Increased Chemo Report

Last weeks increased Cytoxan dose was harder on me than I expected. Nausea, upset stomach, and sleepiness were bad Saturday afternoon through Wednesday. I slept a lot. I do think the increased dosage is helping. Right now, I am breathing some better and feel a little stronger. If things had not improved by now, I would have called Vanderbilt and requested another five days of plasma exchange.

My regular cardiology appoint was this month. I began seeing a cardiologist during all the testing to discover what was wrong with me. So far, my heart has been very healthy, but I am still checked each year because of all the medications I take and the chemotherapy.

I have lots of swelling in my legs. Add this to my breathing issues and the concern becomes, "is this coronary related." Since it has been over two years since I had any testing, its time to test. The X-rays and blood work do not show congestive heart failure. Thursday and Friday of this week I had an echo-cardiogram and nuclear stress test. I do not know the results yet.

I was able to walk three minutes on the treadmill--that was it! The goal was to raise my heart rate to 139. Usually my heart rate is around 60. By the time I walked to the exam room and was hooked to the machine, my rate was 90. I hit 140 in less than two minutes and it was really, really hard to breathe. I still had to walk a full three minutes for the test. WOW!

It seems my heart pumps faster to keep my oxygen level up to compensate for my diaphragm weakness. The harder it is for me to breathe, the faster my heart races.

Happy Father's Day to all Fathers.

By the Way! Did you hear about the three-legged dog who walked into a western saloon. He said, "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw!"