Andee Williamson, a friend of my cousin Erin, has offered to donate 100% of her profits from our Tastefully Simple online show to our Race for the Cure team, The Triple B's. Tastefully Simple offers a wide selection of convenient, easy-to-prepare foods designed to help people spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the rest of their lives. Please consider checking out our online show and placing an order! All proceeds go to help our Race for the Cure team raise money to find a cure for breast cancer.
Also, on April 10th from 11am-1pm, I am hosting a Piggies & Paws party. Shea Corsetti has offered to do a special fundraising show to help us raise money. I had never heard of Piggies & Paws until I attended a party this past winter. I ended up buying a unique piece of art for my living room that I will treasure forever. Shea had albums upon albums of images to chose from with lots of ideas. The party is set up like an open house, come when you can and stay as long or as little as you want. I will have snacks, drinks, and toys on hand. So bring the kids and prepare to make a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork! Artwork will be ready no later than Father's day. This could be a great gift to get that special dad for Father's day! We hope to see you here on the 10th. Let me know if you need directions or more information.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Artierogram & Port Placement
Yesterday was another LONG day for Chris & I at Magee. I had an artierogram and a chest port placed. We had to be at the hospital at 9:30am and were there until almost 5pm. The artierogram took place first and went off with no complications. I was awake for the whole procedure but given drugs to help calm me down. Dr. Buck said everything looked PERFECT! No blockages or clots. Everything looked normal!!
Next was the port placement, which went just as smoothly. They went from one procedure, right into the next and I had no complications. We couldn't have asked for a better doctor. He was very professional and did a good job.
After the procedure, I had to lay flat for several hours. Because they went in through a major artery in my groin, there was a high risk of bleeding and they needed to make sure the artery had clotted. After a few hours they raised my head 30 degrees, then to a full sitting position in a chair. About 4:30pm, they released me into rush hour traffic. Fun times heading home!!!
This morning, the day after the procedures, I am feeling so-so. My chest on the right side, where the port was placed, is VERY sore. I guess that is to be expected. I have to keep it dry until Friday, so sponge baths for me until then. I also can't submerge it in a pool for two months until it is completely healed. Guess it is a good thing it is March and I have no plans to go swimming this week. My groin area isn't very sore at all. I guess it might be a more prominent pain if my shoulder wasn't stealing the limelight. I am sure it will be tender while it heals.
Lastly, the issue of my hair... Yesterday while I was showering, I noticed more and more hair in my hands with each pass through. I finally shut the water off and gave up trying to get the loose strands out. If I had stayed in the shower I'd probably be bald right now and have racked up a pretty nice water bill. I proceeded to do my hair, which only confirmed it was indeed falling out. My brush was filled with hair and with each pass over it with my flat iron, more and more strands were falling out. Out of nervous habit, my hands smoothed over my hair at the hospital in which more strands fell out while waiting for my procedures. It was discomforting seeing all my hair on the floor. Thank God I was born with THICK hair. On the way to the hospital we called my hairdresser who agreed to shave my head this Thursday. So tomorrow night, April 1st, my hair stylist is shaving my head.
On Monday, March 29th, my mom and I made a trip out to the wig bank at the Beaver Falls beauty Academy. Unfortunately, they only had three brunette wigs, all of which made me look like an old lady. I wasn't quite thrilled enough with any of them to turn in my voucher from the American Cancer Society for a free wig. My mom & I left, quite disappointed. We decided to grab lunch at the Brighton Hot Dog shop just down the road. Upon parking I noticed a Beauty Supplies store right across the street from the Hot Dog Shop. My mom and I figured we didn't have much to lose, so we decided to check it out. Low and behold the guy in the shop had wigs and many different types and they were only $20! We left empty handed since he only took cash, but returned after lunch and a stop at the bank to buy "Amy." I promise pictures will follow, once we get her styled right. :-) Hoping my hair dresser can fix her up a little before her debut.
So, with yesterday's good test results we are no closer to finding out why I got so sick last week. All signs right now are pointing to the chemo. We meet with the new oncologist on Thursday. I promise to update once we know what's next in the treatment plan. Right now everything is in the air. My next chemo was supposed to be Monday 4/5, but with a change in doctors, the days I go for chemo might be changing as well.
Keep us in your prayers tomorrow as we meet the new oncologist. If we start a new plan of attack we are back at square one - which means my next chemo will be the first of six treatments as opposed to having one treatment under our belt already. It's very discouraging, especially since we don't know why I got so ill. We can only speculate the chemo.
Thanks again to all the wonderful people in my life! The cards, flowers, meals, and words or encouragement have helped more than you can imagine. My family I are very grateful!!!
After the procedure, I had to lay flat for several hours. Because they went in through a major artery in my groin, there was a high risk of bleeding and they needed to make sure the artery had clotted. After a few hours they raised my head 30 degrees, then to a full sitting position in a chair. About 4:30pm, they released me into rush hour traffic. Fun times heading home!!!
This morning, the day after the procedures, I am feeling so-so. My chest on the right side, where the port was placed, is VERY sore. I guess that is to be expected. I have to keep it dry until Friday, so sponge baths for me until then. I also can't submerge it in a pool for two months until it is completely healed. Guess it is a good thing it is March and I have no plans to go swimming this week. My groin area isn't very sore at all. I guess it might be a more prominent pain if my shoulder wasn't stealing the limelight. I am sure it will be tender while it heals.
Lastly, the issue of my hair... Yesterday while I was showering, I noticed more and more hair in my hands with each pass through. I finally shut the water off and gave up trying to get the loose strands out. If I had stayed in the shower I'd probably be bald right now and have racked up a pretty nice water bill. I proceeded to do my hair, which only confirmed it was indeed falling out. My brush was filled with hair and with each pass over it with my flat iron, more and more strands were falling out. Out of nervous habit, my hands smoothed over my hair at the hospital in which more strands fell out while waiting for my procedures. It was discomforting seeing all my hair on the floor. Thank God I was born with THICK hair. On the way to the hospital we called my hairdresser who agreed to shave my head this Thursday. So tomorrow night, April 1st, my hair stylist is shaving my head.
On Monday, March 29th, my mom and I made a trip out to the wig bank at the Beaver Falls beauty Academy. Unfortunately, they only had three brunette wigs, all of which made me look like an old lady. I wasn't quite thrilled enough with any of them to turn in my voucher from the American Cancer Society for a free wig. My mom & I left, quite disappointed. We decided to grab lunch at the Brighton Hot Dog shop just down the road. Upon parking I noticed a Beauty Supplies store right across the street from the Hot Dog Shop. My mom and I figured we didn't have much to lose, so we decided to check it out. Low and behold the guy in the shop had wigs and many different types and they were only $20! We left empty handed since he only took cash, but returned after lunch and a stop at the bank to buy "Amy." I promise pictures will follow, once we get her styled right. :-) Hoping my hair dresser can fix her up a little before her debut.
So, with yesterday's good test results we are no closer to finding out why I got so sick last week. All signs right now are pointing to the chemo. We meet with the new oncologist on Thursday. I promise to update once we know what's next in the treatment plan. Right now everything is in the air. My next chemo was supposed to be Monday 4/5, but with a change in doctors, the days I go for chemo might be changing as well.
Keep us in your prayers tomorrow as we meet the new oncologist. If we start a new plan of attack we are back at square one - which means my next chemo will be the first of six treatments as opposed to having one treatment under our belt already. It's very discouraging, especially since we don't know why I got so ill. We can only speculate the chemo.
Thanks again to all the wonderful people in my life! The cards, flowers, meals, and words or encouragement have helped more than you can imagine. My family I are very grateful!!!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
So sick of hospitals and we've only JUST begun...
So many of you are probably wonder WHY?? I was in the hospital over last weekend and most of the week. Well, join my club! I'd like to know WHY?? too!!
Wednesday after chemo I felt jittery, but mostly okay... Thursday, I felt like I'd been hit with the flu. Run down and felt like someone sucked all my energy out of me. But, I still wanted to go-go-go... I figured I better go out and enjoy dinner before I would be cooped up in my house for a week avoiding the germs while my white count was so low. Being that it is lent, my husband suggested we go out Thursday instead of Friday so we could enjoy a nice steak dinner at Outback and use a gift card my hairdresser gave us. Made sense to me to go out and enjoy ourselves, even though I wasn't 100% feeling great.
Well Thursday night, within 2 hours of eating, I became violently ill. The details I'll spare you from, but they led us to Magee emergency room the next day. It was all a real blur since I was in so much pain. The only position that felt fine was laying down, on my side. It hurt to sit, talk, move, anything...
Magee's ER was fantastic! I didn't have to wait long before they were running tests, making me drink a contrast drink and rushing me off for more tests. I was admitted within 3 hours of arrival and had my own room. The CT scan was drastically different from one taken only a week or so prior and my colon was not a happy camper. It was very irritated and my entire trunk area was tender to the touch.
I had a team of surgeons, infectious diseases, pulmonary specialists, GI doctors, and a regular doctor overseeing my care. My first night in the hospital was hell. The pulmonary Dr. came in at midnight, then an hour later the infectious disease Dr. and lastly the 3am blood draw (which became a routine part of my stay).
I stayed at Magee for 6 nights (Friday through Thursday when discharged), learned what it means to be neutropenic (essentially low white cell count, no flowers, no fresh fruit/veggies, and everyone has to wear a mask around me), had over 4 IV's started, numerous blood draws, multiple liquid meals, and came home with a whole lot of questions and not much in way of answers. I was feeling better though by Thursday, so they agreed to discharge me with the understanding I would come back next week, after my colon has had time to repair itself, to have another test done.
So on Tuesday I got back in for a Arteriogram and thankfully, they are going to do the port placement the same day. (This was not scheduled until 4/25 previously). Please keep me in your prayers Tuesday! It's going to be another long day for everyone since I have to lay flat for several hours after the test. We'll probably be at Magee all day.
Also, thanks again to everyone who sent me an e-card while I was at the hospital. It really did help lift my spirits. (As did the removal of the neutropenic sign from the door along with the masks!!! I could finally enjoy my flowers again...)
In the end, we really aren't sure what happened last week. The biopsies from the colonoscopy showed that my colon very toxic in nature (not surprising since I did just have chemo on the 15th). Our previous thoughts that this was a bad spell of ischemic colitis are becoming more and more questionable and as a result, our treatment plan is now coming into question. If this attack was from the chemo, we are back at square one, but that won't be known until Wednesday. Right now though, it looks like chemo is the culprit.
Wednesday after chemo I felt jittery, but mostly okay... Thursday, I felt like I'd been hit with the flu. Run down and felt like someone sucked all my energy out of me. But, I still wanted to go-go-go... I figured I better go out and enjoy dinner before I would be cooped up in my house for a week avoiding the germs while my white count was so low. Being that it is lent, my husband suggested we go out Thursday instead of Friday so we could enjoy a nice steak dinner at Outback and use a gift card my hairdresser gave us. Made sense to me to go out and enjoy ourselves, even though I wasn't 100% feeling great.
Well Thursday night, within 2 hours of eating, I became violently ill. The details I'll spare you from, but they led us to Magee emergency room the next day. It was all a real blur since I was in so much pain. The only position that felt fine was laying down, on my side. It hurt to sit, talk, move, anything...
Magee's ER was fantastic! I didn't have to wait long before they were running tests, making me drink a contrast drink and rushing me off for more tests. I was admitted within 3 hours of arrival and had my own room. The CT scan was drastically different from one taken only a week or so prior and my colon was not a happy camper. It was very irritated and my entire trunk area was tender to the touch.
I had a team of surgeons, infectious diseases, pulmonary specialists, GI doctors, and a regular doctor overseeing my care. My first night in the hospital was hell. The pulmonary Dr. came in at midnight, then an hour later the infectious disease Dr. and lastly the 3am blood draw (which became a routine part of my stay).
I stayed at Magee for 6 nights (Friday through Thursday when discharged), learned what it means to be neutropenic (essentially low white cell count, no flowers, no fresh fruit/veggies, and everyone has to wear a mask around me), had over 4 IV's started, numerous blood draws, multiple liquid meals, and came home with a whole lot of questions and not much in way of answers. I was feeling better though by Thursday, so they agreed to discharge me with the understanding I would come back next week, after my colon has had time to repair itself, to have another test done.
So on Tuesday I got back in for a Arteriogram and thankfully, they are going to do the port placement the same day. (This was not scheduled until 4/25 previously). Please keep me in your prayers Tuesday! It's going to be another long day for everyone since I have to lay flat for several hours after the test. We'll probably be at Magee all day.
In the end, we really aren't sure what happened last week. The biopsies from the colonoscopy showed that my colon very toxic in nature (not surprising since I did just have chemo on the 15th). Our previous thoughts that this was a bad spell of ischemic colitis are becoming more and more questionable and as a result, our treatment plan is now coming into question. If this attack was from the chemo, we are back at square one, but that won't be known until Wednesday. Right now though, it looks like chemo is the culprit.
And short we go...
Here are some picture that our wonderful friend, Keith Leonard, took of my family the next day.
Enjoy!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Round 1 over! DING, DING, DING!!!
What a WONDERFUL day!!! Today went much better than I could have imagined. We hit a few snags in our day, but overall, we did good and I feel great!
Unfortunately, I was unable to get a port placed this morning. My doctor had her baby about a month early and is now out on maternity leave. I went for our blood work this morning and straight up to Diagnostics Imagining for the port placement. By the time my bloodwork arrived back, it was questionable as to whether or not we would proceed with either the port, chemo, both, or neither one. I was running a low grade fever of 99.3 and my white blood cell count was up to 20. Way above where they wanted it to be which is ideally between 5-9. The surgeon paged my oncologist, Dr. Jenkowitz, and her covering Dr. returned the call. He was at another office, did not have access to my charts, and did not know that Dr. Jenkowitz had prescribed Dexamethasone (a steroid) to help increase my white blood cell counts. They thought an infection was brewing in my system, so they refused to put a port in today. The hope is that this steroid will raise my white blood cell counts, fight infections, and the when the full effect of the chemo kicks in and knocks my immune system down between days 10-14, it will decrease my odds of getting sick. At least that is what I understood from the conversation.
After being refused a port, we were sent up to my oncologists office to discuss whether or not we would postpone chemo or continue as planned. The decision was made to go forward with the chemo.
Prior to starting the chemo I finally got the results of the MRI scan. It turns out the mystery in my L2 vertebra is most likely a small hemangioma in my lower back and coincidentally right near where I had surgery 7-8 years ago to remove a lypoma. What a relief!!!! It also turned out that the breast tumor hadn't changed much since my last office visit. The covering physicians assistant got the same measurement as they did on my last office visit. Now we hopefully watch it shrink!!!
About noon, we finally started treatment. First the Herceptin, then steroids (because I got confused and missed my morning dose), then Benedryl, then Taxotere, and finally Carboplatin. I seemed to tolerate all the drugs pretty well and even managed to get a brief nap in among all the beeping and blood pressure cuff pumping every 20 minutes. The Benedryl made me very tired and has caused me to have the worst dry mouth ever!
We return in three weeks to get the port in place and for round two of chemo! I get my hair chopped off tomorrow evening and will post pictures as soon as I can. :) A little nervous about it, but so excited. I have been wanting to chop my hair short for quite some time.
Thank you again everyone for your support, love, and faith that we can and will beat this disease. The meals have also been a HUGE help!! Thanks Lisa, Stephanie, Jennifer, Anastasia, and Aunt Karen for the wonderful food! Also, a huge thanks to Stephanie for stopping in to visit with us while we were waiting for my drug cocktail to be prepared at the pharmacy! It was so wonderful to see you. You're such an inspiration to me!
Check back tomorrow for picture of a new do!
Unfortunately, I was unable to get a port placed this morning. My doctor had her baby about a month early and is now out on maternity leave. I went for our blood work this morning and straight up to Diagnostics Imagining for the port placement. By the time my bloodwork arrived back, it was questionable as to whether or not we would proceed with either the port, chemo, both, or neither one. I was running a low grade fever of 99.3 and my white blood cell count was up to 20. Way above where they wanted it to be which is ideally between 5-9. The surgeon paged my oncologist, Dr. Jenkowitz, and her covering Dr. returned the call. He was at another office, did not have access to my charts, and did not know that Dr. Jenkowitz had prescribed Dexamethasone (a steroid) to help increase my white blood cell counts. They thought an infection was brewing in my system, so they refused to put a port in today. The hope is that this steroid will raise my white blood cell counts, fight infections, and the when the full effect of the chemo kicks in and knocks my immune system down between days 10-14, it will decrease my odds of getting sick. At least that is what I understood from the conversation.
After being refused a port, we were sent up to my oncologists office to discuss whether or not we would postpone chemo or continue as planned. The decision was made to go forward with the chemo.
Prior to starting the chemo I finally got the results of the MRI scan. It turns out the mystery in my L2 vertebra is most likely a small hemangioma in my lower back and coincidentally right near where I had surgery 7-8 years ago to remove a lypoma. What a relief!!!! It also turned out that the breast tumor hadn't changed much since my last office visit. The covering physicians assistant got the same measurement as they did on my last office visit. Now we hopefully watch it shrink!!!
About noon, we finally started treatment. First the Herceptin, then steroids (because I got confused and missed my morning dose), then Benedryl, then Taxotere, and finally Carboplatin. I seemed to tolerate all the drugs pretty well and even managed to get a brief nap in among all the beeping and blood pressure cuff pumping every 20 minutes. The Benedryl made me very tired and has caused me to have the worst dry mouth ever!
We return in three weeks to get the port in place and for round two of chemo! I get my hair chopped off tomorrow evening and will post pictures as soon as I can. :) A little nervous about it, but so excited. I have been wanting to chop my hair short for quite some time.
Thank you again everyone for your support, love, and faith that we can and will beat this disease. The meals have also been a HUGE help!! Thanks Lisa, Stephanie, Jennifer, Anastasia, and Aunt Karen for the wonderful food! Also, a huge thanks to Stephanie for stopping in to visit with us while we were waiting for my drug cocktail to be prepared at the pharmacy! It was so wonderful to see you. You're such an inspiration to me!
Check back tomorrow for picture of a new do!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
So very, very, very BLESSED!!
And tomorrow we FIGHT BACK!!! But onto that later!!!
Here are a few shots from our session. I hope you enjoy them! I know we will cherish them and are grateful to Sarah for her willingness to accommodate us.
I start round one of chemo tomorrow morning. Call me crazy, but I am excited! Tomorrow we FINALLY begin fighting back against this evil disease. Pray my enthusiasm remains as I am being poked, prodded, having blood drawn, a port inserted, and receiving a special cocktail of drugs pumped into me to help destroy/shrink the cancer cells. Pray for Chris as I can't imagine how he feels. Helpless I imagine and scared. I love him so much and am blessed to have him as my husband.
Many, many, many thanks to those who have signed up to race with us on Mother's Day. At last count we had a total of 25 walkers/runners, and I know of at least 6 more who said they were signing up. I am AMAZED at the outpouring of support. I have heard that a Philadelphia Triple B's Team is also currently in the works. I am in tears at the outpouring of love and support! You are all awesome!!! Contact me if you are interested in participating with that team! Words alone can not express how grateful Chris & I am to have such wonderful friends and family in our lives. Thank you all for the cards, books, meals, babysitting offers, and support. We are very grateful and blessed to have each of you in our lives!
Check back tomorrow evening for an update! And please keep myself, Chris, and Kennedy who will be with her pappy in your prayers tomorrow. (Pappy might need some too since Kennedy is still teething!!) Love to all!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Walk this way!
So, my wonderful cousin, has graciously humored my wishes and set me up with a "team" for Pittsburgh's Race for the Cure. I say graciously because she is quite pregnant - only 5 days away from her official due date and dealing with an army of her own at home (3 kids, a dog, and a hubby!).
So join me! If you will be in Pittsburgh on Mother's day, walk with me!!! God willing, there will be BEAUTIFUL weather and I will feel AMAZING!!! I plan to walk the one mile walk with those I love by my side and I hope you will join me. I am a survivor, living, battling, and hoping to kick this demon OUT THE DOOR!!!
If you are unable to walk with us, kindly consider helping our efforts in raising awareness of this disease. It affects 1 in 8 women, a number I NEVER, in my wildest dreams imagined would fall prey on me... Sure, heart disease or a stroke... I was expecting those given our family history - but never cancer. One thing this journey has taught me is to never say never...
If you prefer to mail in your contribution, please mail to:
Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure
1133 South Braddock Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure
1133 South Braddock Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Thanks in advance for you generosity and support. My family is so blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives!
(On the health front, still no news about the results from the MRI. Still keeping the perspective that no news is good news, but I might just call in tomorrow to see if they have any information to share with me.)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
And the countdown to chemo begins!
My mom, dad, Chris, and I were back at Magee this Monday to meet with the oncologist and had great hopes of finding out more specifics of my treatment and what we are dealing with.
Answers we were seeking and answers we got! I was thrilled to hear that my CT/PET scan came back almost all clear. Only one area of concern - my L2 Vertebrae. It had show bright on scan and both the oncologist and the radiologist agreed that we needed to further investigate to make sure there was nothing to be concerned about. So after my oncologist appointment I had to have yet ANOTHER test - an MRI or my L2 vertebrae. Fortunately the wonderful office staff got me an appointment that day and we were able to get the test done on this trip. We still do not have an information or results back from this test, but I can only assume no news is good news, right?
I was given the Lupron shot at this office visit to essentially place me into a medical menopause while undergoing chemotherapy. Essentially it will shut down my reproductive system. It will also give the gal who is always hot, hot flashes and all the glorious things menopause brings. So with this drugs help, instead of me releasing an egg each month, those eggs could be saved and give us that much more of a shot to hopefully have a second child one day, God willing.
I start chemotherapy on March 15th and will continue every three weeks to receive it for six sessions. That morning I will arrive at Magee VERY early to have surgery to have a port placed, then begin the first of 6 chemo treatments. The chemo treatments will be every three weeks and will last about 4 hours. The cocktail of drugs they will be using will include Carboplatin, Taxotere, and Herceptin. The Herceptin drug will continue for a full year and as it was explained to me is one extra drug we can use in are arsenal to fight the cancer. My HER-2 number wasn't exactly positive, but wasn't an absolute negative. Which from my understanding is a good thing - because if I was HER-2 positive, from the little knowledge I have, it would mean the cancer is much more aggressive. The doctor also said due the size of the tumor, the cancer is at a stage II with no nodules.
Once the chemo starts I will have to continue to go for MUGA Scans every three months to keep an eye on my heart since the drug Herceptin has a 3% effect on the heart.
I was told I can be around friends and family during chemo, but need to be careful around those who are sick. The chemo will lower my blood counts which help me fight off diseases and I will be much more susceptible to getting sick. In fact, at Kennedy's well baby visit today, they would NOT give her the Chicken Pox vaccine because it is a live virus and can stay in her system for 6 weeks which would be me at a huge risk - even though I had chicken pox as a child. Also, if I spike a fever of 100 degrees or higher, I must be admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics.
Lastly, because of the amount of Taxotere they are using they said I would definitely lose my hair within 2 weeks of starting chemo. I have lined up an appointment to get one final family photo of me with my current hair do for 3/14, then on Tuesday, 3/16, I plan on chopping my hair short. That way when it starts falling out, it won't be such a shocker.
So, that's all I got for now... Waiting on the MRI of my L2 vertebrae and waiting to start chemo. I've been trying to keep my mind busy and not think to far ahead.
THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE FOR THE THOUGHTS, PRAYERS, CARDS, MEALS, COOKIES, & SUCH. My family really appreciates it!
Answers we were seeking and answers we got! I was thrilled to hear that my CT/PET scan came back almost all clear. Only one area of concern - my L2 Vertebrae. It had show bright on scan and both the oncologist and the radiologist agreed that we needed to further investigate to make sure there was nothing to be concerned about. So after my oncologist appointment I had to have yet ANOTHER test - an MRI or my L2 vertebrae. Fortunately the wonderful office staff got me an appointment that day and we were able to get the test done on this trip. We still do not have an information or results back from this test, but I can only assume no news is good news, right?
I was given the Lupron shot at this office visit to essentially place me into a medical menopause while undergoing chemotherapy. Essentially it will shut down my reproductive system. It will also give the gal who is always hot, hot flashes and all the glorious things menopause brings. So with this drugs help, instead of me releasing an egg each month, those eggs could be saved and give us that much more of a shot to hopefully have a second child one day, God willing.
I start chemotherapy on March 15th and will continue every three weeks to receive it for six sessions. That morning I will arrive at Magee VERY early to have surgery to have a port placed, then begin the first of 6 chemo treatments. The chemo treatments will be every three weeks and will last about 4 hours. The cocktail of drugs they will be using will include Carboplatin, Taxotere, and Herceptin. The Herceptin drug will continue for a full year and as it was explained to me is one extra drug we can use in are arsenal to fight the cancer. My HER-2 number wasn't exactly positive, but wasn't an absolute negative. Which from my understanding is a good thing - because if I was HER-2 positive, from the little knowledge I have, it would mean the cancer is much more aggressive. The doctor also said due the size of the tumor, the cancer is at a stage II with no nodules.
Once the chemo starts I will have to continue to go for MUGA Scans every three months to keep an eye on my heart since the drug Herceptin has a 3% effect on the heart.
I was told I can be around friends and family during chemo, but need to be careful around those who are sick. The chemo will lower my blood counts which help me fight off diseases and I will be much more susceptible to getting sick. In fact, at Kennedy's well baby visit today, they would NOT give her the Chicken Pox vaccine because it is a live virus and can stay in her system for 6 weeks which would be me at a huge risk - even though I had chicken pox as a child. Also, if I spike a fever of 100 degrees or higher, I must be admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics.
Lastly, because of the amount of Taxotere they are using they said I would definitely lose my hair within 2 weeks of starting chemo. I have lined up an appointment to get one final family photo of me with my current hair do for 3/14, then on Tuesday, 3/16, I plan on chopping my hair short. That way when it starts falling out, it won't be such a shocker.
So, that's all I got for now... Waiting on the MRI of my L2 vertebrae and waiting to start chemo. I've been trying to keep my mind busy and not think to far ahead.
THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE FOR THE THOUGHTS, PRAYERS, CARDS, MEALS, COOKIES, & SUCH. My family really appreciates it!
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