Skip to main content

Help me Family Dr. You're my only hope.

Episode LXXXVIII - one last thing before I quit...


I finally had it. I caved and I called the Oncologist. I had spent the past month in so much physical pain I was not really functioning. I barely got my kids to and from school. I would get them there and then get into bed. Anything other than essential care was becoming unmanageable. I was postponing appointments (even my very needed medical ones). There just seemed to be no relief. Since Tamoxifen, I was just constantly fighting pain and fatigue and it was just becoming unbearable. So, I caved and I called to complain (again) last Friday...



And it happened. It happened just like I feared. They had nothing to offer. The nurse basically told me to go find another doctor because they do not deal with those issues. However, they would see me if I could not get in with another doctor. For real! Even though the symptoms occurred due to cancer treatment. Even though the cancer medications seem to be causing the symptoms. They do not deal with it?!?!?!

So, after a brief cry (which I never do) I had three options...

  1. Quit the Tamoxifen and hope cancer stays away. Not a good option.
  2. Live a horrible bed-ridden existence, but be alive. Not a good option.
  3. Find a doctor who will listen. Sounds better than the other two!

I am sure there were other options, but I hurt to bad to think of any. So, I called my family physician. He could see me... I just had to get to Tuesday...


Leaving to hopefully get options...


Thank goodness I called and made the appointment. For the first time in a long time someone heard me. I was not looked at like my symptoms were in my head. I was not questioned if I really felt the way I said I did. My family doctor listened... he actually listened to my complaints.

Then something surprising happened... he gave me options to help. Between the constant pain, continued neuropathy, muscle twitching, balance problems, inability to think, and additional hearing loss... I might still have some nervous system issues that I got during and from cancer treatment. I mean I was on medicine for it that I got off of after treatment ended. Maybe (hint - Oncologist) that should have been considered before now. Of course the family doc listened to all my other complaints ranging from insomnia to fatigue (not exhaustion, but I-can't-function-fatigue).


I just want to be in the 0-6 range...


Lyrica. It was an option to hopefully block my pain receptors from constantly telling my body that I hurt. Hopefully it can stop those signals and I can begin to do things that I want to. I was willing to try about anything. I was ready to at least try something... and I had an option!

The other "I will just mention it" complaint was that my throat was mildly sore. Even though I did not have a fever and my throat was not red - I had strep. In my youth, I had strep so much I had to get my tonsils removed. It was something I have not had to deal with since I was 18 years old. Since my immune system weakened during cancer treatment I have had it three or four times over the past year. Hopefully, it will not become a pattern. As for now, I am sure strep probably amplified my exhaustion and feeling horrible.


In my head...


I am now more medicated on a regular basis than when I was in cancer treatment. Ironically, I am taking more medicines daily to function then when I had cancer. Who would have guessed that?!?!


I haven't even put all my pills in there yet...


I was so glad that I made the doctor's appointment!

Lyrica appeared to help. I had to increase the dosage to find the amount that worked for me, but it does block the pain. And it takes exactly 30-45 minutes to kick in. So, anytime I am late on my dosage, I know! The pain is still there and I get bits and pieces of it throughout the day, but I am able to function. I am able to actually do things. I am not forced to sit down, stop, or lay down due to my back, my bones, my body.


 
Attempting some exercise since I feel mildly human...


If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
- Lao Tzu



Episode Reference: Monkey Wrench, Foo Fighter's song

Comments

  1. BonnieOctober 19, 2014 at 2:06 PM

    I'm so glad you found someone who would listen! This scares me. I'm supposed to start on my anti hormone therapy in a couple of weeks. Instead of Tamoxifen, I'll be put on Arimidex, which is an aromatase inhibitor (you know for post menopausal women, they use those instead of Tamoxifen). All of the side effects scare me to death. I love, love, love your posts and your blog. You amaze me with your attitude and your spunk! I want to be like you when I grown up (heehee!) Seriously though, you rock and you are someone I look up to. You are fighting this fight so well!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

giving your 16 year old scissors

New Traditions Losing my hair - it's going to happen. When I did this in 2013, I waited to cut my hair once I was further in treatment. I didn't want to do that again. I didn't want to do it while I felt sore and bad. This time, I wanted to get rid of my hair before treatment.  Since I will have now done this more than once, it can be considered a tradition: cancer haircuts by my kids . Last time I did this, the kids were 6 and 13. So, this time around my son (23) opted not to cut, but watched some.   However, my 16 year old daughter leapt at the opportunity to cut my hair. Even though 10 years have gone by, she had to adhere to a few basic rules. Basic Rules: 1. Do not cut my ears. 2. Do not cut your own hair. 3. Do not cut anyone else's hair. These rules still hold up and are the general agreement we make before I put scissors in my kid's hands to chop on my hair!  And the tradition isn't the same without going outside (weather permitting) and listening to our
Post a Comment
Read more

happy birthday to me... almost

  Let's rewind a bit and start a few days before my birthday... I had my first cancer treatment day on October 3rd - check it out if you haven't read that blog post yet. Let's just think of it as an early birthday gift since my birthday is October 7th. Great gift, right?!? If I have to hear "Happy Early" or "Late Birthday" from another medical person, I might have to smack someone. Especially, since I have spent most of the weeks leading up to and after my birthday at a medical appointment regarding cancer. Not really loving my birthday this year. Let's just say, on my birthday, I woke up with a special chemo-side-effect-surprise at 2am. That fun surprise I will share later... Rewind a Few Days... Update But first, let's go to October 4th, the day after my grueling 8 hours of immunotherapy and two chemotherapies on the 3rd. I woke up swollen, red faced, and fevering, as well as feeling pretty crummy. I didn't have time to dwell on it since I
Post a Comment
Read more

my longest hardest day yet

Get ready boys and girls... today is a doozy. And a long post too! But before we begin on one of the toughest days I've ever done, let's recap. Mon: Irritating Onc day where I was not told about suspicious fluid around lung/heart in time to get a biopsy & I got contradicting info from his NP the week before.  Tues: Spending the morning getting Immunotherapy and 2 Chemotherapies before going straight to the airport to fly to Houston and enduring long rental car lines and afternoon heavy traffic. A few more checks off this weeks list... a few more to go: Now back to my Wednesday... the Humpday I would like to forget! So, after 8 hours of cancer treatment, flying, and travel in congested Houston the day before, I didn't have much rest because we had to start Wednesday early. My husband and I decided to walk to the medical center since our hotel was close. However, it was not necessarily the easiest or closest walk - tons of traffic, intersections, and some strange indivi
Post a Comment
Read more