12/24/13 - Merry Christmas!!

Yesterday I had my Herceptin infusion and now I'm done with cancer treatment until next year. WoooHOOOO. Have a Merry Christmas - hope Santa's good to you all!

12/21/13 - Oncologist and Surgeon Appointment

I went to see my surgeon yesterday on the way to my oncologist appointment. She believes the lumps on my side are caused by internal sutures and a little bit of fluid. I was relieved to hear that because now every lump and bump makes me wonder.

I also saw the oncologist. This was my first appointment with him since my pathology report from surgery. Because my HER2 tumor had minimal shrinkage, I've decided to do the Herceptin for the full year. If any complications come up, I can always stop at any time. He also said I need to do radiation. He said if there was anyone he could tell not to do radiation, it would be me, but he thinks I would be taking too much of a risk if I didn't do it. Especially taking into account the two different tumors. I know this makes sense but I'm still terrified of getting NF from radiation. I also have the added complication of having RA which makes me more prone to skin breakdown. Decisions, decisions.

He said he was nervous about letting me continue with chemo after the first infusion. He studied my chart for two hours after my neutrophils dropped down to nothing, and was very worried about my fistula. For those that don't know, when I had my flap reconstruction 10 years ago, I had a tunnel that opened up which had to be packed daily for almost a year. This created an opening that goes from my business end into my hip. Although it healed from the inside out, scans showed that it has some fluid buildup in a few pockets. He was afraid it would get infected during chemo. He originally wanted me to do six chemo sessions. After reviewing my chart he said he was happy that I got through four without serious infection. On a brighter note, my RA felt great during chemo - even without the medication.

So, that's the scoop. I've got some time to absorb it all over the holidays. I'm feeling pretty good post chemo and I'm looking forward to Christmas with the family. It would be wonderful to get a camping trip in over the holidays before they start frying my bosoms.

Hope you all have a fabulous evening :)

Beppy

P.S. Last night we did some Christmas Shopping in Corona. It took us 2-1/2 hours to get there from Irvine. We decided to take a shortcut off the freeway because the traffic was so bad. Someone hit a fire hydrant on our detour and we were stuck there for almost 30 minutes. I think we may be traffic jinxed.

12/20/13 - Radiation Consultation

Yesterday I had my radiation consultation. Man-o-man the traffic coming home was awful. It took us two hours to get home. There was a terrible accident on the 15 freeway - wasn't even on our side. A tour bus overturned in the NB lanes. Thirty people were injured. It was determined that the driver was going too fast - 65 in rainy conditions. Those tour bus drivers are notorious for speeding. I can only imagine how terrified those people must have been.

On to radiation news...... I have a simulation scheduled for January 10th. During that time, they will take x-rays of my body and do careful planning to position me correctly while being radiated. Once the planning is complete, they will give me permanent tattoos - small dots - for accurate positioning. I went ahead and made the appointment, but I'm still deciding whether I want to go ahead with this. If I decide to do it, I will have to go five days a week for six weeks. They will do regular radiation for five weeks and then six boosts at the end. I know this is the standard treatment when you have a lumpectomy, but I'm really nervous about radiation. There can be so many long term side effects. One side effect is Lymphedema which is a chronic disease that causes swelling in the arm or hand. My risk is lessened due to the fact I elected not to have the sentinel node biopsy. You can also develop heart complications but I'm told with the advancement in radiology that side effect is rare. It's possible to develop a cough from your lung being exposed. That could be temporary or permanent. There is also a very small risk of developing a secondary cancer called Angiosarcoma. There are many more possible side effects but it doesn't mean I would develop any of them. Some people go through radiation with little to no problems other than fatigue. If I don't do it, the radiology oncologist said I can have up to a 40% chance of the cancer coming back - my surgeon said 50%. I really don't want a re-occurrence.  Of course there is still a possibility it can come back even if I have radiation. Once radiated your only option if you have a re-occurrence is mastectomy. Also, once you have radiated skin, you're option for reconstruction isn't very good. However, I'm not a candidate for typical expander reconstruction due to my problems with wound healing. These are really tough choices. I'm told that lumpectomy without radiation is almost unheard of. I see my medical oncologist today, so I will get his opinion.

Monday I have my Herceptin infusion and then it's time for a little vacation from cancer treatment. I'm excited to be cancer free now that my tumors are gone. I'm still feeling pretty sore from the lumpectomy and I've developed a few lumps on my side - slightly below and about an inch away from my incision. My surgeon will take a look at them today. My rash is much better and I didn't have to take the oral steroids. My appetite has returned with a vengeance. They weighed me yesterday and I was shocked to see I've gained 13 pounds. Good grief! Now that I've got my taste buds back, food tastes soooo good. I will get a handle on that after the holidays.

My sense of humor is slowly returning - I think it went on a mini vacation during chemo. :) But now that it's back, I have what I think is a funny story to tell. Bud and I have been going to the same Mexican restaurant for years. We typically go every week and order the same thing. It's come to the point where they already know what we want when we sit down. So for years I've had long hair. When I got it cut before chemo the waitress made a comment on how she liked the short hair. Then I got my long wig which looks a lot like my own hair, when I would blow dry it straight. The next time we were in, she was looking at me kind of funny but didn't say anything. The following week I had my short wig on which is a different color from my real hair. She commented on how she liked my hair and she said she hardly recognized me - she looked even more confused. At that point I thought I would have some fun and wear my long wig the following week. She didn't say a word about my hair, but I could tell she was staring at me when she thought I wasn't looking. I know they are very curious. Is it awful I'm having so much fun with this? No one really knows I'm in cancer treatment other than my family, a few neighbors and a few friends. Any suggestions what I should do next time? I'm almost tempted to buy a red wig (evil grin).

Hope you all have a great weekend. I'll update next time I have new info.

Cheers,

Beppy

12/13/13 - Herceptin Infusion Canceled

Due to the rash I have from surgery, they've canceled my Herceptin infusion on Monday. I was really excited because it fit nicely into my vacation from cancer for the holidays, until I realized I have an oncologist appointment next Friday. Then I got a call from the radiation oncologist and they want to see me next Thursday. Ugggggg - I can't escape!!! Oh well what can ya do?

I'm pretty much done with the Christmas shopping and I actually have everything all wrapped. I can't say I've ever done that in all the years I've been alive. I'm usually the nutcase out on Christmas Eve, frantically trying to figure out what to get everyone.

I really don't have anything interesting to update. I'm still working on my side effect blog. I thought I would wait and see if there are any other side effects that pop up. As far as my hair goes, it hasn't grown much so taking a picture would be pointless. I'm almost six weeks out from chemo and I'm disappointed to say there has been little to no growth. My leg hair seems to be coming back - figures huh? On the plus side, I never lost my eyebrows and my eyelashes only thinned out a little. I also don't have underarm hair which has been wonderful.

Robyn leaves tomorrow but she will be back on Christmas Eve :). It has been wonderful having her around and I can't thank her enough for coming home during this time.

Thanks for checking on me. Happy shopping to all.

Beppy

12/11/13 - Pathology Results

Yesterday I went to see the surgeon because of the horrible rash I was experiencing. Turns out I had an allergic reaction to the Chlorhexidine Gluconate which is the pre-surgery skin prep they used on me. She prescribed a stronger steroid which seems to be helping. If that doesn't work I will have to go on a course of oral steroids which I'm trying to avoid.

She also gave me the results of my pathology report. It seems the triple negative tumor shrunk from 1.4cm down to 3mm which is excellent news. The HER2 tumor wasn't as cooperative. It shrunk from 1.5cm to 1.4cm - pesky little bugger. She was able to get clear margins on both tumors which means no more surgery - yipeeee. I didn't get a complete pathological response, but at least the triple negative tumor responded well. I will continue on with Herceptin infusions to treat any HER2 residuals. They also want me to do six weeks of daily radiation (excluding weekends). The Radiation Oncologist is an hour drive from my house without traffic. They say if I don't do radiation I have a 50% chance of the cancer returning in the same breast. I'm not liking those odds too much, but at the same time I really don't want to do radiation. I will meet with a Radiation Oncologist and see what they have to say. I knew going in if I had a lumpectomy I would have to do rads, but now that I've reached that portion of the treatment plan, I'm a bit overwhelmed.

So, there you have it. Monday is Herceptin infusion day and then I think I will take a break from cancer and enjoy my holiday. Nothing else is scheduled until after Jan. 1st.

I can't thank everyone enough for all their prayers and well wishes. Having support makes all the difference in this battle.

Thanks for checking on me,

Beppy

12/10/13 - Lumpectomy

Smoking the Peace Pipe

Wednesday, December 4th I had my lumpectomy. My surgery was scheduled for 9:15 a.m. and they requested I arrive by 7:15 a.m. Bud, Robyn and Mike accompanied me. We arrived a little late, but waiting out front to greet us was my brother, George. It was really comforting to see him. After figuring out where we needed to go, we went upstairs to the same day surgery department. Once I checked in they called my name pretty quickly. I went through the usual stuff - changed into fashion gown, started I.V., vitals, etc. It was determined that I had a fever of 100.4 so there was some question whether they were going to proceed with surgery. The surgeon decided to go ahead. They gave me a nebulizer full of some stuff to numb my throat. I felt like I was smoking a peace pipe. I also got to speak to the anesthesiologist. As you all know, I was pretty nervous about the fiber optic anesthesia. Turns out I had nothing to worry about because I can't remember a thing. In fact, I don't even remember them wheeling me into the operating room. Whatever drugs they gave me worked really well. All that worrying for nothing. It sounds like everything with the surgery went well. The surgeon said I had very little bleeding. I don't have the pathology results yet, but I'm thinking positive thoughts. My scar is much longer than my last lumpectomy. So far it seems to be healing nicely. The only problem I've had is a bad rash. Something they used didn't agree with me. I am itchy and red all over my stomach, chest, neck and down my left side. They prescribed a little tube of cream that was supposed to help. The problem with that is, it was such a small tube, I used almost all of it on the first application. On top of that, it didn't help the itching. So, I've been alternating between Benedryl at night and Zyrtec during the day. I've also been using Calamine lotion. The itching is driving me batty and I hope it gets better soon. I stopped the pain medication just in case that was the cause. It seems to be a little better right after I take a shower and I apply the Calamine lotion. Hopefully it will go away soon, before I scratch my skin off.

High as a Kite

My instructions were to wear a sports bra 24/7. That has been a bit of a challenge. I've purchased four different bras and none of them are comfortable. Due to swelling, it's difficult to find one that fits. I ended up using a Danskin sports bra from Walmart. I can at least tolerate it while sleeping.

I would really like to thank Bud, Robyn, Michael and my brother, George for being there during the surgery. They all took precious days off from work to support me - I appreciate it more than you know. Robyn flew back down from Northern CA to take care of me this week. I'm so fortunate to have such a wonderful family. Special thanks to Jeanne once again for keeping me in soup and to Jason for always checking on me to see how I'm doing. I would also like to thank my friend, Jenny. She has been a great friend through this whole ordeal. Thanks to Melissa for letting Hunter call with his usual question, "when can I come over?" That's what I love about this kid - no beating around the bush. We had him over yesterday along with his brother, Ethan. He helped us trim the Christmas Tree and we made a gingerbread house. I had such a good time with those two boys.  Hunter was so proud of the tree. I started to take a picture and he asked, "Are you taking a picture of the tree because it's so beautiful?" He is such an exuberant boy that just loves life. Being around the kids really takes my mind off of things like surgery and pathology results.

Robyn & Hunter - Notice the Well Placed Cluster of Ornaments at the Bottom - Beautiful!

Isn't it Lovely?

That's about all for now. I will update with pathology results as soon as I get them. Thank you to everyone for being so supportive. I'm a lucky gal.

Cheers,

Beppy