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Post by tiffany on Apr 21, 2017 11:25:43 GMT
So far, the breathing seems to be helping with my cough and chest congestion, but it’s not helping with the pain. I had to take a Percocet when I got home from work last night because I was in so much pain. The good news is, it’s not making me as drowsy as it did the first two times I took them. This will be helpful in the event that I have to take them while on tour.
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Post by tiffany on Apr 24, 2017 11:45:22 GMT
Hello all, it’s been a crazy weekend for me. I went to another chest physio session on Friday, and my physiotherapist told me that he’s never heard of atelectasis causing pain before, and that he thinks my pain is what’s causing the atelectasis. He told me to discuss this with my doctor on Tuesday, and to look into getting an x-ray of the area. I didn’t sleep well on Friday as I was in pain all night, and I was in pain all day Saturday, even after taking the Percocet and Robax Platinum. I was supposed to go to a friend’s birthday party on Saturday night, but, I decided to go to the emergency room instead. I was in so much pain, and I thought they would do more for me than my oncologist has been doing for me, and that we might be able to find out what’s causing this pain. I went to the hospital where I am getting treatment, so they would have access to all of my medical records, and they were very helpful. They hooked me up to an IV and gave me some pain medication along with some anti-nausea medication, and took blood work and a urine sample, did a bladder ultrasound and sent me for a spine/thorax CT scan. The good news is, everything looked good, the bad news is, we still don’t know what’s causing my pain. One ER doctor thought that it could be shingles, even thought I don’t have a rash, and another ER doctor thought it was rib pain, in which case it will just go away on its own. This is not reassuring to me, as I’ve had this pain on and off for three months, and it’s getting worse every day!
The ER doctor sent me home at 3:00 a.m. with instructions to take one Acetaminophen every six hours, one Ibuprofen every eight hours, and Hydromorpone 1MG every four to six hours. She told me that if this didn’t work, and I was still in pain the next day, to go back to the hospital. Well, I was still in pain the next day, so, after a sleepless night, I went back to emergency. One of the nurses from the night before was working that afternoon, so she came to talk to me right away, and brought me to a bed. I then spoke to a doctor, who told me that the dosage of Hydromorpone the ER doctor gave me was low, and that I needed to increase the dosage to help with the pain. They hooked me up to an IV and gave me some Hydromorpone to help me with my pain, and to see how much I would need to help with my pain, and then they let me rest for a few hours. They sent me home with another prescription for Hydromorpone, along with a prescription of Ondansetron to help with the nausea caused by the Hydromorpone. I followed the doctor’s instructions and took my medication, however, even with the Ondansetron, the Hydromorpone made me feel really nauseous, and I was unable to keep down my dinner. So, this morning, I went back to taking two Percocet with Ibuprofen, and I’m hoping my Oncologist can give me something else to help me with the pain, so I can get though the next two weeks in Croatia. I really don’t want to have to cancel my trip, but, at the same time, I’m not sure who I’m going to be able to enjoy my trip when I’m in pain most of the time. I am feeling very discouraged right now, and I keep wondering why this is happening to me! It’s bad enough that I have to deal with cancer and treatment, but, now I have to deal with this never-ending pain, and no one can figure out what’s causing it or how to treat it. It’s very frustrating! I’ll let you know if I have to cancel my trip to Croatia.
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joyb
Junior Member
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Post by joyb on Apr 24, 2017 13:59:30 GMT
I am so sorry to read this Tiffany. It sounded like the breathing exercises were the answer but apparently that is not the case. It must be so frustrating for you....my thoughts are with you.
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Post by purvis on Apr 24, 2017 14:15:39 GMT
Tiffany: As much as you want this trip it doesn't make any sense to go on it with all the complications you are dealing with right now especially your pain.. Hopefully in the next week the doctors will find the cause and solution to your pain and give you the proper meds to control it so you can continue with your plans. Traveling outside your comfort zone could be tricky especially in a country where you're not too sure of the medical availability. The last thing you need is so much pain that you can't continue with your trip and have to fly home early or worse end up in a hospital in a foreign country where you don't speak the language. I know that planning and looking forward to this trip has kept you going but if the pain continues it may not be the best thing to go until it is controlled . Purvis
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Post by tiffany on Apr 24, 2017 14:57:31 GMT
Thanks Joy and Purvis. I’ve been taking Percocet and Advil today, and so far my pain has been very manageable. I’m going to wait until I talk to my doctor tomorrow before making a decision regarding my trip. I have insurance that allows me to cancel at any time, even the day I’m supposed to leave, for no reason, and I’ll get 75% back. If I have a medical reason that’s not pre-existing, I will get 100% back. If I can get pain medication that will help with the pain and not make me nauseous all of the time, I will still go. If not, I will cancel. One thing I should point out is that my two travelling companions are a doctor and a nurse, and they are aware of my medical history, so, if anything does happen to me while I’m there, I know that they will be able to help me.
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Post by purvis on Apr 24, 2017 16:07:08 GMT
Tiffany: Having a doctor and a nurse as your travel companions makes a big difference in how secure you will feel if something unforeseen does happen while traveling. I do hope everything works out and your trip is still on. Purvis
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daphne
Junior Member
LOVE Travelling!!
Posts: 58
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Post by daphne on Apr 25, 2017 13:54:32 GMT
Tiffany, my thoughts are with you, I really really really hope that you are going on this trip and you will get better before you leave. It will do you the world of good to get your mind set on something else and to relax and explore. Holding allllll my thumbs and toes and everything else for you to feel better and be able to travel without the constant pain. Take care or yourself, whichever way it turns, everything will turn out for the good!!! Thinking of you!!!!!!
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Post by tiffany on May 17, 2017 12:04:53 GMT
Hello all, I’m back from a great vacation, and was able to enjoy most of it because of the pain meds I was taking. Unfortunately, they did have some side-effects such as nausea, lack of appetite, drowsiness, etc. I was able to keep the nausea under control with medication, but I just had to deal with the rest of the side-effects. I also missed my connecting flight due to my flight from Toronto leaving two hours late, and had to spend a night in Copenhagen. I was not impressed but what can you do! I didn’t let this ruin my trip though. I will go through my pictures in the next couple of weeks, and once I’ve sorted through them, I’ll start drafting my travel tale.
Unfortunately, I had a bit of a set-back upon my return to Canada, and I ended up in the hospital. I was experiencing shortness of breath and nausea, so I went back to emergency shortly after my return to the country. I had a bad experience in emerge this time around, as they stuck me in a cold room (which I called the freezer) and just left me there all night while waiting to go for tests. Finally, after getting back from my chest exam, I refused to go back in that room, and they moved me to another bed. After getting all of my test results back, they wanted to send me home, however, I insisted that they keep me, saying that I would just be back in emerge in a few hours if they sent me home. The doctor finally called the on-call oncology doctor, who agreed that I needed to be admitted, as it appeared that I had a mild case of pneumonia. They then moved me to another room where I spent the day waiting to be admitted, and was finally admitted that night. By this time, I was exhausted due to jet-lag and not sleeping though whole night. I ended up being in the hospital until Sunday, but, so far, I’m getting better. I finished my antibiotics yesterday, and will probably have a cough for another two weeks, but I’m now back at work and hoping to get back to living my life as normal as possible.
I went for treatment yesterday, and I started the new drug T-DM1. This drug will be a lot easier for me to tolerate, and does not need any pre-drugs like steroids or Benadryl. It will also only take 30 minutes to administer, which means I can work in the morning, and go to the clinic in the afternoon everything three weeks. Overall, it will be a much easier and more convenient drug. I will get four dosages of this drug over the next three months, and then I will go for more scans in order to determine if it’s working. Let’s hope it works because if it doesn’t, I’ll have to go on a trial.
I’m still experiencing back/side pain, however, the pain medication is helping. I had to cancel my first chiropractic appointment because I was in the hospital, but I was able to reschedule for next week, and I’m hoping he can help me. I was told that the pain may get worse before it gets better, so I need to stay on the pain medications for now, however they lowered my dosage so that it’s more tolerable. I was having a hard time tolerating the higher dosage. Once the pain is gone, we will wean me off of the pain pills. I also still have a mild case of Atelectasis, and am still doing my breathing exercises. My doctor told me to hold off on the chest therapy for now, so that I can focus on my treatments with the chiropractor.
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Post by purvis on May 17, 2017 13:10:41 GMT
Tiffany: Happy to see that you're back and that for the most part you had a lovely trip. Sorry to hear that you ran into problems once back but better at home than away. Hope the new treatment works and that the pain gets under control soon . I still can't imagine going through all that you have gone through and still manage to continue to work. Take care . Your friend Purvis.
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joyb
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by joyb on May 17, 2017 13:41:39 GMT
Welcome back, Tiffany! Was thinking about you and how you were doing while on your trip and glad to see that you were able to enjoy it. Looking forward to reading your travel tale. Hopefully this new drug will work for you. Take care.
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Post by californian on May 17, 2017 15:20:07 GMT
Tiffany, glad you enjoyed your tour, what a trooper you are! I though of you everyday, hope your pains/pneumonia get better quick and the new treatment works well. Looking forward to your tale and photos. Welcome back, take care.
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Post by tiffany on May 18, 2017 11:27:03 GMT
Thanks all. So far I’m feeling good. I’m just a little tired due to lack of sleep, and, my pain meds make me drowsy at times. I can’t wait to be done with them! My first chiropractor appointment is next Tuesday, and I hope he can help me.
The trip was excellent, and very good value for money. It was much better than my last cost-saver tour, and I forgot that this was a cost-saver tour as there was so much included. It was a very busy and fast paced tour though. We were gone by 7:30/7:45 a.m. almost every morning, and didn’t get back to the hotel until 9:00/10:00 p.m. at times. I like a fast paced tour, and even I was getting tired at times.
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Post by chech on May 18, 2017 11:56:40 GMT
You made it! Even though it was tiring, it must have been a nice break. Who was your guide? Did you do Montenegro after?
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Post by tiffany on May 18, 2017 15:29:57 GMT
Our guide was Kassie Jones and she was wonderful. I did go to Montenegro, and I'm glad I did because it was one of my favorite places on the tour. Overall, this was a really good tour.
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Post by chech on May 19, 2017 11:05:54 GMT
Did they offer the chance to visit the Sarajevo tunnel?
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Post by tiffany on May 19, 2017 11:19:37 GMT
No. We had a waling tour in Sarajevo and then some free time to shop. I bought a traditional Bosnian coffee pot with cups from there.
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Post by chech on May 19, 2017 11:36:47 GMT
Cool...bet it looks in better condition than when I was last there. Did she treat you to the traditional Bosnian meat pastry called Burek? The locals who worked in our kitchen used to make it for us and we nicknamed it dog poop...for obvious reasons...LOL....but it was delicious...and when I was in Croatia, we made a pit stop in the Bosnian city on the coast...and it was in the shop... I had two.
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Post by tiffany on May 19, 2017 13:23:42 GMT
She didn't give us Burek, but she did give us other treats. Most of them were sweets.
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Post by bet on May 25, 2017 10:32:03 GMT
Hi Tiffany, I hope you can finally get on top of your health issues and I'm glad you didnt have to cancel and your enjoyed the tour as best you could. I found the costsaver tour I did was excellent value as well, I think a lot depends on the destination. My first class Christmas market tour was rather disappointing, even though the markets themselves were great. I'm hoping you can manage to write a tale. I'm yet to explore that part of Europe & looked at the tour myself.
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Post by tiffany on May 29, 2017 15:34:16 GMT
Hello all, I am back in the hospital due to stomach/side/back pain. I wanted to be addmited in order to monitor my drugs and figure out how much i need to finction. I will send more details when i have access to a keyboard and can type.just know i am doing well.
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joyb
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by joyb on May 30, 2017 0:49:04 GMT
Hi, Tiffany. Sorry to hear that you are back in the hospital and hopefully they will be able to come up with a drug dosage that controls your pain.
I just had my yearly mammogram and everything came up clear and I am so thankful. Looking forward to my Rhine river cruise...off to Zurich on Thursday and will post a bit about my trip when I get back.
Take care. Cancer touches so many.
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Post by marielouise on May 31, 2017 13:38:31 GMT
I am happy to read that you were able to go on your tour, Tiffany, but sorry that you still have pain and associated health problems. I hope it will be resolved soon and that you will feel better.
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Post by tiffany on Jun 5, 2017 15:30:35 GMT
Hello all,
Just as a quick update, I'm still in the hospital waiting to get a CT scan. Once I have the results of the scan, I should be free to go. I was just told that I should be going going for scan any min, which is great. I can't wait to get out of here. Otherwise we are regulating my pain meds, and seem to have figured out what's causing the pain. It looks like it is a pulled muscle, and they found three knots that need to be worked out. Who know a pull muscle could cause so much pain. Anyway, I have to go. I just wanted to send a quick update.
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Post by chech on Jun 5, 2017 18:48:52 GMT
It's always great when something that is so bad turns out to be something simple. Some sessions of massage might be in order. Good for the muscles and for relaxation.
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Post by Tulips on Jun 15, 2017 22:56:10 GMT
Hi Tiffany,
Been wondering how you are doing as we haven't heard from you in a while. I hope you are ok!
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Post by purvis on Jun 16, 2017 2:21:22 GMT
Hi Tiffany: Like Tulips I have been wondering how you are and hoping that your CT scan was OK. Purvis
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joyb
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by joyb on Jun 16, 2017 18:48:52 GMT
Thinking of you Tiffany....hope everything is o.k.
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Post by tiffany on Jun 18, 2017 23:53:26 GMT
Hello all, sorry it's taken so long for me to get back to you. I've had family in town this weekend, and it's been crazy busy. As an update, I was sent home from the hospital two Friday's ago in order to get treatment, as the hospital has a policy that they can't give you treatment if you are and in patient, so I had to check out. I had treatment on the Friday and went home right after. I met with the hospice/home care doctor, picked up some prescriptions, and then went home to wait for the home care nurse, who was horrible. After she left, we all went to bed, and I woke up on Sat morning feeling horrible. I had a bad reaction to the T-DM1, and felt very tired and nauseous and weak. After a crazy weekend, and waking up again on Sunday morning feeling horrible, we decided to come back to the hospital. So, after spending a few hours in the emergency last Sunday, I was checked back into the hospital. At first I was in the maternity ward, but I have since been moved to palliative care, and it is much nicer being here. It's like being in a high class hotel. Anyway, I don't know how long I will be here, but it will probably be until I need to check out for my next treatment in two weeks. In the meantime, I've been really busy with non stop visitors (friends) and doctor's visits, etc. I have a meeting scheduled with my whole medical team for Wed, so we can get a better idea of when I will be getting out of here. I think my step-mother wants me to stay, because as my care giver, she is having a hard time staying on top of all of my medications, and when they are due, etc. I can't stay here forever though, so I have a feeling she won't get her wish.
I will try to keep you updated more often, however, I'm still getting used to my new lap top, and, when I do have some free time, I'm usually exhausted and need to take a nap.
Tiffany
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Post by tiffany on Jun 19, 2017 0:02:31 GMT
On another note, it looks like I'll have to cancel my trips to Spain. As much as I'd love to go, I don't think I'm in the best condition to be travelling
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Post by bet on Jun 19, 2017 0:27:00 GMT
My thoughts are with you Tiffany, hope you get some definite answers come Wednesday & your future treatment is a success minus the serious side effects.
I hope Spain is still on the cards one day in the future for you, it must be disappointing but fighting your health battles is more important.
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