On April 7, 2015, I was getting ready for work. I had a seizure... my daughter called an ambulance. They did a CT scan and found 6 tumors in my head and Small Cell Lung Cancer.
I would like to share the past year of my life in hopes it will help someone (the following has been taken with permission from Kathy's Facebook page).
April 2015
17th: "I'm in the hospital and they have found, for sure, that I have Stage 4 Lung Cancer, which is terminal and very aggressive."
20th: "The doctor is letting me go home and I will be treated as an outpatient."
22nd: "My first radiation treatment. I have 9 more treatments for my brain and then 3 months of chemo for the lung cancer."
May 2015
5th: "My last radiation treatment."
10th-11th: "Doctor appointments."
11th: "Chemo class. Had a port put in (it goes under the skin)."
13th-15th: "Chemo. Now, I get a 3 week break."
30th: Participated in Relay For Life. "I can and will do this".
June 2015
24th: "I could not do chemo today or the rest of the week because my white cells are too low and I could get too sick. It's better to be safe than sorry."
25th-26th: "I had shots to bring my white cell count up."
July 2015
20th: "I have to wait until next week to finish my chemo. My red blood cells are too low and I could get too sick. It's all better to be safe than sorry."
27th: "I saw my doctor today and everything is fine."
29th: "My last chemo, but I won't know how I am doing with the cancer until the end of August."
August 2015
2nd: "I am finally starting to feel better."
September 2015
11th: Going to the doctor to get my results from my last CT Scan and labs. Good news... God is good. I am 95% better than I was when I started in April and the doctor said that is the best I can do."
October/November 2015
I spent alot of time making awesome memories with my family and friends.
December 2015
7th: "I am so excited about my hair. It is growing fast and it is thick. I even used a comb on it. The simple things in life!"
January 2016
8th: Kathy's daughter announced Small Cell Lung Cancer is back in her brain and adrenal gland."
15th: "Biopsy today - it was an early morning but I got home at 3:00 P.M.".
21st: "I had a doctor appointment to get the results of my biopsy."
22nd: "I just got home from my doctor's appointment and the lung cancer is growing back. I will start Chemo again on February 1st. I guess I need to start doing what I wanted to do between Chemo treatments."
February 2016
1st: "I got my Chemo schedule for this month. I go in every day this week, then have a couple weeks to rest."
5th: "I went in tonight for an MRI."
8th: "I just got home from my doctor appointment. My white cells are very low so I had to have the shot again and it makes me SO SICK. I have Chemo starting again on the 22nd."
20th: "All my hair is falling out again."
22nd: "I had labs and Chemo. The doctor lowered the dose a little bit so my platelets won't get as low as last time."
26th: "Last day for Chemo. The MRI showed I only have the two like the CT showed."
29th: "Got a shot. I rest now until March 14th, and then I start Chemo again for a week."
March 2016
14th: "Ready for my lab doctor visit and Chemo. 1 down and 4 more to go, then the shot." I asked the doctor about how many more Chemo. I have all this week then another 3 more 5 days a week. Still haven't heard about radiation. My red cells are a little low so if I get too tired or dizzy, I will have to have a blood transfusion."
17th: "Getting ready to go to Chemo".
18th: "Happy it is my Friday... last Chemo this week! Have a shot on Monday and then 2 weeks off. Back to Chemo on April 4th. Have a great weekend!".
Today's guest poster is Kathy Rowden. She is the mother of 4, grandmother of 14 and great grandmother of 1. She hopes that by sharing her story she can help other people and feels that if it only helps one person, it will have been worth it.
Labels: A day in the life, Stage 4 Lung Cancer
