Today's chemotherapy treatment marked the seventh of eight scheduled treatments. I only have ONE more chemo treatment!! Yeah! My treatment protocol consists of four treatments of Adriamycin and Cytoxan with two weeks between treatments followed by four treatments of Taxol with two weeks between treatments. This photo is the label on the 'bottle' of Taxol, it takes three hours for this bottle of chemo to drip into the port in my chest. My first two chemo drugs and the pre-drugs come in plastics IV bags, but Taxol is delivered in a glass bottle. I guess it is something about the toxicity of the drug, yes the same drug that runs through my body!
I had good news today with the sonogram. The technician had a difficult time identifying the tumor. She could find a few spots that were remnants of the tumor or small 'bits' that were somewhat random. I had the crazy idea that the tumor would 'shrink' from the outside in, or that it would start as the size of a pecan in the shell and then shrink to a grape and then shrink to the size of a pea. The chemotherapy works throughout the tumor and kills cells on the outside as well as cells on the inside of the tumor. You might remember from a post in July that I reported I was misdiagnosed and did not have cancer. Instead I had a pistol implanted in the my breast. Well, today I took a picture of that sonogram slide from my July 17 appointment. Don't you think my tumor looked like a pistol? Reminder: you can click on the photo and it should appear larger in a new window.
Dr Sharma and I were extremely pleased with the progress that I am making with the neoadjuvant (treatment before surgery) chemotherapy treatment. Now I know that the drug regime I am on will work if the cancer cells return in the future. I had good news in each of my appointments today: my lab work is OK; my tumor continues to shrink from the chemotherapy treatments; Dr Sharma is pleased with my progress and overall health; and I have a surgery date of October 2. Dr Sharma is a wonderful oncologist and I recommend her to anyone who might find themselves in need of her services. She is a little shy, but she is very attentive to any question or concern I might have. In fact, Dr Sharma always turns to Nancy during our visits and asks if she has any questions. Does Nancy have any questions? Ha ha. Nancy ALWAYS has a list of questions for Dr Sharma. Those of you who know Nancy are probably getting a chuckle from this because Nancy is SO thorough. Anyway, Dr Sharma agreed to pose for a photo with me. She is the one with the hair! I noticed in this photo that my eyebrows are thinning!
You can not believe how much better my emotional state is now compared to how I felt the last few weeks. However, I do not want to celebrate because I still have a long way to go. But right now things seem to be on track and I am making progress as expected. When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I focused on the slogan of Kicking Cancer's Ass. I am not sure I will have a party to announce that I have achieved that goal. There is too much fear about the cancer returning to state that I have defeated cancer and that the ordeal is over. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will battle cancer in an emotional and mental state for the rest of my life. Even though I might be able to say I am 'cancer free' after my surgery, I will still live with the thought that it might return. I am OK with that - I am OK knowing this is what life has dealt me and I will have to find a way to live a full and rewarding life knowing that my cancer might return. Now, I want to make one thing clear, I WILL HAVE A PARTY AFTER THIS PART OF MY BATTLE WITH CANCER. I come from a family and work environment who celebrate everything - so I will celebrate to thank all of you who have given so much to me during this time. I am not sure when, how, what, where, but WE will celebrate.
I will give myself the Neulasta shot on Friday and then wait for the muscle and joint pain to return. The Neulasta shot is to boost my white blood cell count, but it can cause joint pain, too. So I know that by Friday evening or Saturday morning I will probably be in significant pain. But, Dr Sharma gave me a new prescription today that should help with the pain. I also take Vicodin, Vitamin B 6, and ibuprofen. Because of these drugs and chemo brain, I am announcing now that I am not responsible for my behavior for the next five days!! I might just play this 'chemo brain' card for a long time. So to all of my family, friends, and colleagues - FOR ONCE, please pamper me and baby me because I have cancer and chemo brain. Hey, I have to get something good from this......
Love to all,
Mary Kay
2 comments:
Dear Mary Kay,
Great news about the shrinking tumor, and your last chemo and surgery date! MK's Meals on Wheels will be kicking into high gear again for October, when you come back from your surgery - I am thinking we should do at least two to three meals a week, so you have some variety while you are home, recovering from the surgery. All those who want to be part of MK's Meals on Wheels in Oct, please email me at: graceh@ksu.edu, with your preferred week in October! Thanks!! Grace
Hey Babe!!!!
Glad to hear you are in better spirits!!!! A huge hug your way. We hooked up our US dish here (sort of legal) and were able to watch the K-State football game. It was great to see them play so well for most of the game. See you in October, eh?
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