Merry Christmas!

I had a lovely, lovely Christmas with the family. David stopped in just after noon to spend the rest of Christmas day with us and it was really nice.

We stuffed ourselves on pizza rolls, cranberry meatballs and cheese log, and when dinner rolled around we could barely eat the prime rib, macaroni and cheese, french beans, rolls! It served us right.

It wasn't long before we were all crashed in the den on our various electronic devices and I was downloading photos, and exchanging funny chats with Sarah and laughing hysterically. I had a great time!

I know this disease has given me a different perspective on what is important in life and I am deeply grateful for all the special times I get to celebrate, and all the rest of the days that I get to live.

The anniversary of my diagnosis is coming up and I am trying not to let that bother me. I have faith ...

Blood Pressure Medication Changed

I managed to get an appointment to see my GP today. The appointment was for 11 but didn't actually get to see her until 12:30 -- there were moments when thoughts of murder did occur! Anyway, she has switched my blood pressure medication to one without the diuretic, so we shall see how the potassium does with this new pill.

I never was so glad to get out of there because I was starving! I had been on the elliptical that morning and had only had water because I wasn't sure whether she was going to be doing bloodwork -- never can tell. I was ready to eat a horse by the time she was done with me!

Damn Potassium

Today was my last Herceptin infusion for the year and had to stay an extra 2 hours for a potassium infusion -- yes, the pesky thing has dropped to 2.9! How is that possible? I have been on potassium pills and am eating potassium rich foods.

The oncologist's nurse, Diane, came to speak with me, and it's clear that they think that it is the HCT in my blood pressure medication that is interacting with the Herceptin to produce the low potassium levels. I'm going to have to make an appointment with the GP before my Jan. 6 Herceptin infusion so she can switch my blood pressure pills.

Well ... this is nothing new ... my "new" life is about adjusting and more adjusting ...

Last RO Visit for the Year

It seems hard to believe that I won't have any more doctors' visits this year that are associated with this crappy disease! Had my follow-up visit with Dr. Trivette today ... all is well ... skin is healing beautifully. The only signs that I ever went through radiation are two tanned areas -- my lymph node area and the site of the boosts. Eventually they will fade.

I won't see Dr. Trivette again until July of next year!

Fourth EKG

Yes ... it was that time again today ... to make sure that my old ticker is not being damaged by Herceptin. Went to St. Mary's at 3:00 pm to get my EKG done. If something is wrong I am sure that I will be hearing from Dr. Schaffer's office because she told me in the beginning that if there is any damage at all, she will stop the Herceptin right away.

I haven't noticed anything to give me alarm. Sometimes I feel as if I can't quite catch my breath but that has not impacted my quality of life. I work fulltime, I exercise, cook and clean, so I doubt if this is anything. Considering what my body has gone through this year I am surprised it has not crashed in despair.

I've survived the horrors of this year by keeping my life as normal as possible. After the EKG we went shopping for clothes for the Angel Tree. I picked an 11-month-old boy -- again more clothes for girls than boys!

John took me out to dinner and then to Trader Joe's where I found roti paratha, channa masala and stollen! No December is complete for me if I do not have my marzipan stollen ... it's the little things that make me happy.

We also bought a gingerbread house for Sarah and David to decorate. I am really looking forward to Christmas. I am deeply grateful for every day that I am alive, and so incredibly sad for all the women all over the world who encounter this disease. Dear Lord, let there be a cure for this crappy disease in my lifetime.

Plummeting Potassium

Yes, here we go again. Went for another Herceptin infusion on Moday and had bloodwork done at the same time ... my potassium has fallen from 3.7 to a miserable 3.0! I am back on those potassium pills again but somebody has to figure out what is causing this. Is it the Herceptin or the Arimidex or a combination of all three?

Surely I can't be the only person in the oncologist's practice that has this problem?

My hemoglobin level has also gone down. Really?

Back to my potassium rich diet.

Of Arimidex and Nightmares

On the first night that I took my Arimidex pill I had a gruesome nightmare and the night after that and the night after that, for a whole week. I knew that the two had to be connected because I'm not one for nightmares ... mine are usually about things I have to figure out ... not ones that scare the living daylights out of me.

I also noticed that I was having difficulty falling asleep and this is not something I have any problem doing ... once I fall into that comfy bed ... it doesn't take me long to fall fast asleep. I poked around on the discussion boards for a little bit and decided to switch my pill taking time from an hour before bedtime to just before I headed upstairs to bed. It worked! Didn't have any problems with falling asleep after that.

I've been on Arimidex for over six weeks now and so far I've not had any hot flushes or night sweats. There's a little stiffness in the right knee if I sit still, so I try to move around as much as possible.

Also figured out the connection of Arimidex to nightmares. I was at my one of my infusions and the oncologist's nurse stopped by to see  how I was doing on Arimidex and I mentioned the nightmares. She said that another patient had a similar experience and she went away to check on it and came back with an explanation ... patients who take thyroid medication and Arimidex have reported having nightmares. Explanation at last! The nightmares have lessened and my hope is that they will eventually all disappear.