Break Time!

Hello everyone! It's been almost two weeks since my paracentesis. I wrote about it on Facebook, but not all of you are on Facebook, so I will catch you all up on the latest. Thankfully, the paracentesis was scheduled early in the morning on Aug 2, because it ended up taking a lot longer than planned and I hadn't eaten anything since the night before. My CT scan just two weeks earlier had shown fluid near my liver, but it never bothered me -- I couldn't tell it was in there. Well, to make a long story short, the doctor looked with ultrasound and said the fluid pockets seemed much smaller than the CT scan had shown. She tried twice to get fluid out of two different areas where she thought she had the best chance -- on my left side right under my ribs, and down low near my bladder. Both attempts were unsuccessful. The first attempt was close to my ribs and I don't think she was able to get the needle in the fluid at the right angle. The second area had to be verified with a CT scan because it was near my bladder. So they wheeled me into another room. They found the fluid, but the needle would not go through the peritoneal lining. The lining was too thick and the doctor didn't want to push it through too sharply for fear it might go through the small pocket of fluid and out the other side. She said she never saw anything like it before, the way the lining "grabbed" the needle each time she tried. I could feel it too. So strange. Well, she tried her best, and the next week I saw my gyn/onc to discuss what to do next. She was happy that there seemed to be much less fluid than the earlier CT scan had indicated and said it was a good sign. Praise God! So I am getting a break from chemo. I will go back for blood work and a follow-up exam on Sept 20, and every six weeks after that. They will monitor my CA-125 levels, which I am praying will stay low. Usually they see patients every 3 months, but she wants to see me more often since my cancer is aggressive. I feel so blessed to have all of you praying for me, and to have such minimal side effects from the surgery and chemo. The hot flashes are no fun, of course, and they keep me from getting enough sleep -- as does the neuropathy in my hands and feet (mostly feet). So I am pretty much tired all the time. But with God's help I get through each day. Oh yeah! I almost forgot to tell you -- my hair is already starting to grow back. It's very short and fuzzy soft, although it's a little patchy right now. I'm so excited! Hopefully soon it will look good enough to go without a hat or scarf. :) Thank you all SO MUCH for all your prayers. Please keep praying that the cancer will stay away, and that these side effects will get milder over time, so that I can get some decent sleep! Love and blessings to you all. Caroline <3