So the big news with this post is that I had my FINAL CHEMO yesterday! Woo-hooo. As I implied in the title of this post, I hope that means my very final chemo, forever the last one. But there is no guarantee. What makes me nervous, and I think I've mentioned this here before, is that my cancer is almost exactly like my mother's, who died from it about 5.5 years after her initial diagnosis. I don't remember exactly how long it was between the end of her initial chemo (i.e., where I am now) and the discovery of the cancer's first metastasis in her spine (it later got into her liver and her femurs and the skin near her left eye). I don't want to seem like I'm being negative -- honest, rather, in what I'm thinking about and feeling.
I am very happy to have finished chemo. It was a challenge like none I've ever faced. The Big Bad (Epirubicin, Cytoxan, and 5-FU) during the fall months was particularly difficult, as those who've been following my blog since the beginning probably know. I won't go into the litany of side effects from those drugs; it's too depressing and long. The ensuing protocol that I've been on since January 8 (Taxol) has been blessedly easier, although not without its share of side effects. These have included intermittent but fairly major numbness in my right toes and foot, with very minor numbness in my left toes. I have had NO nausea or vomiting and only minor constipation on this drug, but the fatigue has, on occasion, been almost overwhelming, and the steroid-induced insomnia on Friday nights VERY annoying. All in all, I can only wish that anyone having to take Taxol has it as easy as I have. I know that not everyone does; in particular, I met a woman who had lost a few toenails because of it.
I'm sure I've written here about what the rest of my treatment will be like, but I will go over it again in case you've forgotten. I have already had two consultations with my radiation oncologist. I am not going to the one affiliated with the Breast Care Center of North Texas where Dr. Brian (my surgeon) and Dr. Krekow (my oncologist) practice, mainly because their office is so far for me to drive to every day. They referred me to a practice that is right on my way to and from work, so I will save a lot of time and gas. Dr. Krekow tells me that Dr. John (no, not that "Right Place, Wrong Time" Dr. John :)) is very competent, and she's always been pleased with the care that he gives. I did meet once with the radiation oncologist associated with Dr. Krekow (her name is Dr. Tomberlin) right after my surgery last September and liked her very much, more so than Dr. John who is an older man, very noncommunicative, brusque, and cold. I mean, he will answer questions but doesn't volunteer much at all and does not seem very caring. The technicians I have met at this facility, on the other hand, have been very friendly and caring, and they will be the ones I will be mostly dealing with. I have a chemo wrap-up meeting with Dr. Krekow on April 16 and am planning on asking her opinion of Dr. John again. I can deal with someone who has a bad bedside manner as long as I know he's competent :). So the schedule is a walk-through of radiation on April 14, and then I begin actual treatment on April 19; it will last for six weeks, and I will have to go every day (M-F). They tell me that total turnaround time is about an hour from when I walk in the door, but the actual treatment is under 10 minutes. The predicted side effects will not kick in until about three weeks into treatment and will include skin irritation at the site (anything from a tan-like effect to a sunburn-like redness and blistering) plus fatigue that will be mild at first but get worse. No nausea or vomiting or other stomach problems are associated with the treatment I will be getting (people who get radiation in the abdomen area do have those problems). There are other side effects, but they are rare, so hopefully I won't have to think or talk about them at all. Dr. John said that the radiation beam will be going in at three places: one beam directed at exactly where my breast tumor was, another under my arm where the smaller tumor and affected lymph nodes were, and the last between my left shoulder and collar bone to treat the rest of my lymph nodes. So if I'm looking at the calendar correctly, I should finish with radiation treatments on May 28 as long as I don't have to skip any days because of illness, absence, or severe side effects. To complete the whole shebang, I will have to have surgery again six months after radiation is complete (to allow time for my skin to heal). This surgery will involve replacement of the tissue expander where my left breast was with a permanent silicone implant and placement of a much smaller implant on the right side so that my breasts will (hopefully) be even, both in size and in where they sit on my chest. Currently, the tissue expander sits much higher than my natural (right) breast, and it looks really stupid if I'm not wearing a bra.
In other news, about a month ago I made a new friend at the infusion room. She is also a breast cancer patient but started her chemo only recently (I guess about six weeks ago?). Her treatment is similar to mine but not quite as long and not as many drugs (her cancer was not as advanced and she is triple negative, which means that her cancer does not have receptors for progesterone, estrogen, or HER2NEU; my cancer is estrogen-positive, which is why I'll be on an estrogen-blocker for the rest of my life, starting with Tamoxifen for 5 years). The interesting coincidence is that she's a copyeditor, too, so we have lots to talk about besides cancer, which is nice. So a big shout-out to Amy, and thanks for the interesting chats :).
Kyle has, as usual, been very sweet; his good deed for the week (besides all that he always does) was making a delicious batch of chocolate peanut-butter chip cookies for me to take to chemo yesterday and share with all the caregivers who have been so good to me over the past six months: the receptionist, the phlebotomists, Dr. Krekow and Lisa (her P.A.) and nurses (though Sue was out yesterday), and the oncology nurses and staff in the infusion room. They all raved about the cookies, which I have said on several occasions are the best cookies I have ever had.
Other, noncancer-related news includes the acquisition of a new dog. This little guy, who we think is a papillon-chihuahua mix, followed Kyle home when he was out walking Lightning last Sunday. Kyle had him checked on Monday at animal control for a microchip, and they couldn't find one; furthermore, they told Kyle if he left the pup there, he would likely be euthanized because they are so overcrowded. So Kyle brought him back home and posted at Craigslist as well as several lost-dog online sites. We also made fliers that we posted all over our neighborhood, but no one has called. The dog is very sweet, very cute (solid black), and in really good condition. We are beginning to believe he was abandoned by someone who could no longer afford to keep him since no one has contacted us. We are trying to decide whether we can afford him; he will have to get all his shots and be neutered, so that's probably at least $300-$400 right there, plus all the future costs of boarding when we go out of town, vet bills, food (though he so small, he eats very little), etc. We've been thinking of getting another dog for some time, but we are so strapped for cash right now that it's going to be a difficult decision.
Gotta wrap this one up now; we are having a bunch of friends over for dinner and trivia or a movie tonight, so I need to go to the store for a few things. I hope all who celebrate it have a lovely Easter! Peace and love to you all, Jody.
