PDA

View Full Version : Back from Seattle


michele u
06-08-2005, 11:39 AM
Hi all, got back last night at 3 am! My flight got delayed coming from seattle and missed our connecting flight. Finally got home!
Seattle is wonderful! I have to say i thought the people out there are the nicest i've ever come across. Everyone is so willing to help. I got to meet Steph. She is one of the wonderful Seattle people herself. We got to go shopping for awhile together. She looks soooo good for what she has gone through.
Got my vaccine monday. Had a chest xray, ekg, and they took alottttt of blood this time. About what they take for a blood bank draw. They gave me a tetnus shot in the leg first. That hurt. Then they gave me 2 intradermal injections in my arm. That means they go just under the skin they make a "bleb" on your skin. They burned pretty bad. No reaction though at the sight. I don't know if this is good or bad. I think they want you to have a reaction.. But the whole experience was good. They were so nice at University of Wash. Dr. Salazar is who i saw. She is very nice and very smart. I will return July 7th for my next vaccine.
Just being in a hospital setting though brought back alottt of bad memories. I cried alot that night. We stayed at a Ramada Inn that most of the patients stay at that go to the University for txs. A man fell at the desk and hit his head on the wall. I ran to help him and realized he had a trach in and probably had cancer of the laranyx. He couldn't talk and had stitiches and tubes all over his body. It was a very humbling experience. He had no one there with him. I just put my hand on his shoulder as i passed by him to leave, and i think he knew what i was thinking. We all here have cancer, but outwardly we look normal. Cancer is satan's disease. He will try his hardest to beat our spirit down to sucum to pitty, depression, and dispair. We need to realize that God is much more powerful then this. Just knowing that we could die from this should be all the more reason for us to live happy lives while we can. And Joy if your reading this, i read your last post. You are so beautiful on the outside. No one walking by you would EVER guess you have breast cancer. I know we have to go through this "mental" thing about being here for our children and wondering what the future is bringing us, but we all here really do have alot to be thankful for. I guess when everyone tells us, there is always someone out there that has it worse, well i know i just met a man that is that person

Rozebud
06-08-2005, 08:06 PM
Thanks for the update Michelle! Are things working out with all the flights? Where did you stay? So just 2 visits left, right?

Praying for you!

mamacze
06-08-2005, 08:35 PM
Hey Michelle!
thank you for the update...it sounds like your experience at the hospital was good; once you got past the ghost of old memories. Is this your first visit?
How sad for the older man that you met. It sounds llike he is having a rough go of it. Sometimes I think folk like that are nothing short of angels for the compassion they arouse in us.
I used to stay at the Ramada; but for the extra $20, the University Tower Best Western is a MUCH nicer experience. And if you want to spring for a special supper one night; I recommend Cutters right next to Pikes Place Market;; it was delicious!
Keep us posted on your wonderful progress.
Love Kim from CT

Lolly
06-08-2005, 08:56 PM
Michele, glad to hear you had a safe trip. Don't worry about not having much of a reaction to this first vaccine; from what I was told it takes some time for the antibodies to build. By the time you get your last vaccine you will probably be having some kind of reaction. Also, I was told not everyone has a reaction; the blood tells the story.
Thanks for the update, and hang in there!

<3,
Lolly

joy
06-09-2005, 07:58 AM
Welcome back Michelle! Thanks for your info sharing and I know you are right and I appreciate when people help me reset my perspective. Hey, I'm curious. How come the tetnaus shot? I'm so excited to hear all of your future updates.
Love, Joy

P.S. my CA 27-29 went from 67 in April to 48.6 in June and my CEA went from .8 in April to .6 in June-so I am definitely in grateful mode. Living with stage IV just gets heavy sometimes, you know? But today, the sun is out, I'm with my kids, my parents arrive today, I feel good and have NO reason to complain!

joy
06-09-2005, 08:01 AM
I agree with you Kim. There is a woman here in my town who says that she thinks cancer exists to heal the world BECAUSE of what it arouses in others. It brings people together and pulls us outside of ourselves. And on good days I believe that.
Love Joy
p.s. GREAT photo by the way, I've been meaning to tell you that.

michele u
06-09-2005, 11:51 AM
Joy,
they give you a tetnus shot to measure your immune response. Almost everyone will get a immune response to tetnus, so they can measure your immune reponse from the vaccine versus the tetnus shot.

StephN
06-09-2005, 03:01 PM
Oh! Michelle -
Sorry you had such a bad time getting back home from here!
My sister-in-law was up here from the Bay area and was to take a flight out on Tuesday at noon. She said her plane did not take off until 6 pm! That is definitely NOT the usual situation at our airport. But, you had plenty of company, including my family member ...

Otherwise - it was so GREAT to meet you and your darling friend who was so neat to come here with you. That first day for the vaccine trial is always longer as they need so much preliminary information to log in for each patient. The next time will be a breeze by comparison.

I look forward to seeing you in July if we can manage that with all the company I will be having around that time. But, you know I am pretty good at doing what I want!

Onward toward a positive vaccine to kick HER2 butt!