Week 8 Update and MD Anderson Acceptance

Everything is going well, or as well as it can go with having cancer! Monday marked my 8th treatment of Taxol and Herceptin. One of my old Clarendon College buddies, Vanessa Wood, took time out of her hectic daily life and spent the day with me going to lab, a doctors appointment, and chemo treatment. THANKS GIRL! Three more weeks to go of this treatment, and then on to the next 12 weeks of chemo. My white blood cell count was an amazing 8.6 on Monday (normal is 3.6-10.8), and it has been maintaing between 4-5. This is excellent! The doctor also seemed positive about the continuous response my tumor is having from the chemo. My blood pressure however was a whopping 179/90. I am beyond stressed about work, and with treatments, doctor appointments, etc. I am unable to work 40 hours a week.

I can not express how ready I am to put all of this behind me and get back to my normal life! I feel as though I am currently experiencing the angry stage, and continuously questioning why did this have to happen to me??? Everybody says they are thankful once they reach the finish line to have taken on this experience. I however feel that having cancer totally SUCKS! I am tired of doctor appointments, chemo sessions, and everything else in between. Tired of barely being able to brush my hair with my wide tooth combine, and it still comes out excessively with every delicate stroke. I am just plain tired of not being able to live the lifestyle of Karin Fritz cancer free! Hopefully, I will be able to put all of this behind me within 8 more months, or sooner. I wake-up every morning hoping this entire thing is a nightmare, but it's not!

On the flip side, I have been trying to get accepted into MD Anderson since I was first diagnosed. I received notice on Tuesday after constant communication with them that I have finally been accepted to meet with an oncologist surgeon next week, and they will also be conducting another mammogram and ultrasound. I am interested to see what these test results show since being on the chemo. I also find it crazy that MD Anderson was so adamant that they could not see me until my chemo treatments were complete, and now I am meeting with them during the middle of my chemo treatments. All I can say is persistence does pay off! I am going to MD Anderson primarily for a second opinion. I have some concerns since my cancer is such an aggressive form. I will post an update to let everyone know how the visit goes at MD Anderson.

Thank you everyone for your continuous support! It is greatly appreciated!