Monday, May 19, 2014
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Only 1 More Chemo Session to Go!!!
On April 21, 2014 my 3rd FEC chemo was administrated. My sister Katie was able to go with to this chemo session. I have now completed a total of 15 chemo sessions. So how did it go and how did I feel??? Well, I was exhausted. Had no energy. It was very hard for me to focus on anything. All I wanted to do was sleep. A few days last week I was only awake about 6-7 hours throughout the entire day. And I was also nauseated with very little appetite. Any strong smell would send me over the edge. All of the chemo has finally caught up with me. I consider myself lucky though as I have been on chemo since mid-December, and it is just now really starting to effect me. Only one more chemo session to go!!!
Next week I will be at MD Anderson. During this visit I will have another mammogram, ultrasound, an appointment with a genetics counselor, another bone scan, visit with the reconstructive surgeon, and an appointment with my surgeon. I have lots of questions that I need addressed during this trip, so I am anxious for next week. One primary question that I have on my mind is if getting a double mastectomy is the appropriate route to go?? After my recent oncologist appointment in Lubbock my doctor seemed to think this was extreme, and left me feeling confused. I will post how the MD Anderson visit goes. I am very hopeful that at the end of the visit next week I will feel confident in all of my decisions.
Next week I will be at MD Anderson. During this visit I will have another mammogram, ultrasound, an appointment with a genetics counselor, another bone scan, visit with the reconstructive surgeon, and an appointment with my surgeon. I have lots of questions that I need addressed during this trip, so I am anxious for next week. One primary question that I have on my mind is if getting a double mastectomy is the appropriate route to go?? After my recent oncologist appointment in Lubbock my doctor seemed to think this was extreme, and left me feeling confused. I will post how the MD Anderson visit goes. I am very hopeful that at the end of the visit next week I will feel confident in all of my decisions.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
No More Eyelashes!
I completed my 2nd FEC, that's a total of 14 chemo sessions thus far, on March 31st. I had an appointment with my oncologist prior to receiving treatment on the 31st. As you already know, I will have to endure an entire year of Herceptin, a drug specific to stop the growth of the aggressive HER2 gene that I carry. During my appointment on the 31st, the doctor informed me that he is working with my insurance company to also get approval for a new drug called Perjeta. Perjeta costs around $10,000 a bag. I would need a total of 18 bags since I would be receiving this treatment along with the Herceptin every third week for a year.
Perjeta, like Herceptin, also to stop the growth of the HER2 gene. It can be used with, and is recommended to be used with Herceptin. I have done a lot of research on my own to see why both of these drugs are needed, and I have learned that they both attack the HER2 gene in complementary ways. It is believed that by using both Perjeta and Herceptin a stronger blockage is formed against HER2 signals, which helps slow the overall cancer cell growth.
As you know from my last post, my hair was falling out, but the FEC really made it come out. As a result I had to shave my head. I thought I was in the clear to keep my long, lushes, full eyelashes. However, last week they too just started coming out in clumps. My eyebrows are still hanging on by a thread, but I am not as attached to them as I was my eyelashes. So now I am working on perfecting the skill of wearing fake eyelashes! Yes, this is definitely a skill! One of the side effects from being treated with Perjeta is the possibility of hair loss. My thoughts are...it is already all gone, so I might as well endure all of the necessary treatments now and hope I never have to encounter this again!
I was also contacted this week by Melita Cramblet, the owner of the Purple Circle Magazine (a livestock show publication). She has asked me to write a feature story about my journey for the upcoming May/June edition. I am super excited about this opportunity and will share with everyone the final production once it is released!
My 3rd FEC chemo session will be on April 21st, and my sister Katie has made arrangements to go with me. I would like to thank everyone that has continued to follow my blog! Your support is greatly appreciated!!
Perjeta, like Herceptin, also to stop the growth of the HER2 gene. It can be used with, and is recommended to be used with Herceptin. I have done a lot of research on my own to see why both of these drugs are needed, and I have learned that they both attack the HER2 gene in complementary ways. It is believed that by using both Perjeta and Herceptin a stronger blockage is formed against HER2 signals, which helps slow the overall cancer cell growth.
As you know from my last post, my hair was falling out, but the FEC really made it come out. As a result I had to shave my head. I thought I was in the clear to keep my long, lushes, full eyelashes. However, last week they too just started coming out in clumps. My eyebrows are still hanging on by a thread, but I am not as attached to them as I was my eyelashes. So now I am working on perfecting the skill of wearing fake eyelashes! Yes, this is definitely a skill! One of the side effects from being treated with Perjeta is the possibility of hair loss. My thoughts are...it is already all gone, so I might as well endure all of the necessary treatments now and hope I never have to encounter this again!
I was also contacted this week by Melita Cramblet, the owner of the Purple Circle Magazine (a livestock show publication). She has asked me to write a feature story about my journey for the upcoming May/June edition. I am super excited about this opportunity and will share with everyone the final production once it is released!
My 3rd FEC chemo session will be on April 21st, and my sister Katie has made arrangements to go with me. I would like to thank everyone that has continued to follow my blog! Your support is greatly appreciated!!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
I'm Bald!!!
So, I did it, I finally had to breakdown and shave my head. My hair had gotten pretty bad, so bad that my bald head actually looks better than the little hair that I had left. Pretty crazy to say! Yolanda shaved it off, and she too agreed it was time. She said when she shaved it my hair was practically falling out in her hand. The number one thing woman fret about when they are diagnosed with cancer is "O My God, I am going to lose my hair"!!! I definitely have not been any different, as I have dreaded the day I would be bald. That day came today! It was emotional, but I am glad it is over! Really, the only other thing I have now that I don't want to lose are my long, lushes eyelashes. These though too have started to come out. Yolanda and I found a great new store in Lubbock today and I was able to stock up on some great human hair eyelashes, head bands, maintenance items for my wigs.......and another super cute blonde wig!
Soooooooo, here it is, a picture of my bald, pale head:
And here is my other new wig. I think it actually looks pretty close to my real hair:
And so my journey with breast cancer continues!
And so my journey with breast cancer continues!
Sunday, March 23, 2014
1st FEC Chemo & 2nd MD Anderson Visit
It has been three weeks since I last posted a blog. Since my last post, I have received my first round of FEC (a more intense chemo) and I went to MD Anderson for a follow-up on the spot on my 10th rib.
On Monday, March 10th, I received my first of four rounds of FEC chemo. FEC is the combination of three chemos, and I am still receiving Herceptin along with FEC. Therefore, during this treatment day I received a huge bag of fluids as a pre-flush before treatment, 4 different bags of chemo, a huge bag of fluids post-flush after treatment, and saline in between each bag. Yes, that is a lot of fluids!! The doctors had warned me that this round of treatment would be more invasive. I did have the metal taste in my mouth following the treatment for several days. I also kept myself on nausea medicine for 4 days, but still had little appetite and a weak stomach throughout those days. This slowly surpassed over the past couple of weeks. During my past treatment, I was receiving the Neupogen on a weekly basis to increase my white blood count. With this round of chemo I am now getting Neulasta, which is designed to last three weeks vs. one week. This injection is much more intense. A week following the injection, I thought there was something wrong because my back and hips were in intense pain. I was having muscle spasms and a constant throbbing pain. I had lab on the following day, and the nurses informed me that my pain was a sign that the Nuelasta injection was working, and this was normal. This injection and the Neupogen injections are both designed to break your bones down and form new white blood cells.
On Wednesday following my treatment, I felt as though I had been hit by the flu. I was pretty nauseated, and every bone in my body hurt to move from the Neulasta injection. It took everything I had in my body to get out of bed and go to my bone scan appointment at MD Anderson. Once at MD Anderson I was injected with a solution that is designed to light your bones up when being observed. The technician that injected me informed me that if everything looked good, then they would only have to do the bone scan. If there was something on my bones that needed further investigation, then more tests would be ordered. After a two hour waiting period for the injection to take effect on my bones, the bone scan was completed. Once it was complete and the doctors took a moment to review the bone scan, additional tests were ordered. The radiologist doctor informed me that the additional tests did not necessarily mean a good thing or a bad thing, they just needed more tests ran due to my young age. I on the other hand knew that there had to be something still on my rib. The additional tests included a 3D imaging of my ribs, and a ct scan. My PA was out of the office until Monday, so now it was a waiting game to receive my results.
I received my results from the PA on Tuesday, March 18th. The spot on my 10th rib is still there, but it hasn't changed. This is a good thing! The PA informed me that if the spot was decreasing in size then this would be bad, as it would mean the chemo was attacking it, and it was indeed cancer. The spot was also not growing, which is also good. At this point the PA is concluding that the spot on my 10th rib was a prior injury that did not heal correctly. Another bone scan will be conducted to follow-up on it in 2-3 months.
At this point I only have about 20% of my hair left. I still haven't shaved my head, as it still looks half way decent under a cap. I have also gained quite a few pounds. I have researched and learned that the vast majority of the breast cancer patients gain weight since all of your hormones are turned off. Additionally, the chemo breast cancer patients are treated with takes a patients current fat cells, pulls additional fat out of your blood stream, and attaches itself to the fat that is already being stored in your body. I really wasn't planning on gaining weight while undergoing cancer treatments, but I am happy to look and feel healthy.
On Monday, March 10th, I received my first of four rounds of FEC chemo. FEC is the combination of three chemos, and I am still receiving Herceptin along with FEC. Therefore, during this treatment day I received a huge bag of fluids as a pre-flush before treatment, 4 different bags of chemo, a huge bag of fluids post-flush after treatment, and saline in between each bag. Yes, that is a lot of fluids!! The doctors had warned me that this round of treatment would be more invasive. I did have the metal taste in my mouth following the treatment for several days. I also kept myself on nausea medicine for 4 days, but still had little appetite and a weak stomach throughout those days. This slowly surpassed over the past couple of weeks. During my past treatment, I was receiving the Neupogen on a weekly basis to increase my white blood count. With this round of chemo I am now getting Neulasta, which is designed to last three weeks vs. one week. This injection is much more intense. A week following the injection, I thought there was something wrong because my back and hips were in intense pain. I was having muscle spasms and a constant throbbing pain. I had lab on the following day, and the nurses informed me that my pain was a sign that the Nuelasta injection was working, and this was normal. This injection and the Neupogen injections are both designed to break your bones down and form new white blood cells.
On Wednesday following my treatment, I felt as though I had been hit by the flu. I was pretty nauseated, and every bone in my body hurt to move from the Neulasta injection. It took everything I had in my body to get out of bed and go to my bone scan appointment at MD Anderson. Once at MD Anderson I was injected with a solution that is designed to light your bones up when being observed. The technician that injected me informed me that if everything looked good, then they would only have to do the bone scan. If there was something on my bones that needed further investigation, then more tests would be ordered. After a two hour waiting period for the injection to take effect on my bones, the bone scan was completed. Once it was complete and the doctors took a moment to review the bone scan, additional tests were ordered. The radiologist doctor informed me that the additional tests did not necessarily mean a good thing or a bad thing, they just needed more tests ran due to my young age. I on the other hand knew that there had to be something still on my rib. The additional tests included a 3D imaging of my ribs, and a ct scan. My PA was out of the office until Monday, so now it was a waiting game to receive my results.
I received my results from the PA on Tuesday, March 18th. The spot on my 10th rib is still there, but it hasn't changed. This is a good thing! The PA informed me that if the spot was decreasing in size then this would be bad, as it would mean the chemo was attacking it, and it was indeed cancer. The spot was also not growing, which is also good. At this point the PA is concluding that the spot on my 10th rib was a prior injury that did not heal correctly. Another bone scan will be conducted to follow-up on it in 2-3 months.
At this point I only have about 20% of my hair left. I still haven't shaved my head, as it still looks half way decent under a cap. I have also gained quite a few pounds. I have researched and learned that the vast majority of the breast cancer patients gain weight since all of your hormones are turned off. Additionally, the chemo breast cancer patients are treated with takes a patients current fat cells, pulls additional fat out of your blood stream, and attaches itself to the fat that is already being stored in your body. I really wasn't planning on gaining weight while undergoing cancer treatments, but I am happy to look and feel healthy.
Monday, March 3, 2014
12 Weeks of Taxol Complete and Next Bone Scan
12 weeks of Taxol is complete!!! Brian went with me on this monumental day. It seems like to me I have been on chemo for 12 months!
On Friday, February 28th my MD Anderson PA called at 5:30 p.m. to go over all of my first initial scans that were completed when I was diagnosed, and had now been reviewed by the Radiology Chair at MD Anderson. The Chair did not see any invasion in my chest wall, and noted that they believe the 5mm spot in my left breast was a benign lymph node. However, they did note that one of my lymph nodes did appear to be positive under my right arm. As you recall from my previous blogs, my Lubbock doctor's also suspected this, but did not take any further investigation. My lymph nodes on current tests are now showing to be clear, so I sincerely hope that I do not have to endure 6 full weeks of radiation.
Still a concern is my 10th rib showing up on the bone scan. The Chair of the radiology department did declare that there is something there. At this point we are unaware if it is cancer or a prior injury. Hopefully, a prior injury! My next bone scan has been scheduled at MD Anderson for next Wednesday, March 19th. I will keep everyone posted on how this trip goes.
On Friday, February 28th my MD Anderson PA called at 5:30 p.m. to go over all of my first initial scans that were completed when I was diagnosed, and had now been reviewed by the Radiology Chair at MD Anderson. The Chair did not see any invasion in my chest wall, and noted that they believe the 5mm spot in my left breast was a benign lymph node. However, they did note that one of my lymph nodes did appear to be positive under my right arm. As you recall from my previous blogs, my Lubbock doctor's also suspected this, but did not take any further investigation. My lymph nodes on current tests are now showing to be clear, so I sincerely hope that I do not have to endure 6 full weeks of radiation.
Still a concern is my 10th rib showing up on the bone scan. The Chair of the radiology department did declare that there is something there. At this point we are unaware if it is cancer or a prior injury. Hopefully, a prior injury! My next bone scan has been scheduled at MD Anderson for next Wednesday, March 19th. I will keep everyone posted on how this trip goes.
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