CDC Symptom Diary Card

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Emergency Surgery, On The Mend

Hi everyone.  This is a short post because I am just darn tired.

My Avastin is on hold until November 24, 2015.  I had an emergency surgery October 15th to have my gallbladder (GB) removed.  I dislike that word so I will use the initials GB instead.

I was awakened the day prior at 1 am with horrible pain in my upper abdomen that just got worse and  worse.  I was sick, no anti-nausea meds or pain meds worked.  I finally had to call 911, Of course I was not given any pain meds until an ultrasound was done.  I wonder if the ambulance personnel thought I was a drug addict because I had pulled out a bunch of pill bottles looking for amything that could help.  

The doctors started me on antibiotics and I had the GB surgery the next morning.  I was given lots of dilaudid to get me through until surgery.  

I never knew a GB attack was this painful.  Several friends have since shared their GB nightmares. 

I wanted to share a few important pieces of information:

1. Always have your med, allergy, diagnoses and contacts information on hand. I always do, except for of course this past time. The ambulance driver may not be able to take you to where your primary or oncologist are based.  In my case I literally was crying out for the closest hospital.  That is how bad the pain was.  I did not have this info on me and I could barely speak. It was rather difficult to tell them this information.

2. If you are not comfortable with the resident surgeon, please ask for the attending surgeon.  In my case, given that I have cancer, I just felt uncomfortable with a resident doing my surgery. The resident was very polite and understood. My operation was performed by a board certified surgeon, and for that I am grateful.

I have been exhausted, am still on pain pills, but have greatly improved.  I have some really amazing friends in my building who watched my kit kat Marilyn and did a little shopping for me. I should be OK to drive by the end of this week.  I am slowly getting back in the groove of things.

So I see my gynonc in a few weeks and then prayerfully all will be well again and I can resume my Avastin.   In the mean time I pray this break from Avastin does not allow any surge in cancer activity.  It is a great time to rebuild my stamina.  

In case you are wondering as to why the Avastin needs to be on hold, Avastin increases risk for bleeding.  I do have a couple of new clips inside along with 5 incisions that all need healing from the GB surgery.  Plus Avastin can cause one to be a slow healer.  So there you have it.

Onward and upward.  Time for the holidays!  Time for Christmas cheer!  Yes I am one of "those" people.  I started listening to my Christmas music today.  Yay!

Peace and Blessings
Denise



Friday, October 02, 2015

Would You Like To Help Dr. Swisher Team Lead SU2C?

How do we decide, when we are able and ready, where to place our valuable resources when we want to support ovarian cancer research?  It can get cloudy and confusing because there are many very powerful and credible organizations that have dedicated hard working employees and volunteers who live for their cause.

My personal opinion is that breast cancer research and ovarian cancer research needs should be marked together as one strong united front.  Women with breast cancer who have BRCA mutations need to know that they also have a risk for ovarian cancer.  So I am taking advantage of this time of year to share opportunities that support women's cancers.  I want to help a greater number of people.

The Director of Philanthropy at the University of Washington, David Chow, found for me a very special fund that supports ovarian cancer research done by the good gynonc doctors at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Dr. Elizabeth Swisher, the team lead for the Stand Up To Cancer Ovarian Cancer Dream Team, uses this critical fund, per David Chow, to augment her SU2C research.

As you know I am also a patient at SCCA and they are rated the 5th best cancer treatment center in America.  My home is with the SCCA, UW Medicine and all of my caring providers in Seattle.

The Feuer Research Fund allows for easy giving with both small and monthly donations.  Please consider supporting this fund.



Feuer Research Fund for Prevention and Treatment of Ovarian Cancer
http://depts.washington.edu/givemed/give/?page=make&source=ovafeu

Here is a link to recent research completed by Elizabeth Swisher, M.D. regarding the future of multi-gene testing.  Please read this article because it gets to the heart how this kind of testing can more accurately identify those who need prophylactic cancer prevention measures and those who may not.

http://oncology.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2425834

Peace and Blessings
Servivorgirl

Missing mom today



Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Women Still Placing Health of Others Ahead of Their Own



I was thrilled to be invited to New York to interview Dr. Lewin but unfortunately I was not able to attend.  Please look closely at the results of this survey.  Share this with women in your circle so that they can be inspired to ask more questions about their gynecological health.

Peace and Blessings







Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Women Of All Faiths At The OLCC Retreat Center




To say we got more than we expected is an understatement when reflecting upon the healing retreat at the OLCC Retreat Center in Corpus Christi Texas this past week.
http://www.ourladyofcc.org/adoration-chapel/the-history/

Women of all faiths came to hear the comforting words of Sister Anne Marie Walsh, a S.O.L.T. Sister who has twice survived cancer. Her message provided great relief from the deep darkness that can come with having lived with cancer.  She reunites us with Christ via the Spiritual Exercises created by St. Ignatius of Loyola.  Using the practical exercises in combination with intercessional prayer to our Queen of Peace, Mary the mother of God,  Sr. Anne Marie gave us a way to recreate our relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord.

How we see ourselves, how we see God, how we relate with God and with others, how we see the future and heaven directly effect how we deal with suffering.  There are beautiful graces obtained in suffering, and at the retreat, we learned what this means. My eyes are lifted up, my hopes are great and all the sweet ladies attending OLCC received special Blessings from Father Dan Estes. Those ladies are lights of hope and beacons that guide others to Jesus' great and eternal love for us, His children.  Jesus does not intend for suffering to be. This retreat provides much needed answers to the spiritual questions that arise out of learning we have something like cancer.

The campus in and of itself exists as a gift from God.  The beautiful Perpetual Adoration Chapel under the spectacular Blue Dome joyously invites everyone to enter and experience the Love of God. In the retreat center we experienced mass in a chapel built with the love of Father Dan and his brother. The meals are made with a most kind and generous spirit by a woman named Delores and her very friendly staff. Sr. Laudem Gloriae, a special angel on earth, attends to our every comfort and need with great enthusiasm, attending to all the details necessary to make us feel at home. Sr. Anne Marie Walsh comes to us with having had real life experiences with cancer, wisdom, a deep sense of compassion and inspiration to lift us out of the darkness in this most peaceful and serene setting.

Truthfully speaking there is no one way to summarize the message or the gifts received at the OLCC. Each woman had their own individual needs and questions.  Each woman went home with more than what was asked for and each face had a beautifully brilliant smile.  They were beaming with joy and because of that I know it was a great success.

We will be continuing this very special retreat in the future.  Sr. Anne Marie Walsh has the abundant love of Christ in her heart and in her voice.  I, along with the others, truly did not want the event to come to a close.  But with us we take these teachings and prayers to carry home with us for our benefit and the benefit of others, so that cancer is not a message of death but a gateway to living the Life and Love of God through Jesus. Remember, women of all faiths were in attendance.  My vision was and is for any woman with cancer who seeks comfort and grace from Jesus to come to the OLCC for the sake of their relief from fear and anxiety.

Please remember to share and save this page for future reference.  I will be announcing soon the upcoming schedule and am praying that all of the ladies who were in attendance will continue to experience the joy received at the OLCC and that their renewed relationship with Jesus stays most evident in their daily lives as they live their beautiful lives.

God Bless Father Dan Estes, Sr. Anne Marie Walsh, Sr. Laudem Gloriae and Delores, their staff and all the beautiful ladies who attended this retreat for you are witness to the breath of life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Here is a Facebook Link to the OLCC:
https://www.facebook.com/OLCCBookstore?fref=nf

Here also is a link to a blog written by Sr. Anne Marie Walsh:
http://missionaryinthemodernworld.blogspot.com

Peace and Blessings,
Denise Archuleta
Servivorgirl







Saturday, September 12, 2015

"What Every Woman Should Know" video link



The message here is that if your body is experiencing problems outside of what you normally (baseline) know to be true, talk about it with your doctor.  My two cents: if your doctor is not listening, either find another way to communicate with your caring doctor or get another opinion.  It is ok to do that too.

This video is a fantastic one to share with other women who want to learn more about the possible symptoms of ovarian cancer.  Please send this to them.  It could save a life.

This link can also be found at http://www.foundationforwomenscancer.org/educational-materials/ovarian-cancer/

Peace and blessings,

Denise a.k.a. Servivorgirl