Well hello! I just got home from Flagler Hospital a little while ago. I had been there since last Sunday- nearly a week! I had a nice room and I was taken good care of, but I am so happy to be well enough to be writing this from my mom's front porch, canine companions at my feet, mom blabbing away (ha ha ha...:) ). Pooka is being misbehaved! She is a little digger....digging up one of my mom's potted plants! Well, it is a safe assumption that she did it....mom's fixing it now. Pooka tried to jump back in on it...
To make a long story as short as possible, I was admitted to the hospital with "pneumonia," but after a bronchoscopy, tons of anti-infection drugs, an intensification of my breathing struggles and another CT scan, which showed a worsening of "lung infiltrates" throughout both lungs, the doctors working on my case have come to the working conclusion of "bleomycin induced pulmonary toxicity." Bleomycin is one of the drugs in ABVD, the chemo I have been receiving since February. There is not a lot of research on this, because most people don't have trouble with it. The good news is that this condition should be reversible, in fact, I have already experienced a great deal of improvement over the past few days with the administration of high dose prednisone. The high dose for me with my body mass is 45 (milligrams?). I will be on that strength for two weeks, if it does not cause any problems.
I am no longer having fevers! Perhaps that was my body's warning sign to get it some medical attention before my breathing started to worsen, as it did once I was in the hospital.
In any case, I am happy to be home! The plan is, two weeks off of chemo to give my body time to recover from this, then resume for my last cycle (two treatments) without the bleo. Then, probably forgo radiation to avoid doing any more damage to my lungs. In the meantime I will be consulting with my oncologist, my primary care doctor, a pulmonologist at Flagler Hospital, a pulmonary specialist at Mayo, and the oncologist (Dr. Tunn, who diagnosed me) at Mayo. These people can't get enough of me!? Just kidding. In all seriousness, I hope that in some way what is happening with me might help doctors/medicine learn more about bleomycin and its effects on the lungs. Or something!
I am taking a break from performing publically. I have been playing 2-3 times per month on the porch at Scarlett O' Hara's here in St. Augustine, but it seems as though it will be best to really take it easy right now and concentrate on getting better! I will certainly miss playing out, but a break is probably the best thing right now.
That's it! :)
xoxo,
Anastasia
