After I had a colonoscopy a couple of years ago, I was wheeled into a recovery area and the hospital gave me a tray with some nice little sandwiches, fruit
salad and yogurt, and some juice, while I waited for the staff to come out and give me the results.
I think a few other patients had been in for the same procedure, because there was a line of beds with other people looking just as grateful for the food as I
was.
For some reason, after picking me up, my fiancee and I had to stop at the supermarket - it was Easter and I had to restrain myself from jumping over the bakery
counter for a hot cross bun (I lined up politely with the rest of the crowd).
0 Kudo
Medical Health
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 Highhorse |
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Posts: 1033 (06/29/09 10:58 PM) Fontina Cheese |
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Miss Moppet |
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Posts: 34058 (06/29/09 11:01 PM) Reporter Cheese |
Oh man. Give me some of that socialized medicine.
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FinnanHaddie |
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Posts: 11836 (06/30/09 12:33 PM) Fishy Cheese |
Miss Moppet wrote: There are actually several antinausea drugs; I go for Zofran because I had it for chemo & it worked very well for me, I had no nausea at all. Not even the tiniest touch of queasiness. It also worked after my hysterectomy and for my colonoscopy; didn't work so well after my second surgery, but I'm reasonably certain that was because of the dilaudid (which I had them shut off) and not so much the anesthesia. I have a friend with a hair-trigger nausea center (can be set off by scents--even pleasant ones--and hand-held camera work in movies & TV) who swears by compazine. If I remember correctly, compazine is used to treat nausea after it develops; zofran prevents it, although it worked pretty damned fast when the nurse slammed a dose into my IV. Anyway, here's a list of prescription antinausea meds: Compazine Phenergan Reglan Tigan Zofan There may well be others. Your mom should talk to her surgeon about both nausea and pain control; it's possible that whatever they're using for pain could be contributing to her nausea too, and switching to another opiate might help a lot. Let her know that surgeons actually appreciate having these conversations with their patients before surgery because alleviating postsurgical pain and nausea helps their patients recover faster. She needn't go in armed with a list of drug names; all she has to do is say she's been putting off the surgery because the post-procedure nausea was so bad after the mastectomy. If she got antinausea meds during chemo that worked, she can tell the surgeon which one she had, or she can say she knows another cancer patient who got zofran & said it worked really well. In other (but related) matters, I had my semiannual checkup today and am still in remission. My CA125 is still holding steady at 11, everything else looks good, back again in 6 months. That will be my "birthday" (5 years post diagnosis), but she said she may keep me coming in every 6 months instead of bumping me to annually because it's better for her mental health. And she has new business/appointment cards with the title "Chief" on them, finally. 
Last Edited By: FinnanHaddie
06/30/09 12:36 PM.
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everydayangel21 |
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Posts: 7222 (06/30/09 1:14 PM) Turtle Cheese |
Yay for staying in remission!! I can't believe you'll be 5 years post diagnosis in another 6 months!
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FinnanHaddie |
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Posts: 11839 (06/30/09 1:24 PM) Fishy Cheese |
Me neither, especially since 2 people I know died of ovarian cancer within the past 4 months.
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ShoppingGirl |
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Posts: 4938 (06/30/09 2:58 PM) Jimmy Choo-ese |
Great news, FH!!
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Stellaluna69 |
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Posts: 5644 (06/30/09 3:44 PM) Choose Your Own Cheese |
Yay, FH!
My aunt is doing well on her chemo. No nausea or other symptoms, just some tiredness. She is a little bummed because her hair didn't start to fall out right away (they told her it would probably start after the 2nd treatment), and she was starting to think it wouldn't happen. But it did start, around after the 4th treatment. I think she's about halfway through - this Friday should be week 6 of 13, if I'm not mistaken (though the last time she was there someone told her she was supposed to be getting chemo for six months rather than three; I'm assuming - hoping - that that is just a mix-up that will be straightened out shortly). I'm just relieved that it hasn't been really brutal for her. Her tumor is shrinking and once the chemo is done I guess they will reassess and schedule the surgery. How's your mom doing, Moppet? |
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kers |
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Posts: 2092 (06/30/09 7:43 PM) Dude Cheese |
That Zofran is manna from heaven for nausea, man. I've only had it once, but it made all the grossness and stomach pain stop like a drop of the hat. I hope
you can convince your mom, Moppet.
FH, I am so glad you have been in remission for so long! You kick ass. |
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lesleyg456 |
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Posts: 794 (06/30/09 9:12 PM) Havarti Cheese |
That's awesome, FH. Congrats!
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stegasaurus |
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Posts: 5334 (06/30/09 11:55 PM) Züger alpkäse |
So, much less serious than colonoscopies and cancer and such, but I just got home from the ER / after hours clinic (ER wait time was unbelievable so after
triage we bailed to the clinic). I picked up Elizabeth's new epipen at the cvs today, and was futzing with the old expired one to be sure I knew how to use
them. It turns out that I didn't.
OWWWWW. Also, extreme shakes after about one minute. And now, 4 1/2 hours later, my thumb is pale as death and tingly. They said to expect that for the next 24-48 hours. Wow, and this is designed to be injected into my toddler? Awesome. So, just to be clear - do not touch the black end of an epipen. Ever. And yes, the directions do say that. Shush. |
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Judois |
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Posts: 8180 (07/01/09 12:43 AM) Faerie Cheese |
Ow,Stega. That would be scary. Glad you're ok now.
Yay to FH!! We're so glad you're well and with us. |
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Stellaluna69 |
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Posts: 5648 (07/01/09 1:16 AM) Choose Your Own Cheese |
Aw, Stega, scary! I'm glad you're okay.
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everydayangel21 |
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Posts: 7224 (07/01/09 8:06 AM) Turtle Cheese |
Yikes! Epinephrine is very Not Fun. I don't have an epi pen, because, luckily, the only allergy I have that's likely to put me into anaphylactic shock
is to penicillin and that's easily enough avoided, but I've gotten many an epinephrine shot for an asthma attack. So, yeah, OW!
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Miss Moppet |
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Posts: 34073 (07/01/09 8:42 AM) Reporter Cheese |
FH, that is fabulous news, I can't believe it's been five years.
So Stega, just touching the black end of the pen triggers the injection? I thought you had to press down or something. Stel, mom's doing fine physically, I think, except she won't go back to the doctor to get her tissue expander removed and finish the rest of the reconstructive process. I am now applying guilt, telling her that I'd like her to get this done before I go to Michigan because then if she needs something, I'll be around to help. I think Mom is really freaked out about her new body now, and is having a hard time dealing with that, but she would NEVER EVER EVER get counseling or join a support group or anything reasonable like that, so it's just a guess on my part. |
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stegasaurus |
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Posts: 5337 (07/01/09 10:27 AM) Züger alpkäse |
You do have to push. But not all that much. And I was actually trying to trigger the injection (to test it, with the expired one). I just had the wrong end. I
am dumb. I protested at the ER about this being something to do to my toddler, and the nurse was like, "Yeah, it hurts a lot less if you inject it into
the thigh." Which, OK, the thigh wouldn't be as bad from a blood flow stoppage point of view, but would it really hurt that much less? Maybe; there
are a lot of nerves in your hand, I guess. Anyway, my thumb is still tingly and sore, but the color came back, so I think it'll be fine.
MM, I'm glad your Mom is doing better. I don't know if this'll help, but my Mom thought the last part of the reconstruction made her kind of
cool or something. Because they had to give her a nipple, and that meant a tattoo. It's the little things, but now my Mom has a tattoo. That no-one will
ever see.
Last Edited By: stegasaurus
07/01/09 10:29 AM.
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Miss Moppet |
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Posts: 34074 (07/01/09 10:41 AM) Reporter Cheese |
I protested at the ER about this being something to do to my toddler, and the nurse was like, "Yeah, it hurts a lot less if you inject it into the thigh." Which, OK, the thigh wouldn't be as bad from a blood flow stoppage point of view, but would it really hurt that much less? It probably hurts regardless. But maybe there's no gentle way to halt anaphylactic shock? But hands have tons of nerves; getting an IV in the back of my hand was a lot different from getting it in the crook of my elbow, even. And our fingers are even that much more sensitive. I'm glad your thumb is coming back to life now! Mom just feels really ugly. She won't show any part of her body to me. I hardly even saw her bald (she wears a wig anyway) I want to tell her that maybe the reconstruction will help with that, but she's just sort of stuck in a depression over this and some other things (like being mad at my Dad all the time.) But will she ever get counseling? No. |
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everydayangel21 |
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Posts: 7225 (07/01/09 1:26 PM) Turtle Cheese |
It probably hurts regardless. But maybe there's no gentle way to halt anaphylactic shock? Not really, no. But yeah, it probably hurts less in the thigh. I've gotten it through IVs, mostly, but once in the arm and that did hurt. I think it might be an intramuscular injection, which hurts more than a subcutaneous one. |
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stegasaurus |
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Posts: 5338 (07/01/09 1:33 PM) Züger alpkäse |
Yeah, at least I know the pens work, right? I would definitely use it on her if needed.
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everydayangel21 |
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Posts: 7227 (07/01/09 1:34 PM) Turtle Cheese |
My mom wouldn't do the support groups, etc. either. She and my dad just dealt with it. I think she probably talked to her sisters some, too, though.
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Miss Moppet |
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Posts: 34078 (07/01/09 2:30 PM) Reporter Cheese |
Did any breast cancer survivors come to see your Mom before her surgery and chemo? My Mom is all about the counseling, but I think that was the best thing, just talking to someone who'd been through it before. If not, maybe the hospital could help with connecting her with someone like that. No, they didn't - how many times have I suggested that, only to be rebuffed. And she doesn't go to church. Mom is kind of a quiet loner; she might be a serial killer. I can't say for sure that she's not. You can see a picture of my whole motley crew of a family on Facebook, though; we took a picture after church for Father's Day (Dad insisted that we all go.) |
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