Pumping Iron

My NP called this a.m. and said the blood tests were all good, but I'm definitely anemic with low iron stores so it's time for Iron Infusions. Yay!

Normally there's a product they dispense that is "less frequent" but apparently there's some sort of shortage of it and they have none, so I have to do some other product that is a once per week infusion. This means I'll have to visit the Oncologist office 1x/week for... I don't even know, she didn't say. Someone is to call me to make the appointments and I guess they'll tell me how many weeks to start.

Sound like fun? Oh boy, does it!

Soon I will be "pumping iron" for real as info meetings are going on right now for this season's Team in Training events, which means actual training should start soon. I'm guessing mid-May but I'm not certain yet. I'm still doing my Belly Dance class on Tuesday nights and trying to walk with Amy S. on Sundays, and I hooked up with a woman on Craig's List who was looking for a "Walking Buddy", which should work out well.

That's it for now, more to come.

Amy

Hard to train while anemic...

So I saw my Oncology Nurse Practitioner last week because the last few times I was in she said I was "borderline anemic" and she wanted me to follow-up with her at a later date. Lately I've been feeling even more worn out than usual so I looked up the symptoms of Anemia on webmd.com and what do you know? I've got lots of them. Have had a few of them for a very long time.

So I go back in last week and say, "Remember how you mentioned possibly doing IV Iron if I'm still anemic? Well I think we should do that."

And she replied, after looking at my test results, "Yeah. I think we probably should. You're definitely anemic."

No IV Iron yet, she's still running a bunch of tests and waiting to get some results first I think. The lab had to take another couple of vials of blood from me to run the additional tests so I got stuck twice that visit. I've been hoping to hear something soon because I had really expected to get the Iron infusion last week, during my visit. I was hoping she'd say, "Yep - let's do that right now." because then I'd feel better. Why she didn't I'm not sure, probably because she wants to run those tests first. She did say they were checking something, my "Iron Stores" I think, and that if those were really low she'd get me in for the infusion and not wait for the other test results. So maybe my stores are ok. All I know is I feel run down most of the time and don't have a lot of energy. I get tired very easily and that's no fun. :P

Good thing training hasn't officially started.
Amy

Training Started! (sort of)

Last Sunday I met my friend Amy S. (yes, another Amy S., also from WI) at PV Mall and we went Walking. So I've officially started my training! We only did about 2 miles but that's a good start, since I've been somewhat inactive lately, other than my Belly Dance class. Now I just have to fit in a few other things during the week and I should be ready for the Official TNT start, which I believe will be early May.

I've got, right now, Walking on Sunday mornings and Belly Dance Tuesday nights - and if you've never done belly dance then you have no idea what a great work out it is! So that's good. Then I'd like to ride my bike at least once a week, so I need to get on that, and also I've got one of those Dance video games for in your home, John needs to hook it up so I can dance. That should be good exercise too!

I'm on my way... AND, good news; As everyone probably knows, since my diagnosis I've had Lymphedema (swelling caused by the lymph glands not working properly) and while it started in my arm, where the lymph node was removed for Biopsy, it's since traveled down into my leg and really, it affects my entire left side. It's rather annoying, sometimes uncomfortable or even painful, and definitely ugly.

I just spoke to a girl that I was referred to via a friend of a friend, and she had a procedure done in CA where a doctor rerouted her damaged nodes to drain into her main veins. She said this doctor only takes on about 2 new patients per month, but that there are docs in TX also learning and practicing this surgery, so I'm hopeful. I've had this for 5 years now as of this month, and it would be so great if there were something that could be done to make it go away!

That's it for now, more to come.
Amy

New Prize Added to Drawing!

I've added another prize to my drawing, a 75-min Massage from the lovely Ann Cabano (www.theenergymover.com), who will come to your home with her massage table. Ann generously donated two certificates for massage, one of which we used last Fall, and this one, which expires 12/09. This will be an AZ Only gift, as Ann probably can't travel out of state... LOL!

About the Drawing!
Because so many of my donors will be out of state, for the drawing each person will be allowed to enter their tickets, however many they have, in the drawing for whichever prizes they want. So if you have 5 tickets and want only to put them in the drawing for the earrings, then you can do that! Once I have all the prizes and and all the tickets sold, I'll send an email to everyone who has tickets so they can tell me which prizes they want me to enter their tickets in.

Thanks everyone for your support! Don't forget to pass on my donation website to your friends, so that they have a chance to win something too!
Amy S.