A new plan is being made

 My nurse FINALLY got word from the lab on Thursday.

They found two specific mutations that have multiple targeted treatment options.

One of the options is to return to the chemo chair.  That one covers both mutations, but is going to impact quality of life, with increased pain and sickness being likely.

The other two are pills, but she didn't go into detail about if they would work for both mutations or not  (If she did, I was having an adrenaline rush, and didn't hear her).

She suggested that the testing took so long because they were reviewing both types of cancer. That makes sense.

All of the information is on my doctor's desk, and we will see him on Tuesday to talk about all of it.

I will also get my monthly injection, and my port flush, that day.

In other news, the new director took away our overtime hours.  She wants to monitor our productivity, and get a 40 hour week baseline.  This means we are returning to being scrutinized... Yippee.

This seems ill-advised, at best, but we have no choice.  We are still trying to get caught up from everyone leaving, including all of the coders.  We are only just now getting claims for June out the door.

Oh well... we had no say in the matter.

SO, I will re-set the alarm for 6:30 (except for my office day), and will go back to taking my lunch breaks.  I guess it will be nice for a while....but the pay checks will be a lot smaller.

This way, I can see what my raise did to change my regular pay, because I have been working overtime since the raise took effect.

This loss of overtime pay just means that it will take longer to pay off the windows, since my overtime pay has been going toward that.

It's drizzling rain right now...not enough to do any good...but is supposed to rain tomorrow.  We shall see.

Oh!  I found the mild muscle relaxer medication that the doc I saw for the car accident in 2020 prescribed.  I have started taking it, half a table at a time, and it's transforming my leg pain!  There have been a couple of days when I could walk without any limp at all!

I am not going to return to dance class yet, but I am very hopeful about this change.

Going to a yoga class tonight, and will pace myself very carefully.

Have a good week!

Still waiting

 I messaged my nurse this past week, and found out that the lab wasn't finished with testing my tissue samples yet.

What was supposed to have taken two to three weeks, did not.  By the time I get any news, it will have been two MONTHS since my initial CT scan that showed the return of cancer.

I'm trying not to think about the fact that my scan was clear in December, and how fast "it" seems to be coming back.

She said that the date they gave her for final results was today's date, a Sunday.  Hopefully, I will hear something in the coming week.

The high temperatures finally broke, here.  We got a little rain the other night (it rained for about 4 minutes). It's supposed to rain on and off for the next few days, but, so far, all we are getting is drizzle here and there.

So, we wait.  We wait for news about my treatment, and we wait for desperately needed rain.

The rain will be too late for many shrubs, trees, flowers, and lawns in this part of the country, ours included.

The pain in my lower body and leg continues to fluctuate, and move around. 

I DID get out and walk several times this past week, limping, and slowly.  It was very helpful to get outside into the less-hot air and sunshine.

If I hear anything mid week, I will make another post. 

Relief

 They are saying that we only have a few more days of temperatures over 100 degrees.  This pattern should break some time in the coming week.

It could rain a bit, too, which is desperately needed.  

My leg pain is also behaving differently, with more frequent pain free moments.  

After doing all of the chores, errands, and cooking a fabulous dinner last night, I had virtually no pain last evening, which is surprising, given all of the activity of the day.  

Stiff this morning, but not too bad.  I am starting to think that it's just one of the "traveling pains" that I have had for years, due to the hormone blocking medication. 

I was looking back at my Facebook Memories the other day, and this time last year, it was my LEFT leg!

Anyway, I just met up with a new friend who lives nearby, and took a 3 block walk outside.  It was a little difficult, but felt OH so good to be out.

Maybe next weekend, Dave and I can get back to doing a woods walk on Sunday morning.

In other news, there IS no other news.  

My nurse was on vacation last week, so ... maybe that's why I still have not heard one word about a new treatment program.

It will soon be TWO MONTHS since my CT scan results came back.  I had to wait a month to get my MRI and bone scan, and the next day, Doc and Jamie told me that it would be two to three weeks for the genomic test results, and a new plan.

This past Thursday was three weeks.

I know, everything is taking longer than expected these days, but... this is my life. It's only cancer, right?

Ugh.  It's hard to just be patient and wait for news, when it's your actual life at stake. 

Not much else to report.  The heat has kept us inside most of the time.  It's supposed to be record-breaking today and the next couple of days. 

The new boss is sitting with me at the office tomorrow.  I'm a little nervous, as an older person (the oldest in the office, to be honest), I really need to show her that I am still on my game.

She is quite young, but also 100% inexperienced in the world of AMBULANCE billing.  She came over from the hospital system I used to work for, where I did physician billing.  I have had my feet deeply planted in BOTH worlds, so maybe that will help.

Maybe I'll drop it in her ear that I was a medical billing operations manager for 8 years back in Illinois.

Anyway, I'm already showered, and ready for more coffee....breakfast soon, too.  Have a lovely Sunday!  

Sudden onset

 Well, we went to the woods last Sunday, and I worked in the office Monday (that usually equates to three-to-four thousand steps), and was in dance class Monday night....

but ... since then, the pain in my right thigh has gotten to the point where I can barely walk.

This has me pretty scared, as there is a bone metastasis site in the right femur.

What if I am done with being able to walk, dance, bike?  Ugh.

The interesting thing is, though, that the other pain I have been having in my low back and hips is virtually gone.  

SO, this could also just be another of my mysterious traveling pains that I have had for years since starting on hormone blockers.

Time will tell. 

I have found that Naproxen helps, as does yoga and myofascial release.  It really feels like muscle spasming to me, but I have been proven wrong in the past.

I need to get on the mat this morning for sure, and do some of those self therapies, as I did not yesterday.

I DID do all of my chores yesterday, though, and one errand, but by evening the pain was pretty bad, and the limping is effecting other parts.  UGH.

Still no word from the clinic about my potential treatment program.  They said three weeks at least, though, and it's only been two.

Friday, during work from home, the new boss of our department emailed everyone, and asked for a list of what we do.  

My list is for sure the longest, as it always has been.  She put it into a spread sheet.

Then, later in the afternoon, I was emailing with one of our transition process consultants, and she said that the new boss really needs to meet with me, and soon.

So... that may be happening tomorrow while I am in the building.  We shall see.

I also had a flurry of phone calls on Friday, from team members asking for my help.  It's good to be needed.

Especially when they could have been asking the "trainer."  Mwahahaha.... that will always make me laugh, since she got the promotion I should clearly have had.

Dave is outside right now, doing some yard work before it gets too hot.  

The little bit of rain we had made some parts of the yard start to grow like crazy, while the majority of the lawn is dark brown and crisp.  He went over it with the mower yesterday morning, and is doing the string trimmer today.  Lots of happy crab grass coming up between the bricks in the patio, etc.

The forecast shows that today COULD be our last day above 100 degrees.  The past week has been 105-106 every day, but next week, it MIGHT only be in the upper 90s, and it might rain again.

Later today, I have a zoom meeting with my international spiritual community. I am presenting a portion of the content.

Our mentor has also asked me to be an admin on the group's FaceBook page, and to post a weekly focus point there to keep the new and intermediate students of her course engaged.  It's an honor to do so, and it will also help ME to keep myself engaged in my spiritual practice. 

Other than that, since I can't really walk much, we will be just staying home today.  Probably watch the Cubs game, and take it easy.  

I am not good at taking it easy, but right now, I have no choice.

Have a good week!