11/4/13 - 4th and Final Chemo Day

Finally, my last yucky chemo! I'm convinced the combination of bad traffic and last minute problems makes my infusions go badly. This morning I get a call about 7:00 am from the nurse telling me I didn't do my labs. I explained that I spoke to the Oncologist and he said I wouldn't need labs because I just did them last week when the infusion got called off. She insisted that I get them. My appointment was for 9:30 am and she needed me there an hour ahead of time. There is no way we would make it by then with the morning traffic, so I had the bright idea to get them in Wildomar - by the time we traveled to Irvine they would have the results. Bad idea on my part. We pulled into the parking lot and the place looked dead. We went up to the lab and the line was out the door. Why are so many people getting labs at 7:20 in the morning and where the heck did they park? Needless to say, waiting in that line to get processed would have taken at least 30 minutes. I had stat orders but that doesn't apply until you are processed. So we piled back into the car and off to Irvine we traveled. In the meantime we tried to get the infusion nurse on the phone but they just weren't answering. Finally we got a live person and she said she would send over a message for them to call. Bud spoke to the nurse that would be giving me the infusion and she said they weren't worried about labs? As usual, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. But she did say we needed to get there in time for me to speak with the Oncologist. I requested a conversation with him to go over my ultrasound results and the lack of tumor shrinkage. I just want to make sure we are on the right chemo course in light of the results. After rushing through horrible traffic, we made it there by 9:15 am. Once in the infusion room, the nurse said the Oncologist was too busy to talk to me. She said he didn't order the ultrasound and I need to talk to the surgeon about the results. Now I'm going to use all the usual clichés I detest- seriously?  really? you're kidding me? My response was, "He is my Oncologist and has decided on a protocol to shrink my tumors, you don't think it deserves a conversation about the ultrasound showing very little shrinkage?  Is the surgeon going to be the one to change my protocol if it's not working?" By this time I was pretty irate as well as emotional. Off she went and three minutes later the Oncologist emerged. He said the only way to know if the tumors have changed would be through the pathology results after the surgery. He said the ultrasound can show that the tumors didn't shrink, but there could be changes the ultrasound can't see. That's really all I needed to hear to continue on with this last infusion. I just needed to know that I didn't do all of this for nothing. Everything I've read has said the goal is a complete pathologic response (your tumors shrink completely, no node involvement). Disease-free survival (DFS) is significantly superior in patients with no invasive and no in situ residuals in breast or nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. So I don't think I was out of line to question a protocol that doesn't seem to be achieving the desired result. All I can do now is pray that by surgery time things change.

Ouch!

I didn't get the nurse I adore today. That never goes well. The nurse I got was really nice but she insisted on putting the IV in my hand - which I hate. It was difficult to get the IV in my vein and it really hurt - upsetting me further. Time for Ativan. I wasn't sure if I was going through with the infusion today, so I didn't take my morning steroid. That meant she had to put it in my IV. She infused the Herceptin first. It took about 30 minutes and I got my usual chills. Taxotere was next which only took 1 hour - no side effects. Last was Carboplatin which only took 30 minutes - also no side effects. Robyn picked up all my medications at the pharmacy once they started the last chemo drug. We were out of there by 12:45 - not too shabby. I'm so excited to be done with the Taxotere and Carboplatin. They want me to have the Herceptin every three weeks for one year. I'm still considering whether the six months my second opinion doc recommended will be better. I don't want heart damage after this last scare, so I will consider that as we go. I can stop it at any time. The good news is when you just have Herceptin you don't need all those medications. No more steroids, no more zofran, no more neulasta (bone crushing shot), no more white blood cell drops, no more pain meds and I can go back on my RA medications. Plus the infusion time is only 30 minutes. So for that reason, and the fact that Bud and Robyn were with me, today was a good day.

So far I've had no side effects from the infusion today. I didn't even get the usual red face. Here's hoping the fourth infusion is the charm! I will keep you all updated as the next few days progress.

Cheers,

Beppy

I decided to be brave and go commando (not where you're thinking)  today. Just call me Dumbo.

11/3/13 - Ultrasound Results - Stubborn Tumors

Friday evening I got my ultrasound results from my surgeon. First the not so great news - she said one of the tumors is slightly smaller and the other tumor had not changed in size. I was really hoping for a better result after three chemo sessions. I check the tumors everyday and I was surprised at the ultrasound results. The lumps feel very mushy to me and definitely smaller - go figure. I'd be lying if I didn't admit to being disappointed - but I'm still optimistic there are changes the ultrasound can't see. I guess it's better than getting news that they have grown. On a brighter note, the lymph nodes under my left arm are benign which is good news. My surgeon still wants me to have the Sentinel Node Biopsy during surgery. It's doubtful that I will have that done but I haven't ruled it out completely. She didn't mention any results regarding the right breast, so I will assume no news is good news.

My next chemo is scheduled for tomorrow. I have an email in to my Medical Oncologist to have a discussion regarding the benefit of one more chemo. In my opinion it makes no sense to keep poisoning my body if it isn't doing any good. I guess we will see what my MO has to say.

Thanks for checking on me. I will let you all know how it goes tomorrow.

Beppy

10/30/13 - MUGA Scan - Ejection Fraction 63%

 

Yesterday I had a MUGA scan (Multi Gated Acquisition Scan). It was a fairly simple procedure. Like the bone scan, I received an injection into the vein where they typically draw your blood. All I felt was a slight pinch. I had to wait 20 minutes and then they gave me another injection in the same area. That injection hurt a bit more because the technician couldn't get into the vein so he ended up having to stick me twice - no big deal. I took a picture of the machine for anyone who is interested. I had to lie on my back while they positioned the machine over my chest. If you are claustrophobic this is an easy test - there are no tunnels to go into. I was able to listen to my iPod during the test. My playlist consisted of The Traveling Wilburys, Eric Clapton, Greg Tannen and The Weepies. Good music makes all the difference when they are sticking you with needles and taking pictures of your innards. I had to stay still but I was able to breathe normally. The whole test took about twenty minutes. The great news is my Ejection Fraction went from 51% to 63% which is excellent news. My chemo is back on for next Monday, November 4th. Once I found out my EF was low I decided to push myself to walk every day. I got so tired from the chemo I stopped exercising and I think that was a big mistake. I'm not sure if the walking contributed to the rise in number, but I would like to think that it made a difference. So from now on, no matter how badly I'm feeling, I will force myself to walk every day.

Today I'm scheduled for the ultrasound to see how my tumors are shrinking. This is the test I'm nervous about. I sure hope it's good news. I will keep you all posted.

Cheers,

Beppy

10/28/13 - 4th Chemo Day - CANCELED

Me and the best husband in the world, Budly

Here we were all set for my fourth and final chemo. I thought I would get daring for my last one, so I wore my short wig. Off we went, the three amigos - Bud, Robyn and Cancer Girl. We stopped at Chick-fil-a in Corona for our usual breakfast. We started on the transition road to the 91 freeway when we got the call. The nurse said, "Your chemo has been canceled due to your Cardiogram results - we will call you later to tell you why." I was soooo close to being done. Well not exactly done, I still have to go every three weeks to have the Herceptin infused, but at least I would be done with the yucky stuff - Carboplatin and Taxotere. When I got home the nurse called and said they want me to have a MUGA scan. Before I started chemo my EF (Ejection Fraction) was 60. When they did the test on Friday it was 51. I'm hoping I don't have any permanent damage to my heart from this chemo regimen. They re-scheduled my chemo for next Monday, November 4th. I have the MUGA test set up for tomorrow but they are trying to get me in today. The good news is I'll be able to see the kids for Halloween! I guess there's a silver lining to everything.

I'll keep you posted with the MUGA results.

Staying positive,

Beppy

10/24/13 - Surgeon Appointment

This week I had an appointment with my surgeon. She examined my tumors and she said she thought they were getting smaller. Now here's my question - is it really necessary for doctors to press so hard when they do their exam? I mean geesh - are they trying to feel lumps in your back? If my tumors did shrink, after that exam they probably swelled up from all the pressure. I guess I can forgive her though - after all, she did hold my hand through the core needle biopsy. She ordered an ultrasound of both breasts along with my lymph nodes. I'm really against having any kind of lymph node dissection, so I'm pushing to forgo that part of my surgery. We will see what the ultrasound shows before I make my final decision. My lumpectomy is scheduled for December 4th. I also saw my Oncologist this week. He said he had an extensive talk with the surgeon and she said she didn't think my tumors had changed in size. Ok, now I'm confused - did she tell me she thought they were getting smaller to make me feel better? I check them daily and I know there are definitely changes. They are not as hard as they were and I think they feel smaller. The Oncologist said he would be very surprised if there was no change. He also said what we are feeling may be scar tissue from the tumors shrinking. I sure hope so because I would hate to think I put my body through this whole chemo process for nothing. He ordered another Echocardiogram to see how my heart is doing on the Herceptin - I have that scheduled for tomorrow. The Oncologist said he understands why I wouldn't want to have the sentinel node dissection considering my history, and he will support me with whatever decision I make.

I developed a cold a few days ago and I'm hoping it just stays a cold. I really don't want to delay my fourth and final chemo. I can't wait to be done with this portion of my treatment. It looks like my hair may be growing back just a wee bit. I still have my eyebrows and my eyelashes, although the eyelashes are a little sparse. Other than the cold, I'm feeling much better so I'm guessing that my blood counts must be up. Still dealing with the slow-down of my digestive tract. If the Senna and Colace don't start doing the job, I may consider dynamite - or maybe a plunger!

That's all for now.

Beppy

Thank you to my niece Chris for the spaghetti and the cute hat you made for me. That was so thoughtful of you to think of me. Thank you also to my niece Melissa for the hats you made as well. They were adorable too - you have no idea how cold a bald head can be. I'm fortunate to have such a wonderful family.

10/15/13 - Counts are Down

Just a quick update to let you all know how I am doing after this last chemo. I had blood drawn on Monday and while my liver test was back to normal, my white blood counts were down - even after the dreaded Neulasta shot. I have the same digestion problems as last time and I think the cumulative fatigue is starting to hit me. I do much better early in the day, by afternoon I'm pretty wiped out. I'm optimistic that I will start to feel better soon. I'm still working on a side effect blog and I'll post it once it's complete. It's taking a bit longer than anticipated, mostly because all I want to do is rest. I'll get my act together in the next couple of days.

Thanks for checking on me.

Beppy

10/9/13 - 3rd Chemo Day

One More Chemo to Go!

Mikey, Me and Robyn - Hey, my eyes are going in different directions.

Monday I had my third chemo treatment. The traffic this time around was pretty good. No downed motorcycles along the way. We left at 7:30 am and got there at 9:10 am. Bud, Robyn and Mike came to this chemo day. It was nice having my whole family there. After the last fiasco, I requested the nurse I had on my first chemo - she was great. She got right into my vein with no problems and blood wasn't going everywhere this time around. She even had the cap screwed on correctly. What a treat to have someone that knows what they are doing! First up was an hour of Taxotere with no side effects. Next was an hour of Carboplatin with no side effects, and then came the Herceptin. For some reason the Herceptin makes me cold. She slowed down the dose to an hour this time and I didn't get the shakes like last time. It was all pretty uneventful. My liver enzymes were a little off on my blood test. My ALT test was elevated. The nurse said that can happen when you're going through chemo. I guess they will keep an eye on that to make sure it doesn't go up any further. A high ALT test could be a sign of liver damage so I'll be all over that one. I've been so careful through the years - taking as low a dose as possible of my arthritis meds to protect my organs and I'll be darned if I'm going to let chemo meds take them down!

BudBud & Beppy

After my treatment we stopped at El Torito for lunch. We all know how I love to eat. Robyn and I were good though and we had the chicken tortilla soup.

Monday night I got the usual red face side effect. It was gone by the next morning. Other than fatigue, I'm feeling pretty good at the moment. I have to take my Neulasta shot today and start my Cirpo and that's usually when I start to feel pretty bad. I'm hoping it's better this time. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage the pain from the shot because I'm a bit paranoid to take Tylenol or pain meds with my elevated ALT. My Oncologist is gone this week so I didn't get a chance to ask about my options. I guess I will have to see how it goes.

Here's to minimal side effects!

Cheers,

Beppy

Special thanks to my brother, George for driving out to visit me last week. He spent the day with me and Peg and he took us out to lunch. It was a great day and I really enjoyed spending time with my big brother and sister! You are both awesome :)