Thursday, December 31, 2009

12.31.2009 - Looking Forward To No Seizures

I am looking forward to a year of no seizures. We are still adjusting the anti-convulsant medication and the addition of Lamictal has helped. I had my last appointment with my neurooncologist for the year.

Avastin seemed to be a drug free of side effects, but that may not be the case. My blood pressure has been elevated the last couple of visits to the doctor's office and I am usually someone with textbook pressure - 120/80. I never have high blood pressure. I asked my chemo nurse whether any of the drugs I was taking can elevate blood pressure and she immediately replied "Avastin." I will now have to take my blood pressure a couple times a day for a couple weeks and see if this elevation is going to be a regular thing. If so, I could either continue taking Avastin and possibly take drugs to lower my blood pressure or stop taking Avastin.

My blood counts were all good. I have a five-day round of oral chemotherapy with Temodar to begin this evening. It's never fun, but it's not that painful either. I like to eat at night and you have to take Temodar on an empty stomach. It's only five days though.

Having no more seizures is one of my goals for the new year. It's not like I have control over it though.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

12.15.2009 - A Day in the Emergency Room

My wife and I spent all of 12.15.2009 in the emergency room. I woke up and had a partial seizure and then a migraine headache. I have been having more migraine headaches recently. My prescribed pain medication didn't do the trick. It had been two hours with no pain relief. My doctor wanted me to come to the emergency room as soon as possible. We found people to watch our children and my wife took me to the emergency room at the hospital that my doctor is affiliated with. We have a hospital only three miles away, but that isn't the one my doctor is affiliated with.

Service in the emergency room was SLOW. I guess only those people spurting blood out or who came in via ambulance get fast service. My migraine headache was finally gone after five hours had passed from the time I took the oral pain medication that morning. A MRI scan revealed that the tumor was stable and unchanged. We are trying to work on dealing with the seizures and adjusting medications until I don't have any more break through seizures.