Port eviction date TOMORROW

Tomorrow, that ugly bump in my chest will be removed, hopefully giving me plenty of time for the scar to fade before bathing suit season and our HAWAII trip (which starts in 3 months and 18 days).   At the end of the day, I am very thankful to have had the port as it did make chemo much easier and my veins are still in great shape.  Julie, Craig and others... you were right!   It is important for my veins to still be good since after radiation I will only be able to have blood drawn from my left arm.  More on that in a later post...   Other than a few weeks in January, when the port really bothered me (it kind of burned), I have hardly noticed its presence.  Well, except for when I get dressed every day.  Only certain tops cover it up so I have to be careful about what I wear because no one wants to see my ugly port!

The procedure to remove it is quite simple.  It will only take about 10 minutes and will be done under local anesthesia. I am a bit freaked out about being awake for the removal but I am finding the anesthesia hangover lasts longer and longer each time I have it, so happy to avoid it.    I can eat in the morning and drive myself to and from the procedure.  Say a little prayer it goes smoothly!

I am very happy that my oncologist feels confident that I won't need the port anymore and can have it removed before radiation starts!

Chemo #8 - Done, Done, Done Done!!!!!!!!

On November 18 when I started chemo, the end of February seemed VERY far away.   They say "the days are long but the years are short" and that has been so true with this experience.  Some days were incredible wrong and hard, but now that I made it, I realize that 3 months is a relatively short period of time in the grand scheme of things.

I got a picture with my awesome chemo nurse, Mary-Beth:

(There is a bow and a sticker "It's party time!) on the chemo bag.)

Dr. Sinclair and I talked about next steps.  I'll go in for a follow up appointment with her in 2 weeks so she can check my counts (mostly iron) before deciding when to start the ovarian suppression.  The suppression will obviously totally mess with my hormones and make me tired, so she doesn't want to bombard me during radiation (which also makes people tired), especially if my iron is so low.  (Bought some spinach on the way home from chemo to help with my counts!). Once my ovaries are suppressed, I'll star taking Femara.  This is not the drug that was in the study I had found a few weeks ago.  That other drug and Femara have almost the same success rates but Femara seems easier to tolerate. I'll be on it for at least 5 years and maybe 10.  At some point I'll consider removing my one remaining ovary to avoid the every 3 months shots.  I can't handle the idea of surgery right now so that is a later thing. 

Chemo itself was the usual.  At the end, Mary-Beth presented me with the following certificate. I gave her a huge hug and started bawling.  Mary-Beth definitely made a horrible situation a little bit better. I'll still see her at the support group and for my ovarian suppression shots.

I'll feel officially done with chemo by the beginning of next week when I am through the worst of the side effects.  I meet with the radiation oncologist on Friday and get the port out next Tuesday. Woohoo!

Chemo #7 Done

I finished second to last chemo treatment on Wednesday.   My Mom flew up the Friday before and will be with us for three weeks, which is a HUGE help.  Craig was traveling for part of this week and will be working a lot for the rest of the month so it is nice to have the company. 

The treatment itself went fine.  We met with Dr. Sinclair first and I talked about some of the side effects I have been having - blurry vision, sore jaw, joint and bone pain, and neuropathy (tingling and numbness in my fingers and feet).  All are normal for Taxol.   We also talked about post-chemo treatment - radiation (which will start March 11) and hormone therapy/ovarian suppression.   It is still TBD when I will start that.  She wants to give me some time to recover from chemo as shutting down my ovaries will yield its own unpleasant side effects.  We might even wait until after our June trip to Hawaii to get that process started. 

Three days out, I feel ok.  I had the usual neulasta back and neck bone pain yesterday, which was no fun.  Today, I'll feel more joint pain in my legs.    Craig and I are hopefully headed out to dinner tonight with friends, as long as the latest snow storm does not mess up our plans.  Thanks to Mom for babysitting!

Two weeks from now I will be done with chemo treatments!!!!

Happy day!

Thank you to the New England Patriots for winning the Super Bowl in rather dramatic fashion last night. It mad Craig and Raymond VERY happy and the universe owed them some joy amidst all the crap we have been going through as a family these last few months. We watched most of the game at a friend's house but Raymond was a bit tired, having gone to the Bruins game on Saturday night, so he and I came home before the game was over and watched the rest of it together.  It was a fun moment to share with him and I took this picture right after the thrilling end of the game.   Wow, my head is shiny!   ;)

I'm still pretty achy from last week's Taxol treatment but this feeling is better than the complete exhaustion and nausea from the AC treatments.  Only 2 more to go!   I finish THIS MONTH.   February seemed so far way when I started in November. 

Once chemo is done, it appears things will move pretty quickly.   I'll get the port out ASAP and I think I am starting radiation on March 11.   That means I will be done with this phase of treatment by the end of April.  Maybe we could have gone to Disney World as planned in May but Hawaii will be a much more special trip for us.  Of course I am starting to be a little scared for post-treatment life and how I keep the cancer fear at bay but it will be nice to not have life revolve around how I am feeling in a chemo cycle. 

Chemo #6 Done

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!!!!

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.

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!