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Lynda's "Happy Cancer" Updates

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Lynda Tries To Gross Us Out By Talking About Tubes and Catheters, Sutures, Bowels and Gas Passing, Scars, Transplants and Belly Dancing

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August  4, 2002
August 7, 2002
August 15, 2002
August 17, 2002
August 22, 2002
August 27, 2002
August 29, 2002
August 30, 2002
September 23, 2002
October 3, 2002
October 19, 2002
November 25, 2002
December 18, 2002
December 19, 2002
December 27, 2002

See Lynda's scar
(Must be over the age of 18 and not at all squeamish)

Lynda's page at the McDonald Family Website

August 4, 2002

monday morning and i'm still in the hospital. the surgery started around 2 pm. it lasted 4 hours. i met the anathesiologist, and the on-call oncologist. he was called in shortly after the operation started since ovarian tumors were found on several organs. i remember my parents saying goodnight to me in the recovery room and the oncologist telling me what they found a little later in my room. the scar is impressive! from my pelvic bone to by sternum. they promised they would try to save the belly button piercing if they had to cut above the belly button. i heard it was actually a discussion in the o.r. they had to take the plastic tubing out that i had bought just for the surgery and replaced it w/ a suture. they made me sit in a chair sat. and walk sun. tubes are gradually coming out. they took out the n.g. tube and the folley catheter. i hear i will be here for 1 week and then d/c'ed to home. my dad is in touch w/ a dr. in s.c. to see if i can get excellent care there. graeme comes here fri. i still haven't told him or john about the surgery. if the dr's here feel that the dr's there can do as good a job i will consider moving. it will put graeme in his new school and in the new house. mom and dad can go to and from there home.

love ya all,
lynda

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August 7, 2002

i feel SO much better today and unfortuately for you i have to share! i was so tired of EVERYONE asking me if i had passed gas yet. then the gas came and hung around for almost 2 days before passing. sharp, shooting, awful pain. my dr. said we have the technology to handle many problems and complications w/ the body, but bowel function is 1 area where there is no quick fix. he had to manipulate all of my organs to make sure he had removed all of the cancer causing bowel and stomach distension. the morphine and other drugs also made my system distended, sluggish and dydfunctional and only time would heal and get it working again. i remember working contract at a few hospitals where every patient discussed their bowel program. i remember telling everyone that i can handle talking about dating, marriage, babies, divorce... but somebody shoot me when i get to the stage where all i talk about is my bowels. i got to hear all the nurses stories about their bouts w/ the same problem and how long it took and how they walked and walked and walked. they said gas is a big topic on this post-surgery floor. i tried walking, but it was way too painful. Marion, a Physical Therapist friend came by in the evening for a visit. she couldn't stand seeing me in pain. the main problem at the time was left shoulder pain from the gas compressing everything upward. she jumped into her PT mode and started ranging my arm and trying myofacial release. it helped! as she left i stated i was going to go sit on the toilet and wait since sitting in bed was painful. she pointed out a pelvic thrust i should try. so, i sit down on the toilet and remember some of the moves i practiced when i took belly dancing classes. i can't walk around the floor but maybe i can try belly dancing. so i stand up a make pathetic swivels, swerves and undulations to the 1st song that pops into my head "working in the coal mines going down, down, down..." and voila! it worked!! i had to share the story w/ my dr. he said he loves gas stories. he got a kick out of it and said he would share it (i was afraid to ask w/ whom and if he would use names). then he told me i could go home tomorrow! we're planning to move on the 15th to charleston. but, that date is still up in the air.
lynda


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August 15, 2002

i can once again go thru metal detectors at the airport! the staples (40 for those wondering) were removed today. i also met w/ the bone marrow transplant dr (donato). she suggested an extremely agressive treatment for me since i am young and in good shape (thank you very much). it involves 6 std. chemo doses, and 2 heavy duty w/ stem cells being removed from my blood, frozen and put back into my body. i think my dad figured the whole thing will take 6 months. i should be able to do the 6 treatments in charleston and then come back to houston for 2 months for the transplant and transfusions. they said i can work, but not around sick people. the packing has been going almost non-stop. my parents have been incredible work machines! the new painter actually showed up 2 days in a row and got the painting knocked out. friends have helped by bringing food, and boxes and packing boxes and helped dad take furniture apart. (bad sentence but i'm too tired to work thru it). the place is a wreck. the movers come tomorrow. i'm dog tired and hitting the hay. i wonder the the s.c. equivalent of that expression will be. i hope i get to buy a stash of my favorite salsa before i leave town.

good night all,

love, lynda

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August 17, 2002

mike had a blast taking moving day pictures. martha, my neighbor lent me a "hotel package" (sheets, blanket and towels for the last night in the house). mayra came by to take the fish tank, chris ligi came by to relieve mike and emmalee's shift w/ me, but it had been raining so hard mike's rehersal was cancelled, marion came by w/ her 2 boys to say good bye. they all stayed and jean, mike's wife, showed up w/ beer, wine, salad and lasagne for all. what a moving party! the guys stringing stuff to the back of the stuffed truck, the kids running wild thru the empty house, and my friends hanging w/ me. graeme went to sleep w/ a tear in his eye saying he felt so poor because he didn't have a tv or nintendo to wake up to.

i'm at momanddad's. the truck should be here tomorrow at 9 a.m. i am going to relax today - the 1st time since i was d/c'ed from the hospital a week ago thurs. i have a suit on ready to go look for shark's teeth on the beach.

i want to thank everyone again and again for everything: calls, cards, visits thoughts, prayers, info, suggestions, help w/ packing... it all helps me keep my spirits up and kicking the cancer.

love,
lynda

See pictures from the moving day



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August 22, 2002

so, i finally go to the charleston dr. today, thursday - not a day that dr. kolar usually sees patients. i had called mon. and tues. and the schedulers said they didn't have a request to schedule me yet. his secretary assured me the dr. would get in touch w/ me, but he had surgery all wed. a.m. and they had not rec. my reports. i found my fax machine, unpacked it and faxed them to her immediately. i started wed. w/ a nervous breakdown. i called the office again to see if she had rec. the reports. by the time the secretary answered the phone i was sobbing uncontrollably. she checked and said they had rec. my fax and sweetly reminded me that he was in surgery all morning, but IF he came down between surgeries she would have him call me. i swear she hung up and went and yanked dr. kohler out of surgery since he called 10 minutes later. and his gog nurse called me that evening.
mom, dad and i met w/ him today. he was very approachable, detailed, concerned, knowledgeable... his nurse was excellent too. they need some more houston records, but he thinks the chemo can start next week. they are connected w/ nat'l cancer institute and i have a choice of treatments. i can either have the std chemo treatment that anyone anywhere would rec. OR i can go into the gog (gyn. oncol. group) study where i would be placed into 1 of 5 treatment protocals. he said he felt confident enough w/ the study (it's a level III study for you researchers out there) that he would put his family in it. (now. as if i don't have enough to do, i have to research to see if he is from a highly dysfunctional family.) arm 1 is the trad. 8 treatments. 2-5 have different drugs added to the 2 trad. ones. no placebo arm. i can think about it over the weekend! he does not believe in the md anderson stem cell transplant. he says it is wholly experimental and there is no data proving the high dose chemo is more effective. neither does he do the 2nd look operation. i was lead to believe it was no big deal, but kohler says it's another major cut on my trunk - i'd look like i have rail road tracks! so, that's where things stand. i love 2 very dedicated, knowledgeable, competent,.. groups of professionals convincingly tell me 2 different stories.

graeme likes his new school. the neighborhood has kids all around. IF he ever gets his homework done on time he may get to play w/ them. unpacking is slowly getting done. my energy level cratered for a few days, but i felt better today.

keep in touch,
lynda


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August 27, 2002

i've decided to enter into the gog phase 3 trial. i start chemo fri. it can take 6 hours, or i may be in the hospital for a few days depending on which arm i am randomly assigned to. i am not sure when they will tell me. they are still waiting for the path slides. a dr. (i don't know which one) at md anderson wanted to look at them and wouldn't return them to st. lukes for them to be shipped. i am trying to decide if i want to track down the dirty doc and let him/her have a piece of my mind! i am so furious that someone would hold up my treatment to look at slides.

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August 29, 2002

well, the randonization has taken place - which in my mind is really a joke since i knew that from THE moment i agreed to participate in the study i would be assigned to #............4. yes! the only arm that is not done on an out-patient basis. the only one that requires 3 days in the hospital for the 1st 4 out of 8 treatments 21 days apart. and guess what - the hospital is full and i have to share a twin bed w/ a hip replacement that will talk about her bowel program all day. ok, i am stretching the last part. they may allow fri's treatment to be done in a day hospital bed and then check in sat. when they have a bed - if there isn't one fri. i called the nurse and told her that if there isn't a bed i'm opting out of the trial and immediately starting the std protocal tomorrow a.m. tomorrow marks 4 weeks since the operation... she understood and, i think, wants me in the study so, will set a bed up in the kitchen or smoking lounge to get me started. mom and dad are here to take me to the hospital in the a.m. graeme goes to john's for the weekend. here goes.....

love,

lynda

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August 30, 2002

well, that was not totally uneventful. it has been raining heavily non-stop for way too long here. many of the roads between my house and the med. center are flooded. sounds like a story i'd tell if living in houston. pam (my gog nurse) called this a.m. and said come on in. turnd out i can do all 3 days in the day treatment room because the weekend nurse is qualified to administer chemo! luckily, i own a trooper and i learned how to drive in houston's flooded conditions. unfortuately, this morning we took off w/ dad driving his sable on the flooded roads. a little hair raising (i can still say that) but we got there ok.

the treatment was anti-climatic. i sat in an lazyboy chair for 2.5 hours w/ an iv running 5 bags of fluids in me. 2 of the bags were meds for nausea. then we went home and ate lunch. i go back sat. and sun. a.m. for the other 2 treatments 2-1/2 to 3 hours long. then wait 18 days for the 2nd cycle. i feel fine. they gave me prescriptions for nausea. one to take religiously the other one to take as needed. the hair will probable start falling out in a week or 2. i will probably lose the eyelashes and eyebrows - thus eliminating land marks for eye shadow. laura sent me pics. of tammy faye as a role model.

i hope everyone has a good labor day weekend!

lynda


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September 23, 2002

well, the last 3 weeks have been good. laura and gail surprised me w/ a visit followed w/ a visit from austin. he helped me hang stuff on the walls and swap a few rooms around. mom thinks i have 4 pieces of furniture that i have not changed rooms since moving in here.

there are 2 numbers i pay close attention to: my white blood cell count-ANC norm-2200-4000 which has to be at least 1500 to start chemo; and my CA125 (cancer marker number) norm-0-35. The CA125 was a whopping 3500 prior to surgery and 239 prior to chemo.

i couldn't attend my high school reunion last fri. in augusta because on the way i found out my white blood count was way low 739. chemo not only wipes out cancer cells, but everything else in it's path. instead austin and i had a delicious dinner w/ jennie.

today i was supposed to start my 2nd round of chemo. but, my ANC on fri. was only at 839. the good news is today it jumped to 1389 and the CA125 is all the way down to 38. chemo round # 2 here i come - fri, sat, & sun.

please keep in touch, lynda

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October 3, 2002


man, this round was not as easy as the 1st! i am WAY more nauseous. and, worst of all, coffee tastes like turpentine. (i have not tasted turpentine, but coffee now has an extremely bitter and metalic flavor.) the doosey of a headache i had today was probably due to a combo of no coffee and side effects of drugs. i called pam (my wonderful gog nurse) to ask what i can take and if the chemo would keep getting worse. i can take my favorite pain killer and yes, the effects are cumulative. now i know why people throw up just anticipating their next round of chemo. but, i am young (i love the way they keep emphasizing that fact - or do i keep imagining it?) and they are going to blast he hell out of the cancer.

at my appt. fri. dr. kohler beamed at my CA125 number like it was his 1st born. dad took a photo of me getting chemo (hopefully attached, if i can work my scanner that has been in the box for 2 years). i still have hair, but it's thinning. if i'm not bald before the end of the month i'll have to dye and trim it - again! i can't wait to show you the hat jennie gave me in augusta (just think jolly green giant).

the 1st 4 chemo treatments take about 2 hours. the next 4 will take 5-6 hours. but, they'll give me benedryl to decrease the allergic reaction and it will knock me out. i'll have dad video tape me snoring and drooling in my chair. that should be good for a laugh.

now for the section where you'll think i'm at the oscars: i am hanging in there - i owe a huge thanks to my parents for their constant, selfless, help, and support. graeme has been so good, sweet and helpful. and, of course, thank you family and friends for the calls, cards, and emails.

love ya and keep in touch, lynda

p.s. today is thurs. and i'm feeling much better.
See Lynda getting chemo


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October 19, 2002

greetings friends and family,

are you up for the next installment of my happy cancer series?

once again my low ANC (white blood cell count) has postponed my chemo scheduled for today (fri.). monday it was 208 (norm 2200-7600). that was too scary for my doc and nurse. frustrations of no immune system: i would love friends and family visit or help out, but i need to know they are not contagious - a temp. of 100 degrees and i have to go immediately to the emergency room; i can't eat my cherished salads or fresh fruit because there might be bacteria on the food; i can't go anywhere - and the few places i do go to i have to wear a mask covering 3/4 of my face.

last fri. mom (a well known and respected lead-foot) raced me from charleston to edisto (50 mi.) to make it to the bank before closing. i threw on my mask, jumped out of the car and ran into the little bank at 5 till 5. 5 minutes later i sensed that the people in the bank would feel more comfortable if i took my big, dark, mirrored sun glasses off so they could at least see my eyes. i bet the tellers had their finger on that alarm button at their booth and vodeo cameras were zooming in on me. luckily, one of the tellers knew me and asked how i was so i could explain the reason for the mask. we all had a big laugh about the sun glasses.

today my ANC jumped to 795 and they seem to think i will start my 3rd chemo round on mon. mind you, it has to jump to 1500 by then. they will decrease the topotecan dose since it was so toxic to my system. BUT, the CA125 that they beamed about last time at 38 has gone down to 24.4 (they want it between 0-35). my doc said i make this look easy... and the next oscar goes to...

my hair is hanging in there. it is thinning fast, but no bald patches yet. i guess i will have to color it again. it has been suggested i go wild w/ the color since i can. why not?

last week dad and i tore my back yard fence down (the posts are cemented down into the inner core of the earth and are coming out more slowly). he bought some corn and we fed the ducks in the pond. now they come up into my back yard 2 times a day and sing for their food. i attached a photo of dad feeding them in my back yard.

graeme turned 11 on wed. he had a week full of birthday fun and is camping w/ the cub scouts w/ john this weekend. this past week my dad and i worked w/ him every evening to get his project on mt. st. helens volcano done. he is only in 5th grade, but get this - it required index cards, an outline, bibliography, poster board and oral presentation - in addition to the research paper. i don't think i touched an index card until my high school senoir year's english term paper.

as i write this i am on my way to edisto w/ my parents. i hope everyone has a good weekend and, as always, PLEASE keep in touch.
lynda
See Lynda's breakfast guests

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November 25, 2002

hi all,

it seems as if it has been forever since i sent out an update. i hope this one finds everyone well and ready for a holiday. i'm hanging in there as usual and half way thru my 8 chemo treatments! i had the last of the topotecan and carboplatin. now i switch to taxol and carboplatin. the dr. promises the rest of my hair will fall out w/ the next 4 treatments. it has thinned, but still looks ok - sorta - but it's not my hair anymore.
i have had more company. mom and dad take turns helping out most of the time; lenore was here helping me during my 3rd round; laura visited again w/ lorella (who left wonderful home made lazagna in my freezer). they met up here with teresa (friend from augusta days) and her husband john from long island. zita flew down from baltimore for a week to help and stocked my freezer w/ good food. i guess i didn't realize how many people had come and gone until the mom of a kid down the street rang the door to see if her daughter was here. the 1st questions she asked was "how many people live here?" followed by the fact that she had never even seen me...
as i said, round 3 came and went under the caring ways of lenore. my anc still dropped too low for too long even tho the dose of topotecan was reduced. so, this round i have to give myself a shot a day for 10 days of neupogen - a growth hormone that will increase white cell growth. i hear it will make my skeleton ache (add that to my nausea...). today i gave myself the 4th shot. as i pulled the needle out the medicine squirted out of my leg like old faithful. during the days that i could not move due to nausea i watched lenore's dvd's of "sex and the city" (3 seasons of it!). i loved the show, but was so jealous of the 4 friends eating brunch and drinking cosmopolitans in clubs as i hugged my pillow. some day... i also read lance armstrong's biography, "it's not about the bike." it was a good book. the major difference between him and me (besides income) was when he felt good he rode his bike, when i feel good i try to scrub the bathrooms.
graeme started piano lessons again and submitted his first composition to a school/nation wide competition. his piano teacher seemed as pleased w/ it as i was.
i hope everyone has a great thanksgiving. my dad and i are roasting a butterflied turkey. i can't wait to do the part that says pound the turkey w/ a rubber mallet!

please keep in touch,
lynda

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December 17, 2002

graeme has been taking piano lessons about 2 miles from our home. he had started a composition and ms. diana, the teacher, asked that he bring it to the 1st lesson. during the lesson she encouraged graeme to finish it and submit it for a nation wide competition. he did and she recorded it the next week. tonight we found out that he was the only 5th grader that submitted a composition so he won district! he has to "practice, practice, practice" now since he gets to play his piece at some high school jan.18th. so, i've gone from a soccer mom to a stage mom. i'm putting away my whistle, and coach's outfits, dying my hair platinum, and buying some cheap furs and stilettos because this is after all, all about me! happy holidays everyone! lynda

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December 18, 2002

this is most likely a mixture of old and new news for you. skim the parts you know but,

PLEASE READ THIS NEXT PART ALL THE WAY THRU AND CAREFULLY AND SHARE IT ONLY W/ THOSE YOU LIKE!!
CHEMO HEADS AND CLAIROL DON'T MIX

(i am trying to sound like all those emails i get about undocumented scary things that happen)

the hair situation is the same - thinning but still covering my head. my nurse promises me that 3weeks into this past treatment, the new drug, taxol, WILL cause the hair to fall out. i am 1 week into it and we will have company for christmas. i have to dye it - again! this time i decide on clairol blue black. the whole time the dye was on my head i was scrubbing my eyebrows and forehead trying to remove spots of black dye. i think it settled permenantly in the folicle shafts where hair has fallen out. finally, in desperation, after showering, soaping, lotioning up and still unable to remove the black spots on my face i pull out my foot pumice and scrub the top layers of skin off. it sorta worked. IF my hair decides to fall out in the near future, i will have that "man's 8 hour shadow" look tatooed on my scalp. but, the black hair is fun and, i think, looks cool. when it falls out (and probably even before) i have 4 totally cool, and each very different, hats that austin made and sent me.
as i mentioned, a new drug was administered this round. i had a bad reaction to it and had trouble breathing for a few minutes. my dr. was in surgery and sent his resident over to gather info. i could tell she was clueless. finally, an oncologist cleared up the problem by ordering 2 bags of benadryl dripped into my system and slowly restarting the drugs. i am sure i was snoring louder than a garbage disposal, but the other patients in the room were very nice. they didn't once shove me and ask me to roll over. it took over 6 hours to infuse. my poor/wonder mom sat there the whole time. ok, that's about all i have to share this go round. if you want to be removed from my update list, please check here ( ) and return it to me. i will understand.

i really hope everyone has a wonderful, fun, and memorable holiday season.

lynda

PS:
again, this will be old news to some, sorry. i forgot to mention the results of my self-inflicted neupogen shots needed to increase the white blood cells. (histology review: the normal count is 2200-7700.) off the medicine my counts are scary low, low, low (in the 200's). on the medicine i am a white cell manufacturing machine. after 6 shots my nurse told me to stop, my count was 38,000. i wish i could donate them like people donate blood. bye again

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December 19, 2002

here is a self portrait and a photo graeme took of me sportin' my new mop. the cap was made by austin and his friend Marie.
lynda

See Lynda's new mop and cap

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December 27, 2002

Email sent out by Laura
lynda said she would be bald for christmas but she needed a bit of help. after driving 9-10 hours from SC to DC we visited joe's barber around the corner from where i live. lettie talked lynda into getting her cut really short instead of shaved. She looks a bit like Sinead O'Connor in her early talented irish-punk phase (before her trying-to-get-attention-tearing-up-pictures-of-the-pope phase). See Lynda's buzz cut



Send a message to Lynda at LMcRock@knology.net