Renee Sendelbach I knew there would be a day when I would be told I couldn’t get
chemo due to numbers…I thought those numbers would have to do with low blood
counts or something else…not blood pressure numbers.
I had an appointment to go in for chemo Wednesday.
It started like any other chemo day:
I had my blood drawn,
had someone recognize me and came to chat while I was waiting for blood draw
(us cancer girls won’t let a little lab action stop us!), had my lab tech tell
me she couldn’t believe she didn’t know I had a blog (I guess I really do need
to tell everyone I talk to about it…someone told me I need to throw my cards in
the air and let them rain like confetti…wow, got totally off the subject
there!),
went to give my urine sample and then headed back to chemo room.
But see here is the problem with me just doing whatever I
want and all this without anyone telling me what I am actually doing that day…I
DID have a Dr. H appointment.
So after they found me, got me into my room I was flustered.
The first Blood Pressure she took was way high…I think
190/120…I think. She had me hang out a
minute and I got it to come down some.
After talking with Dr. H, I told her I have been fuzzy in my
head lately and of course I am starting to panic. She asked me if I was tired
and just kind of off…I said yes exactly.
I told her that I was scared because it feels like it has
before the other 3 brain tumors.
But, she did’t let me go down that road.
High BP can and does cause all these same symptoms and a big
side effect of my brain chemo is high BP.
She told me it was fine, and I really tried to believe her.
I hung out in the infusion room with my nurse – who is
really more than my chemo nurse…she is my friend too.
I had my BP taken again, took a medicine to bring it down,
hung out more, got BP taken again and it was down to 140/99…lower but still super
high for me.
She said no chemo.
I left there pretty bummed.
Is high BP going to be a problem now too?
But my head seemed to be getting fogger and I was exhausted,
so I came home and slept.
I went back yesterday, BP was spot on normal at 120/80, so I was able
to get chemo!
Really, I never thought I would be so excited for chemo?!?!
But now I have a BP wrist cuff to add to my accessories of
door prizes from stupid cancer.
Oh Cancerland – nothing stays the same here for too long.
Today I am still foggy in the head with a dull headache hanging around.
I am TRYING as hard as I not to get stressed about the headache and remember I get a headache and tired like this after every chemo.
Yes, I will take prayers that this headache and tiredness is NOTHING more than me needing Avastin every 3 weeks verses trying to push it to 4 weeks…I won’t be doing that again.
I have an MRI on Monday (was already scheduled so nothing urgent) and an appoint with Dr. Groves on Thursday.
I will report back next week.
