It's a Delicate Balance

Last month (October 2025), I was trying to get my head around a girl’s trip to Canyon Ranch.  Canyon Ranch is one of those bougie wellness spas that people outside of our tax bracket go to.  Well, I have good friends that are in the tax bracket, and we had a girl’s trip planned!  I was hesitant to go, as I would be away from the comforts of my home.  There were a lot of things to consider – my meds, managing the fistula (see previous blog), my wig and hair situation, etc.  But, with the support of my friends, I changed my attitude and got on board!!

I was so proud of myself for getting packed!!  45 minutes before I have to leave, something happened.  I called my doctor.  His response?  Go to the ER, NOW!  So, instead of heading to Canyon Ranch, I went to the ER at Stanford.  They did CT scans and found that the DVT (deep vein thrombosis) that was identified the day before was much worse than anticipated.  It actually started in my abdomen, went across the iliac crest, and down to the ankle.  They did a CT scan to the lungs and found many more clots (NOT GOOD!).

I was promptly put on a heparin drip for 3-4 days.  At the same time, I started to develop abdominal cramps and discomfort.  It’s hard to explain what it was.  I stopped eating and drinking.  This caused my electrolytes and fluids to become low, thus exacerbating the blood clotting problem.  My blood pressure dropped to 88/65.  My weight went down to 115 (I’m usually around 125-130).  Sigh.  They gave me fluids, and kept me in for an extra day for observation.

I’ve been home for about 3 weeks now.  I’m on Eloquis, a blood thinner.  They say it will take 3-6 months for the blood clots to dissolve on its own.  I’ll have to delay getting an -ostomy bag until the blood clots resolve.  At the same time, I should get back on chemo to continue to slow the progression and growth of the cancer.  The challenge is managing the diarrhea output with the fistula, while waiting for the -ostomy bag.  It’s a delicate balance.