need anything don't hesitate to call, text, email, Facebook, or HOLLAH!!! LOL! Love ya my lil Mini Teppoyne.
ReplyDeleteMy Mum who was experiencing weight gain, hair loss and acne, bouts of chest and abdominal pain and several months of unrelenting headaches that no medicine could relieve, In fact, it got worse. saw various doctors they decided that the lab levels indicated nothing much at all, until we met a Doc. who did CT scan, and she was diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma. So after one year, A surgeon advice was to remove her tumor, along with her left kidney. she needed to see someone with extensive experience in treating adrenal gland tumors for the next phase of her treatment. Knowing she needed to get an answer once and for all, we looked up on the internet and saw someone who testified about Aryan herbal medicine which she took and she had no more symptoms since then. You can also contact him if interested at
ReplyDeletedraryan500@gmail.com