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.