Today went well. My lab counts are ok – I do have to take the Neulasta shot on Friday to make sure I stay strong for the surgery. Of course, that shot will make the bone and joint pain a little more intense from the Taxol. I would expect the pain to start Saturday morning if things progress as they have the first three treatments of Taxol. My visit with Dr. Sharma was awesome as she was extremely pleased with the response from the chemo portion of my treatment plan. During the physical exam, she stated that she did not think she was feeling cancer cells, but maybe she could feel scar tissue or dead cells. Anyway, we had a great visit; she gave me a hug at the end of the appointment!! My next meeting with Dr. Sharma is two weeks after the surgery. At that time, I will start the aromatase inhibitor medication that will block estrogen from feeding any remaining cancer cells. My cancer is estrogen and progesterone positive and Her negative. The protocol is to take the medicine for five years if everything goes well. Dr. Sharma said the treatment plan could change in that time if more effective medicine becomes available. I will see Dr. Sharma every three months for two years and then every six months after that. She already scheduled a bone density test for me because bone loss is one of the side effects of the aromatase inhibitor medicine. She is waiting to order other tests (such as ct scans, bone scans, etc.) until we find the lymph node status after surgery. I feel very comfortable about the medical care I am receiving from Dr. Sharma. She is a smart, caring, and warmly spirited woman and I highly recommend her if anyone needs her services.
I had a bit of an emotional release after my appointment with Dr. Sharma – the tears flowed for a few minutes as I thought about things. My emotions were related to how fortunate I felt at the moment to have received such good news. I had Nancy with me and many family and friends had called me to say they were thinking of me today. I just felt overwhelmed with love at that moment as my throat tightened and the tears swelled in my eyes.
After that episode, I made my way to the treatment center where I took the last of eight chemotherapy treatments!!! I did sleep for a couple of hours during treatment, but I was awake for the last hour or so of the four hours it takes for treatment. When the last drop of chemo entered my IV line, I had a vision of clouds parting with the sun shining through, and Handel’s Messiah - ‘Hallelujah’’ playing in my mind. Can you see and hear it, too? I did not get teary-eyed emotional after chemo, I just felt joy at not needing to do that again! As you can see in the photo, I watched with gleeful anticipation as the bottle emptied and the last drop of chemo made it's way through the IV line and into the port in the right side of my chest.
My day ended with a visit with the surgeon, Dr. Connor. She said I would only need to stay in the hospital for one or two nights depending on pain management. She thought I might only need one night since I am relatively healthy and tolerated chemo well. Before I go to surgery on October 2, I report to the nuclear medicine unit at 6:30 am for the radioactive dye that will help the surgeon locate my sentinel node. That is the lymph node to which the breast tissue lymph drains first. So, if any cancer is found in the first node, the surgeon will then progress to other nodes until they find clean nodes. I am first on the list that day so hopefully things should go according to schedule for the three hour surgery. Dr. Connor is a ‘get to the point’ person whom I really like. Of course, Nancy had her notebook full of questions for Dr. Connor. When Nancy asked her if there was anything unusual that could happen, Dr. Connor looked a little bewildered at Nancy. So to break the ice, I said maybe Nancy is concerned that I could fall off the table. Dr. Connor broke out in a big laugh and said that would be a first!! The day ended with Ruth, Dr. Connor’s wonderful nurse, as she filled in all the details of the surgery day. Ruth is so funny and was willing to stay as long as needed to make sure all of our questions were answered. We did not leave the appointment until 5:45 and Ruth did NOT seem impatient with us at all.
Needless to say, today was a roller coaster of emotions for me. I cried on the way home as I thought about all the people who have been impacted by this disease – not only those who have cancer, but also the caregivers and family and friends of cancer patients. I want to give a big ‘shout out’ to all who have been caregivers or supported someone with cancer. The love and support of my family and friends has been so important to me and I know that other cancer patients feel the same way. I want the Ta Ta to the Ta Ta’s party on September 23 to reflect the tremendous role that caregivers play for cancer patients. If you are one of those wonderful people who has supported or is currently supporting someone with cancer, please know that your efforts are so important to your loved one. Thank you to all who have shared your love and compassion with cancer patients.
Love to all,
Mary Kay
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