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Vital Info

Name:
Reneecarroll (reneecarroll)

Member Since:
February 4, 2011

Location:
Alabama

Birthday:
December 31, 2011

Profile:
Cancer Fighter

Cancer Info

Type of Cancer:
Cervical Cancer

Diagnosis Date:
January 3, 2011

Stage of Cancer:
Stage 1

Grade of Tumor:
Grade 2

Lymph Node Involvement:
No

Chemotherapy:
Cisplatin (Platinol, Platinol-AQ)

What I Hate Most About Cancer:
having to slow down my life

What I Have Learned From Cancer:
Be humble enough to aske for help and accept help when offered. You do not need to do it all by yourself.

Things My Supporters Can Do To Help:
encouragement, laughter, funny jokes

Metastasized? Where?:
no

End of Treatment Date:
April 4, 2011

Cervical Cancer Symptoms:

fatigue only. not anothery single symptom. I am the posterchild now for getting a yearly ob/gyn exam as that is how they found this cancer.

Radiation or Proton Therapy Description, Dates & Side Effects:

currently on external beam but will have two sessions of brachytherapy which I am dreading

Chemotherapy Description, Dates & Side Effects:

cisplatin, felt and tasted every drug they put in my body. It was very yucky. I am incredibly sensitive to the medications and was eventually given Ativan to help me sleep through it all. Lasix was fun though at the end of treatment peeing every 5 minutes!!

Stats

Posts: 4

Photos: 0

Events: 0

My Supporters: 11

I Support: 8

Comments: 1

Reneecarroll's Cancer Blog

So that's what is hurting under my rib cage . . . .

I went to get a gallbladder ultrasound this week thinking that the pain under my right rib cage was a little gallbladder stone or maybe a funky gallbladder but no . . . the pain is caused by an enlarged liver. My Mom says it is probably due to the Cisplatin but I haven’t spoken with my oncologist yet. Anyone else have this trouble? I do have an oncology checkup in two days so I am trying not to worry but that seems to be all I do lately. It was Christmas time last year when I found out I had HPV and then a week later stage 1B2 cervical cancer. I think I am uneasy just because of the time of year.

Prayer is getting me through this season and my kids getting excited over Christmas. Also, my oldest is home from college so I am trying to take deep breaths and enjoy the time I get to spend with them!

Where is that magic no cancer/no worries pill?

Posted on December 17, 2011 at 5:41:17 PM by Reneecarroll (So that's what is hurting under my rib cage . . . ., 3 comments, 1010 views)

Rainy, Susie sent you a hug.

When you find that pill, could you let me have some too?

I don’t know if your enlarged liver is “normal” but your oncologist can answer that for you for sure. Just want to say good luck and give you a hug!

Posted on December 17, 2011 at 6:45:08 PM by Private User

I used to get pain the same area about 3-6 months after chemo ended. I did not take Cisplatin but 4 other chemo drugs. Let me know what your onc says as that would be interesting to know if the pain was associated with the liver. Hope you are feeling better today. I commisserate with the holiday/cancer/I was diagnosed this time last year stress. Not sure what to do about it except to give and receive love and try to focus on the positive. Positive outlook and positive outcome! Take care.

Posted on December 18, 2011 at 7:04:34 AM by Private User

Long time . . . No post

I am 6 months cancer free! I haven’t posted in months because quite frankly my life has been a blur. The last six weeks of my treatment was simply HELL! The two hospital stays for brachytherapy were tortuous and I hope to never ever endure that kind of pain again. During my first stay in the hospital I had a horrible, abusive nurse who mistreated me and I ended up getting horribly sick from the chemo I received while receiving brachytherapy and it was a nightmare. I don’t remember alot of that week and after some Haldol I woke up on Friday after entering the hospital on Monday morning. Oh yes, and Monday morning a tornado came through my town and knocked out the electricity at my house for three days. Luckily my mother was taking care of my children and I knew nothing about any of what was going on at home.

My second hospital stay was better managed by nurses because I called and spoke directly with the Nurse Manager and she made sure I had the two best nurses in radiation. They really took excellent care of me although the situation was just as bad. The chemo made me horribly sick and I threw up many times. I guess the combination of chemo/radiation was what made me sick because I never threw up during treatment before this.

I am lucky to say that all this radiation worked for the cancer and I was declared “CANCER FREE”!

Now I am dealing with the effects of radiation induced menopause and depression which are both very manageable. I am just so happy to be done with treatment. I go back every three months for checkups, paps, etc and I am always nervous about the results but so far . . so good.

I pray for you all that you can manage through the rough times and have the support you need to get through it. I will never stop praying . . .

Posted on November 27, 2011 at 11:28:14 AM by Reneecarroll (Long time . . . No post, 1 comment, 1129 views)

Susie sent you a hug.

Hell opens its doors to cancer patients…And we have to walk through them whether we like it or not…There is no other options…The best thing about finishing treatments is the feeling that you don’t have to go in for treatments anymore…Enjoy that feeling…you earned it! Don’t worry…worry is useless…When it’s time for a checkup…just go and not be anxious about the results…that is out of our control…find your sense of humor and write what you experienced…even the bad nurses…I did and it helped…take care and yes…keep praying.