Hello from Chemo Land!

I got chemo yesterday. The mixture of Taxol and the steroids gets me all hyped up! I've been up since 4:30 this morning!

Some GREAT news. My oncologist said I had a very, very, very good prognosis and as far as he is concerned I will be CURED after I go through these last two treatments! I cried! I'm so happy! I know I could kick cancer's ass and I feel like I did! That was a pretty bold statement for him to make. I told his nurse what he said and she said he normally does not make statements like that to patients. Makes me feel even more confident!!!!!! :)

Two more trips to Billings for chemo. I'll be done on June 3rd. You all are going to have to lift a glass in toast to me at 6pm on the 3rd!

My friend Anne is here from California. She's been helping us out a lot. Michelle comes from Missouri on Saturday. She is going to drag me out for some SHORT bike rides. It's going to take me a while to get my legs back after this, but I'm going to come back even stronger than before......ever heard of Lance Armstrong????? ;)

Thanks for all your support! I'm gonna need it the most as I recover from this chemo crap. The Social Worker at the hospital says that is the time when it's easist for me to slip into depression. I'm so happy that I'm gonna have my life back that it seems impossible but I need to be aware of it.

Thank you all so much again!
Much Love,
KatieO

New Post!!!

Hello,
I know it's been too long since I last posted an update. Sorry. Many of you have called and said what the heck??? Well, it has been rough lately. The chemo is finally building up in my system and it is wiping me out. I just can't wait to get this over with! JUne 3rd! They ended up giving me the full dose of chemo last time. I was really bummed. My doc wanted me to get 4 treatents under my belt before decreasing my dose. I cried and agreed with him. :( At least my cancer markers are still below normal and even keep falling in that category!!!! I'm kicking cancer's ASS!!!

I've been pretty depressed lately. I'm just wanting this over and want my body back. I feel frumpy, bloated and bald! Sadness is just a part of the whole cancer thing. I think it will take some time for me to get my energy back up after this is all over. My blood counts have been pretty good. I have to take potassium and magnesium every day or else they get critically low. I am anemic and got a shot of some sort of EPO. (Guess I can't compete in pro cycling this week!!) It seemed to help for a couple of days and now i feel anemic again. I go get bloodwork done tomorrow and we'll see what the numbers say. I just don't want them to go so low it postpones my chemo treatment. That is my biggest fear these days. I just want to get it over with, did I say that before?

My sister Stacy came up from Leadville two weeks ago. It was great to see her and have her help out. My friend Ann is coming from California next Thursday and then Michelle comes from Missouri after that. While Ann is here Bob is flying to Denver to pick up our new (to us) 1987 Vanagon with a pop top! Yes, we are selling the truck and getting something we can go on the road with this summer! We intend on doing a lot of weekend camping this summer. Come on and join us!

I'm hoping to get to Colorado maybe twice this summer. Probably in July and August or early September. I'll keep everyone posted! Cant wait to see you all!

Well thats all for now. I'll try to be better about posting more often. It just feels like there is no news here even though there is.

Thank you everyone for your support!
Peace and Love,
Katie

Here is a picture of me skiing three weeks ago! oops it downloaded on top!

Half Way Done!!!!

Yipee!!! I am half-way done with chemo!

I had a hard time with my last round of chemo. I just didn't feel like eatting or drinking and got very dehydrated. I was trying to be stoic and power through it, which didn't work. I ended up getting IV fluids and it helped a lot. Next time, I will get fluids before it becomes a crisis! My doctor has decided to decrease my dose of cis-platin, the drug that seems to give me trouble. He wants the chemo to be a therapeutic dose versus a toxic dose since my CA125 (cancer marker) levels are low, within the normal range. He really wants me to complete all 6 courses of chemo and lowering the dose will enable me to make it through.

Carla and Donna, my friends from Boston and Rochester, came to visit this past week. They were extremely helpful for Bob with Fischer and Ziggi. I wish I could have felt better while they were here but I have learned to take one day at a time. In spite of feeling awful, Carla and Donna were doing yoga and I just had to try a pose, Crow (check it out!). Later I found out this is quite an advanced pose! After IV fluids I even felt like serenading my beautiful son with Puff the Magic Dragon!

We decided to let Ziggi stay with our friend Terry for the remainder of my chemo. Just too much to handle. I miss her, she reminds me to "be in the moment". She will rejoin our family in June when I finally finish the chemo!

KO, DDub, Carlalala

KO doing Chemo Crow

KO & Fischer singing "Puff"

KO & Fischer

KO & Ziggi

Ok, that was the Donna veersoin for this blog. She wrote it in first person for me. Thanks Donna! I am feeling really well today, this morning. It goes from hour to hour. I AM really excited to have my cisplatnin decreased. I think it will enable me to endure this hell.

Thanks for reading! ...and thanks to Donna and Carla, I'll miss you! (they leave today)

Love,

Katie

Almost half way done with chemo!

Hello All,
It was day 1 of my third cycle of chemo yesterday. It wasn't as bad as the last day 1. I did get all swollen and uncomfortable but the pain wasn't nearly as horrible. I was dreading it and now I know I can handle it. I guess I knew I could handle it but yesterday made it seem like this will be very do-able.

Last week was a good one. I climbed at the gym twice, tele skied at Bridger on Tuesday and ran twice. Of course they weren't the normal ways I like to do these things but at least I was out there. It made me feel like a human being again. It's nice to know I'll have some good days amidst the not so good ones.

My CA215 levels (the cancer marker levels in my blood for ovarian cancer were down to 13 last week! Well elow the normal range. I am thrilled and know this all is going to work and I will be 100% better when this is all done.

I'm looking for some input. I am trying to come up with a slogan to make the bracelets that our friend Lance made millions off of. You know those little yellow bracelets that we all wear? I want it to be related to me and how I fight and have the courage to battle cancer and how I thrive on life. A friend of mine came up with Katiestrong. I like it but don't want to get sued by anyone for copyright infringements when my foundation (yes, I'm going to start a foundation to help cancer patients/survivors) becomes HUGE! So everybody put your heads together and come up with some catchy fun slogans that will be held close to everyones hearts for many years to come.

I also need to let you know that I can't respond to some of you who have responded to this blog. I don't get your email addresses when you respond. If you could either email me or add your email address to the response. I am so far behind in responding to people its overwhelming. I'm sorry and I'll get there some day. It means so much to me to hear from all of you and to know that I have so much support out there. I am truly blessed to have all of you in my life!

Donna and Carla are coming this Friday to help us out for almost a full week! Donna comes from Webster NY and Carla from Boston. I'm looking forward to having them ere and I think it will be a great mental boost for me. Rebecca and Kurt were for a weekend two weeks ago. We had so much fun! I actually felt pretty good and we really enjoyed their visit!!!

I'll keep updating and I'll do it more frequently. Sorry I've lapsed.

Love to all,
Katie

Chemo Day

Hey,

here is the hairless chick!


Just as I'm beginning to feel like a human again I go for chemo again today. One day at a time. I will be 1/3 finished after today!

Please understand that I do enjoy hearing from all of you and that I'm not calling back is not because I don't want to. This is just kicking my ass. i will be feeling better next week as I have it off. Hopeful to return calls and emails then. After today I'll be sleeping it off for a few days!

Thank you all so much,

Much Love,
Katie

Chemo Sucks

Hello All,
I'm going to attempt writing. My brain is really fuzzy so you'll have to do with incomplete sentences and some typos.

They put in the port and gave me my first Intraperitoneal chemo treatment on Wednesday. It was not a very fun day. They filled my abdomen up so full that I was having trouble breathing (my diaphragm was getting flooded out!) I tried to call the nurse but apparantly my nurse call button did not work. So I kinked my lines after about 20 minutes of them not coming in and it set the alarm off on my IV pump. Then I had to turn on my right and left sides for 15 minutes each for two hours. This was to stew all my internal organs with the chemo.

It hurs so bad to turn. I'm not sure if it was ecause of the surgery or because my muscles were so distended but they had to give me morphine to lessen the pain. I really don't like the side effects of morphine or any of those heavy duty pain meds. I took a couple of darvocets when I got home and am trying to not take any more because the pain has subsided most of the time.

We got home around 9:30 on Wednesday (the day of chemo). I slept all day on Thursday and then Friday I was very uncomfortable and kind if restless so Ididn't sleep at all. Last night was another rough night.

I'm hoping the sore ab part will get better as the tretments go. Maybe my abs will stretch better. Or at least condition themselves!

As much as I'm complaining I am very thankful for the technology of this chemo and feel that this will ged rid of any lingering tiny tumors in my body. I know it will be a difficult ride but am anticipating the end and the enriched life I will lead because of this.

Thank you all for your comments, letters, packages and support. You all are my cheering squad and it really helps to hear from you. I apologize if I'm not responding to each and every one of you. I'll get there. I have a great picture of a "peep show"that Fischer created last night from Janice and Larry (you crazy kids!)! Will post it soon!

Much love,
Katie

Pictures to follow soon. My hair is almost comletely GONE! Sexy!......cold!

Bob, Fischer and I with our Eagles while I was in the hospital.