Yesterday, I had chemo #6. Luckily it did not get too messed up by the blizzard we had on Monday/Tuesday. The cancer center did a delayed opening so my appointment got pushed back from 9am to 12:00pm. I was afraid it would be packed in there and that the treatment would take forever but it went pretty smoothly. The only change was that Dr. Sinclair came to see me in my infusion room rather than having the appointment in an exam room.
We started talking about post-chemo next steps since I only have 2 more to go after today (woohoo)! I'll be getting the port out right after chemo ends (WOOHOO!) so I'll see the surgeon's PA at my last chemo on the 25th to get that scheduled. Dr. Sinclair will send an email to Dr. Lingos, the radiation oncologist, to get that ball rolling again. That should start 2-4 weeks after chemo ends (and last 6-6.5 weeks). We also talked about what medication I will go on when this is all over. There was a new study that just came out in December indicating that Aromasin is my best option. Dr. Sinclair plans to discuss this with Dr. Winer when she sees him today to confirm that he agrees. As part of this drug, I will need a shot every three months to suppress my ovarian function, putting me into menopause. I am not looking forward to that but I know it is my only option!
The treatment itself was easy. Many thanks to neighbor and friend, Jen Kelly, for taking the kids all afternoon and feeding them (and me) dinner! (School was still closed due to the storm.) Thanks also to neighbor, friend and 4 year breast cancer survivor Carrie for taking me to chemo and hanging out with me for the day. We chatted the whole time so it made it go by really quickly, They cut my benadryl in half so I did not sleep the whole time. It still made me feel a little woozy.
27 more days until my last chemo!!!!
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Taxol rocks!
Ok, that is definitely an overstatement but I have felt so much better than I did after the AC treatments. My biggest complaint has been joint pain and weakness. The weakness part has me feeling like my legs might give out underneath me, especially when walking down stairs. But no nausea and I am not even close to as exhausted as I was after the first 4 treatments. I am so relieved. Only 35 days until my last chemo treatment!
At my last appointment, Dr. Sinclair and I talked about my continued issues with being short of breath and dizzy, especially when I get up too fast (which I am always prone to but has been much worse with chemo). We also noticed that my pulse, which had been tracking in the 70s, shot up to around 100 and has stayed there. (I have been checking is periodically.) This week, I also picked up a nasty cough, which has me sounding like a chain smoker and definitely has not been helping with the shortness of breath. Luckily, I had an appointment scheduled for today, an 8 day check-in after the first Taxol treatment. Given the cough and continued other issues, they decided to send me for the CT Scan which would allow them to check my lungs for signs of pneumonia and a blood clot. Luckily, my lungs are clear so basically I have a cough and low red blood cells/iron and dehydration causing my issues. I got some fluids today and will do my best to try and drink more. I have a metallic taste in my mouth with makes stuff taste not great but luckily I don't seem to be having the other mouth issues I had with the AC (burnt tongue feeling, thrush and other throat issues).
I got to see with my favorite chemo nurse, Mary-Beth, today. We realized we had not seen each other since before Christmas so we spent a few minutes catching up. She has three young kids (ages 9, 6 and 3) so we have a lot in common. She should be there for my remaining 3 treatments.
At my last appointment, Dr. Sinclair and I talked about my continued issues with being short of breath and dizzy, especially when I get up too fast (which I am always prone to but has been much worse with chemo). We also noticed that my pulse, which had been tracking in the 70s, shot up to around 100 and has stayed there. (I have been checking is periodically.) This week, I also picked up a nasty cough, which has me sounding like a chain smoker and definitely has not been helping with the shortness of breath. Luckily, I had an appointment scheduled for today, an 8 day check-in after the first Taxol treatment. Given the cough and continued other issues, they decided to send me for the CT Scan which would allow them to check my lungs for signs of pneumonia and a blood clot. Luckily, my lungs are clear so basically I have a cough and low red blood cells/iron and dehydration causing my issues. I got some fluids today and will do my best to try and drink more. I have a metallic taste in my mouth with makes stuff taste not great but luckily I don't seem to be having the other mouth issues I had with the AC (burnt tongue feeling, thrush and other throat issues).
I got to see with my favorite chemo nurse, Mary-Beth, today. We realized we had not seen each other since before Christmas so we spent a few minutes catching up. She has three young kids (ages 9, 6 and 3) so we have a lot in common. She should be there for my remaining 3 treatments.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Chemo #5 - Done!
Today I had chemo #5, switching to a new drug called Taxol, which is supposed to be "easier" than the adryamiacin/cytoxan combo. So far, so good.
The day did not start out great. When I arrived for my blood draw, I found out the my regular chemo nurse, Mary-Beth was not in because she was at some sort of meeting in Boston. This must have come up last minute because she had been on my schedule and she hadn't told me she'd be out when I talked to her last Monday. I was disappointed because I was definitely nervous about starting the new drug. Sandra, her stand-in was great and quickly put my mind at ease.
Next, I saw the physician assistant for the surgeon who installed my port. I had been having some discomfort with it last week so they scheduled some time with him to take a look at it. What I am feeling is totally normal. I think part of it is the bulkier coats and scarves I am wearing now in the cold which are rubbing against the port. Also, the swelling has totally gone down and I have lost a few pounds with the chemo which means there is nothing but skin "protecting" the port. We also talked about when I can have it removed, which is pretty much right after chemo ends. I am VERY excited about that. I really want the scar to be mostly healed before the big Hawaii trip at the end of June. (My oncologist said if the port is really bothering me, that I could get it out at any time since I have few treatments left and my veins are pretty good. Since I went through the trouble of getting the thing, I'll keep it in until the end. Plus, it is soooo much easier for the nurses!) The procedure to remove can be done under local anesthesia and takes about 10 minutes. I can even drive myself to it. I can't wait to get rid of it!
Then, I saw Dr. Sinclair, my oncologist. We talked about Sunday's ER visit. My counts are mostly back to being ok, so no further potassium or magnesium is needed. I felt mostly back to normal this morning, which was good. We also talked about my shortness of breath issues (which I almost forgot to bring up because I hadn't written them down). My iron is low but not dangerously low so she is a little worried about it. If it gets any worse, she wants to know as she'll have me do a CT Scan to ensure I don't have a blood clot. She thinks it is probably related to the anemia and dehydration since I am struggling with drinking. I will go in for fluids 2 times this cycle to boost me a bit. We'll see if that helps. We talked about the Taxol and potential side effects and how to manage. She keeps promising that this will be better - less nausea and fatigue (although there will still be some). There is also the potential for joint pain which I can take Aleve for. Mild exercise also helps so I need to take more walks. Finally, we talked a little about the ongoing monitoring I will have and who I will see. It is up to me if I see her or Dr. Winer or both of them. I think I would opt to see her mostly because I like her and she is close but also to see him once a year to stay connected. That is a later decision but I like that she is open to me seeing both of them.
Then it was time for chemo. My pre-meds were compasine (anti-nausea), pepcid (heartburn is a common side effect) and a rather large dose of benadryl to prevent an allergic reaction. I had also taken steroid pills at 11pm and 5am, to temper an allergice reaction, which led to a terrible night sleep. The benadryl made me incredibly sleepy so I slept through most of the 3 hour Taxol admission. Next time, they might cut the dose a bit so I am not so drowsy! I am very happy to report I had no allergic reaction, which I was a bit worried about. Had that happened, they would want me to switch to the 12 weekly doses of Taxol, which would extend the timeline out by 4-5 weeks. I definitely don't want that. So I also need to hope the side effects are manageable because if I am really struggling, they would consider the 12 week plan. I'll do my best to suck it up so I can stick with my last scheduled chemo dose on February 25!
On a side note, I have mentioned a Hawaii trip in passing but provided no details. Craig and I decided that at the end of all this cancer nonsense, we need a fun family adventure to celebrate. Last time, I got beautiful diamond earrings, which I love and wear every day, but only I really benefit from them! This time, the cancer journey is so much longer and disruptive to our family so we all need to be in on the end of trip gift. We will spend 1 week on Oahu at the Aulani Resort that is a Disney property, thereby using our Disney Vacation Club Points we had planned to use in May at Disney World. We will spend the second week at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort, where Craig and I stayed in 2001. Kauai is beautiful and the resort is amazing. We are all so excited for this light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully I have at least some hair by then!
The day did not start out great. When I arrived for my blood draw, I found out the my regular chemo nurse, Mary-Beth was not in because she was at some sort of meeting in Boston. This must have come up last minute because she had been on my schedule and she hadn't told me she'd be out when I talked to her last Monday. I was disappointed because I was definitely nervous about starting the new drug. Sandra, her stand-in was great and quickly put my mind at ease.
Next, I saw the physician assistant for the surgeon who installed my port. I had been having some discomfort with it last week so they scheduled some time with him to take a look at it. What I am feeling is totally normal. I think part of it is the bulkier coats and scarves I am wearing now in the cold which are rubbing against the port. Also, the swelling has totally gone down and I have lost a few pounds with the chemo which means there is nothing but skin "protecting" the port. We also talked about when I can have it removed, which is pretty much right after chemo ends. I am VERY excited about that. I really want the scar to be mostly healed before the big Hawaii trip at the end of June. (My oncologist said if the port is really bothering me, that I could get it out at any time since I have few treatments left and my veins are pretty good. Since I went through the trouble of getting the thing, I'll keep it in until the end. Plus, it is soooo much easier for the nurses!) The procedure to remove can be done under local anesthesia and takes about 10 minutes. I can even drive myself to it. I can't wait to get rid of it!
Then, I saw Dr. Sinclair, my oncologist. We talked about Sunday's ER visit. My counts are mostly back to being ok, so no further potassium or magnesium is needed. I felt mostly back to normal this morning, which was good. We also talked about my shortness of breath issues (which I almost forgot to bring up because I hadn't written them down). My iron is low but not dangerously low so she is a little worried about it. If it gets any worse, she wants to know as she'll have me do a CT Scan to ensure I don't have a blood clot. She thinks it is probably related to the anemia and dehydration since I am struggling with drinking. I will go in for fluids 2 times this cycle to boost me a bit. We'll see if that helps. We talked about the Taxol and potential side effects and how to manage. She keeps promising that this will be better - less nausea and fatigue (although there will still be some). There is also the potential for joint pain which I can take Aleve for. Mild exercise also helps so I need to take more walks. Finally, we talked a little about the ongoing monitoring I will have and who I will see. It is up to me if I see her or Dr. Winer or both of them. I think I would opt to see her mostly because I like her and she is close but also to see him once a year to stay connected. That is a later decision but I like that she is open to me seeing both of them.
Then it was time for chemo. My pre-meds were compasine (anti-nausea), pepcid (heartburn is a common side effect) and a rather large dose of benadryl to prevent an allergic reaction. I had also taken steroid pills at 11pm and 5am, to temper an allergice reaction, which led to a terrible night sleep. The benadryl made me incredibly sleepy so I slept through most of the 3 hour Taxol admission. Next time, they might cut the dose a bit so I am not so drowsy! I am very happy to report I had no allergic reaction, which I was a bit worried about. Had that happened, they would want me to switch to the 12 weekly doses of Taxol, which would extend the timeline out by 4-5 weeks. I definitely don't want that. So I also need to hope the side effects are manageable because if I am really struggling, they would consider the 12 week plan. I'll do my best to suck it up so I can stick with my last scheduled chemo dose on February 25!
On a side note, I have mentioned a Hawaii trip in passing but provided no details. Craig and I decided that at the end of all this cancer nonsense, we need a fun family adventure to celebrate. Last time, I got beautiful diamond earrings, which I love and wear every day, but only I really benefit from them! This time, the cancer journey is so much longer and disruptive to our family so we all need to be in on the end of trip gift. We will spend 1 week on Oahu at the Aulani Resort that is a Disney property, thereby using our Disney Vacation Club Points we had planned to use in May at Disney World. We will spend the second week at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort, where Craig and I stayed in 2001. Kauai is beautiful and the resort is amazing. We are all so excited for this light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully I have at least some hair by then!
Monday, January 12, 2015
Not how I planned to spend my Sunday
After feeling really great the last 2 days (and even having friends over to watch the Pats game on Saturday night), I woke up feeling really blah on Sunday. I went back to bed for a little while and could tell when I woke up that I was getting a fever. It was only just over 100 but I had taken Tylenol an hour before so I decided to call the on-call oncologist. He recommended going to the ER to check my blood counts and to potentially get some fluids. Emily's birthday party was happening Sunday afternoon, so we decided Craig would go to the party. I called our neighbor Carolyn, who is a nurse and has high school/college age children to see if she could bring me, which she could, so we embarked on a long day at the ER. (Carolyn is also the person that gives me my Neulasta shot the day after chemo so I don't have to go all the way to Dana-Farber.)
It was a ZOO there - almost as if there had been some sort of mass casualty incident! There were people everywhere - in beds and chairs in the hallways... in rooms... It was insane. It was a lot of people with flu like symptoms. The nurses were commenting that people didn't come in on Saturday because they were watching the Pats game and then the flood gates opened on Sunday. Given my compromised immune state, they got me into a private room very quickly and I masked up. They did a bunch of blood work and my potassium and magnesium came back low so they gave me some pills for that. (Most of my other counts, which have been low, were pretty good, which was a bit surprising!) I got Zofran for the nausea and fluids for the dehydration. They did a chest x-ray (which came back fine). I saw both an ER doctor and the on-call oncologist. At the end of the day, they aren't really sure what was wrong -maybe I had a stomach virus or maybe the symptoms were chemo related. All in all, I was at the ER for 4.5 hours. It was a long day. It was AWESOME to have Carolyn there with me as she spoke "nurse" and would ask the questions I forgot to ask and filling in my symptoms when I forgot any. (Meanwhile, Emily had a blast at her birthday party!)
I came home and pretty much went right to bed. After napping for a little while, I woke up feeling better. And this morning, I felt even better, although now I am pretty tired. I spoke with my oncologist's office this morning. At first she wanted me to come in for fluids but when I told them I had a lot of fluid yesterday and was feeling better today, we decided I did not have to go in. Hopefully, I am ok to get my next treatment on Wednesday!
It was a ZOO there - almost as if there had been some sort of mass casualty incident! There were people everywhere - in beds and chairs in the hallways... in rooms... It was insane. It was a lot of people with flu like symptoms. The nurses were commenting that people didn't come in on Saturday because they were watching the Pats game and then the flood gates opened on Sunday. Given my compromised immune state, they got me into a private room very quickly and I masked up. They did a bunch of blood work and my potassium and magnesium came back low so they gave me some pills for that. (Most of my other counts, which have been low, were pretty good, which was a bit surprising!) I got Zofran for the nausea and fluids for the dehydration. They did a chest x-ray (which came back fine). I saw both an ER doctor and the on-call oncologist. At the end of the day, they aren't really sure what was wrong -maybe I had a stomach virus or maybe the symptoms were chemo related. All in all, I was at the ER for 4.5 hours. It was a long day. It was AWESOME to have Carolyn there with me as she spoke "nurse" and would ask the questions I forgot to ask and filling in my symptoms when I forgot any. (Meanwhile, Emily had a blast at her birthday party!)
I came home and pretty much went right to bed. After napping for a little while, I woke up feeling better. And this morning, I felt even better, although now I am pretty tired. I spoke with my oncologist's office this morning. At first she wanted me to come in for fluids but when I told them I had a lot of fluid yesterday and was feeling better today, we decided I did not have to go in. Hopefully, I am ok to get my next treatment on Wednesday!
Thursday, January 8, 2015
4 years ago today...
Four years ago today, you could say my cancer journey officially started. It was a Saturday afternoon and we were having friends (the Harringtons and the Eastwoods) over for dinner. It happened to be the 4th anniversary of Craig's sister's breast cancer diagnosis and she posted something about it on Facebook. I took a shower midafternoon and decided it was about time that I did a self exam as it has been way too long since I had done so and I found a lump. Luckily, I did not ignore it and when it was still there on Monday morning, I went to my gynecologist who ordered a mammogram and ultrasound. That happened on Friday, January 14 and we knew that day it was cancer (although the biopsy did not happen until the next week). Hard to believe that 4 years later, I am midway (WOOHOO!) through chemo on cancer diagnosis number 2. My message for all of you is to be VIGILANT about your health and your bodies. Had I ignored that lump or not done that self-exam, who knows what would have happened.
This chemo cycle has definitely been better than the last one. I was still tired but not out of my mind exhausted and weepy. I am struggling more with being super short of breath, thanks likely to the low iron. I had to sit down in the neighbors driveway on Monday on the way back from the bus which was pretty scary. I really thought I was going to pass out. Since then, I have been driving the kids down the street in the morning. I feel better by the afternoon so I walk down then. I am hoping my iron levels will come back up when I switch to the next chemo drug (Taxol) as I hate not being able to just get up and go when I want. I feel like a 90 year old woman sometimes.
Yesterday, I went to the breast cancer support group at Dana-Farber for the first time. (Thanks to the friends who took the kids and ended up feeding them dinner when the group ran long!) There were 5 women there. Three 50+ women who are 6 months - 2 years out from their treatment who have been part of the group for a while and then one 40 year old woman who also was attending for the first time (Jenna). Jenna has had her first round of adriamycin/cytoxan (what I just finished) and had an even worse time with it than I did. She had terrible nausea for 6 days that no medicine seemed to help. She is going back for her second round today and will talk to the doctors about the nausea as there HAS to be something else they can try to ease the nausea. Please say a prayer for her as she seriously was considering NOT going back for a second treatment but we convinced her otherwise and gave her some ideas to discuss with her doctor.. (I'm pretty sure I freaked out the other attendees when I told them of my recurrence AFTER a bilateral mastectomy, as some thought that was not possible... I kept telling them I am definitely NOT the norm.)
Thanks to everyone who reached out to me over the weekend with kind and encouraging words. It really helped me make it through the worst part of the fatigue. I am lucky to have you all in my life!
My next chemo treatment is next Wednesday. We have had to shift back a day as my oncologist will be in Boston on Tuesday. I am happy to have one more day of feeling good before the next treatment, although everyone has promised me the Taxol will be sooooo much easier than adriamycin/cytoxan and I am banking on that. The fatigue should not be as bad and people usually bounce back more quickly. A big risk is an allergic reaction to the Taxol, so I am praying that that does not happen for me and that I can handle the bigger dose and stick to the 4 cycles every 2 weeks and not have to switch to a weekly dose for 12 weeks. That would push out my completion schedule by a month and I really want all the treatment to be done in May!
This chemo cycle has definitely been better than the last one. I was still tired but not out of my mind exhausted and weepy. I am struggling more with being super short of breath, thanks likely to the low iron. I had to sit down in the neighbors driveway on Monday on the way back from the bus which was pretty scary. I really thought I was going to pass out. Since then, I have been driving the kids down the street in the morning. I feel better by the afternoon so I walk down then. I am hoping my iron levels will come back up when I switch to the next chemo drug (Taxol) as I hate not being able to just get up and go when I want. I feel like a 90 year old woman sometimes.
Yesterday, I went to the breast cancer support group at Dana-Farber for the first time. (Thanks to the friends who took the kids and ended up feeding them dinner when the group ran long!) There were 5 women there. Three 50+ women who are 6 months - 2 years out from their treatment who have been part of the group for a while and then one 40 year old woman who also was attending for the first time (Jenna). Jenna has had her first round of adriamycin/cytoxan (what I just finished) and had an even worse time with it than I did. She had terrible nausea for 6 days that no medicine seemed to help. She is going back for her second round today and will talk to the doctors about the nausea as there HAS to be something else they can try to ease the nausea. Please say a prayer for her as she seriously was considering NOT going back for a second treatment but we convinced her otherwise and gave her some ideas to discuss with her doctor.. (I'm pretty sure I freaked out the other attendees when I told them of my recurrence AFTER a bilateral mastectomy, as some thought that was not possible... I kept telling them I am definitely NOT the norm.)
Thanks to everyone who reached out to me over the weekend with kind and encouraging words. It really helped me make it through the worst part of the fatigue. I am lucky to have you all in my life!
My next chemo treatment is next Wednesday. We have had to shift back a day as my oncologist will be in Boston on Tuesday. I am happy to have one more day of feeling good before the next treatment, although everyone has promised me the Taxol will be sooooo much easier than adriamycin/cytoxan and I am banking on that. The fatigue should not be as bad and people usually bounce back more quickly. A big risk is an allergic reaction to the Taxol, so I am praying that that does not happen for me and that I can handle the bigger dose and stick to the 4 cycles every 2 weeks and not have to switch to a weekly dose for 12 weeks. That would push out my completion schedule by a month and I really want all the treatment to be done in May!
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